I Try to Daily a cheap S63: Episode 1

"CAR_IS_MI" (car-is-mi)
03/24/2016 at 07:27 • Filed to: None

Several months ago I decided I was tired of driving small sports cars and door-less Jeeps on a daily basis, and decided to buy the first luxury car I saw; an 80,000 mile Mercedes Benz S63 AMG.

Okay, so it wasn’t literally the first luxury car I saw. I went out looking for an 07+ Maserati Quattroporte, because I make bad decisions...

I came upon this S63 with hood rich wheels and 80,000 miles, but overall good condition. Everything seemed to work, no CEL’s, and almost every option available in 2008.

Still, it’s an 8 year old Mercedes, with 80,000 miles. What couldn’t go wrong?

Luckily, AMGTech was available to look up the records on this car, and informed me it was a prior CPO with pages and pages of prior work and maintenance, including replacing a large majority of the ABC system, which can both be troublesome and expensive.

Feeling good about this car (or as good as one can), I proceeded at the auction, and purchased this car for the cool price of $23,000, ghetto wheels and all.

After six weeks and 1,500 (ish) miles, I discovered what it means to own a $23,000, 80,000 mile, S63. I got the dreaded “low coolant” warning.

For those who are not overly familiar with the S63, in 2007 Mercedes AMG placed the coveted M156 engine into the S-class. The M156 is a hand built 518hp V8 that made its way into a large number of AMG vehicles, including the C63 AMG.

One of the reasons this engine is so loved by AMG enthusiasts is its free revving ability compared to prior AMG motors. This same motor would later be modified by AMG into the M159 for use in the SLS AMG.

Well back to the problem at hand. Early model M156 engines used sub-par head studs which can stretch over time, allowing the head to lift enough that coolant passes into the oil passageways and / or cylinder. In severe cases, a stud can stretch enough to cause catastrophic engine failure, resulting in full engine builds.

Luckily, if this symptom is caught early enough, it can be remedied by replacing the head studs one at a time, so no head gaskets to swap, and no timing to be redone.

I checked the coolant level and, while low, was not terribly low so as to cause too much concern, and the oil showed no signs of coolant mixed in. Since I had not prior checked the coolant level, it could have been close to “low” when I bought it. I decided to fill the coolant and drive cautiously to see if my concern may have been just an air bubble.

200 miles later and the light was back on.

This confirmed my fears that this car now needed to have the head studs replaced. In most cars this is no huge expense, but remember, this is an AMG.

A set of APR head studs for this car comes at the cool cost of $1,000.

Unfortunately, this is not a 100% guarantee that this wont happen again, or that the damage is not too far gone requiring the engine to be rebuilt. As of this writing the studs are on order, and the car sits in the garage until it’s repaired. I am sure there will be more repairs to come, so stay tuned for episode 2..

DISCUSSION (36)

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > CAR_IS_MI
03/24/2016 at 07:30

Tavarish’d

JR1 > CAR_IS_MI
03/24/2016 at 07:43

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you should have gotten a quattroporta. As much as I read about unreliable Mercs it makes me think the Italians can't be that worse

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > JR1
03/24/2016 at 07:48

“The Italians can’t be that much worse”

Kinja'd!!!

Noah - Now with more boost. > CAR_IS_MI
03/24/2016 at 07:49

Ouch. Good luck MrTheEngineer. As someone who will most likely on a used AMG at some point... this was disheartening to read lol.

OPPOsaurus WRX > CAR_IS_MI
03/24/2016 at 07:52

and it begins..... I know how you feel.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > CAR_IS_MI
03/24/2016 at 07:52

I suppose I’m a little weird. Major (or semi major) issues like this don’t trouble me on an older car. In fact, if the engine just needs new studs, I’d call that a win.

It’s replacing wear items like brakes and tires that annoys me and makes me want to go the new car route. I don't know why this is.

Honeybunchesofgoats > CAR_IS_MI
03/24/2016 at 07:54

God bless people like you. Reading about used AMG ownership makes me feel more confident about owning used Jaguars.

KatzManDu > CAR_IS_MI
03/24/2016 at 07:59

You wouldn’t have to rebuild the engine, just rebore the threads in the block for the studs, right? Then again, can’t you use a washer or two on the new studs as an excuse for extra room to use extra torque on the head bolts... or even as a half-assed repair for the existing bolts?

RacinBob > CAR_IS_MI
03/24/2016 at 08:15

All bow the the masterpiece of the Mercedes Engineers....

RacinBob > RacinBob
03/24/2016 at 08:18

PS - I have seen one of these up close. My mechanic friend had one at their shop for several months. Some twenty something kid bought it as a certified pre-owned sale and it had dropped a valve or something.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > CAR_IS_MI
03/24/2016 at 08:20

Seems they had the same head bolt supplier as Land Rover. I don’t know how I feel about changing just the bolts, I mean at that point it can’t be that much more labor. How much do the gaskets cost?

