17 July 2023
E55 took me to Orlando today (~425 miles). Ran like a top, albeit, it is happiest driving more Autobahn speeds than Interstate speeds. VERY comfortable car to go long distances with. Got to Orlando several hours early, so hit a local pick a part today, and found some SLK parts I wanted for the Crossfires, along with a few trim pieces and a replacement rear SAM for the E55. Electronics in the E series (W211) are a lot more complex than the Crossfire, and some of them can be finnicky, especially a car that was left like this one was. The rear SAM manifests problems with the trunk opening, rear sunshade, and even the intercooler water pump. Hoping the "new" one I picked up from a 2007 E350 will solve a few of those issues.

I also picked up a set of chassis braces from an SLK320. Hoping to retrofit those to the V8 Crossfire coupe. I think the Crossfire roadsters use either these same braces, or ones very nearly identical.