2014 C63 Coupe: any buying advice on this car?
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Joined: Nov 2019
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2019 G63
2014 C63 Coupe: any buying advice on this car?
Hi all,
I am close to achieving my dream of making an offer on a W204 C63. It is a 2014 Coupe with 69k miles and 4 owners. I ran a cold start video by some owners and none heard any cam adjuster issues. I would really appreciate any feedback on the VMI and Carfax. Does it seem like any major service might be impending? Anything I should ask about? I am having a PPI done at a Mercedes Benz dealer in the morning as well. Thanks to anyone who takes the time to weight in, I hope to join you all soon!
Adam
https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...gj7hb0eg169014
I am close to achieving my dream of making an offer on a W204 C63. It is a 2014 Coupe with 69k miles and 4 owners. I ran a cold start video by some owners and none heard any cam adjuster issues. I would really appreciate any feedback on the VMI and Carfax. Does it seem like any major service might be impending? Anything I should ask about? I am having a PPI done at a Mercedes Benz dealer in the morning as well. Thanks to anyone who takes the time to weight in, I hope to join you all soon!
Adam
https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...gj7hb0eg169014
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Joined: Aug 2022
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Porsche
Edit: it’s actually owner 2 without records. 3 and 4 definitely have some. Which gives me hope because owner 2 was 20k miles away and two owners did dealer service since.
Last edited by Adam683; Aug 25, 2022 at 09:22 PM.
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 98
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From: Culver City, CA
F10 M5 Comp, 2012 Ford Raptor
Hi all,
I am close to achieving my dream of making an offer on a W204 C63. It is a 2014 Coupe with 69k miles and 4 owners. I ran a cold start video by some owners and none heard any cam adjuster issues. I would really appreciate any feedback on the VMI and Carfax. Does it seem like any major service might be impending? Anything I should ask about? I am having a PPI done at a Mercedes Benz dealer in the morning as well. Thanks to anyone who takes the time to weight in, I hope to join you all soon!
Adam
https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...gj7hb0eg169014
I am close to achieving my dream of making an offer on a W204 C63. It is a 2014 Coupe with 69k miles and 4 owners. I ran a cold start video by some owners and none heard any cam adjuster issues. I would really appreciate any feedback on the VMI and Carfax. Does it seem like any major service might be impending? Anything I should ask about? I am having a PPI done at a Mercedes Benz dealer in the morning as well. Thanks to anyone who takes the time to weight in, I hope to join you all soon!
Adam
https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...gj7hb0eg169014
You can decode the VIN to see equipment here: https://www.lastvin.com/vin/r1M9Wdwv6XqAqgNvD
Of note it looks like it's missing option 471 which is the mechanical limited slip differential. It's a $2030 option on W204 C63s. Expensive to retrofit and if you drive anywhere it rains you'll benefit from it.
It's also missing the leather package, so those seats are, I believe, power for driver only, and the MB-tex (fake suede) which is OK but previous owner care will tell you what kind of condition they're in.
If it doesn't have a window sticker you can plug the VIN into monroneylabels .com to get a pretty accurate estimate for original MSRP.
Cold start doesn't mean it doesn't have cam adjuster issues. Warm start with hot, thin oil can sometimes be more of a telltale. Factor in $2-4K for updated adjuster plates when the time comes on basically all cars with the M156 except *maybe* early builds which seem to have much better QC from the camshaft adjuster supplier.
Last edited by cloverfield; Aug 26, 2022 at 01:04 AM. Reason: typos ugh
Thread Starter
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Joined: Nov 2019
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2019 G63
Thanks for this detail! All very helpful.
I've done the Monroney Label and know the spec. It's definitely set up to be a commuter which is actually my intended use. I have a 911 for weekends in the canyons. That in mind, I live in Southern California and this car will likely never see rain, so not too worried about LSD.
The car is at Mercedes Benz Pleasonton as we speak being inspected. I'll post the results soon. Thanks again!
I've done the Monroney Label and know the spec. It's definitely set up to be a commuter which is actually my intended use. I have a 911 for weekends in the canyons. That in mind, I live in Southern California and this car will likely never see rain, so not too worried about LSD.
The car is at Mercedes Benz Pleasonton as we speak being inspected. I'll post the results soon. Thanks again!
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 98
Likes: 7
From: Culver City, CA
F10 M5 Comp, 2012 Ford Raptor
Are you referring to the camshaft adjuster plates? No, they're internal parts under the housings at the front of the engine where they meet the valve covers. And even then, the "plate" is inside the adjuster itself.
A PPI will typically not include techs removing valve covers and checking any play the adjusters have relative to the camshafts, but that is one way to tell. Using a scanner to pull codes will only reveal extremely problematic adjusters, since they don't trip any codes when they are beginning to wear out.
Major things on these engines can be separated into normal expected maintenance items (PCV valve, fuel injectors, spark plugs, serp belt and related items)
and "M156-specific" maintenance items, like (deep breath) camshaft adjusters, valve buckets, valve cover gaskets (and the valve covers themselves), intake manifold gasket, and power steering fluid reservoir. Especially expensive but rarer replacement items are the camshafts themselves, the intake manifold and if you're really unlucky, engine removal for resealing of the mid-plate which is becoming increasingly "more common" as these engines age.
I've found that low mileage examples suffer the same or even more problems than those with 50k+ mi since "dry startup" is far more common on the garage queens given the lubrication issues the top end of these engines have.
A PPI will typically not include techs removing valve covers and checking any play the adjusters have relative to the camshafts, but that is one way to tell. Using a scanner to pull codes will only reveal extremely problematic adjusters, since they don't trip any codes when they are beginning to wear out.
Major things on these engines can be separated into normal expected maintenance items (PCV valve, fuel injectors, spark plugs, serp belt and related items)
and "M156-specific" maintenance items, like (deep breath) camshaft adjusters, valve buckets, valve cover gaskets (and the valve covers themselves), intake manifold gasket, and power steering fluid reservoir. Especially expensive but rarer replacement items are the camshafts themselves, the intake manifold and if you're really unlucky, engine removal for resealing of the mid-plate which is becoming increasingly "more common" as these engines age.
I've found that low mileage examples suffer the same or even more problems than those with 50k+ mi since "dry startup" is far more common on the garage queens given the lubrication issues the top end of these engines have.
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2013 C63 P31
