C32 AMG, C55 AMG (W203) 2001 - 2007

Headers NIGHTMARE

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Rate Thread
 
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 09:09 PM
  #1  
C_DirtyTwo's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,660
Likes: 21
From: Orange County
a land yacht.
Thumbs down Headers NIGHTMARE

I recently bought a pair of "Eurocharged" headers from a member here. They were never used or installed. I got ripped off, paid about $200 more than what he bought them for (found this out later), took a refund of $50 and decided to keep the headers to install.

I don't know if the guy knew the headers were ***** or not, but they are.

So far I have installed them and taken them off at least 4 times, not including the stock ones twice, and what will be a third time tomorrow.

The pipe in the middle was much shorter than the outer two, so they leaked, very bad. I tried sanding the flanges down and after much trial and error to even them out I have found there is no saving these. Not to mention one of the flanges was welded on crooked and we had to bore out one of the holes to get it on the drivers side.

This project has cost me way more money than just buying a brand new pair from Eurocharged (which I should have done in the first place), and more time and effort than I can count.

I do not see this being Eurocharged quality, I am thinking there is no way these were made by them.

Tomorrow will be day 4 of this saga as I'll be taking off those POS headers and putting the stock ones back on. I've tried different gaskets, high-temp silicone, everything. THEY STILL LEAK.

I guess everyone gets scammed once in a while.
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 09:14 PM
  #2  
Quicktwinturbo's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,912
Likes: 0
From: AL,IL, GA, CA
CLS, SLK, ETC
Sorry to hear that man.. Who scam'd you? Disclose his/her information here..
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 09:19 PM
  #3  
C_DirtyTwo's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,660
Likes: 21
From: Orange County
a land yacht.
Originally Posted by Quicktwinturbo
Sorry to hear that man.. Who scam'd you? Disclose his/her information here..
Well being he did offer a refund (before install, after I found out I paid $200 more than he did, and before I knew they didn't work) I feel I cannot disclose his info.
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 09:23 PM
  #4  
tw2's Avatar
tw2
MBWorld Fanatic!
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 288
From: New Zealand
Sorry to hear about your trouble. Do you have any photo's? There must be something off. I haven't installed mine but the flanges are perfectly straight and from the outside they look excellent. Are you going to take the refund or is it past that point? Can they be milled flat?
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 09:29 PM
  #5  
raymond g-'s Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,939
Likes: 178
From: Seattle WA
99 E320
the questionable quality of these headers (contracted out, I recall) had
been posted on MBWorld before. if the cost is something you thought
was acceptable enough to make a sale and then, subsequently felt you
could have gotten a better deal after the fact, well....that is simply a case
of buyer's remorse. arguably, that would have been something resolved
prior to purchase with a little due diligence

p.s. i apologize, i'm not seeing the thread and, it is possible i erred and
remembered another euro-something headers. i'll continue to look

p.p.s bad dog....go to your room. it was kleeman, and had nothing to
do with Eurocharged. my apologies!

Last edited by raymond g-; Jun 22, 2012 at 09:41 PM.
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 09:34 PM
  #6  
C_DirtyTwo's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,660
Likes: 21
From: Orange County
a land yacht.
Originally Posted by tw2
Sorry to hear about your trouble. Do you have any photo's? There must be something off. I haven't installed mine but the flanges are perfectly straight and from the outside they look excellent. Are you going to take the refund or is it past that point? Can they be milled flat?
It's beyond the point of a refund. Here's apic before any install...

Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 09:42 PM
  #7  
Gramma_Benz's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,000
Likes: 20
From: East Bay, Bay Area
2002 C32, 2012 S550
Damn man, have u contacted Eurocharged about this?
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 09:45 PM
  #8  
C_DirtyTwo's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,660
Likes: 21
From: Orange County
a land yacht.
Originally Posted by Gramma_Benz
Damn man, have u contacted Eurocharged about this?
I tried through PM but what can they do? I wasn't the original purchaser
Reply
MB World Stories

