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Hello, I haven't posted in quite some time but constant lurker learning a great deal from you experts.
I had the worst possible outcome yesterday and would appreciate your input as to what initiated this disaster.
I bought the S63 from a private party about a month ago. All service and repair repairs were up to snuff and it had 110k on the clock. The buyer new their were problems with the transmission and we worked out an agreeable discount on the purchase price. I drove it to my trusted repair shop and he took a sample of the fluid. It had plenty of metal in it. So I scheduled to have it repaired and drove it the 2 miles home
it has sat since.
Yesterday, i was going to drive it aroundy property to see if i could drive it in for tje repair or i needed to trailer it in. I started it and it went into D and R. I could feel it engage but not move the car. I did this for a couple minutes hoping it would catch. Never did. Shut it off and went into the house. About 5 minutes later I heard an explosion in the back yard and found the front of the car to be totally in flames. The fire burned very hot as before I could get a water hose to it, the aluminum hood was all but gone. It took about 5 minutes to put it out and you can see from the pictures the result. I am heartbroken as this is the greatest car I have ever owned and my first AMG. it is a total loss from the firewall forward.
Any ideas as to what would have caused this based on what I have described? Thanks in advance, Bill
yep, I would go with a high pressure fuel leak atomised and caught on fire
to get an explosion is interesting.... must have been more than 5 mins as little should get hot enough for that fun in such a short time...
if was a running a lot longer could it have been the torque converter somehow did something it shouldn't...
2023 E 450 Sedan. 2018 GLC 300. 2013 E 350 Coupe (retired)
Either frustrated owner finds permanent way to cure transmission problem, or heat ignites underbrush which burns through gas line? May be a blessing, as you will get the value for the car assuming it was mechanically fine.
Last edited by smiles201; Jun 28, 2025 at 11:29 AM.
Yeah, that doesn't happen. Be careful with your next moves.
Senecat, what exactly do you mean to be careful with my next moves?
And as a matter of record, I have 4 cars on my insurance policy and keep it at the required minimum so I kind of self insure. I put the basic insurance on it and had the S550 (it is in one of the pictures) for sale. When it sold i was going to go to DMV and put that tag on the S63. And when i drop the ins on S550, was going to put full coverage on the S63. I was in no rush because i figured "what could possibly go wrong with it sitting in the yard?" Well, apparently, a lot can go wrong and this is an expensive lesson. Thank you all for your input.✌🏻
yep, I would go with a high pressure fuel leak atomised and caught on fire
to get an explosion is interesting.... must have been more than 5 mins as little should get hot enough for that fun in such a short time...
if was a running a lot longer could it have been the torque converter somehow did something it shouldn't...
weird
Botus, it really was about five minutes. And i am going to guess the battery was the explosion i heard as both front tires popped as I was extinguishing the fire. When I got to it, it was a raging inferno, so hot that it had already melted the aluminum hood (i think aluminum melts somewhere around 1100°).
An atomizing fuel leak sounds very plausible. Thank you sir.
2007 S600, 2007 Chrysler 300 SRT8, 2000 C5 Corvette, 2017 Mustang GT, 2023 300C, and a 2019 Lincoln
Sorry for your loss. Glad no one was injured. I agree this is a high pressure fuel leak proably ignited by a spark maybe from battery. Not much to salvage. RIP S63.
Unfortunate but in a good way... Insurance won't have any idea about the car's ongoing issues especially the Transmission, so keep a low profile and get a reasonable cheque and go find yourself a nice S63.
Be careful what you say here on the forum as Insurance/cops and law enforcements regularly frequent these forums.
I’m guessing by minimal insurance you mean you don’t have any comprehensive for a loss like this. You might wanna look into see what your homeowners insurance might cover if this was on your property.
Sorry to that happened to your car . Fuel leak is very dangerous and not to be overlooked by .
Such a shame to see a car like that
Best of luck with the insurance
Unfortunate but in a good way... Insurance won't have any idea about the car's ongoing issues especially the Transmission, so keep a low profile and get a reasonable cheque and go find yourself a nice S63.
Be careful what you say here on the forum as Insurance/cops and law enforcements regularly frequent these forums.
Sorry, but this one ticks a nerve. Never let the fear of some "regulator" change the way you act, think, or speak. If a person wants to knowingly break a law and share that, then they will have to deal with any consequences if caught BUT,
What would these "cops and insurance agents" do if they read something on the forum? Subpoena records of an unknown person for an unknown event? Always keep your identity private on the internet...and always fight against indefinite record keeping and snooping by governments thinking they are gathering private information to make a good decision. There is a variable called imperfect information and its the reason communist societies fundamentally are a failure. If ever a government proposes gathering more information for safety, money savings, or efficiency, you will learn those decision makers are nothing more than tyrants taking control and they still will not and can not make pertinent decisions...other than to feed their tyrant families and their friends/criminal underworld. Never give up your rights, regardless of some other morons temporary interpretation unless you are a weak minded animal with no ability to wipe your own butt. Ops car burned due to a gas leak and a short. Op has little or no insurance. Case closed...and no need for nosey regulators to read these forums, and if they are, they can suck it and come and knock on my door so I can tell them to suck it it and get off my property.
I remember when I parked it for a few weeks to get the new transmission here and to jive with the mechanic's schedule.
I remember I later remembered I had about a half tank of fuel. As I started it right before the fire, I noticed it had a quarter tank. It didn't register at the time but it does now. So 6+ gallons of gasoline was saturating the leaves beneath the engine, my heating up the engine or an electrical short ignited that very hot and quickly burning fire that just engulfed the engine. Puzzling is that I didn't smell gas or I wouldn't have started the car.
Got to admit, this one hurts. I have never had an AMG before and that car was just a thrill to drive. It was my favorite thing I owned and now it has been reduced to worthlessness. Well, time to get on the search for another S63. Cheers my friends
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