Hello my fellow AMG fans, let me introduce my self

[GTCHAMPION]

your car has a 722.6 transmission all 722.6 trasmissions have a pilot bushing, the 722.9 do not have a pilot bushing, it is one piece with the electrical board.

[8AL8]

Thanks, Ricky.

It is easy to upgrade from steering manual shift BUTTONS from '05 to '08 level shifting?

Gary

[GTCHAMPION]

you talking about getting paddle shifters on your '05 CLK, if thats what you talking about, since you cannot remove the shift buttons on the '05 steering wheel, you will have to replace the whole steering wheel, they do sell the paddle shifters separate and I know there is a way to mount them on the 2005 steering wheel, but you still will have the shift buttons just for looks, so might as well replace the whole steering wheel, but steering wheels are pretty expensive, you could get one really nice out of a '08 SL55 and still be able to mount it, the plugs are all the same, just make sure if you have heated steering wheel or not, and if you get to replace it, you will have to remove the air bag, you dont need to disconnect the battery to remove the air bag and dont be afraid, just dont use any screw drivers to remove the plug connectors from the airbags, try to use a small plastic wedge or strong plastic pick, the bolt that holds the steering wheel is a 10mm hex bolt(countersunk screw) and it is there pretty tight due to thread lock, remove it with a breaker bar and a 10mm Allen socket and a small extension, a 3/8s allen socket, extension and small braker bar does the job for me, or an impact gun to remove it, and if you use a big breaker bar make sure you dont hit the windshield...lol and before remove it, make sure your steering wheel is horizontal, PAY CLOSE ATTENTION ON HOW THE STEERING WHEEL IS SITTED ON THE COLLUMN, the steering wheel have 2 gaps on the teeth, one is at 12 oclock and the other gap is at 6 oclock, and look at the markings the collumn that one is at 12 oclock and 6 oclock, and they may not line up perfectly with your steering wheel gaps, so pay attention to the 12 oclock gap and see how it lines up with the 12 oclock mark, the new steering wheel must go in the same way, make sure when you install the new steering wheel, make sure you install a new bolt(countersunk screw) and torque it down to 80Nm = 50ft.-lbs., there been times I dont replace that bolt, and you can just mark the position of the bolt with the steering wheel, I ussualy use an automatic center punch to make 2 dots, one on the bolt and line it up with one dot on the steering wheel or the steering collumns shaft, reinstall air bag, and after that you might need a scanner to clear the air bag codes, and not any scanner can do it, it has to be the right scanner, I think the Snap-On Modis can clear the airbag code, but it will be better to disconnect the battery, it might help prevent getting the SRS light on, Im not sure, it may or may not come on at all. You may take your car to the dealer and ask them to do it for you, Im sure they can do it, because it is nothing complicated, where I work at we have done some modifications for some customers, but not every dealership is the same, a really nice modification is with the C43 AMGs intall the SLK350 pedal pads on the C43, since the C43 have all rubber pads on the pedals, the SLK350 have more of an AMG look pads the ones that are aluminum, they are just a little hard to install when it comes to the brake pedal. I have done that for many customers, I also had customers asking us to install the tail lamps from a newer 220(S-class) into the early model 220 since the tail lamps are different, there are many things you can do to your car to make it look better, you can also get the CLK63 AMG(NOT Black Series) front bumper on your CLK55, I did it already and it is a perfect fit, it only takes me 5min. to remove the front bumper and about 8 to 10min. to install the new or same bumper, it is easy, that is on most Mercedes, here is a picture of a CL63 without the front bumper.



Best part out of this was that I had to take the car for multiple test drives, and I was not going to waist my time on removing and reinstalling the bumper for every test drive, you actually get a lot more attention on the streets if you driving an exotic car with no bumper, I think it looks better without the bumper...lol

[8AL8]

Thanks, Ricky for detail explaination....very clear...I did removed streering wheel on my old 300E'90....after I reinstall the wheel horn doen't work properly....it only work when wheel is turning in possition.....Do you think may be I didn't tight the 10mm hex nut hard enough?

If I just stick on the paddle shift on my old button'05....would it still work or fit right?

[GTCHAMPION]

sounds like you have some loose connections for the horn. well yes they do sell the paddle shifters without the steeringwheel, they may be also a way to modify the buttons but you may have to remove the stiching from the leater on the steeringwheel, well anything can be done, it just takes time and money sometimes... or just skills. But good luck on the modification for your steeringwheel, another thing you can do is look for it on ebay or a sabage yard, I have seen a few AMGs that have been a total loss due to accidents.

[8AL8]

Thanks, Ricky......I just found out that my rear driver side tire have two big blisters on the surface about 6" wide.....my car only had 14K miles on that tire....why Continantal Contact2 is this bad quality???

Does '05 CLK55 have any warrwnty again tires?

What next brand do you think is good with AMG....concerning noise and performance..?

Gary

[GTCHAMPION]

Continental tires are not bad quality... you asked for a high performance car and you have it, so the high performance car must come with high performance tires, its the softness of the tires, they are more for smoother roads, when you buy new tires you can buy road hazard warranty and I think it may cover up to a year, or the life of the tire, depends on the dealership and the insurance they give to the tire. Better tires for your car are the Continental SportContact3, they give you better grip than the SportContact2, and AMGs they have this brutal over power that you really dont need... thats what I like about this cars, which we are always losing traction when pushing them, thats the fun of an AMG that not even the high performance tires can handle, if you want stronger tires, you might want to try another factory option and this I like better than Continental SportContact2 which are the Pirelli P-Zero Rosso, they make those for your car, I feel a better grip from those than the SportContact2, I have not push the same vehicle with SportContact3 yet, another thing you could do, is try Michelin tires, thats my favorite namebrand overall, if you want a really high performance tire you could try the Nitto 555R I think they dont make the Nitto R anymore but the 555 is good enough, its more like a street drag tire. For a better performance, you can get BBS wheels and go with a slight wider tire, why BBS wheels? because they are light, Im not into HRE or Lorinser wheels, because they are only for looks, and they are heavy, best light and high performance wheels are "AMG" wheels, BBS, Volk Racing, OZ and some Enkei, also RSR wheels are good for racing. But high performance wheels tend to be a little more delicate on rough roads. But for your CLK55 I would try either Factory SportContact3 or Pirelli P-Zero Rosso... good luck Gary.

Ricky.

[8AL8]

BAD tire caused shaking my car at 45~75MPH...

[GTCHAMPION]

well you have blisters caused by rough roads, but I think the Pirelli P-Zero Rosso is a tougher tire, if not you could try Michelins

[8AL8]

Hey Ricky,

On '03 E320....there is a air pumping noise coming out from ABS brake system each time when I step-on the brake......
is that easy fix....bleed some air???...replace some parts??? or it is a major?

I'd replace the new set of brake pad but still have the noise and warning message...

Pls. advise.

Thanks,
Gary