My turn to be ridiculously excited - my first AMG!

[595Heaven]

05:00 and I’m wide awake Daft at my age, but the moment I stop getting excited about cars will be a very, very sad day.

Collecting my new toy later - 55 plate SLK55 AMG...

Sold my Abarth 595 a few weeks ago and was looking to buy a 996. I read so many articles about IMS, RMS, bore scoring and other potentially ruinous issues that I’ve put 911 ownership on hold for now...seems a 997.2 is where I need to be. It can wait.

For now, the ‘55 is a very enticing prospect - a huge V8 in a ‘ladies that lunch’ car! That noise

Pics to follow...

Edited by 595Heaven on Saturday 17th August 06:00

[595Heaven]

had ham said:

I'm in my fifties now, and I still love that excitement I feel in the days leading up to getting a new car. The day itself reminds me of Christmas morning as a kid - enjoy!

Yep, me too on all points!

juice said:

Have been waiting for this post to arrive !

Hoping for a dry window of weather for you

Thanks - Forecast looking good!

Pictures later

[595Heaven]

The obligatory fuelling up shot

Always take a photo here of my news cars - farm track just up the lane




My word, that noise

Journey of just under 100 miles on M25 and M40. Lots of traffic so mostly at 60mph or so, but lots of revs... 27mpg!! Impressive....

Rides really well, very comfortable and the colour is fabulous in the sun

I might get over selling the Abarth...

[595Heaven]

Swampy1982 said:

Right, the suns set, its time to tell the Mrs you are "just off to check how bright the headlights are" and take it for another blast!

She’s used to that from my Caterham days

Tonight, more whipping cream was needed

[595Heaven]

MattyB_ said:

Lovely!

That belongs to a member on here, yes? It's got upgraded suspension, headers, exhaust and LSD? If so, that's the perfect spec. I wanted that exact car, but missed it twice!

Mine. All mine!

[595Heaven]

Nice work....

[595Heaven]

MrC986 said:

I wonder if the OP has sneaked out for a Sunday morning run out yet?!

May do later!

We were out at friends for a meal last night. Much red wine...

Edit to add: its raining

[595Heaven]

Dave Hedgehog said:

i love the dichotomy AMG created with this car, a small pretty feminine looking car with a monstrous dong dragging on the ground alpha male engine

I think that was pretty much the design brief

[595Heaven]

andy43 said:

Oh... you got one of the work experience lads engines.

[595Heaven]

juice said:

Looks lovely and a great spec - congratulations !! You must be well chuffed

Enjoying the snappy gear changes ?

Yep! All good!

Quick trip over to Caffeine & Machine this afternoon to meet a friend. Always feel like you are being silently judged when you arrive, but I think I passed today!

Managed to get a spot by the pub itself which was good. What was not so good was the covering of dust it got from the passing cars

Hadn’t intended washing it this weekend, but got home and decided I couldn’t leave it like that! Only a quick wash and wheel clean, but it looks most excellent now

[595Heaven]

timbobalob said:

Was that the Waitrose in Banbury? If so I’m local in Bloxham - give me the thumbs up if you see a yellow Chimaera!

Yes it was, and yes I will

[595Heaven]

juice said:

Just a quick one, when you get a chance, check the battery compartment for water.

Thanks - mine looks bone dry with no sign of previous issues, and the heater fan looks very clean. There are a number of drains around the car - the one in the scuttle panel near the battery box on mine was totally clogged with crap, but now clear. No sign of water in the boot under the spare wheel and toolkit either.

I do have one issue in that one of the keys will lock / unlock the car, but has really poor range (even with brand new Duracall batteries) and the little red LED light on the fob does not light up when the buttons are pressed. It also doesn't start the car - put it on the ignition and nothing happens at all. The circuit board all looks ok (some people have found the coil can come loose if the key is dropped) so I think I'll need to send it off for repair.

Bought some new gas struts for the boot, but they are about 2-3mm too long and I cannot get them on, even when bump stops on the hings are removed.

