So hello everyone, SUPER long time no see. I thought I would reach out to the community and get some advice from you all. I originally came to this forum with a W211 E55 AMG and absolutely loved it. I ended up selling the car, which was a huge regret, but I had no choice. I then bought a 2012 ML350 (W166) that turned out to be a complete NIGHTMARE of a truck. I had the horrible loud knocking/grinding sounds that would happen when I started the car every time. It almost sounded like it was going to blow up tbh. The shop told me it was the cam position sensors and the check valves that needed replaced at a cost of $3800! I said nope and sold the truck a few years ago.
Well with all that said, I'm really wanting to get back into an AMG but this time I want to get an SUV aka the ML63. My question is: What things do I have to look for on these M157 motors and things I could check myself before getting into a money pit? I'm looking at a 2013 model with 105K miles, FL owned, and the services records all look good. I know to look in the oil cap for the chain (to see if it has the old chain that can stretch VS the newer updated chain) but what else do I need to look out for?

Thank you all in advance.

 

Well hopefully it will work out for you.. Anyone feel free to correct me or add on to what I may not have said. I would check the cam magnets and the cam position sensors for oil.. known issues for these i suppose. I know the driver side turbo coolant lines will go at some point. Air suspension bags will probably need to be replaced soon if it hasn't been.
Goes through tires and brakes pretty quickly..
I know that there's some better threads out here for these questions but not sure where they're exactly now.

 

Hey C43, I was reading a thread you posted when you got yours actually haha. Is this something I can check myself or do I need to take it to a dealer or something for inspection? This ML is about 2hrs away from where I live and I just dont want to get into another lemon like my last ML350. It has 105k miles on her already for a 2013 but I know that early production models (2012-2013) had some issues VS the later 2014-2015 ones. This one is priced very well and the previous owners seem to have taken care of it according to the CarFax. First owner bought it new, the second owner was a MB tech who just couldnt afford the payments and traded it in. The dealer Im working with has been very nice and sends me all the info I need (photos, videos, etc) but I just dont want to make another mistake.

 

The one Im looking at is also NOT a PP one

 

Agree, and scope the bores for scoring. Check carefully for slap/knocking sound and tailpipe smell for oil burning.

 

Agreed with the slapping sounds.. as Chassis stated, can't believe I didn't mention that in my first post about it. If it's at a smaller ma & pa auto store.. I would get a PPI done at a Mercedes dealer and hopefully that will take care of you. Might just save yourself right there. Has the cylinder head been replaced on that one yet? There is an extended Warranty on the Cylinder Heads for the M157 & M278 for some model years so if you have access to a VMI check it, if you don't.. give me the vin and ill take a gander

 

I just found out that the timing chain was replaced with the newer more durable chain so thats a good sign. The dealer also supplied me with the MB/BMW techs card so I can always reach out to him and ask him some questions. I wouldnt mind taking it to a MB dealer for a check but, not to sound like an idiot but what do you mean by ma & pa auto store?

Oh I would love to know more about this extended warranty on the cylinder heads for sure. How does that work? Something goes wrong and its covered? VIN# 4JGDA7EB8DA119461

 

I looked up the VIN, 108K miles and two accidents? I could steer clear from this one.

 

Im sorry i thought it was 105k miles. The accidents that came up on carfax and from what I was told, were fender bender/ parking lot accidents. The dealer supplied me with something from TrueFrame LLC - certificate of integrity, stating very minor cosmetic repairs at 52k miles.

 

108K miles listed here on Car Gurus, the Auto Check report is not free to view so I can not tell exactly what the two accidents entailed.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/t-Used...6/NONE/DEFAULT

 

That's the one lol. Yeah I noticed it said 2 accidents and reached out to the dealer. He supplied me with the carfax that only has one accident along with the TrueFrame LLC thing I was saying before. The dealer has been very good with sending me videos, pictures and anything else I need.

 

As others have mentioned you should really get a PPI completed, the cost of repairs on these vehicles is not cheap so you need to know what issues you could be inheriting, otherwise you'll be in for quite a shock if/when something goes wrong.

It's good you have service records, you'll want to check there hasn't been any missed yearly services or deferred maintenance since new. Transmission service should be due again shortly unless it was completed recently. Brake fluid flush every 2 years. Air filter elements every 2 years, though depends on mileage. Spark plugs will be due shortly to unless replaced recently. I would guess the main and aux batteries are no longer original, though one or both might need replacing again due to age. Check the condition of rotors/pads/tyres if you can, these are not cheap consumables on the ML63.

Do you know if any warranty claims were made other than the timing chain? That's a good one to have done, though mine had the revised chains and they still failed at 30k miles. The VMI should indicate all MB warranty claims.

Obviously the PPI should highlight any fluid leakages - coolant and oil leaks are not uncommon - the M157s generate an enormous amount of heat which is not kind to plastics, sealants and o-rings over time. Thermostat and water pump leaks are not uncommon and turbo coolant lines leak to, at 108k and 10 years of age it's likely these have already been replaced, otherwise they won't be far off replacement.

Then there are other nice to haves which could indicate a well-cared for ML63: yearly cabin air filter replacements, rear/front diff and TC fluids changed at least once, multiple coolant flushes, air intake hoses replaced etc

Also good to know if any of the interior electrics are no longer operational, after all it's a 10 year old Mercedes. Steering wheel height adjustment is a common issue on the W166 ML. Check correct operation of sun roof and electric tail gate to.

I just replaced my CPS's at 59k miles, connectors were leaking oil badly. ECU had oil visible on the plug and pins. The CPS, cam magnet connectors and ECU plugs are easy to check during a PPI, worth asking about the condition of these.

Good luck, keep us updated.

