rondocap

So I've had this 2001 S55 AMG for about a month now, and I want to write up a little review of it - since you often find more information about the 2003 and up supercharged models and not as much on the 01/02. For reference, I have close to 100k miles, Obsidian black (197) exterior, and gray nappa leather interior. I'll discuss issues and experiences I've had with it too.

Firstly, let's discuss the interior:

Originally I wanted a black interior - but the nappa grey leather looks great too, and is a nice contrast. The seats are extremely comfortable, and you can adjust them all sorts of ways. They also have heating and cooling, and a pulse massage feature. This pulse feature I find a little bit weak, you can notice it but it isn't that useful - the heated seats are really nice though.

The rear seats are fantastic - very roomy, and comfortable. No complaints there. The rear climate control is neat, and the fold-down vanity mirror is a nice touch. This car has the rear power seat option too, so they recline and move! Side window and rear sunshades as well - I have my windows tinted so I don't need these as much.

The visibility is awesome! You have a really clear view ahead of you, although to the back there are some blind spots. This is helped out by the parktronic - I find this feature incredibly useful as I usually have to exit a driveway that has some tight spots, so it let's you know what is around and beeps before you hit anything.

Distronic is pretty cool too - at first I was a bit afraid to use it, but after a while you start to trust and learn how it works. I've used it on long trips on the highway, that way you can rest your foot, keep your attention on the road, but have the backup radar controlled system to help you out. It's cool that you also get a red flashing warning on the panel if you come too close to hitting a car, even if the distronic is off. Nice "Attention assit", sort of what is like on the newer cars.

The command system is interesting. I bought updated GPS disks for 2009, cost $275 plus tax. The GPS system is definitely a bit outdated and takes a little getting used to, but I do like it - it does the job and is nicely integrated in the car's controls. The CD changer is good, but it does not play MP3 CD's so you are stuck with regular audio cd's that fit less music.

Unfortunately the phone system in the car is outdated. To get it up to date with bluetooth, it can cost up to $1,500. Not sure if that's worth it, I have not done it and use a bluetooth earpiece. I also installed satellite radio, which is also a bit difficult because this car does not have an AUX input - thus you either use the tape deck, or try to hard wire it to the radio with am FM adapter, which I've been told works but have not done it myself.

Otherwise, a beautiful and well made interior. It's in very good shape for a 2001, and most people think it is a 2005 or newer car! (Most "regular non car" people.) I also hard wired an Escort 9500xi radar detector - very useful!

Exterior:

This is one good looking car. The AMG body kit really sets it off. The thick rear tires give it an aggressive back stance, and the twin pipe AMG tips look great. I personally would not want to change the rims - I love that AMG original look. The only thing I did was give it a 35% tint, otherwise it is a stock look. I like that much more, I think these S55's are really handsome cars -and no need to update them to a "2003" S55 look. Sure, some people may mistake them for falsely badged S500's due to not having quad exhaust, but I think the bodykit, rims, and engine sound give it away that it's a real AMG!

I had it detailed, as the paint had some swirls and minor scratches. The works - clay, wax, interior shampoo, etc.

Performance and driving:

This is the good stuff. Without this section, this car might as well be an S430. As you all know - this is a 5.4 liter engine, producing 354HP and 391lbs of tq. The 2003 supercharged engine is 493HP- but it also weighs a bit more. 0-60 is around 5.7, and the quarter mile 14 seconds at around 100mph. This is on par with most quick cars of today - and just slightly slower than really quick cars that are now in the 4 second range of 0-60's.

Ok, so now my personal driving experience with it. Before I bought this I knew I definitely wanted an AMG, and originally was going to go for a CLK55 AMG which uses the same engine, but is much lighter and thus faster. The S55 AMG is just such a nicer car overall though, that I can sacrifice a little bit of performance for what this car brings.

The throttle is always "alive". Even at slow speeds, a little light push and you hear the engine's quiet roar like a starting tornado - and if you floor it at slow speeds with a kickdown (the small button behind the accelerator pedal) the car throws you back and just flies. For sure, this is not a slow car. It's fast. It may not be as fast as the newer S55's and S63's - but it is still a very quick and powerful car, and extreme fun to drive. You definitely get tire spin if you floor it from a light a lot of times. That engine noise is fantastic!

On the highway, it is very quiet and tranquil. It gives the illusion that you are going at a slower speed than you really are - for example, if you kickdown at 80mph, the sensation of speed going forward is best expressed by looking at the speedometer quickly going up, because the ride is so quiet that otherwise you don't feel it as much.

