[sm00thguy88]

Those RS4, S4, S5, 335i, M3 and Cymans will not be a problem for you in a year or two. Do a research on Audi, BMW and Porsche direct injection carbon deposit problem and you'll know why. They have a major design flaw in their direct injected engines on these cars.

Is Mercedez Benz also affected by this carbon build-up problem? Because I was thinking of purchasing a 05-06 C55 AMG as a secondary car.

 

[Ted C]

No, Mercedes is not affected by this problem yet because as far as I know they have not adopted direct injection in their engines. The C55 is definitely okay. The VW group has embraced DI engines and hence problems are starting to surface. C55 is a great car. I test drove one and the V8 make beautiful music.

 

[sm00thguy88]

No, Mercedes is not affected by this problem yet because as far as I know they have not adopted direct injection in their engines. The C55 is definitely okay. The VW group has embraced DI engines and hence problems are starting to surface. C55 is a great car. I test drove one and the V8 make beautiful music.

I did some research right after posting my previous thread and found out that the C55's M113 engine uses SFI (which just appears to be a type of multi-point or port injection).

Yeah, I fell in love with it too when I test drove one. It's definitely a "wolf in a tux". I like the sleeper factor, looks like any regular C class to the untrained eye, but can still eat a stock 335i for breakfast.

It also appears to be a pretty reliable car overall despite being European. Only common problem is that it eats rear tires fast and some other minor nuisances. It being rare is not to bad either.

What made you test a C55 before? Did you consider getting one too? If yes, why didn't you pull the trigger?

 

[Ted C]

I test drove a 2006 black C55 in pristine condition. The car only had 17K miles. I like the way it pulled so strongly, the glorious exhaust and the handling feel. Interior is tastefully done except for Merc's silly cell phone buttons on the center console which they still have in the current C class models. In terms of looks, I actually like the previous generation C class than the current one. The C55 looks smaller, more fluid and sleek than the C63.
I drove the car on a Saturday and was going to put an offer the following Friday but found out it was already sold! So I visited a Lexus dealership the next day, saw the IS-F and the rest is history!
I did research the C55 and 2 things you should watch out for is signs of oil leaking under the valve cover and HVAC stepper motor. The HVAC motor has flimsy plastic gears which tends to break causing loss of control of temp/airflow. It's a costly repair requiring diassembly of the dashboard. The telltale sign is a clicking sound behind the dashboard when the fan is on.
Other than that the V8 is much more reliable (not Lexus/Toyota reliable but not bad for a European car) than the supercharged V6 on the C32. If possible you should have your mechanic check the car before buying. Keep in mind that there will still be more maintenance and unplanned trips to the mechanic vs the IS.

 

[sm00thguy88]

Oh so you crossed shop them back then. Although now there a huge gap between them since a pristine low mileage C55 can now be had for just 22-24K. 08 IS-Fs are still in the high 30s.

I'm aware about the valve cover and tranny oil leaks, as well as the heated
seats failing. The HVAC stepper motor is something new to me. Around how much does it cost ot have this repaired? And how exactly does the sound go? Is it a continuous clicking sound when the fan is on, or just a one time click when you turn on the fan?