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Whats the range of VINs that are affected by the M156 head issues?

Old Mar 29, 2013 | 06:51 PM
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Whats the range of VINs that are affected by the M156 head issues?

Does anyone know the range of VINs that are affected by the M156 cylinder head sealing issues? Im going to go check a 2009 C63 and will be checking for that. Thanks
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Old Mar 29, 2013 | 06:54 PM
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2009 is guaranteed to be within the affected range of cars. Sometime in the middle of 2010 is where the new bolts were used. I have a 2010 and I'm on the bad list.
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Old Mar 29, 2013 | 06:55 PM
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I'm pretty sure ALL '09s are potentially affected.
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Old Mar 29, 2013 | 06:58 PM
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Wow that was not the drastic answer I was looking for but I guess better to know before the purchase.

What have 2009 owners been doing? Can they request for the soon to be defective head bolts be replaced per warranty if they still have the manuf warranty?
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Old Mar 29, 2013 | 06:59 PM
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Originally Posted by chrisridebike8
2009 is guaranteed to be within the affected range of cars. Sometime in the middle of 2010 is where the new bolts were used. I have a 2010 and I'm on the bad list.
Does anyone have this list by any chance? I searched and no clear visible list on this forum. Or is this something I have to do with a Mercedes Dealership?
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Old Mar 29, 2013 | 07:04 PM
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It's actually by engine #. A dealer can look it up.

MB won't cover anything preventative. That's the point of contention. They'll fix it if you're under warranty or extended warranty. Otherwise, you'll need to spend about $4k to install the Weistec studs. That cost is mostly labor.
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Old Mar 29, 2013 | 08:39 PM
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Originally Posted by dc5itr888
Does anyone know the range of VINs that are affected by the M156 cylinder head sealing issues? Im going to go check a 2009 C63 and will be checking for that. Thanks
The affected group is based on engine number. Any engine number below 569xx 60 060658 is in the group. It's unclear how deep into 2010 group goes, but all 2009 and earlier are affected.

Regards,

Joe
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Old Mar 29, 2013 | 09:34 PM
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Originally Posted by dc5itr888
Wow that was not the drastic answer I was looking for but I guess better to know before the purchase.

What have 2009 owners been doing? Can they request for the soon to be defective head bolts be replaced per warranty if they still have the manuf warranty?
I just waited till my bolts broke (12k miles) then the dealer put new gasket/bolts/lifters at no charge
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Old Mar 29, 2013 | 10:06 PM
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This may be a dumb question, but what's the best way to 'break' these head bolts; driving-wise. I've never really put my engine under heavy load (no track days or drags) but have driven it in bouts of aggressiveness. Would increased aggressive driving cause these bolts to wear out faster?

My car just hit 30k and that's just below the threshold that most 2009 cars experience the issue. My warranty is up mid-April and would definitely want this to be covered warranty if at all possible.
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Old Mar 29, 2013 | 10:30 PM
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If my 2011 was produced in 2010 is it in the clear?
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Old Mar 29, 2013 | 10:39 PM
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Originally Posted by tfthach13
This may be a dumb question, but what's the best way to 'break' these head bolts; driving-wise. I've never really put my engine under heavy load (no track days or drags) but have driven it in bouts of aggressiveness. Would increased aggressive driving cause these bolts to wear out faster?

My car just hit 30k and that's just below the threshold that most 2009 cars experience the issue. My warranty is up mid-April and would definitely want this to be covered warranty if at all possible.


Well, the problem is although all of the '08 and '09 cars and some of the '10s are affected, not all of them will fail. It's like Russian roulette. It's not a matter of WHEN they'll fail, it's a matter of IF. So if yours are good, perhaps nothing will break them. I don't think there's a silver bullet here.
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Old Mar 29, 2013 | 10:52 PM
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If it has black plastic valve covers, it has the revised head bolts. Mid 2010 they were changed.
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Old Mar 30, 2013 | 11:14 AM
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is the engine number on the front face of the motor where the signature of the hand crafted engineer from amg factory have their name on?
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Old Mar 30, 2013 | 11:24 AM
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good information here
scroll down to the bottom
http://www.marcusfitzhugh.com/CLK/63.html
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Old Mar 30, 2013 | 11:34 AM
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I think site only mentions as early as #60658 motors were affected. Is the engine number and VIN number on car have any correlation if motor "might" be affected with issue? Thanks
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Old Mar 30, 2013 | 11:56 AM
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This is also kinda on the same topic....

Anyone know if and when they changed the valve lifter buckets on the M156 motor to the M159 (SLS) ones?

According to the parts manual... the old M156 part number is now superseded by the SLS M159 part number....
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Old Mar 30, 2013 | 02:14 PM
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can someone check if this is on the bad batch vin is WDDGF77X29F243981


Posted from Mbworld.org App for Android
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Old Mar 31, 2013 | 01:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Rsquad911
This is also kinda on the same topic....

Anyone know if and when they changed the valve lifter buckets on the M156 motor to the M159 (SLS) ones?

According to the parts manual... the old M156 part number is now superseded by the SLS M159 part number....
you are correct. if MB rebuilds your engine due to the bad headbolts, you will get the SLS parts now.

my car unfortunately is in the bad engine range. As far as my research has gotten me, for a 2010 to be not included in the bad engine range, it is a really late build
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Old Mar 31, 2013 | 11:26 AM
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^^^^^ Same conclusion I came to on the 2010 head bolt issue. Mine is in the bad range as well and a mid April build.
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Old Mar 31, 2013 | 12:23 PM
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Originally Posted by LAMB09
If my 2011 was produced in 2010 is it in the clear?
Yes, but if you want me to check, post or PM your VIN.

Regards,
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Old Mar 31, 2013 | 12:26 PM
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Originally Posted by dc5itr888
can someone check if this is on the bad batch vin is WDDGF77X29F243981


Posted from Mbworld.org App for Android
Yes it is 156985 60 038339 . Again, most MY 2010 and all 2009 and earlier are in the affected group.

Regards,

Joe
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Old Mar 31, 2013 | 12:27 PM
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Originally Posted by dc5itr888
I think site only mentions as early as #60658 motors were affected. Is the engine number and VIN number on car have any correlation if motor "might" be affected with issue? Thanks
Strictly based on the engine number.

Regards,

Joe
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Old Mar 31, 2013 | 12:30 PM
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Originally Posted by dc5itr888
is the engine number on the front face of the motor where the signature of the hand crafted engineer from amg factory have their name on?
The engine number is not readily visible anywhere that anyone has posted.

Regards,

Joe
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Old Mar 31, 2013 | 01:53 PM
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Merc has shown us corrosion at the top of his headbolt. Seems prudent to change that coolant asap and ignore the ?4 year/ mileage call out in MB literature. I do not know why alloy bolts should corrode so badly having seen high mileage cast iron waterpump impellers with very little corrosion. My car is affected and out of warranty.
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Old Mar 31, 2013 | 04:39 PM
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motoman - That's good advice but this problem goes well beyond what accelerated coolant changes can solve or possibly even slow down - IMHO - and you will see corrosion regardless of a revised maintenance schedule. Given a choice between spending the $$$$ for an extended warranty (which I did already) or cash it in and proactively address the issue via replacement immediately after it's off the OE warranty I'll definitely choose the latter option. So, no extra coolant changes for me but as generalized advice motoman is on solid ground here and it's well worth a try for most.
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