I have a few more thoughts about the car.
The proximity entry is functionally similar to my STS. You don't have to walk up and push the button like on, well, cheaper cars. You just pull the handle. Unlike my STS, it seems to have a button on the back side of the handle so when you pull, it does what it needs to do and opens the door, while unlocking all doors. This is how my STS works. The difference is, the STS is a little more clever and just uses the motion of the handle to trigger some microswitches but this may be a bit semantic. Unlike my STS, it does have buttons at all 4 handles for locking the car. And in fact it may also work to unlock the car like if I walked up to it and just wanted to unlock a door for someone without opening a door. On my STS, you pull the handle about halfway and it does that without opening.
But I do really like keyless and I'm very glad this car has it. I think it is more useful than nav. There, I said it. While I'm at it, TPMS is also more useful than nav. Most things are if I'm honest. I am still going to look into adding it but only if it's relatively cheap and easy.
I also had more drivability commentary. Particularly, the throttle response. Now throttle response is pretty sharp. It's really too sharp. It's abrupt. GM has mastered the art of the linear throttle, which we've enjoyed pretty much since the early days of their drive by wire in the C5 in 97. The first LS6 in 2001 in the Z06 was noted for the linear and long throttle travel to very precisely meter up your torque requirement. This car is not like that at all. The tip in is fairly gentle but it sort of acts like a light switch around 20% throttle. The thing is, I don't know how much is the AMG calibration and how much is the Eurocharged tune this car supposedly has. This car needs no phoney throttle response - it is genuinely fast. So this annoys me. It would probably make winter drivability really awkward. I should try switching it to Comfort which supposedly takes off in 2nd. That might address it though I wish the throttle calibration were more....like GM does it. It's far easier to dial up exactly the torque I want in my STS (or the STS-V that I drove). This car kind of makes it seem like you're pissed or otherwise hammering when you didn't necessarily mean to.
I was fiddling with the personalization options in the dash and there's a decent amount of stuff. I set it to raise up the wheel upon exit just like my STS so that's good. I also set it to have some kind of after ignition lighting at night. Of course GM is notorious for doing this around a similar timeframe (people bitch about the reverse lights in mall parking lots). On this car what it seems to do is run the parking lights and fog lights to provide a little ambient lighting without blasting everyone. Not bad and looks cool before you lock it I guess.
It also looks like you can tweak the amount of light the system uses to determine night, but I haven't look at the manual to confirm this. It had 4 or 5 levels available. There are actually a lot of cool little secrets that they put into these cars, like one touch open windows + sunroof and also close.
Mercedes E55 AMG hunt (W211)
Re: Mercedes E55 AMG hunt (W211)
Comfort mode does indeed start in 2nd.
Re: Mercedes E55 AMG hunt (W211)
Day 4: Still love this car!
I completed a full commute. Verdict? Pretty great.
I will say I do prefer the steering in my STS. The ratio and feel is superior. But that's OK. Also perhaps partly due to being a white car with a light interior, I felt like the STS A/C was better at dropping the temp of the interior. I had it set to 70 and I was OK but a little warm. I didn't really feel the ventilated seat do anything and it would be nice if it did. This car may have a bunch of non-P codes spread across various modules that I could scan with a better setup and clue me in as to the performance of all the various bells and whistles. In due time, I'll get there.
I did discover that UNLIKE the STS, the rear door handles work exactly like the front. GM cheaped out and the rear handles of the STS are just regular door handles with a pull cable. Only the front ones are smart on the STS. On the W211 with keyless go, they are all smart. So I can walk up to ANY door on a locked car, pull the handle, and all at once the car unlocks and that door opens. It's seamless. Can't do that on the STS without either hitting the remote, or pulling a front door handle. What I don't know is if I could program it to lock when I walk away, then I'd never need to touch the key. But I don't know if I'd turn that on as I don't always want to lock the car. Meh.