 

Consider this:

https://mbworld.org/forums/w212-amg/...-w212-amg.html

 

ahh PeterUbers this is what I was looking for! I remember you had sent me this when i was looking at purchasing my current ML.

 

WOW!!! This is definitely helpful and a plethora of info!!!! Thank you so much for this. I will be doing my research today for sure.

 

Yes I wanted to get a PPI done for sure just to make sure, like you said, Im not inheriting someone else's issues or problems. Now since Ive never had this done, how do I do it exactly? Is it something I pay for before purchasing the car or is it something I have the dealer take care of?

The dealer supplied me with the business card to the MB/BMW mechanic that he uses for all his cars, hes also been in business for MANY years so hopefully thats a good sign. I was thinking about reaching out to him today and asking him about some of the items you spoke about ie: spark plugs, turbo coolant lines, etc. I know from the CarFax, it was sold as a CPO to the second owner, the car appears to have been serviced at the local MB dealer every 10-12k miles for recommended services, the spark plugs were changed at 30k miles, the tires were done recently, the battery was charged at 86k, the dipstick replaced and air suspension replaced at 86k. I dont see anything as far as the Transmission service. I would probably get that flushed anyway since its at a 100k miles.

How would I check to see if any warranty claims were done? What is the VMI? I will check all the electronics for sure to make sure everything works. I know the tail gate works fine as he sent me a video of it opening and closing fine.

Im making a list to have checked and also ask the tech that worked on it so I really appreciate your help on this. The CPS are the scary things for me! I know thats an expensive service and dont want to have to deal with those again. Is there any type of extended warranty I could get on this ML that would cover such things as the CPS, heads, etc etc?

 

I know of highline autos on here just came out with some warranties for our ML's.. I didn't look into it just because I get dealer cost on parts and my brother is a tech, so almost free labor... I'm not sure who should be paying for the PPI, as a possible buyer I would want the seller to pay for it but that's probably not how it works lol. When that is being done.. you might be able to bug one of the service advisor's for info in the VMI which is just the Vehicle Master Inquiry or something

 

 

Looks like it skipped out at any dealership and went to some small auto repair shops for its services.. that's a big gap in miles & years with no dealer visit

 

Oh dang is that the ML Im looking at? What is that you pulled? The Carfax has a gap from 2018 with 53k miles to 2020 at 77k miles which at that point just says the car was sold and registered in FL again. A lot of the services are from a place called Sarasota Motor Works and German Cars of Sarasota.

 

So any time a car is at an actual Mercedes-Benz dealer, that visit will be stored into the VMI of the vehicle. Whether it's customer pay or a warranty visit. This is what our advisor will look at it see vehicle warranty coverage or service histories. but yes this is that VIN # you gave earlier.. yeah so any services that Sarasota motors or German cars wont show me that history.. I'm sure it was maintained at those places but it's just shot in the dark without seeing it in person

 

Ahhhhh ok so what you showed was from an actual MB database. That makes since and yeah I would hope the car wouldn't go a year or 20, 30, or 40k miles without being seen, checked or inspected. The smaller places or little shops like German Cars wouldn't have the ability to log the service into an actual MB VMI. The Carfax shows those places luckily and of course I know even that wont show every place. Ive taken my W211 E55 to small shops to have work done due to the car being out of warranty and the place being cheaper than the dealership. Also the DIY stuff wouldn't show either.

I just hope the car is up to par. The dealer was telling me that the original owner bought it from MB new (he even supplied me with the build order), the person traded it in (I assume) which then MB sold it as CPO to the 2nd owner who is a good friend of the dealer and his personal attorney. He then traded the car in at this dealership (again I assume when the warranty was up). The ML was then sold to a MB tech that worked for Sarasota Motor Works for a few years before being traded back to the same dealership where its currently for sale. I asked the owner why the tech got rid of it and he told me that he couldn't afford the payments....now was that auto loan payments due to financial issues OR payments due to having to fix this thing a lot? Thats my thought.

 

I'd say your decision should be based off the PPI outcome. Seems like it was under good ownership, if the last owner was tech. Makes sense for the service history to be the way it is.

 

So fun fact, I called the shop the ML was serviced at and also spoke to the previous owner for a bit. They have done a multi point inspection on it (of course thats not a PPI), the transmission was drained and the filter replaced in the last 10k miles, intake filters have been replaced, AUX battery has been replaced, rotors & pads & tires are all good. Brake job was done at 100k and the front tires were replaced last month. Turbo coolant lines were also replaced at 86k miles (which the tech complained about being a pain in the butt) and they flushed the coolant lines at that time.

The only things that have not been done are the spark plugs nor Ft & Rr diff fluids changed. I asked about the main battery and he said he's certain that was changed, he said the CPS have not given any signs of trouble nor noises (fingers crossed). He said he's done nothing regarding the brake fluid flush, water pump or thermo.

 

Sounds promising, the transmission service and turbo coolant line replacements are good ones to have completed.

Sorry not sure how the PPI process works in the United States, in my country this would definitely be the responsibility of the buyer to organize and pay for prior to signing a purchase contract.

The brake, transfer case and differential fluids are not expensive to replace and neither are the CPS's.

If you do end up going ahead with the purchase you'd want to consider replacing the CPS's as preventative maintenance. This is a good write up of what could occur if these (and possibly the cam magnets) are not monitored for internal oil leakage:
https://mbworld.org/forums/w212-amg/...ispreloading=1

I noticed this ML63 has red painted brake calipers, I haven't seen this before on a non-PP vehicle, have to assume they were painted or upgraded after it left the factory:

VIN 4JGDA7EB8DA119461
B06 BRAKE CALIPERS PAINTED SILVER

Something else, there are a number of exterior trim panels at the front and rear which were chrome/silver colored from the factory, but are now painted black - just an observation, looks good to me!