2004 Mercedes E500

[crosseyedlion]

Hi all,

After the dark days of a brief flirtation with a clio RS200 I picked up its replacement yesterday...MUCH BETTER.

Its a 2004 Mercedes E500, with the 7 speed gearbox and command. Initial impressions are its fantastic!

Almost pulled the trigger on a C63 a month or so back, but it helped me evaluate what I want in a car - the E500 seems a much more sensible choice whilst I save up for my first buy to let.

On 98k with a full service history with the previous owner having it for over 8 years, part exchanging it for a Jaguar at a main dealer, my gut was telling me this was the type of person to buy a car off.

The air suspension is wonderful, seems to be no leaks and everything works bar the passenger mirror electric folding and the panoramic roof needs lubricating and tightening up, the centre armrest has a sag/bubble. I already have some matching silver centre caps to go on it. I've never had such a short to-do list on a car.

I really bought it for a trip to spain later in the summer.

I have a PH smiley sticker on order for the back window.

Edited by crosseyedlion on Tuesday 13th May 10:09

[crosseyedlion]

EggsBenedict said:

I had a later E280 CDi Sport. Not in the same league in terms of engine, but it was a lovely car. Yours looks fantastic!

Incidentally, not to try to alarm, but do look into the common faults and issues with these - I did before buying mine and apparently there was a facelift in 2006 which sorted out lots and lots of issues with the E class. I can't remember the specifics (mine was a 2008 model), but it was a bit 'fear the borkage'.

Yea, I did a lot of research prior.

Common issues seems to be the pano roof issue (fixable), Gearbox speed sensors (the part can now be refurbed for under 400), SBC Brake issues (these can be fixed now), and airmatic (suspension) leaks (theres refurb kits) and compressors going (not particularly expensive).

Basically, provided I don't go down the route of replacing instead of repairing, the costs shouldn't be eyewatering. I'm quite handy with the spanners and it still wont be cheap to fix anything, but probably less than the depreciation on my old clio. Borkage is overrated imo.

No offence, but I'd be much more concerned with costs (Bork Factor) and depreciation on a 2008 CDI :P

...I do prefer the looks of the post-2006 though.

Edited by crosseyedlion on Tuesday 13th May 11:18

Edited by crosseyedlion on Tuesday 13th May 11:19

[crosseyedlion]

scarble said:

>uses the phrase "pulled the trigger"
>prefers fat wallowy barge to fun little hot hatch

It isn't particularly involving, but i'd say it isn't wallowy. Very satisfying to push on in a well engineered rwd with a 5.0v8 way.

And I found the clio anything but a fun little hot hatch, it was horrendous.

[crosseyedlion]

KillerHERTZ said:

Nice, has the rare factory fit AMG kit aswell.

Are you sure its the 7 speed? 2004 was still the 5 speed wasnt it?

2004 was the change over iirc, this is definitely the 7 speed.

I even specifically hunted out a 7 speed due to much better fuel economy and better acceleration.

[crosseyedlion]

Trevor450 said:

This is mine. It isn't driving well at the moment but is being sorted (hopefully) as I type.

Looks lovely! is that the 5.5 v8?

Whats wrong with it?

[crosseyedlion]

Trevor450 said:

Thanks, it is indeed the 5.5 litre.

It has done 110k (last 30k with me) and the suspension bushes are shot - lots of creaking under braking and it feels very baggy even with the damping set on sport 2. To be fair, it has only started feeling like that the last couple of thousand miles but it was starting to annoy me so has gone in to be sorted.

I've had the usual gearbox thing which was solved with a full new valve body and electrical plate and it needed a new front air strut when the valve went. I have a warranty and it picked up the tab for both of these.

A front end rebush is part of my plans if i'm still in love with it after summer. That and AMG cams, Remap, louder exhaust.

Although it might creep up to E55k cost wise, it'll be significantly nicer than a bottom end E55K. Possibly daft, I know.

[crosseyedlion]

Quick update:

Have had the car just over 3 weeks, covered 1700 miles (I can't prize myself out of it, eats miles) average MPG is 23.6 - pretty amazing considering theres been lots of running around, town work and daily full throttle blats.

So far I have:
-new centre caps
-new front upper ball joints (turned out they where well gone on both sides - easy diy job with the right tools, much tighter steering now)
-Reconfigured the command system to display 'AMG' on start up rather than 'Mercedes Benz'
-Cleaned a very soiled area of headlining to like new
-Lowered the front just by tweaking the sensor + hight link mounts - I'll be damned if I was going to shell out £100+ just to make it sit a bit better.
-Lubricated the sunroof mechanism.
-Straightened out the front bumper mesh.
-PH Smiley on the rear screen.
-Clean up the ingrained black soot marks around the rear tailpipes & valance, I don't think it was ever cleaned properly for the 9 years the last owner had it.
-New Wipers

A few pics, didn't have time to give it a clean today, so its filthy...sorry.

