cornerjunkie

I still think you should find an Indy to get a comparison of costs... $7k "just to see" is a helluva lot of money to throw down without having some sort of solution.

hawtheric1

updated on 5/11
Just spoke with the SA.
Hours of work = 35
Rate/hour = $138
Parts = $3,274
The rest is labor.
He said that they have to remove 32 tappets and that costs about $1300. He said that removing the tappets is a new part of this problem and I'm not calculating that into my total cost.

He then told me to call MB customer service (800.222.0100) and explain to them my issue. He said if we can "get some money out of them" he'll continue working things on his end.

He told me to "let things run their course, keep the loaner until then."

It sounds like they might be trying to help me. I'll let you all know what customer service has to say.


Cheers,
Hawth

hawtheric1

Yes, I sent the TSB off to a reputable auto shop this morning, Autobahn Autoworks in Mesa, AZ. I'm just waiting to hear back from them.

Ronnie McDonald

35 hours? To pull the heads, replace the lifters and bolts, and reinstall? Give me a break.

Also, that part total seems really high. Anyone have a part number for the lifters? Its not on the TSB that I saw.

AMG6.3

[QUOTE=Ronnie McDonald;6429582]35 hours? To pull the heads, replace the lifters and bolts, and reinstall? Give me a break.

Totally agree 35 hours is ridiculous. Should be half that at the utmost.

Valvestud

Part of the TSB is to replace with the SLS lifters.

cmacclel

[QUOTE=AMG6.3;6429586]What's really ridiculous is a high end car manufacture making there customers pay for a known problem

Ronnie McDonald

Yes I know. The part number for the lifters isnt listed in the TSB that I saw. I found them, part number is: 1560500225

Looks like they are 20-25 per. Can you source ARP bolts through someone other than Weistec? 50/stud is a joke.

Actually I disagree. Porsche doesnt pay for IMS issues or scoring in the cylinders. BMW doesnt pay for rear subframe issues or VANOS issues. The list goes on and on, and I could list way more with just those two manufacturers. Every car has inherent issues, actually I am surprised to find so few with the C63.

cmacclel

So you disagree that it's wrong that Large company's are screwing their customers.........that really just came out of your mouth?

CPD SLK

[QUOTE=cmacclel;6429720]I completely agree man. I think it's stupid for people just to expect that if you have a well-known issue with your car, you are SOL. A TSB should have been issued to resolve this a long time ago. Half of the problem in my opinion is people just willing to say "oh well f it" and either pay out of pocket, or sell the car back and lose money. To me, those options are unacceptable. Not everyone on here is a baller (even though on the web, everyone seems to be)...but when you buy a 60K+ car, you should know that the company will stand behind their product and engineering (especially when the failure/issue is so costly and material)...but since half of people just don't put up a fight or anything, MB decides to let us try our chances with our dealers.

I think everyone that has the problem should contact NHTSA and tell them about it. That's the only chance we have (there was a thread to that affect). The problem is made even more critical since it is nearly impossible to get a warranty from a third party so those of us who didn't get the extended warranty or are even past the duration of those extended warranties are in a bind.

Hopefully nobody was hurt by a freezed/locked engine, but if there has been anyone that was harmed because the motor locked up, they should consult a product liability lawyer and ream MB.

Ronnie McDonald

I'm going to assume English is not your first language, as that hardly makes sense.

That being said, cars are not a new hobby to me and I have run into much bigger issues inherent in other cars I have owned by other premium brands that were not covered by warranty, and these types of issues are the name of the game when buying high performance automobiles. No cars are issue free.

cornerjunkie

For reference, I was quoted 15 hours for everything.

hawtheric1

[QUOTE=CPD SLK;6429788]I love the communication/feedback/knowledge on this thread. Thanks guys/gals.

My SA told me to contact MB USA today so I called them and left a message. I'll be calling back again tomorrow.

I'm preparing a letter for the dealer, MBUSA and NTSHA just outlining the problem with the car and my concerns/frustrations/disappointments. I'll keep you posted.

Today my SA said, "keep the loaner and let the system process the request." He suggested that he would probably hear from MB USA on Wed/Thurs regarding my call to them.

My SA said that MBUSA will ask the dealership what they want to do for me.

SA also mentioned that my case is helped because my car is already at the dealer and I'm the original owner.

I'll keep you posted.

solekeeper

i would've lost patience already. sending letters and ****, no way. fix, then dump.


why go through the frustration? how much is mb going to shave off? 1k? .... maybe.

BerBer63

whats the harm in waiting and seeing at this point. I've read about 50:50 splits from other members.

hawtheric1

if sending 3 letters saves me $1k, i'll consider those stamps well placed:-)

I'm hopeful though that I'll be the straw that breaks their back. Bwahahaha! Still have my sense of humor.

I'm just going to exhaust all avenues. I own the car but I just can't afford to pay $5-7k right now (divorced in Feb15).

Worst case, MB tells me to go kick rocks and I put the car in the garage for 2 years until I can get right $$.

I've decided that I will not dump though. I love it too much and I'm proud of that love.

solekeeper

i admire the perseverance, for something like this.

Gerry_M

hawtheric1

Received a quote today from a reputable shop.

15.1 hours of labor
$516 in parts
$1500 labor


still waiting to hear back from MBUSA.


I'll keep you posted.

CPD SLK

Good luck man. Hope all ends well. Every member that gets some positive response from MBUSA is a small victory and sets some small degree of precedence!

ZephyrAMG

Keep up the honor and fight. I bought my car cash since day 1 and love it to bits. I like the look, feel and drive of the car so much. I would fight for it too...

hawtheric1

MBUSA called me today and basically told me to go pound sound.

They said they agree with the dealers offer of $6700 to fix my head bolt issue and they (MBUSA) wouldn't do anything to soften the blow.

I'll be having the car towed to Autobahn Autoworks (check facebook) this weekend to have it repaired for $2k/15.1 hours.

Thanks for everyone's support and prompt & thorough replies.


Vrooom!
Hawth

cmacclel

Sorry to hear that MBUSA won't do I thing, I think it's absolute bull**** that they can't even discount the repair. So they have a design / part failure and are going to make money off of you to repair it......not cool. Head Bolts are generally not a wear and tear item. I would try an talk with someone else at MBUSA.


On the other hand $2k to repair it seems somewhat reasonable. Have they already done a head bolt replacement on another car?

rentzington

Sucks to hear they won't help, seems to really be hit or miss on the good faith repairs
Either way if all its going to cost is 2k that's cheaper than half the mb quote

Hopefully there won't be hidden costs with the Indy shop

Merc63

35hrs lmao someone is taking you for a ride. I could completely dissemble the whole car in 35hours.

Did a bolt break or just stretch more? If it broke engine is coming out.

The lifters don't need to be replaced unless they are noisy or the surface has too much wear.