The steering is very light and responsive - and if you hit the ABC sport button, everything firms up a bit (suspension too) and the car has even less body roll, and responds very well for a car weighing over 4,000lbs.

Issues:

The car is amazingly well conserved and built with quality - and the only issues I've had to deal with are regular wear and tear items that I knew I would have to address since the car has high mileage.

First - I replaced the front lower ball joints and control arm bushings, since they worn down with time. I replaced the rear rotors and pads, and just did other preventive maintenance like oil, cooling flush, brake flush, new spark plugs, etc. The headlamp washer nozzles were missing as well, and that caused a leak - but as soon as I replaced it, they worked perfectly and the leak went away. So aside from this regular maintenance issues, the car is great!

For the price, it's a steal. It's considerably cheaper than the 2003+ S55's, so that makes it worth it - it's a great car to drive!








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bzliteyear

nicely done...looks like you got one of the FULLY LOADED S55's...most do not have the rear moving seats, distronics, and parktronics. i've done all the stuff you mentioned, plus i spent a good chunk when ABC valve block and pump went out. as you said, it's a GREAT car, especially for the money. as for driving, i was initially a bit disappointed that it was slower than my 2001 E55 w/ same engine given it's only a few hundred pounds heavier. however, for the extra luxury, space, and my driving style...i'm very happy.
PL

sprins

Cool stuff. And to think this car is a decade old (first builds in 1999).

I'd say: Keep it original.

Some more reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W220

rondocap

Yeah, I definitely like to keep it original. Just the tint, which I think makes the car look better - but wheels, and everything else, stock. I love the look of the more classic AMG's.

bzliteyear: Can you tell us a little bit more about the driving experience between the E55 and S55? I know the E is much lighter; that makes a decent difference in the handling and acceleration, but I found the S55 to still be really fairly powerful too. I have not had any ABC problems, and hopefully I won't - but that seems to be one of the most expensive fixes.

Maintenance wise I am completely up to date - I just need to change the dust filter and perhaps the fuel filter for now.

kevinpuri

What a great write up, I really enjoyed reading it. Glad to hear you are keeping her stock.
Nice to hear some feed back on the N/A S55's.

Kevin

rondocap

Here is part 2 of my 2001 S55 AMG review, since I've had the car a bit longer and have a lot of new stuff to share. Heh, this is definitely a car that likes warranty, but unfortunately due to the mileage it's tough to find one! It's not an easy or cheap car to maintain, but I believe that if you take great car to do everything preventively and accurately with its maintenance, it won't give you any problems down the line that are too expensive.

1.) Reliability, maintenance, and other issues:

Car currently has 118,700 miles, and I drive often 3,000-4,000 miles a month. The reason for 2 oil changes within a short period was that in the first Mobil 0W30 was used, and I learned that 0W40 is the best for these cars and so I decided to switch, about 4k miles later and had it done at the Mercedes dealer.

This is everything I have had done to the car since I bought it in November:

1 11/16/2009 Oil Change
2 11/19/2009 Cooling System Flush
3 11/23/2009 Replaced Lower Ball Joints and Control Arm Bushings
4 12/01/2009 New Wiper Blades
5 12/05/2009 Rear Brake Pads and Rotors
6 12/05/2009 Brake Flush
7 12/05/2009 Rear Differential Service
8 12/05/2009 Removed Drain Gromet
9 12/05/2009 Replaced Headlamp washer Nozzles
10 12/08/2009 New Spark Plugs
11 12/16/2009 Engine Air Filters
12 12/18/2009 Oil Change 0W40
13 12/23/2009 New Motor and Transmission Mounts
14 12/23/2009 New Brake Booster Vacuum Line
15 12/29/2009 Transmission flush - new Gasket, Flter, and Connector
16 12/29/2009 New Serpentine Belt
17 12/29/2009 Oil Cooler resealed
18 1/04/2010 New Cabin Dust Filters

Explanation of above items:

The majority is just preventive maintenance, but some issues needed more urgency.

For example:

3.) Replace Ball joints/control arm bushings: The car was fine, and one day I took it to higher highway speeds, and heard a metallic side from the front right side. The car then started creaking a good deal at slow speeds and uneven surfaces. Took it to get it looked at, and the car's ball joints had a lot of wear and the bushings were torn. Got it replaced, and the problem stopped and the car was as good as new.

5.) New rear pads and rotors: My old pads and rotors would make a clunk sound when I reversed. The previous owner had not used OEM pads, and had used aftermarket - thus they were a bit smaller and would hit the calipers, so I needed to change them plus they were already very worn.

13.) New motor/transmission mounts and power brake vacuum hose: This one was interesting. So I start to hear this "clunking" sound in my engine bay area when I accelerate from a stop. The clunk and movement was so abrupt that it even knocked out my air intake tube from its slot. Finally, I accelerate and bam - the entire car just starts to shake.

So the motor mounts broke, and torn off the brittle power brake hose. This caused a vacuum in the engine area, and the car would shake. The brake would not work anymore, so I had to have the car towed. Result: New mounts for the motor and transmission, and new power brake hose fixed the shaking and the car was back to normal.

15.) The transmission flush was to fix a leak in the 13 pin connector, which is common on these cars. I was leaking fluid in my driveway, a pink-like fluid, so I got that fixed. Was fairly cheap and definitely worth it. Also had the oil cooler resealed and got a new serpentine poly v-belt in, since the old one had some oil from the leaking oil cooler.

The cabin dust filter and engine air filter are extremely easy to do yourself. I bought the parts from Mercedes (They are pretty cheap) and did it myself. My dust filters were absolutely dirty, with old leaves and almost black. I don't think the last owner changed them for years.

This is what I need for the near future in terms of maintenance that I have not yet done:

1 Cabin Filters: Activated Charcoal filter (Already did the dust filters)
2 Fuel Filter
3 Oil Level Sensor minor leak
4 Rear Main Seal minor Leak
5 Front and Rear Flex Disk
6 16 Resistor Wires (Mine are still good and I got new spark plugs...but I'll keep this here)
7 Replace Thrust Arms (Ball Joints and bushings)
8 Valve cover gaskets and reseal breather caps
10 Timing Chain - not sure here. Will have mine checked, but no problems so far, it's just preventive.


Otherwise, the car drives beautifully. Very powerful - I definitely like to accelerate it a good bit, and it does the higher speeds wonderfully and without any issues - very stable. The brakes do start to squeal a bit after intense stop/go especially at higher speeds - but they cool off and go back to normal fairly quickly.

After a few more months with the car I'd do another little update! I figure this can be helpful to people with w220's, especially the older S55's since there is less written about them.

BVLDARI

awesome! thanks for keeping us updated.

Dudeler

I drove my son's 01 S55 last year and four months later I bought an '05 S55 with 3 years of factory warranty left. My car has a few more bells and whistles--and more torque and hp--but I think if you went into each car blindfolded it would be hard to tell the difference. Both of these cars were purchased and are still driven in California. I have had two warranty claims, a leaking valve cover gasket and a leaking electronic switch for the transmission. He has done nothing but replace tires and change oil. He has 102,000 miles on the car, paid $15K for it when it had 98K miles. I bought my car with 36K miles for $35,000, it has 42K miles now. It came with a set of 20" Lowenharts, as well as the stock wheels. I gave the Lowenhart's to my son, too blingy for the old man and it plays well in LA, where he lives. Both of our cars were from original owners who had additional MB's in their stable. I have been a Mercedes driver for 25 years..300CD;300SD;420 SEL;560 SEC; 560SL; 240D (one if the best cars MB ever made, I still have it. It never breaks, gets 28 mpg and, well, has 82 hp, but can roll at 80 mph all day..unless there is a hill..)The S55's finally put a real performance option into the S class and made it more of a driver's car, it is amazing how well it handles when you drive it hard. Deferred maintenance on an MB can come back to haunt you, so I have always stayed true to the maintenance intervals, like the tranny flush. Better to pay now, than pay a lot more later.

hesperas

I am thinking about purchasing an S55, really great info...i hear the older mercedes one could perform quite a bit of maintenance themselves, wondering if thsi is the same for 2001 s55?

rondocap

I've taken a look and done some stuff myself, and you can do a lot of maintenance yourself on this car. There are complicated items like the ABC suspension which require a really advanced understanding of cars and this type of ABC system, but otherwise you can definitely do a lot of stuff.

I'd really recommend it - make sure to find one that has a good history and has been well-maintenained, and you can find 01's and 02's for significantly less than the 03 S55's since they have a the less powerful engine. (It can be a $10k difference, so may be worth it for you depending on the car)

Dudeler

Hesperas,

There are certainly things that you can do on your car, but one of them is not understanding the meaning of the codes when you use the diagnostic device (which is very expensive) and that takes experience in knowing where the codes leads you. You don't want to just throw parts at it. As for buying a used S 55, I would recommend buying from an original owner who has service records. Many auto dealers don't have a clue about how the car was taken care of..these are the same dealers to try to sell the car having 'air conditioned seats'. They are not air conditioned, they have cooling fans. You want to make sure, for example, that brake pads were changed when needed, with OEM pads and, if there were more than two rounds of brake pads replaced, there is a good change that those AMG rotors have to be replaced and that gets pricey. Beyond that, you want service records showing that fluids were changed at the appropriate intervals. Deferred maintenance on any Mercedes can really haunt you.

rondocap

It's good to know what is going on in your car, so that you can have an idea of what to expect if you need to get something fixed.

For example, recently I was getting a vibration and rattling sound from around the driver's side. I could even hear it in the dash. It would happen mostly at start up or slow speeds, so I did some research and the diagnosis was pointing to a failing catalytic converter due to the sound.

But, I opened up my hood, checked stuff out, and saw that my ABC reservoir was very loose. The sound was coming from around this area - and then I saw that it was missing a bolt where it's supposed to be held down through the metal pipe. So I just simply replaced that bolt and tightened it, and the vibration and noise disappeared.

A relatively easy and cheap fix, it would have been much more expensive had it actually been the catalytic converter!

Another reason why it's good to know what is going on with your car yourself:

I took it to the Mercedes dealer to look at some stuff and an oil change, and the service advisor recommended that I do a coolant flush and get new engine air filters.

Now, I had just put in brand new air filters 2 days before, and done a coolant flush at another Mercedes dealer 1 week prior! Sometimes they tell you stuff just based on time, and don't even really check it. I can see how an unsuspecting person who is not too knowledgeable on their car can spend money when it isn't necessary.

Dudeler

Rondocap is right on the money with Dealer servicing. They simply refer back to a list based on time and mileage and recommend specific interval services. The more professional approach would be to note the services and ask the customer if they were done. My car is still under factory warranty and my independent mechanic points to me items that need remedy when he services the car, most recently a leak on my valve cover and the electronic transmission module. I prefer to have a knowledge about what is wrong with the car and present that to the dealer..they document customer comments regarding what is wrong with the car so there is a record that you can go back to.

rondocap

Don't get me wrong, a good MB tech at a dealer can be helpful - often if you get a nice service advisor, they can really look the car over for you and find things wrong like leaks, suspension wear, driveshaft components, etc - all of which are sometimes hard to DIY without a lift since you need to get under the car. I've found that they will check it if you ask, especially when you have done stuff with them before and will be doing something there. It can even save on getting a B service type stuff done, since they often will check most of the stuff you'd need for a B service anyway. (Then just do the oil change, filter change, and whatever else separately.)

I found it's good to have a multi-set of tools so to speak:

1.)Be knowledgeable yourself on most minor and medium level things (Things like checking fluids, changing filters, being aware of noises and symptoms of failing parts)

2.) have a good relationship with the dealer for stuff that's really difficult and for certain diagnostics or things they only have the resources to do;

3.) Most importantly: have a really good independent mechanic or shop that you trust that can do the difficult work for a much lower price than the dealer on many things. You'll get the same OEM parts, and a more direct connection to the person working on your car, often these are ex-Mercedes techs who started their own business. Sometimes at the dealer, you only really speak to the service advisors who are more theoretical in their knowledge, and only occasionally with the actual techs.

You'll save a serious amount of money as I noticed - sometimes an independent will be more than half the price of the dealer on bigger service items, especially over $1,000. I noticed that at the dealer, they charge the book hours with fairly high labor costs - usually the part themselves are the cheapest part of the bill. So if you get a job that's 7 hours of labor, you will definitely be paying a lot - while an independent tech can do the same quality work but perhaps he won't go by the book hours and will go by the actual worked hours, which can be significantly less.

Dudeler

You are right on the money (literally) on all three points. An independent mechanic depends on your return and recommendations for fiscal success and he can assist you in your fundamental servicing knowledge. MBUSA has made a concerted effort with their service reps to be very customer friendly and they (at least here in Sacramento,CA) will take your comments regarding what the problem is seriously. I only go to the dealer for warranty repair, they know that and it does not seem to be a problem for them. Dealer mechanics (and the dealer) make more money if they beat the book hours for a job

rondocap

There are many people who have experienced the broken plastic trim pieces on the bottom of the driver's seat on W220's. I have an S55 AMG, but they are all pretty much the same for the W220's.

I finally decided to get it fixed. There are actually a few different pieces there, so I took it apart myself before I knew exactly which parts I had to order.

Tools needed:

1 Ratchet, with a Torq 45 (T-45) connection
1 Regular sized Phillips screwdriver
1 Mini phillips screwdriver (This helped in tighter spots)

You can order the parts online from Mercedes, or at your local dealer. This is a diagram of how the seat is put together below:

For me, the part that was most broken was #10. The hinges had completely broken and it was loosely hanging. Part #3 was starting to break apart as well, but it was mostly cosmetic whereas the #10 was structural. The #13 door to the first-aid kit area had broken the little piece that connects it to the car and allows it to swing open, but instead of ordering that I just superglued the little piece back and it was as good as new.

