Mercedes G55 AMG
Discussion
One of the main benefits of living in the UAE is the ability to run cars which would be financial suicide more or less anywhere else (Bar Venezuela or Kuwait).
so, months before moving here I started fantasising about a G-wagen. First, an old G500, which one can find for not too much money, although they are still expensive car for what they are.
Lots of Japanese imports arrive here every month, in great condition and low miles.
But man maths kicked in. I can afford a G55. Maybe an older one with over 100,000km, "what are 60,000 miles for a tank like that?", and so on.
The search then began. Test drove a few - one of which owned by a stunning Russian blonde who wouldn't budge on price - and finally found this one.
I had it since November, and I have put 4,000 km on it. So far the only thing to go wrong - at 150,000km was the steering damper (a 65$ part ordered on Amazon and fitted in circa 30 seconds).
After weeks of blaspheming in all languages I got the CD charger to read MP3 CDs so now I have circa 700 metal songs to play and a working sat nav. Since it's a 2008 model, it still has a silly Nokia phone gondola which, if I wanted to use as Bluetooth bridge, costs 500$ - f
k that.
Other than the crazy acceleration - it's probably quicker to 60 than my 996 - notable things are that it drinks more than me. Average fuel consumption is high single digits
- but petrol cost nothing here. 90 litres for 15 quid. So who cares.
Next, I need a tow bar attachment and a motocross bike rack.
Thanks for reading
so, months before moving here I started fantasising about a G-wagen. First, an old G500, which one can find for not too much money, although they are still expensive car for what they are.
Lots of Japanese imports arrive here every month, in great condition and low miles.
But man maths kicked in. I can afford a G55. Maybe an older one with over 100,000km, "what are 60,000 miles for a tank like that?", and so on.
The search then began. Test drove a few - one of which owned by a stunning Russian blonde who wouldn't budge on price - and finally found this one.
I had it since November, and I have put 4,000 km on it. So far the only thing to go wrong - at 150,000km was the steering damper (a 65$ part ordered on Amazon and fitted in circa 30 seconds).
After weeks of blaspheming in all languages I got the CD charger to read MP3 CDs so now I have circa 700 metal songs to play and a working sat nav. Since it's a 2008 model, it still has a silly Nokia phone gondola which, if I wanted to use as Bluetooth bridge, costs 500$ - f
k that. Other than the crazy acceleration - it's probably quicker to 60 than my 996 - notable things are that it drinks more than me. Average fuel consumption is high single digits
- but petrol cost nothing here. 90 litres for 15 quid. So who cares.Next, I need a tow bar attachment and a motocross bike rack.
Thanks for reading
Edited by stuckmojo on Tuesday 1st May 10:45
mini me said:
For bluetoothability try giving these guys a ring.
I'm sure you can do it cheaper.
https://www.commandonline.co.uk/
Thanks! I'll have a look immediatelyI'm sure you can do it cheaper.
https://www.commandonline.co.uk/
I know, the wood is a bit ghastly. That's what the locals like. I could spend money and trim it in fake carbon fiber or whatever.
Then I'd have to put the wood back to sell it. I can't be arsed. Same as the bull bar - which actually has some utility seeing how people drive here.
I just love the sound of that V8 and the car in general.
Then I'd have to put the wood back to sell it. I can't be arsed. Same as the bull bar - which actually has some utility seeing how people drive here.
I just love the sound of that V8 and the car in general.
kazste said:
Nothing puts a smile on your face as handbrake on at lights in neutral blip the throttle and feel it rock!
Awesome cars.
Dare i mention the fact that Kleeman will get it up to around 700hp ??
I am going to have a look.Awesome cars.
Dare i mention the fact that Kleeman will get it up to around 700hp ??
500hp are scary enough on a chassis developed for 90 diesel horsepower. But so what
SailingTom said:
Love it a G55 will be my next car, although is a bit worse to run in the UK 
Looks great and personally cant say im that offended by the interior, certainly not enough that i'd even consider wrapping it. That said my wood in the 300GEL isn't much better anyway!
I got a US spec 2" receiver which is much better than the fixed in my opinion, should be ideal for you to get a motor bike rack on aswell.
That's a plan. Where did you get the 2" receiver? Hard to find for a G wagenLooks great and personally cant say im that offended by the interior, certainly not enough that i'd even consider wrapping it. That said my wood in the 300GEL isn't much better anyway!
