until next time AMG...

well at almost 6 years of ownership... we said goodbye today to our beast E55 AMG

at least we know it's going to a good home who is already familiar with the W211 E55 as he already has one and his master tech does too! 

He did the proverbial burnout as he left... awesome!!!! 

this shiny E55 is brought to you from ONR and NuFinish

Today is a breezy day, but nice and sunny - the recent construction around our house has created a dust bowl and the Merc was pretty dusted...

Broke out the 5 gallon bucket and some ONR Original to remove all the gunk...

   Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine Version 5 - ONR Rinseless Car Wash Soap…   

The car turned out good from the wash, but it's been a while since I shined it up.  I found NuFinish on Amazon a few weeks back as an add-on item - super cheap!  I used this stuff growing up and figured why not?  For < $5 what could it hurt eh?

It turned out amazing as I had hoped - worth the quick 10-15 minutes, so simple - wipe on/wipe off - no buffing and now it's protected a bit more :)

Chemical Guys, Heavy Duty Detailing Bucket with Logo, 4.5 Gallon, Clear
Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine Version 5 - ONR Rinseless Car Wash Soap…
Grit Guard The Original Red Bucket Insert - 10" Diameter Car Wash Bucke…
Nu Finish The Once A Year Car Polish Liquid - 16 OZ

You can see the trees across the street in the reflection now! :)

E55 Beast next to Raptor Beast

What a pair! :)

out with the old, in with the new ;)

My AMG flat hood badge has been baked in the sun way too long... notice how crinkly the surface gets after 2 years...  it was time to retire it 💩

Genuine Mercedes Hood Star Ornament 2108800186

and a new addition to the hood, so shiny! 😎

 

OMG - snake under the hood!?

Just kidding - but dang, when a pulley tensioner breaks - it takes crap out with it 😡

Genuine 1132000170 Wheel Seal
w211 r230 w220 AMG Drive Belt Idler Pulley tension 1132020419

needless to say, the serpentine belt got munged and the double idler pulley broke when the belt tensioner went out...

not cheap parts by any means!  But back to normal again... thankfully! 👍👍

We may have found an odd replacement for the E55

Whodathunk I'd ever buy a pickup?

The all-new, twin-turbo, intercooled DOHC 24-valve, high-output 3.5L EcoBoost® with direct fuel injection will deliver more power than the previous 6.2L V8 – 450 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque. A 10-speed automatic transmission with manual-shifting mode sends that power to all four wheels.  And the all-new Terrain Management System™ allows the driver to select from six preset modes to optimize driving dynamics to environmental conditions. Available settings include street, Baja, mud and sand.

Deposit has been placed, but who knows when it will be built... the waiting begins!

4 years of ownership...

Amazing it's been 4 years that we've owned our E55 AMG!  Love this car...

AMG

Time to replace burned out bulbs with LEDs

One of my license plate bulbs burned out, so I figured I would upgrade to LED so it never happens again in the lifetime that I own the vehicle...

I contacted one of my favorite vendors AZNOptics - and got new city lights (194) and new festoon LEDs for the license plates.

Here are a few pics of the LEDs - error free, CAN-BUS approved :D 

The festoon bulb on the left is a single CREE LED - amazingly bright for a single LED. Snaps into place into the clips.

Here's the result! amazingly bright!

Same for the city lights - check this new design out!

...and the result!

LASFIT 194 168 CANBUS LED City Lights 2-Pack

Highly recommended - very bright (not blinding) and should last years!

Mercedes E55 AMG Akebono brakes on sale!

I have these brake pads on my E55 - they're not 'track pads' but my car is a daily driver - and the stopping power is just as good as OEM but the brake dust is nearly GONE!  It's so much nicer not having all the brake dust on the wheels any more!! :)  It will save you at least 10 minutes per car wash ;)

Akebono Brake Pad Set
Akebono-EUR984 Brake Pad Set
Centric Premium 116.35005 Automotive Replacement Front/Rear Disc Brake…

Usually the Akebono fronts are $130 - but they've dropped to $114.68

The OEM pads are $291 - you're saving > 60% and having less brake dust!

The rears have been $100 for ages, now they're down to $88 :)

You're saving > 18% off on the rears from OEM prices!

