SatelliteMan

2009 - no headbolt issue addressed yet. Just valve covers, engine mounts, and other good routine maintenance
88,888 miles - low miles in the past 3 years.
2nd owner - bought from boss off a lease 5 years ago. claimed mainly highway.
Black on black. All stop
Exterior 9.5/10 - trim on one side clear coat peeling
Interior 9/10 - sun faded on top of pop-up screen plastic
Dealer maintained and 1 shop maintained - reputable Mercedes specialist here in Los Angeles, CA.


Negotiated $20,750 out the door.


Yes or No?

m a x i m u s

I take it it's a 2009? Is it stock? Were the headbolts addressed?

SatelliteMan

thanks - edited

m a x i m u s

Good price. The headbolts are a real issue. My previous owner had mine replaced under warranty. Aftermarket cost around 3 grand so just budget that and enjoy worry free. I'm sure others will chime in, but that's my opinion.

SatelliteMan

I'm more concerned about the intake manifold.

But besides the usual tire, gas, brakes, & oil schpiel...I want 20 flat but I know it's going to go fast for likely more than I negotiated it for.

m a x i m u s

Do you mean the intake manifold gasket or the manifold itself? I've never heard of problems with the manifold. Replacing the gasket should be around $400 at a non-dealer shop.

C63fora2w1

Just and FYI my dealer quoted me $6500 to replace head bolts so factor between 3-6k into your overall equation.

SatelliteMan

Met with local MBZ mechanic to go over the car. Not ONE piece of recommended maintenance (currently). It was all done by the previous owner. Most recent was trans and motor mounts last month.


-They've already done the intake manifold bolts
-They identified this cars VIN not being associated with the headbolt issue, nor have any signs that it would fail at its current state.

BLKROKT

Wrong. ALL 2009 CARS ARE AFFECTED BY DEFECTIVE HEADBOLTS.

And there are no "signs" until they go BOOM, unless you call smoking and eating coolant a sign. Go find a mechanic who knows what they're talking about

SatelliteMan

That's what I was thinking. These guys have been in business for 35 years and I was talking with the lead mechanic trained in Germany and a few other places. He also teaches courses to local MBZ mechanics, so I scratched my head when he said that.


Should I take his word or non-mechanic forum posts? Don't get me wrong - I understand the severity of the head bolt issue

BLKROKT

The practical experience and collective knowledge of this community (which includes many MB techs and other experts not just armchair mechanics like myself), is demonstrably right on most things, including this. Just try to imagine the real-life man-hours spent on collecting the information in the countless threads here.

SatelliteMan

One of my favorite scenes

SatelliteMan

So you're telling me no one can diagnosis a head bolt issue before it happens?




Then how can I find a mechanic that knows that they are talking about, if you can't prove head bolts are failing/failed/going to fail?


Seems like the only way around it is to just DO the job.

BLKROKT

Exactly. They're all corroding. It's not "if", but "when".

At least a mechanic who knows about it, will either know how to fix it or someone that does.

BLKROKT

This is why everyone says to just add $4k to whatever the purchase price is on a PFL bad headbolt car, and set that aside to preemptively replace them. That's the appropriate math here.

Savage-wp

As Blkrokt said, it affects all 2009 cars. If you really want it checked, post the VIN number in Valvestud's thread, and he will run it for you. But every 2009 that I have seen him run falls in the affected group.
My local mechanic had a 2009 in for head bolts. And just in time. Bolts broke when they tried to undo them. And looking at the design of the bolt, you can see why it fails.
New design is much better.
If you buy it, rather do the head bolts, then you know you can just enjoy it. If you leave it and it breaks it will be a lot more expensive to fix.