I got a US spec 2" receiver which is much better than the fixed in my opinion, should be ideal for you to get a motor bike rack on aswell.
SailingTom said:
Got mine from Albert on here;
https://www.facebook.com/ikWILeenG/?ref=br_rs&...
Very helpful chap to deal with for all G wagen parts it would appear, just make sure you describe it well and confirm so as to make 100% sure.
Hope this helps Tom
thanks!https://www.facebook.com/ikWILeenG/?ref=br_rs&...
Very helpful chap to deal with for all G wagen parts it would appear, just make sure you describe it well and confirm so as to make 100% sure.
Hope this helps Tom
Update: I am relocating back to the UK and after (not) much debate (it was really a man math inner dialogue) I have decided to take the G with me.
After all I am moving back to Newcastle and any self respecting gang leader must be seen around in a G wagen. Oh Aye.
Deciding is the easy bit. Taking on Dubai's finest on paperwork and bureaucracy is another matter altogether.
After much suffering, I managed to obtain an export certificate (with blue plates) from the Dubai RTA.
The process is as follows:
-RTA to send you a certificate of ownership via PDF - 70 AED
-Go to RTA Kiosk. Queue and get the car tested for Export - no matter if current certificate is still valid - 140 AED. It's the equivalent of an MOT but done by an exhausted bloke in 45 degree heat. Everything is awesome.
-Queue and obtain car insurance for export - 120 AED for 2 weeks.
-queue for hours and bring Emirates ID and original registration card - 110 AED. Meanwhile, about 10 people approach the desk you are sat at whilst discussing the process and address the functionary. Olympic calm needed.
-pay 1 AED for photocopy of all documents. Remember - and forget - to do more than 1 copy as you'll need these as currency
-wait again and get export certificate with blue plates.
Note - Blue plates are square and they won't fit in the plate holders. An imbecile there was about to put 4 screws into my bumper before I stopped him - his comment "it's just a small screw and it's a very solid bumper". Amazing. Even more amazing was that I spotted this because said idiot did drill two holes into the bumper of a spanking 2016 Turbo S. I hadn't the heart to take photos of that as the owner hit the nuclear button once I pointed out what was happening.
next week I'll take the car to the shipping company who will load it in a container I have booked.
On the UK side I'm using shipmycar as they'll do all the work, NOVA file etc.
I have an insurance quote - terrifyingly high - such is life.
Next, I was looking at some MPH instrument binnacles. Not needed for MOTas the car switches to miles, including the total mileage - which is nice - and the MPG - which is scary (15MPG on a flat motorway...)
I'll keep updating as things move on (will add photos with blue plates)
After all I am moving back to Newcastle and any self respecting gang leader must be seen around in a G wagen. Oh Aye.
Deciding is the easy bit. Taking on Dubai's finest on paperwork and bureaucracy is another matter altogether.
After much suffering, I managed to obtain an export certificate (with blue plates) from the Dubai RTA.
The process is as follows:
-RTA to send you a certificate of ownership via PDF - 70 AED
-Go to RTA Kiosk. Queue and get the car tested for Export - no matter if current certificate is still valid - 140 AED. It's the equivalent of an MOT but done by an exhausted bloke in 45 degree heat. Everything is awesome.
-Queue and obtain car insurance for export - 120 AED for 2 weeks.
-queue for hours and bring Emirates ID and original registration card - 110 AED. Meanwhile, about 10 people approach the desk you are sat at whilst discussing the process and address the functionary. Olympic calm needed.
-pay 1 AED for photocopy of all documents. Remember - and forget - to do more than 1 copy as you'll need these as currency
-wait again and get export certificate with blue plates.
Note - Blue plates are square and they won't fit in the plate holders. An imbecile there was about to put 4 screws into my bumper before I stopped him - his comment "it's just a small screw and it's a very solid bumper". Amazing. Even more amazing was that I spotted this because said idiot did drill two holes into the bumper of a spanking 2016 Turbo S. I hadn't the heart to take photos of that as the owner hit the nuclear button once I pointed out what was happening.
next week I'll take the car to the shipping company who will load it in a container I have booked.
On the UK side I'm using shipmycar as they'll do all the work, NOVA file etc.
I have an insurance quote - terrifyingly high - such is life.