RacinBob > CAR_IS_MI
03/24/2016 at 08:39

AMG 6.3 head gasket replacement in 5 minutes....

Quote the mechanic -

This car is an Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG that had a broken head bolt causing it to burn coolant. Here’s a time lapse of me putting the heads back on. You may notice there’s a few extra steps I needed to perform in the video. The client had multiple concerns on the car and had extended warranty. The extended warranty company wanted to physically see the failed parts before they authorized any repairs so I had to disassemble the car to show the faulty parts. The fuel tank was leaking and I needed to remove the exhaust system to access the tank, that’s why the exhaust was on the ground. The evaporator was leaking also and I had to removed the wiper cowling to disconnect the heater core and expansion valve from the HVAC case. Other than that it’s a standard head gasket installation. Follow me on Instagram @ doug_wolf

Ps - I note that it was a broken headbolt. That may be a good reason to not try putting a washer under the nut and retourquing.

Master Cylinder > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
03/24/2016 at 08:53

I think tires are the only wear/repair/maintenence items I don’t mind paying for. That “new tire feeling” is just so gooooood.

BigBlock440 > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
03/24/2016 at 09:01

I think the issue is with the overhead cam and timing. You’d have to be a lot more careful than with a pushrod engine.

The Dummy Gummy > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
03/24/2016 at 09:26

This cracks me up.

Ughhhhh.... tires are bald again... Honey, running to the store to buy a new car.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Master Cylinder
03/24/2016 at 09:43

Don’t forget the smell. My new discoverers still have the new tires smell and its wonderful

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
03/24/2016 at 09:44

......wut?

Engine head work on an 8 year old car are no big deal but tires make you want a new one? Can I interest you in buying this bridge I own in brooklyn?

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
03/24/2016 at 09:47

I know my head iz effed up.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > BigBlock440
03/24/2016 at 10:09

Done the heads (actually ended up rebuilding the head itself) on a car with an overhead cam, there should be a key slot to lock it in place. You just have to be carful not to knock the key out when you’re pulling the heads off.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
03/24/2016 at 10:45

I approve, it was my suggestion I believe. It’s common practice and rarely has issues. Taking the heads off doubles, or maybe triples the cost. The new bolts aren’t problematic, and nothing else in there is problematic either, the gaskets are actually very robust.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
03/24/2016 at 10:46

No key on the M156. It uses friction washers and special tools to set the timing.

Master Cylinder > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
03/24/2016 at 10:46

Mmm yeah I love that fresh tire stank

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > KatzManDu
03/24/2016 at 10:47

The problem is that the heads break off of the bolts, not that they stretch. So a washer wouldn’t help at all.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > CAR_IS_MI
03/24/2016 at 10:49

Godspeed and good luck. I suggest having the valve covers removed and cams inspected before your parts show up. Just in case. Let us all know how the ARP studs work out, I’ve never used them on a Mercedes before.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > RacinBob
03/24/2016 at 10:51

Kinja'd!!!

M156 parts

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
03/24/2016 at 10:52

Whelp, thats Mercedes for you then I guess.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
03/24/2016 at 10:54

And now it makes sense why it’s so much more expensive to take the heads off.

JR1 > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches
03/24/2016 at 10:59

The fact that you have 30 likes and this isn’t on the front page is impressive.

Dru > CAR_IS_MI
03/24/2016 at 11:12

Oof. That hurts. There was a CL55 for sale at one of the less shady BHPH lots nearby. I would find excuses to drive by and see it, because B-pillarless coupe. Glad that is as far as it went.

CAR_IS_MI > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
03/24/2016 at 11:42

I was informed that as long as the coolant hasn’t made it into the oil then you can swap out the bolts one at a time and it should be okay. the gaskets themselves don’t cost much but there’s a good amount more labor involved in a doing a head gasket swap.

CAR_IS_MI > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
03/24/2016 at 11:50

It’s annoying when it’s 6 weeks in... but I get what you’re saying.

CAR_IS_MI > Noah - Now with more boost.
03/24/2016 at 11:55

You should know, if you ever plan on owning an older German luxury car, you will need to spend good money on expensive repairs.

Saracen > JR1
03/24/2016 at 12:29

If it was a 2007 Quattroporte he would instead be dropping more than $5k to replace the clutches.

JR1 > Saracen
03/24/2016 at 13:58

Yeah but at least the clutch would go out in a passionate Italian way that would leave you stranded on the side of the highway

404 Name Not Found > CAR_IS_MI
03/26/2016 at 12:18

Hi. Do you have an email address? I really wanted to talk to you about your Ferrari experience.

CAR_IS_MI > 404 Name Not Found
03/28/2016 at 01:12

car.is.mi.b@gmail.com