I had to order #10 and #3, about $80 for both with shipping.




This is how mine looked before, in fact the #10 area looked even worse because it had completely come off recently. It was barely hanging on. (The part with the pulse feature)







OK, so here is how I did it:

1.) First, I put the seat very far forward, as that helps you get access. The first thing you want to do is pop up the little plastic piece that goes over the seat belt bolt area. That's #7 on the diagram above for reference. It is not screwed in, so it pops out, just becareful not to break it.

2.) After that's out, you have access to the seat belt bolt. Use the ratchet and T-45 to get it out. It was very easy to do it with the ratchet - although some people have complained it is on very tight.

After the bolt is out, there is one screw that you have to undo with the phillips screwdriver. It's located in the back of #3. I went in the back seat to do this, move the front seat around a bit so you can see it easier. After that screw is out, #3 plastic piece pops out - just once again be careful not to crack anything. It's in there pretty good, so you have to wiggle it out carefully.

3.) With #3 out of the way, you have access to #10, which is where the pulse feature is. Mine was really broken up, but there are 3 phillips screws in total that you need to remove. The first is on the side, the part that was being covered by #3. The other 2 are a bit trickier, you need to remove the first aid box (it pops out as it is on some little hooks) to get to one of them, and to the to the last you need to unscrew it from the bottom, it's near the front part of #10 close to where the black pulse control is.

When removing #10, be careful as the pulse control unit is attached. You can unplug the wire from the back, just pull a little bit. It comes right out.

4.) Now, just replace all of the broken pieces (It may be different for everyone). Make sure to screw it back in the same way you took it all out. The #3 goes back in fairly easy, just make sure to pop it back in place and line it up with the bolt from the seat belt.

All in all, it's not a difficult DIY at all. Just takes a little bit of time, but it looks much better when it isn't cracked it!

kaminskindy

Very nice writeup on the S55. I have '01 with 117k, which I have owned for just 2 years. In the past 26 months I've had the motor mounts replaced, because of a klunk, suspected at first, to be in the steering rack. And actually had a "breakdown" because of an O ring failure on the ABS---my first ever breakdown in any of my MB's. This car is an overlooked, outstanding example of MB & AMG technology. Almost scary fast, dare I say, Corvette-like performance, with all the comfort and room of a BIG quiet luxury sedan. Today, at <$20k for most S55's, it's likely that prior owner(s) and MB have taken care of the little, early problems. I love mine!

rondocap

I just had to replace the ABS Speed sensor in the right wheel too. The dashboard showed ESP, BAS, and speedtronic issues with the ABS light on - and the steering would get heavy.

Had the sensor replaced, and the problem went away.

The only time I ever "brokedown" with it was also due to the brakes - the bad motor mounts caused the power brake line to snap, creating a vacuum and leaving the car undrivable until the line was replaced.

Glad to see you enjoy it too! Well maintained these are great. It puts a smile on my face every time I accelerate.

AMG1

Thanks for the review on one of the very first cars that catapulted AMG into the world of high end tuning.

j69berg

great write up! I have the '02 blk/blk almost the same as what you describe. have 140k miles on it now.

a few issues i just found out at last service:
1) engine & transmission mounts are cracked. about $1,500 job dealer
2) ignitors on headlights are faulty, dealer wants $7,000 to fix
3) check engine light is intermittent -- mechanic reset to see if it will come back on... thinks it picked up o2 readings wrong.
4) trying to fix my darn windshield - auto sensor.. no one seems to have the part. (aftermarket windshield installed and they put the original sensors back on). dealers wants to put in a new window with sensor ($800)

i really like the car.. original owner.. been driving it on the freeway with trucks, i guess.. i see a lot of chips on that black paint.. since the car is paid off.. would love to keep this baby rolling.... only its getting expensive.

cheers!

rondocap

Yeah, the mounts do go every few thousand miles it seems - definitely cheaper to get an indy to do it.

Nice to see you enjoy the car, it's a great one!

mkentpoland

Hey rondocap, I too have the same repair to do on my seat. You show the diagram for the seat trims, would you happen to have the part #s also what do you think about the chip for the 55 that is advertised here. thanks

mkentpoland

Hey rondocap, you out there, this is mkentpoland. got a question about part #s for s55 seat repair. any help would be great.

Zax63

A pm might be in order as this thread is three years old...

mkentpoland

what is a pm?