[crosseyedlion]

Chris200 said:

How did you get the AMG up on the Command? Wonder if I could do this on my C63??

Possibly, heres how I did it -

-Key to position 1
-Phone screen
-Hold down '3''5'and '7' at the same time for about 5 seconds.
This should bring up the display menu if it works on yours...
-Choose the desired one off the list based on your body code (mine was 211) and area (UK is 'ECE')
-Turn the ignition off, get out and lock the door for at least 60 seconds.
If its worked the display will now show the new screen on startup, mine seemed to work after the 3rd try at it.

Let me know if you have any luck...

[crosseyedlion]

Erudite geezer said:

Very nice.

A most discerning choice of E class .

What would the difference in refinement be between this E500 and a 2004-2005 model-year W220 S500 S-class?

They too latterly came with the 7 speed box.

The E is very refined, but about 300kg lighter than an S - so the S will always have a slightly better ride on the same wheels, but the flipside is the E will be more involving. As for noise etc... I couldnt imagine an S is much of an improvement.

[crosseyedlion]

TWW said:

This is easily one of my favorite cars on PH at the moment... Subtle and powerful- I don't think you could spec a new Merc with that engine and retain any dignity.

Well done, and will be watching this thread!

You're too kind.

Took some cleaned pictures yesterday, sorry they're a bit samey.








I promise i'll take some more interesting shots!

Strongly considering new 'long tube' exhaust manifolds, exhaust system and a remap to push it up to 360hp+ - seems a bit pointless when you can just buy an E55, but the exhaust system/manifold is transferrable, it should really liven it up and sound epic - and Im quite happy with this for a while.

Edited by crosseyedlion on Sunday 8th June 15:12

[crosseyedlion]

2pad said:

Nice car man. I've got an 07 CLS with airmatic. Could you let me know the process for lowering the front a bit? Cheers!

Looked at lowering links then noticed the standard height sensors are on sheet metal, I just tweaked the sensor mount up a bit, can also tweak the top mount (where the arm attaches to the wishbone) down a little.

Took a bit of time to get both even but I'm happy with it now. A small change at the sensor makes a big difference to ride height. Not quite sure why people buy the lowering links tbh, unless they're really indecisive.

[crosseyedlion]

Little update:

On the way down to Brands Hatch on the weekend the stereo cr@ped itself, it would switch on and show the logo on the screen but nothing else. Totally dead.

Made for a long journey home, invisaging a huge bill I bought a fibre optic loop on the friday evening and started a process of elimination to find out which of the 7 modules (or so) was at fault - turns out it was the (now redundant) phone module. Took it out of the loop, disconnected the power etc... and everything is working as normal. Very pleased and an easy solution - I think i'm getting a parrot in it anyway.

[crosseyedlion]

nottusleinad said:

Folding mirrors are a PITA... the constant folding when you lock/unlock the car fractures the wires inside. I sorted mine out a couple of weeks ago (the indicator and the electric motor packed up - 7 of the 8 wires were broken !

You need a stupid 5 pointed safety torx type socket to remove the wing mirror, but once it's off and you've got at the loom it's an easy fix with some cheap flexible wire and a soldering iron.

Cubanite Silver is definitely the best colour ;-)

Thanks for that, but the mechanism is shot, looks like its taken a clout at some point.

[crosseyedlion]

Bit of an update, have just returned from a 2900 mile trip to Calpe (near Alicante, Spain) and back. The car was incredible - 500 mile range, seats that meant after 16 hours travelling I got out without an ache, very capable (and dare I say it...fun) in the pyrenees and spanish back roads (I stayed at a villa for a week, so took the opportunity properly explored the local area and found the best road I've ever experienced) the torque of the 5.0 proved enough for the mountain roads and for dispatching of the (by far the worst drivers on the trip) belgian drivers.

Totally faultless and perfect for the job - at 80 it was averaging 29.5mpg on the autoroutes, although there was a fair amount of very enthusiastic driving, mountain roads and traffic at times so the the overall average for the trip was a still impressive (in my book) 27.3mpg.

Was supposed to take 3 days to get back to the uk, but yesterday I realised I wasn't tired after 400 miles so pushed on and managed 836 miles in a day! Shaving a day off the trip back finally got back at 2:30am, a cow wondering into the A20 resulting in a particularly gruesome pileup what must of been seconds before we arrived meant, after 13 hours travelling we where stuck stationary for over an hour whilst the police investigated fully - No word on any fatalities yet so hopefully everyone will be ok.

It was totally faultless, easy and I would urge anyone who hasn't to try driving instead of flying to mainland europe - Our 4 day drive down was very easy, arriving at our overnight stops mid afternoon and exploring/beaching. Day one was a national park just outside Troyes, day two a beach in the south of france, day three Barcelona (including ample time being tourists exploring the city and sitting at a beach bar) and day four we arrived at Calpe. The drive back was much quicker but on the scenic route through the pyrenees was incredible. Having the car for a week at the villa beat any (normal) hire car too.

