Coolant usage-may be the "bad news"
Senior Member
Joined: May 2011
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From: Houston TX
2009 C63 ///Amg
09 at 40000 miles and i just made a 2000 mile drive and the coolant level msg showed up, went in for a b service and the topped it up , should i be going back to get it checked out?
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From: San Diego/San Francisco
AMG GLC63. Audi R8
Absolutely. If it is a head gasket leak it's only going to get worse. Get a narrow metal ruler marked in mm and use it as a dipstick to check the coolant in the reservoir every morning with the engine dead cold. The problem with waiting for it to get worse is you risk hydro-lock which can cause serious damage. Other indicators are high oil level indicator and white sweet smelling smoke on start up out the exhaust. If the problem becomes persist, do not drive to the dealer, have it flat bedded in.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: SF Bay Area
2009 C63
Carjones
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 158
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From: Victoria Australia
C63 AMG, C36 AMG, SL500
Update on C63 in Garage
Update on my Car. MB says it not the head bolts. Requiring a full engine strip down to determine whats wrong. No help yet from MB Aus on the cost of this though it seems like some sort of catastrophic failure which I do not think should have occurred on a 3.5 year old 51K KM motor serviced on the dot by MB themselves. The Service Tech says he has not seen a similar type of failure! Will know more on Monday.
BTW I thought he intially told me issues with 1,3 and 8 cylinders so I must have got this wrong. Strip down is continuing slowly. Each step is being communicated to MB Aust and waiting their feedback.
Member
Joined: Apr 2012
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From: Shenzhen, China
2011 AMG SLS, K&N Air Filter, Cargraphic Exhaust, Klassen M51R Wheels
This sounds pretty scary!
Although I have just purchased a new old stock (1/2011 Built with engine # ending 600 663 XX) from the AD and done only 900km, I just hate to hear this happen!
Hope MB already changed and used new bolts on mine!
Hope MB already changed and used new bolts on mine!
Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 158
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From: Victoria Australia
C63 AMG, C36 AMG, SL500
Update on Morganb's car
The heads have been off and X-rayed looking for porosity, nothing found and they were all perfectly flat.
The Block is now going for the same treatment. Hopefully will know something on Friday or Monday.
To summarize: 2 cylinders no compression due to valves not sealing, one broken head bolt (not bad leak), and water in 3 cylinders not related to the head bolt. As yet it seems no reason found yet as to what would have caused all this. The scary thing is until 2 minutes earlier the car was running great with no warning lights. Then low water warnings and about 30 seconds running time later the CEL came on and the car was running rough and putting out a smoke screen the Batmobile would have been proud of.
Bruce
The Block is now going for the same treatment. Hopefully will know something on Friday or Monday.
To summarize: 2 cylinders no compression due to valves not sealing, one broken head bolt (not bad leak), and water in 3 cylinders not related to the head bolt. As yet it seems no reason found yet as to what would have caused all this. The scary thing is until 2 minutes earlier the car was running great with no warning lights. Then low water warnings and about 30 seconds running time later the CEL came on and the car was running rough and putting out a smoke screen the Batmobile would have been proud of.
Bruce
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Member
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Victoria Australia
C63 AMG, C36 AMG, SL500
Morganb's on going saga
Well they cannot find anything wrong! The water on one side in the cylinders seems seems to have magically appeared there! They are sending out the head assembly with a new set of head gaskets to be bolted to the block (still out of the car) and then pressurizing the cooling water ways to look for leaks! I have never heard of this before with a motor out. Any comments from technical experts would be most welcome.
Now 5 weeks and still do not have a cause. This is becoming very frustrating.
Now 5 weeks and still do not have a cause. This is becoming very frustrating.
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Joined: Mar 2011
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From: San Diego/San Francisco
AMG GLC63. Audi R8
Well they cannot find anything wrong! The water on one side in the cylinders seems seems to have magically appeared there! They are sending out the head assembly with a new set of head gaskets to be bolted to the block (still out of the car) and then pressurizing the cooling water ways to look for leaks! I have never heard of this before with a motor out. Any comments from technical experts would be most welcome.
Now 5 weeks and still do not have a cause. This is becoming very frustrating.
Now 5 weeks and still do not have a cause. This is becoming very frustrating.
Member
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Victoria Australia
C63 AMG, C36 AMG, SL500
No loan car! When the head first came off I was told one side had one head bolt fail but water was in both banks of cylinders. Its leaning towards a crack or porosity but it seems difficult to find.
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From: San Diego/San Francisco
AMG GLC63. Audi R8
No loaner car is total BS. Your dealer sucks not offering you a loaner. Head bolt failure on the M156 is known by MBZ and a known failure. Block porosity is less common but not unheard of. In either case you should have been given a loaner until they figure out the problem.
Last edited by DuaneC63; Jun 14, 2012 at 12:20 AM.
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MB
No loaner car is total BS. Your dealer sucks not offering you a loaner. Head bolt failure on the M156 is known by MBZ and a known failure. Block porosity is less common but not unheard of. In either case you should have been given a loaner until they figure out the problem.
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MB
I will, thank you. But, the commencement of a class action suit (depending on the stage of litigation) does not necessarily get @morganb and other like consumers in a rental car if the dealer is unwilling to provide one.
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MB
That's old news about the class action and that class action isn't related to this head bolt issue. Further, there have been no updates relating to that class action about the metallurgy problem. That issue is now quiet.
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Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Victoria Australia
C63 AMG, C36 AMG, SL500
Thanks for the advice. I am in Australia so not sure how any US class action would affect me. I am lucky I have a few cars so I have been driving some of the others over the past 5 weeks or so. I have not had to rent a car.
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From: San Diego/San Francisco
AMG GLC63. Audi R8
Unfortunately you are correct. Loaner cars are goodwill by the dealer. It is very sad MBZUSA is acting like most american car manufacturers regarding known defects. Of course some MBZ dealers are much more accomodating than others regarding loaner cars. My wife has a Lexus and they break their backs to make you happy. But don't feel to bad..when I take my MBZ in, I get an MBZ loaner. When my wife takes her Lexus in she gets a Lexus loaner. When I take my Porsche in I get a Mazda (nothing against Mazda's).
Last edited by DuaneC63; Jun 14, 2012 at 01:32 AM.
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MB
Unfortunately you are correct. Loaner cars are goodwill by the dealer. It is very sad MBZUSA is acting like most american car manufacturers regarding know defects. Of course some MBZ dealers are much more accomodating than others. My wife has a Lexus and they break their backs to make you happy.
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C63 AMG
While we were working through a major engine issue in the M5 my dealer provided me with a loaner. One month became two, eventually stretching out to five months. I was in town for four of those five. I got an X5, assorted 5 series and a 3 series wagon (my favorite). Once I called the BMW store in the morning from the airport and told them I was coming in and asked for the demo wagon. They said they had sold it but just to cab in and they would have a car. I got there late afternoon and there was a wagon waiting for me...fresh out of the prep shop and showing all of seven miles on the odo. It doesn't get any better than that.
MBWorld Fanatic!
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MB
While we were working through a major engine issue in the M5 my dealer provided me with a loaner. One month became two, eventually stretching out to five months. I was in town for four of those five. I got an X5, assorted 5 series and a 3 series wagon (my favorite). Once I called the BMW store in the morning from the airport and told them I was coming in and asked for the demo wagon. They said they had sold it but just to cab in and they would have a car. I got there late afternoon and there was a wagon waiting for me...fresh out of the prep shop and showing all of seven miles on the odo. It doesn't get any better than that.