Also got a new 'SLK55' badge for the boot, as this has been removed at some point, as well as a 3M headlight restoration kit to try to freshen up the offside headlight which is quite faded.

A good clean and lubrication of the rubber seals is also in order at some point (Gummi Pflege and Krytox to the ready!)

Hopefully will have some time tonight to get a few of the jobs done...

[595Heaven]

Oh, and a couple of questions... (there will be lots!)

I've got a Bluetooth to 3.5mm adaptor (link below) which works well for streaming, but not for the phone, as it sits in the glovebox

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mpow-Bluetooth-Streaming-...

The COMAND unit has a Bluetooth menu item if the 'SERV' button is pressed, which appears to search for a phone - it did actually pick up my iPhone XS at one point, but my phone didn't seem to recognise the car. I thought the phone system connection was via a cradle in the centre console. I know you can get a Bluetooth 'puck' that connects to the connector in there, but they are ££££, and I think are only for calls, and not streaming anyway.

I'm not really sure what the menu option does - anyone know? Anyone got it to work?

Next question... Tyres....

I'm thinking Michelin PS4s - any thoughts or alternatives?

Edited by 595Heaven on Tuesday 20th August 12:38

[595Heaven]

This evening I decided to tackle the badly faded, crazed and yellowed offside headlight. The nearside one looks fine, so possibly replaced at some point.

Bought the 3M Headlight Restoration Kit from Amazon. There are several different kits on the market but they are all basically the same - a set of progressively fine sanding pads attached to an electric drill and then some polish.

This was the light before I started:



Lots of masking tape and cardboard to protect the surrounding bodywork, and I got started. First grade is quite aggressive and turns the lens totally opaque

Two more finer grades and the haze begins to clear...

After several passes with the polishing compound and we have a result:



It isn’t perfect, and there is still some sign of the crazing, but it looks so much better, and feels totally smooth to the touch. Pretty happy with that!

I then had another play with the bad key. Realised that if I put it in the ignition and then press the lock button, the steering column releases and I can turn the key. Didn’t start the car so as to avoid spousal , but I suspect it would work. Weird...

[595Heaven]

I put brand new batteries in yesterday. I don’t think the fob has any rechargeable batteries, but it does have a coil to energise the security system when it is inserted into the ignition barrel.

It’s a bit strange!

[595Heaven]

cerb4.5lee said:

595Heaven said:

I'm thinking Michelin PS4s - any thoughts or alternatives?

I have PS4s on my 370Z and I've been really happy with them, so they come very highly recommended from me.

Thanks

[595Heaven]

Sa Calobra said:

However this is stunning. Wow, how much??

Think low spec Dacia Duster money...

The Duster is a great car for the money, but the SLK55 beats it in a number of areas. The Dacia fights back with ECO mode, ISOFIX, roof bars and a second row of seats, but there is not really any contest

Not that keen on black cars (look great for about 5 minutes after you wash them), but I think the silver looks great. Mystic Blue trumps them in my view and looks absolutely amazing in the sunshine.

[595Heaven]

pidsy said:

Great looking car - strangely, these were in my final possibles line up before I went down the Abarth route!

Hope you enjoy it.

Same amount of exhausts as my 595, but with double the power. Bizarrely, it is quieter at idle (once warm). Just a bit noisier when accelerating though

Kewy said:

Going to mirror a lot of other responses and say congrats on your new car OP, beautiful colour.

Cheers! I think low 20s mpg will be more typical when the cruise is off.

[595Heaven]

Thanks for the Bluetooth tips - appreciated

I’ve got an MPow Bluetooth to 3.5mm adaptor, but it plugs directly into the socket - it works well for streaming, but the remote ones look better.

I’m ordering a CD slot mounted phone holder as well.

Day off tomorrow (GCSE results day!) so will sort a few other bits out

[595Heaven]

romeodelta said:

I had an Abarth 500 and will get an SLK55 in the future too.

Funny how these very different cars get under our skin.

Yep. I think it's the appeal of having a much bigger engine than the car is commonly known for. And the noise