To summarise, I would not have enjoyed the trip more in any other car, at any budget.

Some rubbish/boring phone pics...







Weird to think after a days travelling you could be at this...


Or after 2 days travelling you could be driving the incredible, perfectly surfaced deserted roads around this...

[crosseyedlion]

scarble said:

fnar fnar, powerfully built, etc.

Cracking car for a European tour though, glad you're enjoying it.

Cheers, I notice you're a powertrain engineer in the west midlands? I'm starting a job of that exact description tomorrow...

[crosseyedlion]

Quick update, up to 108k now and its still pretty much trouble free.

The front lower ball joints are just starting to go though, so i'll tackle that and a very, very thorough service over christmas I think.

Quick question, Although the tyres where pretty much new (MO-Rated Continentals) the fronts are barely worn but the rears haven't got that much left (no idea why...)

I wouldn't normally bother with them but as I plan to move to an E55 or E63 next and they have the same size tyres, any recommendations for winter tyres? I want something reasonable on hard packed snow/ice but still fairly decent on the mostly summer conditions we have here in the winters. 265/35 18 rears 245/40 18 fronts.

Oh and the road tax is due next month, I think its about 260.

[crosseyedlion]

S800VXR said:

If the ball joints are the adjustable air shocks you may find Merc want you to purchase a whole new shock at a silly price. There is a place in Liverpool that rebuilds the ball joints in situ, had both of my old SL500 ones done for peanuts and never had an issue. PM me if needed and il dig out the name from an old post.

Cheers, I'm actually aware of them. However, on the Eclass its an 'Airmatic' system as opposed to the 'ABC'(hydraulic) system fitted to Sl's, Cl's and some S-classes. Whilst not without its flaws airmatic doesn't suffer the ball joint issue you mention (iirc) and is generally cheap(er) to maintain and less prone to failure - one of the deciding factors in me getting an E500 over a CL at the time.

It's the bottom arm ball joints, I noticed very slight signs when I was doing the upper ones (the lowers are a little trickier to get to). A common Eclass fault.

I'll hopefully get an ABC car one day, did you put a lot of miles on it after having the strut ball joints done?

[crosseyedlion]

Fattyfat said:

Lovely car OP.

I recently looked at a 2007 E320 CDI Sport estate and was very impressed, I can only imagine the E500 is a beast!

Very respectable fuel figures too, My V6 Alfa is doing similar mpg with a much smaller capacity.

Thanks, even with the AMG bits on it - it still seems to suprise. My average so far is at 24.4mpg now, plenty of sitting in traffic, enjoying the torque and town driving in that.

It beats BMW 750il, 540i and 530i Noticably on fuel - not that much worse than the e36 328i I ran and only 4mpg off the Renaultsport Clio 200 I ran earlier in the year (same commute). Pretty remarkable really, I think the 7 speed makes a big difference, its rarely over 1500rpm moving with normal traffic - although the motorway mpg isn't that amazing due to the wide tyres I suspect.

I know there will be bills along the line, but its been a pretty cheap 5 months motoring considering the miles I did! Kept getting tempted by a lease c63 but really don't think id enjoy it enough over this to shell out another 500 a month.

I'd like to try an E320 CDI, for most driving I think it wouldnt be the v8 i'd miss but the Airmatic suspension, seek out one with it fitted. Its a brilliant system.

[crosseyedlion]

That looks like a lovely car, although quite pricey for the mileage and spec.

I'd be worried about no command and the miles at that price.

The airmatic system is different to the self levelling that all the estates have, quite a rare option unless fitted as standard. Really enhances the Jekyll and hide character.

The shove is probably similar from the 320cdi but the 500 will have that shove over a 5k rpm band!

Personally i'd spend less getting a 2004-2006 (before the facelift but after the 2003/4 improvements, prices are much more for a 2006-) large petrol one (ie. 500) and budget more for fuel. Less to go wrong with the petrols too so i'd be less worried about 120k miles. The extra kit of a 500 would be enough for me ignoring the engine - superb active seats, airmatic suspension other bits bundled in as standard.

That said, an E320Cdi sport estate would be a brilliant car.

[crosseyedlion]

Mini update:

The car finally let me down. Sat in traffic going into work this morning there was smoke pouring out from under the bonnet, turned out the water pump had given up and was venting out of the tell-tale hole. The pulley was twerking all over the place!

After ringing around 3 garages no one could see it sooner than next week, being a contractor I don't get paid holiday so its a priority that I can get in. I decided to fix it myself tonight, eurocarparts delivered a pump and some antifreeze to my neighbour by lunchtime. Limped it home after work at 1000rpm, which equated to almost 45mph!

Spent 2 hours, in the dark - with a rudimentary tool kit, torch and head torch and its all fixed! Very pleased and sorted with a £55 pump.

Below is the work in progress, I've had better work areas!