C63 Experts please chime in

[BMDUBS]

I am looking at C63's and I am a bit worried about the head bolt issue on these cars. Can anyone tell me up to what year this problem effects and if there is a production date I should be looking for if this issue was rectified? Any other common issues I should be looking for?

I am interested in a 2010 car right now.

TIA

[rage2]

Head bolts on the 6.2L V8 were updated somewhere in MY2011. MY2012 for sure isn't affected. It's cheap insurance to replace the headbolts.

The other issue is the lifter/camshaft premature wear issue. There is an incompatibility in the metals between the lifter and cam that pops up on some cars, which wears out the cams and lifters. Early warning signs are random misfires as the valves aren't opening properly. Worst case the lifter fails and it drops a valve, damaging a ridiculous amount of stuff. That has never been fixed on the C63 (including Black Series). The proper fix is to use the lifters and adjusters from the SLS as it's made with a different metal. If you get this under warranty, they replace the cams and throw in SLS lifters/adjusters as well.

At some point, I'll be picking up a CLK Black Series again once it's legal in Canada, and I'll be replacing both headbolts as well as SLS lifters/adjusters as preventative maintenance. Those are really the only 2 issues on the 6.2L V8.

[bjstare]

Preventative headbolt replacement isn't super costly, but do you have any idea what the lifter/adjuster replacement runs?

[rage2]

Last I read about 5-6k in parts and labour which includes the headbolt job. That was when USD was 1:1 so no clue how it looks now for CDN$.

[bjstare]

Ah, so about the cost of another entire C63 then :rofl:

[gregrego]

Are these issues part of the reason for the low market price for the my2008-my2010 cars? These cars can be had for 30k which is a bargain for the power.

[rage2]

Not really. Remember that these issues are rare. Even if you don't do these 2 fixes, it doesn't guarantee a failure. It's just insurance for out of warranty as the problems gets really expensive to fix if you're unlucky enough to have it happen to you.

[shakalaka]

I'd say stick to something mid 2011 or later and you'll be fine. I never researched or anything before I got my 2011 C63 and only found out about these potential issues after the fact. That being said, I lucked out as my car was outside the affected area so that worked out. Even prior to the fixed year, the issues were fairly rare so I don't think it's THAT big of a concern.

Now when I picked up the M3, again I didn't of any research and apparently they can have their own rod bearing issues that can be expensive fix as the engine needs to be replaced. It's under warranty for another year and then if something goes wrong I am screwed. But again, like everything else they say these are extremely rare so I am hoping that it'll be fine. With the C63 they at least fixed the issue after a certain year and apparently that isn't the case with M3's.

I really should do some research before purchasing cars.:banged:

About the pricing, I don't know what the going prices are now, but when I sold my car last August, the 2011's were anywhere from 40K-50K depending on the mileage. I got rid of mine for just under 35K at the dealer because it had a massive 30K collision on it.

[BMDUBS]

Originally posted by cjblair
Ah, so about the cost of another entire C63 then :rofl:

I am also in the market for E9X M3's but I find their used values to be ridiculous and I have owned one in the past.

C63's seem to be more affordable but I definitely do not want an engine failure. Can the headbolts be replaced without removing the head one by one or will the head need to come off?

[bjstare]

Originally posted by BMDUBS


I am also in the market for E9X M3's but I find their used values to be ridiculous and I have owned one in the past.

C63's seem to be more affordable but I definitely do not want an engine failure. Can the headbolts be replaced without removing the head one by one or will the head need to come off?

IIRC there's a guy on the forums that will do it one by one, it's not always necessary to remove the head to do them.

[M.alex]

I <3 how are BMWs and MBs the pinnacle of german engineering yet my old school 408W makes more power/torque, is 10 times more reliable and will just need yearly oil changes to last 500k :rofl:

My car's engine can blow up .... but no worries, the issue is like super rare so I'm probably okay .... maybe ...... I think :nut:

Buy the C63, pull the junk engine out of it and swap in an LS and be done with it! :burnout:

[J.M.]

Originally posted by BMDUBS


C63's seem to be more affordable but I definitely do not want an engine failure. Can the headbolts be replaced without removing the head one by one or will the head need to come off?

Here's a DIY Merc63 posted on mbworld. Pretty sure he's a member on here as well iirc.

http://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w204/582290-diy-head-bolt-swap-m156.html

[hurrdurr]

Heard about these issues and purchased a 2010 anyways.

Somewhat concerned, somewhat ignorant.

The real issue is that I can't bluetooth stream my fucking music and i don't have an AUX output :banghead:

[rage2]

pre-facelift needs this to get BT Audio streaming:

qLReqmQvYA

The car is iPhone friendly, so it works great plugging in an iPhone, but you're hooped with any other device.

What phone do you have that doesn't have a headphone jack? :dunno:

Anyways, MIP is $$$, there are other devices that are cheaper for BT to AUX.

[hurrdurr]

I have an Iphone6, i meant my C63 doesn't have AUX.

I've gone in the engineering mode to try to enable it but it's not an option for my version unfortunately.

The car came with all of the MB cords for iphone connectivity (iphone 4 that is) but it wasn't installed.

I'm a newb with my C63 too.

Raj, might be my shitty work computer but I can't see the video you've posted.

[riander5]

Originally posted by BMDUBS


I am also in the market for E9X M3's but I find their used values to be ridiculous and I have owned one in the past.

C63's seem to be more affordable but I definitely do not want an engine failure. Can the headbolts be replaced without removing the head one by one or will the head need to come off?

the e9x's are gutless anyways :D

[benyl]

Originally posted by hurrdurr
I have an Iphone6, i meant my C63 doesn't have AUX.

I've gone in the engineering mode to try to enable it but it's not an option for my version unfortunately.

The car came with all of the MB cords for iphone connectivity (iphone 4 that is) but it wasn't installed.

I'm a newb with my C63 too.

Raj, might be my shitty work computer but I can't see the video you've posted.

Weird.

We both had early 2010s (built in Sept 2009) and my AUX port seemed to work fine.

[hurrdurr]

I don't have an AUX port, I've ripped my glovebox apart looking for it no dice.

[Redlined_8000]

Yeah the whole head bolt issue is blown out of proportion a bit. There are thousands of M156 engines with the faulty head bolts out there. I read some people on the forums even have upwards of 160k kms on their engine with no issue. Ive owned my 2010 C63 for over 2 years now and have been trying to keep a tab on any failures that pop up on the internet... There are a few yes for sure, but there are thousands of engines unaffected. So end of the day, I dont worry about it too much. It is a very rare occurrence. Thats my 2c on the headbolts.

[benyl]

Originally posted by hurrdurr
I don't have an AUX port, I've ripped my glovebox apart looking for it no dice.

You need the adaptor that plugs into the Media interface plug in the glove box.

Then again, if your car doesn't have the media interface, then you are SOL.

[M.alex]

Originally posted by J.M.


Here's a DIY Merc63 posted on mbworld. Pretty sure he's a member on here as well iirc.

http://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w204/582290-diy-head-bolt-swap-m156.html

I like how he starts posting then disappears when the job is like 25% finished and finishes it up with 'yea, i'm done, not diy so I'm not posting anymore, trololololol' (probably more like I fvcked shit up and should have just swapped in an LS)

[rage2]

His motor is weistec supercharged and runs 9s or something silly haha.

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by rage2
His motor is weistec supercharged and runs 9s or something silly haha.


Car is a beast. Sounds loud as F holy cow. Hearing it rip down Calgary Trail was just :drool: