thcmagiK

hey guys -

new member to the fourm, and was thinking about picking up a 09, but the discussion of the head bolts has me nervous. I was curious if this was any ones car on here and if so any reason you did dump it ?

Thanks guys,

http://www.kargarmotors.com/used-200...class/vd/50814

D3-AMG

I'm in the MD. I recently picked up an '09 with Performance Package and only 57000 miles on it for less than what you are looking at. I didn't consider this one because my searches were limited to below 60k miles. Mine was single owner, all MB maintenance. From what I've been able to gather on the forum, 2.5-3% of these motors exhibit the head bolt problem. Buying an extended warranty that actually covers head bolts (you need to look carefully at what is and isn't covered) will likely cost nearly as much as getting the repair done. I have a competent local shop who is not MB that can do the work if the need arises, so I don't think it makes sense for me to buy the warranty. If you can budget for repairs as part of your expected monthly cost and still afford it then go for it. Or, be patient, there may be better examples available now that the '15 model is out and more will get traded/sold.

thcmagiK

thanks for the info man, very much appreciated Ya i think im going to go for it, budget for gas is already out the door, coming from a 07 RS4, so im use to the amazing gas mileage, I hope shes as fun to drive !!

CarHopper

You'll be happy with the move. I actually had both cars at once and the RS is hands down the car to have for winter. But even here in upstate there are really 5-10 days a year where the roads are bad enough to justify it.

As for the headbolts, so much info on this site about them. Merc63 is actually doing a DIY thread right now on them if you're really handy. If not, I'd save some money as the mileage grows and do them before hand. If you get the bolts done before an issue may/may not happen it'll cost you a headbolt job. If you wait, it'll be a motor.

I'll see if I can't dig up that thread, but someone had a motor go and dealer offered $5k on trade. So yeah, that's a bit of a nightmare.

Not trying to scare you, just make sure you don't stretch the budget too much that you really end up screwing yourself if chit hits the fan. It most likely won't, but better safe than sorry.

driftmotion

if your in the market, i'll be putting mine up for sale in a month or so ... it's an 09, 55k miles , has a tune and coilovers. It's tenorite gray with black interior w/ stainless trim.

I'm also throwing in a set of winter rims with tires.

Oh.... and I have 13 months of warranty left on the car!(or 75k miles)

PelicanParts.com

If you ever have any questions feel free to stroll around our tech forums here to see if they can be answered or you can post a question and a tech should answer it. Good luck!

-Luccia

INS1GNIA

This is a good time to be looking. I'm sure there are a couple members getting rid of/upgrading theirs. Best of luck with your search though!