datamg

If the car falls within the "affected" range, how worried should I be? Has under 40k miles. And I know it has been asked a lot, but what are percentage of vehicles that actually end up needing the repair? Maybe its just blown up because of the internet.

Thanks guys, sorry to rehash old news. First AMG and just trying to get educated, all advice is much appreciated.

Ingenieur

your odds of hitting the lottery or being struck by lightening are about the same as having a head bolt issue

datamg

exactly what i wanted to hear.... thanks!

so the effects of a tune, with say...headers and exhaust mods....would exacerbate or increase the risk? or odds still relatively the same? feels like a dumb question now that i've typed it out.

also are the "symptoms" mainly losing a coolant very rapidly and paying attention to that? or are there other indicators? looking to get a warranty so at least its covered. also...if any tuners can chime in on thoughts that would be great.

whoover

It seems to be rare, but it's pretty bad if you're a "winner." Once you start getting codes it's too late: coolant is in your oil. The only proper way to fix it at that point is a complete teardown of the engine. Otherwise you will have premature bearing failure down the road. I wouldn't chance it. And yes, increased engine output from modding will put more strain on the weak bolts and make a failure more likely.

average joe

I have a 2010 (stage 1 Weistec) and my Vin number falls in the effected range.......I am going to replace the Bolts with the Weistec studs just as a precaution.
However, if it was not for this forum i would never have heard of the headbolt issue. In the UK the main AMG dealers had never heard of a issue.

Guilty

There is something called an extended warranty.

datamg

what precautions or checkups can you do to see if it may be becoming an issue? or is it an all or none type thing?

datamg

ive considered that but it seems it will cost near $4k? maybe my numbers are off but i will check with the local tuning shop.

datamg

planning on that. but after the tune/exhaust....worried about voiding

average joe

You can change the bolts out one at a time so the heads don't need removing. Some will say you cant do this others will say you can.

My Indy said no problem doing it one at a time. I even said if its a problem I will quite happily pay to have the heads removed, but they said i would just be wasting my cash

Ingenieur

BS
if no mechanical damage just do an oil change, run it for a few 100 miles and do another

there is ALWAYS a bit of water in the oil

the codes would be for misfire do to water in the chamber

Ingenieur

monitor cooling level accurately
same location
same temperature
exact same level
weekly

a little loss is OK
one woman on here said she lost a qt every few days! for months!

whoover

Propylene glycol is not water. Minute traces of it prevent oil film adherence to bearings, causing damage very quickly. It also binds with bearing surfaces and will not be flushed off by normal oil.

Oil changes are not enough to counteract such contamination. The "cheap" procedure is to pressure flush the engine with oil/cellosolve, after removing and replacing the oil pump and other key components. The proper repair is a teardown, replacing main and rod bearing as needed. MB does the latter, or a short block installation for warrantied coolant contamination.

A batch of bad transmission coolers led to the famous glycol test of tranny fluid on my S65. Mine was ok, but the fix for bad coolers included replacing the transmission. No flush was deemed sufficient.

You can do whatever you'd like to your car, of course. But that doesn't make reality BS.

roadtalontsi

case by case basis. Some only needed fluid/flush, other torque converters, very very rarely a whole transmission.

whoover

Not case-by-case, which implies there were no pre-determined responses. It depended on the level of glycol contamination. Any sample that showed 400 mg/liter automatically triggered a transmission replacement. That's .04% (not 4%!) or the equivalent of 1/10 ounce of glycol in 8 quarts of oil. (Calculations are approximate, assuming glycol, ATF and Mobil1 have the same density. But they're close enough to get a sense that a blown head gasket or bolt dumps a fatal dose of glycol into the engine.)

LFM_Vancouver

I just won the lottery as being struck by lightning then. But saying that I caught it before any damage. My 2010 will be for sale soon with all new headbolts etc. KW V3 suspension 30,000 miles, no accidents, babied. original owner from new. If you're still looking let me know. New car on order so will be selling once I get a delivery date.

4ramin

1 quart of Atf oil will do the Job. you add it to the oil run the car around drain the oil. Any shop that truly knows motors can tell you that. it Acts as a detergent ....

roadtalontsi

Thats interesting because that repair never even applied to 220's but there is nothing about replacing a transmission.
straight from the mb...

"Perform repair based on the test result:
1. Up to 100 mg/liter of glycol contamination do not perform any repair (considered normal due to
condensed water and not a leak).
2. As of 100 mg/liter of glycol contamination, replace radiator. Clean and flush the transmission with
the torque converter and transmission oil cooler lines. Refer to WIS Document AR27.55-P-0100A.
3. If the condition is still reproducible after the flush routine, replace the torque converter"

thats it for the repair, nothing further.


Anyways back on topic to the o.p. if you're worried get an extended warranty or pay of it upfront. If you're going to pay out of pocket you may want to consider doing the wiestec head studs, and if you are just loaded get some ported heads from them too.

roadtalontsi

were talking about coolant in the transmission not coolant in the engine. yes it's totally random and off topic.

datamg

thanks guys! think im gonna overlook the issue and just get a warranty in case!