The suspension seems to be overall in better shape than my STS. Bumps/impacts are less harsh in the E55 even though the front tires are 245/40-18s. That's actually lower profile than my CTS-V which runs 245/45-18s all around. I am pretty happy with the suspension overall. It is fairly comfortable in the comfort suspension mode though I think overall I prefer Sport 1. Sport 2 does get firmer and you can feel that. So it seems to work. I don't think I've squealed the tires yet for cornering and it is pretty easy to do in the STS since the front LCAs are overdue so the camber is all screwed up due to what I presume is bushing flex. Plus this thing is actually running summer tires. It feels and drives like a big car that has some handling capability. That's right in line with my preferences and, again, I have the CTS-V if I want to really do some corner carving.
Ed was impressed with the stereo so that's at least another opinion other than my own.
I still do wish there was more dynamic range in the throttle. I know the engine has a lot of torque but it still feels like it is artificially providing even more throttle than it normally would at a given throttle position. This could just be the tune. Or...it could even be stock, who knows. I have only driven one E55. To that end, around town I did like the trans in Comfort mode, starting in 2nd. There is no feeling of not enough torque. It's just smoother.
Unless I'm crazy, it did seem a little less powerful today, which is warm. But my CTS-V does the same thing. And the Roadmaster. My Northstars are the most consistent, hands down. I wonder if it has an upgraded intercooler pump. All that said it still scratched the tires as it rips through 1st gear. I would imagine that in cooler weather it transforms to a bit of a beast in 1st at WOT. As it is, it stays on the road just fine.
Oh, I found the options list on the hood. It's very similar to GM's SPID. So I need to snap a pic and decode and get to the bottom of what this has, and what it doesn't. That'll be fun and obviously I'll post it.
I completed a full commute. Verdict? Pretty great.
I will say I do prefer the steering in my STS. The ratio and feel is superior. But that's OK. Also perhaps partly due to being a white car with a light interior, I felt like the STS A/C was better at dropping the temp of the interior. I had it set to 70 and I was OK but a little warm. I didn't really feel the ventilated seat do anything and it would be nice if it did. This car may have a bunch of non-P codes spread across various modules that I could scan with a better setup and clue me in as to the performance of all the various bells and whistles. In due time, I'll get there.
I did discover that UNLIKE the STS, the rear door handles work exactly like the front. GM cheaped out and the rear handles of the STS are just regular door handles with a pull cable. Only the front ones are smart on the STS. On the W211 with keyless go, they are all smart. So I can walk up to ANY door on a locked car, pull the handle, and all at once the car unlocks and that door opens. It's seamless. Can't do that on the STS without either hitting the remote, or pulling a front door handle. What I don't know is if I could program it to lock when I walk away, then I'd never need to touch the key. But I don't know if I'd turn that on as I don't always want to lock the car. Meh.
The suspension seems to be overall in better shape than my STS. Bumps/impacts are less harsh in the E55 even though the front tires are 245/40-18s. That's actually lower profile than my CTS-V which runs 245/45-18s all around. I am pretty happy with the suspension overall. It is fairly comfortable in the comfort suspension mode though I think overall I prefer Sport 1. Sport 2 does get firmer and you can feel that. So it seems to work. I don't think I've squealed the tires yet for cornering and it is pretty easy to do in the STS since the front LCAs are overdue so the camber is all screwed up due to what I presume is bushing flex. Plus this thing is actually running summer tires. It feels and drives like a big car that has some handling capability. That's right in line with my preferences and, again, I have the CTS-V if I want to really do some corner carving.
Ed was impressed with the stereo so that's at least another opinion other than my own.
I still do wish there was more dynamic range in the throttle. I know the engine has a lot of torque but it still feels like it is artificially providing even more throttle than it normally would at a given throttle position. This could just be the tune. Or...it could even be stock, who knows. I have only driven one E55. To that end, around town I did like the trans in Comfort mode, starting in 2nd. There is no feeling of not enough torque. It's just smoother.
Unless I'm crazy, it did seem a little less powerful today, which is warm. But my CTS-V does the same thing. And the Roadmaster. My Northstars are the most consistent, hands down. I wonder if it has an upgraded intercooler pump. All that said it still scratched the tires as it rips through 1st gear. I would imagine that in cooler weather it transforms to a bit of a beast in 1st at WOT. As it is, it stays on the road just fine.