The Best of Mercedes & AMG

story-0

6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 09:50 PM
  #9  
tw2's Avatar
tw2
MBWorld Fanatic!
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 288
From: New Zealand
The welds look poor but otherwise they don't looks obviously wrong to the naked eye. Maybe the flanges don't look perfectly lined up. It might just be me but the outside tube looks bigger than the other two. Sorry to say, if milling the surfaces flat is not an option then it might be cheaper to start with a new set than try and repair them. Maybe eurocharged might be willing to help cut and reweld them using their jig, maybe for a small fee, maybe goodwill.
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 09:56 PM
  #10  
Gramma_Benz's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,000
Likes: 20
From: East Bay, Bay Area
2002 C32, 2012 S550
Originally Posted by C_DirtyTwo
I tried through PM but what can they do? I wasn't the original purchaser
It's worth a try. It's still their unused product and they are good guys. Maybe they can do something to help?
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 09:57 PM
  #11  
C_DirtyTwo's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,660
Likes: 21
From: Orange County
a land yacht.
Originally Posted by tw2
The welds look poor but otherwise they don't looks obviously wrong to the naked eye. Maybe the flanges don't look perfectly lined up. It might just be me but the outside tube looks bigger than the other two. Sorry to say, if milling the surfaces flat is not an option then it might be cheaper to start with a new set than try and repair them. Maybe eurocharged might be willing to help cut and reweld them using their jig, maybe for a small fee, maybe goodwill.
Honestly they've been sanded and milled as much as they can be. There's no repairing them or making them work. I'll post more pics tomorrow when I take them off, but the outer flanges were getting too thin to sand any more. They appeared to be flat enough, but after install it appears they are not or maybe something else is wrong with them.
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 10:32 PM
  #12  
saer1one's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,013
Likes: 0
From: Livingston, California.
2002 c32 AMG 2012 c250 Coupe
C_DirtyTwo, your headers look completely different than the headers tw2 posted.. Look at the header group buy thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...oup-buy-3.html
Scroll down to post #65 by loungn14 and look at the picture of the header being built.. See how the middle manifold connects to left manifold.. All three of your exhaust manifolds connect together at the exhaust flange.. I do not believe the headers you bought from the member are legit Eurocharged headers according to the evidence.. They look like VRP headers..

Last edited by saer1one; Jun 22, 2012 at 10:41 PM.
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 11:13 PM
  #13  
togaclk55's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,456
Likes: 1
From: Bay Area, CA
CLK55
Sorry to hear man
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 11:15 PM
  #14  
FrankW's Avatar
MBworld Guru
20 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
 
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 22,058
Likes: 18
From: Diamond Bar, CA
W206 PHEV AMG
Sucks to hear that... I had just spent some $$ to deal with my cracked old LET headers too. Definitely sucks.
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 11:30 PM
  #15  
_AMG_'s Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 6,677
Likes: 4
From: Los Angeles
C63
Sorry to hear you had to go through all that trouble. Have other customers had problems with the EC headers? Could be the previous owner took it to muffler shop for some reason and had the headers repaired and didn't tell you about it.
I noticed something odd about the pictures TW2 posted and your headers, here is why.





Judging by this, either the previous owner did some serious modifications to your EC headers, or those are not EC headers.
Personally I would demand my money back, I hate seeing people get cheated like this.
All the best man, hope everything works out.
Reply
Old Jun 22, 2012 | 11:48 PM
  #16  
splinter's Avatar
Super Moderator
 
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,365
Likes: 12
From: Orange County, CA
GMC - Miata - Trek - P-Car
Originally Posted by FrankW
Sucks to hear that... I had just spent some $$ to deal with my cracked old LET headers too. Definitely sucks.
+1
Reply
Old Jun 23, 2012 | 03:16 AM
  #17  
C_DirtyTwo's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,660
Likes: 21
From: Orange County
a land yacht.
I see the difference between the headers, but from my understanding this was their first design? So maybe LET headers?
Reply
Old Jun 23, 2012 | 04:02 AM
  #18  
Gramma_Benz's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,000
Likes: 20
From: East Bay, Bay Area
2002 C32, 2012 S550
Originally Posted by _AMG_
Sorry to hear you had to go through all that trouble. Have other customers had problems with the EC headers? Could be the previous owner took it to muffler shop for some reason and had the headers repaired and didn't tell you about it.
I noticed something odd about the pictures TW2 posted and your headers, here is why.





