Looking at a 2009 C63 - looks to be always serviced at MB dealer with 68000 miles - never owned a car like this - what do I need to watch out for? I know the head bolt issue - anything else?
Possibly in the $21K price range.
Completed in 2018 per Carfax

• Vehicle serviced
  • Mass air flow sensor replaced
  • Drivability/performance checked
  • Oil pan drain plug replaced
  • Brake fluid flushed/changed
  • No-start/hard start condition checked
  • Fuel pressure checked
  • Sensor replaced
  • Transmission filter replaced
  • Computer(s) checked
  • Fuel injector(s) replaced

TIA
Kevin

 

In general if you are concerned about a European sports car and cost you should look elsewhere. I'm not being snarky but things happen unexpectedly and these things can easily run into thousands of dollars if you aren't DIY inclined.

 

Not concerned about that but what to really look out for on these cars.

 

There are plenty of youtube videos comprised of this information, you will ultimately find the most condensed information there.

To make it easy on you, given your model year, you will be doing the most amount of replacements.

If you want to find one made in 2012/13/14, you'll have less to replace.

Nevertheless, unless you're really interested in this car specifically, the nuance will force you to make a choice quickly as to whether or not you want to keep it.

See below.

 

Not to scare you because I do love my '09 C63, but its been issue after issue with mine. I recently purchased an '09 with 64k miles. It had a clean Carfax and good service history, so I said why not. Fast forward 2k miles later, I have replaced the following items: 1) radiator; 2) transmission pan; 3) one coil pack; 4) power steering pump; 5) Thermostat; 6) passenger side valve cover gasket; 6) injectors (but I did this as a preventative measure).. The car is going back in as it has been idling rough- 800-1k rpm's- while in park. I must have a vacuum leak somewhere and I'm scared its the intake manifold itself, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. That said, I'm already 5k dollars into the car and this intake manifold issue could add thousands more. Keep in mind it's a 14 year old car, parts break, but these issues could be lurking right around the corner, even after a PPI has been done. Hope it all works out!

 

I wouldn't be afraid but keep in mind it's no toyota. I think most all of us enjoy ours and I use mine as a daily driver but will need rear tires every 3k-5k miles, stay on top of 5k oil changes and if you aren't lucky then every couple of thousand miles will need something. Things can add up quick if you're not ready and don't have a good reserve fund for it. Engine mounts are often needed on this platform a bit frequent from my experience as well.

But overall don't get us wrong, its a reliable consumer race engine shoved in a small sedan which makes it kind of a breed of it's own. To some the work is worth it, DIY is encouraged very much to curtail exploding costs.

 

I Have an 08 155k miles, car had dealer service every 5k miles its whole life... did the following

1. Replaced upper cams (worn lobes)
2. Replaced Tappets (while in there)
3. Head Bolts
4. All the idler pulleys etc on the front
5. Water pump
6. all 4 Wheel bearings
7. CAM Adjuster repair
8. Intake Manifold (magnesium oxidized)

Optional but kinda required

1. Limited slip differential in the back.

Total into it not doing ALL the work myself 22k so 8k in repairs after purchase doing everything myself. Now it runs like a dream tho.

 

You didn't supply the mileage at which you did all that work which is kind of crucial.

 

Unless being broke scares you this shouldn’t be an issue

 

in terms of a performance car...the repairs are in line with anything else out there. this isn't a Toyota Camry.

if you can't afford repair and maintenance ranging from 500-7000 a year...you may be best looking elsewhere for a vehicle. what i typically advise folks is that, you'll want to average out 1,500-2,500 on maintenance a year. the years that are easy, the money not spent in the year prior should roll over. you'll need to have the pocket change for those big service intervals. once you've addressed all of those big things, you'll be golden for years. since doing my top end which included head bolts 5-7 years ago, my only issues on my E63 have been air struts needing to be replaced, a few transmissions services, oil changes, alternator voltage regulator, accessory pulleys a few times, that's pretty much it. its been 40-60k miles since then and i drive hard every time i'm in my E63.

when people get fed up, they either some how ended up with a bad vehicle, or really aren't fit to own a vehicle that you need to be on top if its maintenance. you can't simply just continue driving it until failure. you can, but you'll need to be ok with putting out to address those issues as they arise without hesitation.

i'd also recommend that you not modify your car and if you do, spend the money for the right parts or services. there are many horror stories out there for bad parts and bad service.

 

That's because all this happened as soon as I bought it at 150ish k lol. Basically these are the problems a high mileage 08 C63 has even if well maintained and dealer serviced/oil change every 5000 miles.