Oh, I found the options list on the hood. It's very similar to GM's SPID. So I need to snap a pic and decode and get to the bottom of what this has, and what it doesn't. That'll be fun and obviously I'll post it.
Re: Mercedes E55 AMG hunt (W211)
I'll have to decode this post haste. Of course they had to rub in the DC thing...
It would seem this car had a sub or something at one point in its life. That could go with the wheel/tire warranty history...lucky for me the audio system seems to be stock and performing properly, the way I like it.
Hey, Denso. Maybe not all hope is lost. There are two of these, one per side. I wonder if these are the bypass valves, since they are stamped AMG (as opposed to a generic Mercedes engine control item).
It would seem this car had a sub or something at one point in its life. That could go with the wheel/tire warranty history...lucky for me the audio system seems to be stock and performing properly, the way I like it.
Hey, Denso. Maybe not all hope is lost. There are two of these, one per side. I wonder if these are the bypass valves, since they are stamped AMG (as opposed to a generic Mercedes engine control item).
Re: Mercedes E55 AMG hunt (W211)
Amazing. Found this RIGHT after I painstakingly manually decoded and I think some are missing, and some are wrong...
https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/check-lo ... J84A496124
Not sure what the Problems and Issues section is really telling me. At first I thought it was service history. But it can't be.
It does tell me that the build date was Jan 19th, 2004.
Boo!! But I already determined this.
Anyway I will have to make a pass back through and identify which actual optional equipment on the E55 this car has. Some of it I know but I want to declare one way or the other for some items.
https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/check-lo ... J84A496124
Not sure what the Problems and Issues section is really telling me. At first I thought it was service history. But it can't be.
It does tell me that the build date was Jan 19th, 2004.
Boo!! But I already determined this.
At least this confirms it. DVD....so it can play movies? Ok....528 COMAND DVD PLUS (WITHOUT NAVIGATION)
I don't think this is right - I would say "XENON HEADLAMPS FOR RIGHT-HAND TRAFFIC" is probably right. I don't think these are bi-xenon because it has halogen high beams...BI-XENON HEADLAMPS FOR RIGHT-HAND TRAFFIC
This is cool. GM tried this later and sort of....failed and ended up getting rid of the system. Heated washer fluid is a cool idea.875 HEATED SCREEN WASH SYSTEM
Of course.889 KEYLESS - GO
Uh, lol?954 EQUIPMENT PACKAGE FOR AVANTGARDE VEHICLES
Soooo fawnsay!!Y88 ORION GRAY ALCANTARA HEADLINER
Anyway I will have to make a pass back through and identify which actual optional equipment on the E55 this car has. Some of it I know but I want to declare one way or the other for some items.
- Attachments
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- E55 VIN lookup for WDBUF76J84A496124.pdf
- (176.24 KiB) Downloaded 41 times
Re: Mercedes E55 AMG hunt (W211)
Fun facts from here:
https://ragtop.org/mbbrochures/2004/e_ebrochure.pdf
2.65 axle.
0.27 Cd. That is pretty damn slippery. It looks pretty slippery.
Says curb weight of 4,087 lbs but I bet that's a dry weight. I think it's more like 4,3xx.
14.2" front rotors, cross-drilled.
13.0" rear rotors, cross-drilled.
8 piston front calipers (each one takes FOUR pads)
4 piston rear caliperrs
Options on E55 going down the list. ALL of these were options on the E55 in 2004 and I identify whether mine has each one, or not.
- No burl walnut. Has the standard birdseye maple. Which is nice.