Do the bundle and you're saving 50% off OEM pricing with a fraction of the dust!

and don't forget to replace your brake pad sensors!

Happy Braking for cheap! :)

Sunny day - hey lets polish headlights!

OMG - so it's been about 4 months since my last post, where I purchased the 3M Headlight Restoration Kit and finally got some free time to try this kit out.  Outside in sunny California today was a balmy 58 degrees, so I got my kit out and my trusty cordless drill.

Here's a pic of the headlights pre-fix - they're quite faded, parts of the top-coat have flaked off and just looks terrible for a car that once cost $92k... it's a shambles!  This needs fixed!

Notice on the headlight, the chipping near the top of the lens and even the city light has some fading and hazing.  When the HIDs are on at night, this lens looks horrible - the passenger side is perfect (because it was replaced last year with a new headlight assembly)!

Here's a closeup of the main lens - ick!

The first step is to wash the area with soap and water, then tape off the edges - believe me - be sure to tape it well.  Sandpaper can strip your clearcoat/paint in seconds!

Ok - now you get the 500 grit sandpaper, don't freak out at this next photo - I did, and read the directions - it says not to freak out because the lens will get very hazy and translucent.  You can even seen the high and low spots on the lens in the pic below.  Looks nasty!

This is both the city light and driver's side lens after a full 500 grit sanding.  You're supposed to sand it down until the high/low spots are no longer noticeable.

Then you use the 800 grit sandpaper discs - this removes the heavier gouges and scratches from the 500 grit paper discs.  Remember, the higher the number, the finer the grit and smoother finish.  Really the only difference you can see at this distance is that the insides of the lenses look a little

'crisper' than the 500 grit photo above.

Next you switch to a 3200 grit pad - this almost feels like rubber.  You spritz water on the pad and on the lenses.  You polish until you see a white hazy slurry form and run off the headlights - this is the 3200 grit removing the 800 grit edges - making an even smoother finish - very nice!

It's not done yet!  Next step is to get the buffing pad, looks a bit like a sponge with ridges/bumps all over it.  You add a dime size dollop of the headlight glaze and polish away.  This ultra fine grit further refines the finish of the 3200 grit paper.

Here's a pic with the tape removed and the finished result!

Simply stunning results for $14

Now a comparison of the new headlight and my newly polished headlight - can you tell them apart?

and one more last pic of before and after!

 

3M Headlight Lens Restoration System, 39008, 1 Kit

Definitely a 5-star rating!

3M Headlight Restoration Kit

It's finally gotten to the point where my driver's side headlight needs a good polish. It's yellowing and looking terrible in comparison to my freshly replaced passenger side light (yay warranty!)

I picked up this 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System, 39008, 1 Kit - I've heard great things about it, and hopefully I can find some time this weekend to do it up :)

I've been told to follow the directions explicitly to get the best results. Does anyone have any tips or tricks?

3M Headlight Lens Restoration System, 39008, 1 Kit

First time to Sacramento Raceway in the E55

Yes - that's me on the left hand side!  Wheel-spin and all - the best I could muster is a 12.4603 @ 116.71.  Had a total blast with my son tonight, so it was well worth the time and money.

Wednesday night @ Sac Raceway is open drag night, anyone can race!  It's only $15 to race, and an additional $10 to rent a helmet (which I needed to rent!).  Hopefully in time, my times will improve - but if you ever want to give it a try - just do it!

DYNO: Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Dynojet OVER 480HP

Here's the video of the dyno run - gotta love how this thing pulls!!!
Here's a link to the dyno-sheet

Finally got some new brakes installed...

I had my Akebono Brake Pad Set pads sitting for a LONG time, waiting for the original OEM dusty pads to wear down...  the dealer wanted $1,200 to do the front brakes alone (EEK!)

I ended up getting some x-drilled zinc plated rotors from http://www.brakeperformance.com and along with the Akebono pads - we're talking ~$400 for everything.  So I saved ~$800 :)  The Brake Performance Rotors are custom built per order, I had mine zinc plated with black painted hats...

Yes you say, geez $400 for brakes - but remember these are brembo calipers with 4 pads per side, and a 14" rotor - very beefy!

The Akebono Brake Pad Sets have been SPECTACULAR when it comes to brake dust - seriously - why did I wait this long!?!

Definitely worth the wait!

Akebono Brake Pad Set