Next, I was looking at some MPH instrument binnacles. Not needed for MOTas the car switches to miles, including the total mileage - which is nice - and the MPG - which is scary (15MPG on a flat motorway...)
I'll keep updating as things move on (will add photos with blue plates)
ALawson said:
We brought my mums 3 month old Honda Prelude back from Dubai in 1988, if you are paying for a shipping container with all your belongs you may as well use all the space.
Just make sure you get the bottom of the car undersealed!
Epic car by the way.
That is a very good point. I am taking pictures of the underside as one of the advantages of being in this climate is that there is no rust anywhere and the car looks like new underneath.Just make sure you get the bottom of the car undersealed!
Epic car by the way.
I'm looking into Dinitrol or something similar being applied once the car lands in UK - Mid August or so.
The downside of that is most dark rubbery plastic bits tend to cook and perish (side mouldings etc - 300$ a strip...)
TNW said:
Could of been worse, I tried to export my car to a buyer in the Netherlands only to be told by the local guy at the RTA that this was impossible as there was no such country
I believe you. On my first attempt, the lady there first selected (Italy) - I was born in Italy - then I had to scroll through the screen and select UNITED KINGDOM for her as "UK" did not exist as such and she had no idea. Also, my registration papers say that the car was manufactured in "Australia" not "Austria" due to some obvious moronic clerical error
]as for parking lots and McDonalds
Edited by stuckmojo on Friday 23 June 14:53
Yes, the brakes are barely adequate, which is fair enough given the mass they have to deal with (and the engine has a lot of inertia with the supercharger, so lifting your foot won't slow the car down).
Thanks for recommending Shipmycar. So far so good.
Now I have these square blue plates which state 23/6 but the "official" rule is that they are valid for 14 days. Obviously it depends on the mood of the policeman if they stop me. Not that I'll be driving it much until it's loaded next Wednesday.
One interesting thing about this car is that it isn't as big as some other SUV's, especially width-wise. (It is quite small inside). It fits in narrow parking spaces and it's probably the easiest car in the world to park as one can see every corner perfectly. My wife's 220i is a nightmare in comparison.
On the flipside, it has a very wide turning radius - 285 tyres and solid axle at the front won't help I guess.
Best thing about it: Its engine and overall capability.
Worst thing about it: NOT the fuel consumption, but the hopeless Mercedes electrics from "that" era. Worse on a G-wagen as they're a melting pot of old and new. (see other MB Threads ere, can you spot a common theme? every single one of them has electrical niggles.) Here you won't need a car electrician, you need an exorcist.
Next to do, debadging. The car has the full G63 makeover, so the badges have to go. (Maybe replace with the originals, but clean looks fine by me)
Thanks for recommending Shipmycar. So far so good.
Now I have these square blue plates which state 23/6 but the "official" rule is that they are valid for 14 days. Obviously it depends on the mood of the policeman if they stop me. Not that I'll be driving it much until it's loaded next Wednesday.
One interesting thing about this car is that it isn't as big as some other SUV's, especially width-wise. (It is quite small inside). It fits in narrow parking spaces and it's probably the easiest car in the world to park as one can see every corner perfectly. My wife's 220i is a nightmare in comparison.
On the flipside, it has a very wide turning radius - 285 tyres and solid axle at the front won't help I guess.
Best thing about it: Its engine and overall capability.
Worst thing about it: NOT the fuel consumption, but the hopeless Mercedes electrics from "that" era. Worse on a G-wagen as they're a melting pot of old and new. (see other MB Threads ere, can you spot a common theme? every single one of them has electrical niggles.) Here you won't need a car electrician, you need an exorcist.
Next to do, debadging. The car has the full G63 makeover, so the badges have to go. (Maybe replace with the originals, but clean looks fine by me)
Well, the car is on the water. Fingers crossed all will be ok.
HMRC wrote an email giving me a TOR number and accepting my duty relief. I read that as confirmation that I need not pay duty on car and KTM. Which is great.
Now the other part is to wait for the car to arrive and for the Shipmycar guys to get it registered in the UK.
It will be a long wait.
In the meantime, I have decided for the garage to also add undersealing to the car, since the dry Dubai weather left the underside in pristine condition. Worth doing it since there's no rust anywhere to be seen.
I'll send some more photos as things progress
Cheers
HMRC wrote an email giving me a TOR number and accepting my duty relief. I read that as confirmation that I need not pay duty on car and KTM. Which is great.