- No Distronic. [optional on STS, not available on STS-V]
- Keyless Go [standard on STS]
- Power trunk. I'll impress the takeout people. There is a button on the driver's door and trunk lid. [not available on STS]
- No panoramic sunroof [not available on STS]
- No solar powered ventilation. This is cool, and requires the panoramic roof. They dropped this later, also. [not available on STS]
- Power rear shade. [not available on STS]
- Rear door manual shades [not available on STS]
- Active ventilated seats. [part of STS 1SG package but not available on STS-V]
- In-dash 6 CD changer. [part of STS 1SG package]
- No nav. [standard on STS 1SG and STS-V]
- May have had the integrated phone? [STS has bluetooth which was advanced...not available on Mercedes in this year]
- No Parktronic (front and rear). I think I would have wanted this. STS and SRX have it in the rear at least. [possibly standard on STS]
- TPMS. Yay! [standard on STS 1SG and STS-V]
- No metallic paint (was no charge on E55 and E500 and they still didn't get it)
- No comfort package which is really just the ventilated seats + Dynamic seats. I have the regular Multi-contour seats which have the same basic adjustments but I may have a pump or like problem.
- No on the bi-xenon lighting package (though it says I have it...), which also included active curve illumination with heated headlamp washers. [not available on STS]
- No designo edition options. These are incredibly rare.
So 18 total. Of those, some I don't really count like the cell phone or designo stuff. Take those out and I count 16. Or 15 if you don't count the wood trim which is not really a functional thing. So of those 15, mine has maybe 7 of the 15. It goes back to one of the videos that says "watch out for people selling these saying fully optioned." This is a good example. Mine is NOT fully optioned, despite presumably possessing an MSRP of in excess of $80k in 2004. Of course it's still definitely a high line luxury car for the time, given the LONG list of standard stuff. It's just that some of these remaining options should have also been standard, imo.
The only other options stuff I guess I can offer is the PDF repository of all codes shows the actual dates of implementation. You can use it to identify when Mercedes first started offering any given option. Some of the dates are kind of mind blowing. Like Keyless Go in 1996. Damn.
https://ragtop.org/mbbrochures/2004/e_ebrochure.pdf
2.65 axle.
0.27 Cd. That is pretty damn slippery. It looks pretty slippery.
Says curb weight of 4,087 lbs but I bet that's a dry weight. I think it's more like 4,3xx.
14.2" front rotors, cross-drilled.
13.0" rear rotors, cross-drilled.
8 piston front calipers (each one takes FOUR pads)
4 piston rear caliperrs
Options on E55 going down the list. ALL of these were options on the E55 in 2004 and I identify whether mine has each one, or not.
- No burl walnut. Has the standard birdseye maple. Which is nice.
- No Distronic. [optional on STS, not available on STS-V]
- Keyless Go [standard on STS]
- Power trunk. I'll impress the takeout people. There is a button on the driver's door and trunk lid. [not available on STS]
- No panoramic sunroof [not available on STS]
- No solar powered ventilation. This is cool, and requires the panoramic roof. They dropped this later, also. [not available on STS]
- Power rear shade. [not available on STS]
- Rear door manual shades [not available on STS]
- Active ventilated seats. [part of STS 1SG package but not available on STS-V]
- In-dash 6 CD changer. [part of STS 1SG package]
- No nav. [standard on STS 1SG and STS-V]
- May have had the integrated phone? [STS has bluetooth which was advanced...not available on Mercedes in this year]
- No Parktronic (front and rear). I think I would have wanted this. STS and SRX have it in the rear at least. [possibly standard on STS]
- TPMS. Yay! [standard on STS 1SG and STS-V]
- No metallic paint (was no charge on E55 and E500 and they still didn't get it)
- No comfort package which is really just the ventilated seats + Dynamic seats. I have the regular Multi-contour seats which have the same basic adjustments but I may have a pump or like problem.
- No on the bi-xenon lighting package (though it says I have it...), which also included active curve illumination with heated headlamp washers. [not available on STS]
- No designo edition options. These are incredibly rare.
So 18 total. Of those, some I don't really count like the cell phone or designo stuff. Take those out and I count 16. Or 15 if you don't count the wood trim which is not really a functional thing. So of those 15, mine has maybe 7 of the 15. It goes back to one of the videos that says "watch out for people selling these saying fully optioned." This is a good example. Mine is NOT fully optioned, despite presumably possessing an MSRP of in excess of $80k in 2004. Of course it's still definitely a high line luxury car for the time, given the LONG list of standard stuff. It's just that some of these remaining options should have also been standard, imo.