Judging by this, either the previous owner did some serious modifications to your EC headers, or those are not EC headers.
Personally I would demand my money back, I hate seeing people get cheated like this.
All the best man, hope everything works out.
These are the original style of Eurocharged Headers. Mine look like this too. TW2's photos are of their new style headers which resemble more of a log type configuration.
Reply
Old Jun 23, 2012 | 06:31 AM
  #19  
hyperion667's Avatar
MBWorld God!
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Community Builder
Liked
 
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 31,273
Likes: 3,916
From: on my way
2012 CLS63
good luck homey
Reply
Old Jun 23, 2012 | 07:03 AM
  #20  
c32AMG-DTM's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,949
Likes: 0
From: Philadelphia, PA
2008 A8L, 2002 996TT X50, 2009 X5
Originally Posted by C_DirtyTwo
I see the difference between the headers, but from my understanding this was their first design? So maybe LET headers?
Originally Posted by Gramma_Benz
These are the original style of Eurocharged Headers. Mine look like this too. TW2's photos are of their new style headers which resemble more of a log type configuration.
I think these guys are right. These are Eurocharged shorty headers, just an earlier design. LET made 'em initially out of mild steel with a ceramic coating - Eurocharged later made the same ones (same design) but crafted out of stainless without a coating.

As long as they're structurally fine, it really doesn't matter, but the welds on both headers pictured look pretty ugly/sloppy.

Nice welding looks more like this (click through to thread on 6speed):

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/9...t-testing.html

To be fair, probably a very different price-point and target market.
Reply
Old Jun 23, 2012 | 08:28 AM
  #21  
link146's Avatar
Member
 
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 125
Likes: 2
From: Marlton
'02 325 xi; '02 C32; '90 ZX; '08 CBR 6RR, '86 V45 Magna
I have no experience with eurocharged therefore cannot speak to their products. However, after owning a handful of jap cars and more than a handful of jap bikes, i dont believe I ever received a fabricated, metal aftermarket piece that was supposedly "bolt on." Every part (unless coming from established companies , ie 6-10 yrs in th biz without any bs,) required headache, Dremel, shaving, cutting, bending, drilling out, grommets, washers, gaskets etc.

Perhaps you need to let her sit for a while. Give it 24-48 hrs and return to the project with a clear mind and hopefully a second party with a clear mind and 2 hands. It seems that whenever I highly anticipate arrival of a new part, I rush to install and sometimes don't wait for all the right tools and/or help. Deep breath grasshopper...give it thought, rest and try again.

The welds are crap and look as if they will fail and/or already leak. Bathtub test them.

Final thought, if they are EC headers, the company should be able to id them within a matter of seconds.

Good luck.
Reply
Old Jun 23, 2012 | 05:14 PM
  #22  
pointman's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,705
Likes: 2
From: nj
a car that can't do the throttle reset.
Originally Posted by link146
I have no experience with eurocharged therefore cannot speak to their products. However, after owning a handful of jap cars and more than a handful of jap bikes, i dont believe I ever received a fabricated, metal aftermarket piece that was supposedly "bolt on." Every part (unless coming from established companies , ie 6-10 yrs in th biz without any bs,) required headache, Dremel, shaving, cutting, bending, drilling out, grommets, washers, gaskets etc.

Perhaps you need to let her sit for a while. Give it 24-48 hrs and return to the project with a clear mind and hopefully a second party with a clear mind and 2 hands. It seems that whenever I highly anticipate arrival of a new part, I rush to install and sometimes don't wait for all the right tools and/or help. Deep breath grasshopper...give it thought, rest and try again.

The welds are crap and look as if they will fail and/or already leak. Bathtub test them.

Final thought, if they are EC headers, the company should be able to id them within a matter of seconds.

Good luck.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jap
Reply
Old Jun 24, 2012 | 04:51 PM
  #23  
C_DirtyTwo's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,660
Likes: 21
From: Orange County
a land yacht.
Originally Posted by hyperion667
good luck homey
thanks man
Originally Posted by c32AMG-DTM
I think these guys are right. These are Eurocharged shorty headers, just an earlier design. LET made 'em initially out of mild steel with a ceramic coating - Eurocharged later made the same ones (same design) but crafted out of stainless without a coating.