Now the other part is to wait for the car to arrive and for the Shipmycar guys to get it registered in the UK.
It will be a long wait.
In the meantime, I have decided for the garage to also add undersealing to the car, since the dry Dubai weather left the underside in pristine condition. Worth doing it since there's no rust anywhere to be seen.
I'll send some more photos as things progress
Cheers
K50 DEL said:
Having bought my 360 back from Dubai in 2015 I feel (a little of) your pain - though I had no issues at all with RTA on the day (possibly because I was there so often that most of the guys knew me anyway)
The biggest issue that I faced (apart from the shipping agents being a complete shower of clowns) was when the car came to be registered in the UK - because the exact registration date isn't important in the UAE the RTA had just written 2001 as the date of manufacture, this meant the DVLA dated the car as Jan 1st 2001 and gave it an X plate.
It took me 6 months and the intervention of Ferrari North Europe to get the DVLA to change the date to the correct October 21st and issue the 51 plate that it should have been on.
Yes, I did read your post, which is why I am looking into preventive action on this. The biggest issue that I faced (apart from the shipping agents being a complete shower of clowns) was when the car came to be registered in the UK - because the exact registration date isn't important in the UAE the RTA had just written 2001 as the date of manufacture, this meant the DVLA dated the car as Jan 1st 2001 and gave it an X plate.
It took me 6 months and the intervention of Ferrari North Europe to get the DVLA to change the date to the correct October 21st and issue the 51 plate that it should have been on.
I'm trying to find a contact in Mercedes to confirm the date of manufacture - which anyone can see online with a free VIN checker.
K50 DEL said:
I suspect it's too late now but if you can get RTA to generate the export certificate showing the exact, correct date then that would remove any issue... I went back to them once my car was in the UK and I knew there was a problem and they were unable to retrospectively do a new cert for me as "once you've exported the car it's removed from our system"
The only proof of age that DVLA will accept is:
1) Export cert as above
2) Letter from the manufacturer confirming date of build
I was very very lucky to get mine changed post-registration, the import agent had never known anyone be successful at this before.
I called Mercedes UK and there's a web portal to request the very document I need, for 36 quid. homologation@daimler.com will work too. The only proof of age that DVLA will accept is:
1) Export cert as above
2) Letter from the manufacturer confirming date of build
I was very very lucky to get mine changed post-registration, the import agent had never known anyone be successful at this before.
That should solve it.
GrantD5 said:
So now the cars in the UK are you going to change the wood or embrace it?
You mentioned previously about the hassle of going back to wood for resale due to the locals interest in the wood...
Now that's a good point. You mentioned previously about the hassle of going back to wood for resale due to the locals interest in the wood...
The steering wheel is the ugliest piece, and the leather is quite worn on one side. I reckon I could just swap the wheel for a nicer one from the era and have the "wood" bits sprayed over in a better colour.
It's only 4 pieces in the end (I won't buy them aftermarket as they are $xxxx)
jke11y said:
I would be pretty confident you could switch out the steering wheel for one from a w209/r230 etc with no issues?
I think you're right. Some bits to do when the car is on the road here.to begin with I bought some blanking plates for the bull bar delete. I think it's legal in the UK but it looks better without it.
I should have done that in Dubai but got lazy.
Also, the MPH instrument cluster. Still trying to figure out if it's a DIY job to swap it. sure it is, but maybe not for a low-patience threshold Italian like me.
TooMany2cvs said:
It's illegal for non-compliant bullbars to be sold. It's not illegal for them to be fitted.
What's going to force the removal of this one, though, is that the G is going to need to be IVAd before being registered. It's <10yo, it's not going to have an EU certificate of compliance. Mr IVA is not going to like the bull bar one tiny bit.
'course, if it doesn't get UK registered until after it hits 10yo next year, then it only has to deal with Mr MOT... Then the kph-only speedo ceases to be an issue, too...
Car is 10 years ans 2 months old. Only MOT required What's going to force the removal of this one, though, is that the G is going to need to be IVAd before being registered. It's <10yo, it's not going to have an EU certificate of compliance. Mr IVA is not going to like the bull bar one tiny bit.
'course, if it doesn't get UK registered until after it hits 10yo next year, then it only has to deal with Mr MOT... Then the kph-only speedo ceases to be an issue, too...
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