The only other options stuff I guess I can offer is the PDF repository of all codes shows the actual dates of implementation. You can use it to identify when Mercedes first started offering any given option. Some of the dates are kind of mind blowing. Like Keyless Go in 1996. Damn.
Re: Mercedes E55 AMG hunt (W211)
I ordered an aux in cable from Monoprice but I was too impatient. So I stole the one from the SRX and fished it through. Had to pull down one access panel at the top of the glovebox and also drop the panel underneath which was just 2 torx screws. I also noticed this is where the interior cabin air filter goes so good to know.
Now it isn't being pinched by the glovebox door.
Now it isn't being pinched by the glovebox door.
Re: Mercedes E55 AMG hunt (W211)
Operate Manuel.
There is....a lot in here. This is better (for an engineer) than what I'm used to with GM.
Oddly this also suggests that you either have bi-xenons or halogen. It does seem that bi-xenons cars also used halogen high beams for the flash to pass (pull back momentary position on stalk). So I guess they all have that. But I pushed mine forward and it still used the halogen high beams. Hmm.
There is....a lot in here. This is better (for an engineer) than what I'm used to with GM.
Oddly this also suggests that you either have bi-xenons or halogen. It does seem that bi-xenons cars also used halogen high beams for the flash to pass (pull back momentary position on stalk). So I guess they all have that. But I pushed mine forward and it still used the halogen high beams. Hmm.
- Attachments
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- 2004_e320_e500_e55amg_3204004matic_sedans.pdf
- (5.33 MiB) Downloaded 34 times
Re: Mercedes E55 AMG hunt (W211)
I splurged again because...why not.
Ordered a brand new engine cover which this car is missing. I have owned my STS for 3 years and been annoyed that it didn't have the full engine bay dress. The SRX was missing its engine cover since we owned it. So...not doing that with this car. This wasn't much more than eBay for used and those are scuffed, have broken tabs, missing Mercedes logo, etc.
https://www.mercedesbenzpartscenter.com ... 1130100967
Then I realized why the front end looks so plain. It's missing the hood ornament! Someone specifically debadged the Mercedes logos. I'd like to add them back. They were cheap. In the place of the star logo, someone added these little AMG badges. They are OK but I think the car could use just a little (factory) bling.
Hood ornament:
https://www.mercedesbenzpartscenter.com ... 2108800186
Trunk badge:
https://www.mercedesbenzpartscenter.com ... 2117580058
So with shipping that's $214.
Yes I know, I just dropped $940 on stuff. It's fine. I like this car and I think I'm going to keep it a while. This is my favorite part actually, the TLC/maintenance process after purchase. I think this really started when I got my Fleetwood though I enjoyed maintaining my Caprice and Camaro before that.
Ordered a brand new engine cover which this car is missing. I have owned my STS for 3 years and been annoyed that it didn't have the full engine bay dress. The SRX was missing its engine cover since we owned it. So...not doing that with this car. This wasn't much more than eBay for used and those are scuffed, have broken tabs, missing Mercedes logo, etc.
https://www.mercedesbenzpartscenter.com ... 1130100967
Then I realized why the front end looks so plain. It's missing the hood ornament! Someone specifically debadged the Mercedes logos. I'd like to add them back. They were cheap. In the place of the star logo, someone added these little AMG badges. They are OK but I think the car could use just a little (factory) bling.
Hood ornament:
https://www.mercedesbenzpartscenter.com ... 2108800186
Trunk badge:
https://www.mercedesbenzpartscenter.com ... 2117580058
So with shipping that's $214.
Yes I know, I just dropped $940 on stuff. It's fine. I like this car and I think I'm going to keep it a while. This is my favorite part actually, the TLC/maintenance process after purchase. I think this really started when I got my Fleetwood though I enjoyed maintaining my Caprice and Camaro before that.
Re: Mercedes E55 AMG hunt (W211)
I actually removed these from the cars outside as mice love to go under them.Ordered a brand new engine cover which this car is missing.