As long as they're structurally fine, it really doesn't matter, but the welds on both headers pictured look pretty ugly/sloppy.

Nice welding looks more like this (click through to thread on 6speed):

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/9...t-testing.html

To be fair, probably a very different price-point and target market.
Yeah that was my understanding as well. Regardless, these headers were lacking quality to say the least.

Originally Posted by link146
I have no experience with eurocharged therefore cannot speak to their products. However, after owning a handful of jap cars and more than a handful of jap bikes, i dont believe I ever received a fabricated, metal aftermarket piece that was supposedly "bolt on." Every part (unless coming from established companies , ie 6-10 yrs in th biz without any bs,) required headache, Dremel, shaving, cutting, bending, drilling out, grommets, washers, gaskets etc.

Perhaps you need to let her sit for a while. Give it 24-48 hrs and return to the project with a clear mind and hopefully a second party with a clear mind and 2 hands. It seems that whenever I highly anticipate arrival of a new part, I rush to install and sometimes don't wait for all the right tools and/or help. Deep breath grasshopper...give it thought, rest and try again.

The welds are crap and look as if they will fail and/or already leak. Bathtub test them.

Final thought, if they are EC headers, the company should be able to id them within a matter of seconds.

Good luck.
I have dealt with eurocharged on many different occasions and have almost all their products on my car and would recommend them to anyone....these headers are NOT eurocharged quality...not sure what happened.

As for the anticipation and giving it a second try, I assure you there is not an install error as I have installed these and tried everything multiple times. Thanks for the advice though.

As for IDing the headers Im not sure how they would do that?
Reply
Old Jun 25, 2012 | 03:15 AM
  #24  
tw2's Avatar
tw2
MBWorld Fanatic!
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 288
From: New Zealand
Those pictures in the link look almost like robotic welds. There are not many people who can do that. They MIG'd the eurocharged ones so they were never going to look perfect. Using a TIG, a nice "stack of coins" is what it should look like with good penetration and no excess "snot".

As opposed to this (I love this picture)
Reply
Old Jun 25, 2012 | 10:12 AM
  #25  
Zeppelin's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,289
Likes: 3
From: OC
C32
Originally Posted by C_DirtyTwo
It's beyond the point of a refund. Here's apic before any install...

The welds as you say seem to be the least of your problems. Hard to tell from the picture without a straight edge up against the mating surfaces but it does look like the center tube is short. Depending on how short you might be able to stack two gaskets on the center one and get away with it not leaking.

Only solution may be to cut the center flange or tube and have it rewelded in the right position. You could probably use the stock exhaust manifold as a jig to bolt it to while having it welde

If this manifold is new olod stock and the company is still in business it still might be worth contacting them to see if they would fix/replace them at no cost. Even if they are ground on as you say.

Good Luck
Reply


You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 0 votes,  average.


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:28 PM.

story-0
6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

Slideshow: Not every Mercedes design becomes timeless, some feel stuck in the era they came from.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:09:07


VIEW MORE
story-1
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

Slideshow: Yes, Mercedes built manual cars, and some of them are far more interesting than you'd expect.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-02 12:36:58


VIEW MORE
story-2
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 11:19:28


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

Slideshow: Before curves took over, Mercedes mastered the art of the straight line, and some of those shapes still look right today.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-25 12:05:49


VIEW MORE
story-4
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

Slideshow: The 190E Evolution II shows how a homologation necessity became a six-figure collector icon.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-22 17:53:47


VIEW MORE
story-5
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

Slideshow: Mercedes is turning one of its core nameplates electric, and the details show just how serious this shift is.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:58:06


VIEW MORE
story-6
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

Slideshow: Faster charging, longer range, and a controversial steer-by-wire system define the latest evolution of Mercedes-Benz EQS.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-15 10:35:34


VIEW MORE
story-7
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

Slideshow: These overlooked Mercedes-Benz models never got the spotlight, but they quietly delivered more than most remember.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-13 19:35:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

Slideshow: A well-used 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300D with more than one million miles is now looking for a new owner, and it still appears ready for more.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-10 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

Slideshow: From bulletproof sedans to surprisingly tough SUVs, these Mercedes models proved that the three-pointed star can go the distance.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-08 09:55:49


VIEW MORE