Does anyone have access to a copy of the service bulletin? or even the document number? I have not seen one and have yet to see something official about the problem Thanks

This is stupid.

You have to remove the cams to get at the head bolts. This is 90% of the work.

Go another 10% a do it right, remove the head and use a new head gasket.

You're already pot committed, do the job correctly.

Does anyone have an accurate quote for this job from the dealer?

I think you're looking at 12-15 hrs of labor, at about 125/hr, so somewhere around 1500 in labor, don't know what the parts cost.

I don't think it's that cheap otherwise most of the people here would have done it already.

Well, if you're out of warranty, then it's a relative bargain.

I am out of warranty

Parts are $800 from Weistec. I would spend a couple hundred extra and get ARP studs. That doesn't include the head gasket.

Thanks guys but still need an accurate quote. My SA said $5000 and need someone to confirm.

WOW.....does that come with a reach around???

It comes with lub

It's posted in the sticky on this issue. It's not the complete bulleting as MBZ has coded the contents other than the title.

Depending on the labor rate were you live, I was qouted $5,000 in Cali.

What he said.

Thanks. How much labor and how much parts?

Was this fixed on the newer model years?

Also if Mercedes made a part change to me this admission of a defective original part. To me this should be an easy win for any lawyer in court.. Now on the other hand if Merc replaced defective ones with the same bolts then they could claim its isolated...

There is tons of parts on the car that have been replaced with revised versions.

Makes sense. Any idea how we can organize and take MB to the mat?

How many of those were minor changes and how many were due to the possibility of a catastrophic failure because of defective parts?

It's by engine number. Stopped sometime mid 2010. There already is a related class action suit going on and MBZ seems to be winning the preliminary rounds at the moment. There are no easy wins in court going up against a corporation of this size.

it's not about the size of the corporation. these things happen all the time with every manufacturer out there. every car company has tons of tsbs and campaigns, etc. it's nothing new. tsbs are never covered under warranty after it is expired. campaigns/recalls will have their own time frame, years into the future usually, and it does not matter if the car is under warranty. recalls are reserved for safety issues like sticking pedals, dysfunctional seatbelts, etc. not for headbolts.

it's a stupid lawsuit, the precedent was set decades ago. if you can't afford to fix your car, take the bus or buy a Chevy. or be smart, don't own an amg out of warranty.

Is there a way to find out if your engine may be affected? ie: a technician looking up your VIN?

Yup, that's one way. Using the VIN they can get the Engine #, and from that you can determine if it's within the range of affected engines.

If anyone wants to know for sure on a U.S. car, respond or PM me your VIN number and I can tell you if it's affected and provide a build sheet (Datacard) on the vehicle.

If your car is 2009 or earlier, it's in the affected group.

Regards,

Joe

Yup, I just asked the service tech at my dealership and found out. I'm on the list.

Thx Grn! you're always quick to reply!
Thanks, Joe. So basically if I have a 2009 or earlier there's no need to even check. It's just depends on whether I'm lucky or not?