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I'm looking at a first-time Benz purchase, a used 2009 S63 AMG.
I'm going to have an MB dealer inspect the vehicle for me. Is there anything specific I should instruct them to check for? i.e. any common issues, mechanical failures, etc..
Also, do these cars have a launch control counter like BMW or Audi? Is there any way an MB tech can tell if the car have been overly abused by a previous owner?
Any suggestion where to shop for an extended plan?
I have heard many warranties are not worth the paper they're written on.
Fidelity Warranty from the dealer. Don't leave home without it. Seriously, just don't. You'll potentially be VERY VERY VERY VERY sorry if you don't. I wouldn't own this car without this. I got a 10 year warranty on my 2012 and a 5 year on my 2008. In 2 years of owning my 2008 I had over $12k in repairs. Yep. Get the warranty. They charged me $5685 for it. Worth every penny.
Fidelity Warranty from the dealer. Don't leave home without it. Seriously, just don't. You'll potentially be VERY VERY VERY VERY sorry if you don't. I wouldn't own this car without this. I got a 10 year warranty on my 2012 and a 5 year on my 2008. In 2 years of owning my 2008 I had over $12k in repairs. Yep. Get the warranty. They charged me $5685 for it. Worth every penny.
Thank you for the reply.
The Fidelity warranty... you said get it from "the dealer?"
I won't be purchasing the car from a Mercedes dealer. Can I still get a warranty through a dealer? Or can I contact Fidelity directly?
The m156 engine in this car is prone to breaking head bolts. It happens to a small minority of engines, but repair cost ranges from a few thousand dollars up to needing an engine rebuild in the $15k range. Google up "Mercedes m156 problems" and read some of the discussions to learn about it. Most of the carnage occurs in the c63. Same engine, but many more were built.
Thank you, that is precisely the type of info I'm interested in knowing.
Are head bolts covered under a good extended warranty plan? Or do those fall under the typical exclusions? Would a catastrophic engine failure, requiring a rebuild like you describe, be covered?
I just spoke to an agent with CarChex about a Titanium Plan. Is this a reputable company, or should I be seeking other quotes elsewhere?
Edit: Also, I am not a mechanically inclined person. Are these head bolts something that a dealer could inspect for me after I purchase? I will have a few days to decide whether to keep the car, during which I do plan to have it thoroughly looked over by an MB service center. Or are they something that's deep inside the engine with no way to check unless taken apart, in which case it would be impractical to inspect unless there were symptoms of an issue?
Last edited by subterFUSE; Jan 12, 2016 at 09:52 AM.
Thank you, that is precisely the type of info I'm interested in knowing.
Are head bolts covered under a good extended warranty plan? Or do those fall under the typical exclusions? Would a catastrophic engine failure, requiring a rebuild like you describe, be covered?
I just spoke to an agent with CarChex about a Titanium Plan. Is this a reputable company, or should I be seeking other quotes elsewhere?
Edit: Also, I am not a mechanically inclined person. Are these head bolts something that a dealer could inspect for me after I purchase? I will have a few days to decide whether to keep the car, during which I do plan to have it thoroughly looked over by an MB service center. Or are they something that's deep inside the engine with no way to check unless taken apart, in which case it would be impractical to inspect unless there were symptoms of an issue?
I can't speak directly to the warranty, you would have to research and understand what it covers. Probably your best bet would be a so-called exclusionary warranty which covers everything except items specifically identified as not covered. I have seen in some of the c63 discussions that head bolts were not covered by an aftermarket warranty, so it is definately buyer beware.
There's no way to inspect the head bolts, and really no reason to do so. If the engine runs fine - smooth and with no warning lights - it's fine. When a bolt breaks, it admits coolant into that cylinder. If it's a small amount of coolant, you'll get misfires, rough running, and engine warning light, and a nice big white cloud out the exhaust. If a large amount of coolant is admitted, the engine hydrolocks and you need a significantly expensive rebuild.
In perusing the mbworld discussions on this engine, I have seen owners have this problem occur at 25K miles, and quite recently at 160K miles. The only sure way to avoid it seems to be to proactively replace the head bolts with updated parts before failure. However this is still several thousand dollars worth of service work. My personal solution is simply to not buy a car with this engine, even though I am a serial AMG owner.
Sorry, I've nothing specific to offer on ABC. I've never been interested in a car equipped with it, so haven't edumacated myself. Like you, I know it's basically magic to drive, but expensive to repair when a problem occurs. With a warranty, I think it is again just insuring that ABC parts are covered.
Check with credit unions in your area. I have a exclusionary Members choice extended warranty on my 2008 that extends until 2021 or 100k miles. Policy is only available through credit unions. The lower the miles at the beginning, the better the rate. I paid 4k and only have used it once for an accumulator on the ABC suspension. Suspensions are usually only covered if they are self leveling, which is what they consider the ABC.
I just visited my local MB dealership and talked to the service advisor. He said to watch out for power steering on the cars with ABC. He also said the ABC was a trouble area and expensive, so that obviously confirms that.
I asked if he had experience with Fidelity warranties, and there was a slight cringe.
He told me to just get the CarMax warranty. Said it was good, and they have customers who bring their cars to Mercedes for their service issues and never have problems. I was a little surprised to hear that. Not sure whether to trust that or not?
Well, I ended up purchasing a 2012 S63 AMG last week.
24,300 miles. OEM warranty was expired due to time, but I purchased a CarChex Titanium plan with High Tech add-on.
Dealer installed fresh new Continental tires on it, too.
Car was inspected by an MB dealer and only 2 issues found:
1. Car needed front pads and rotors.
2. 1 of the wheels had a slight bend in it from a pothole.
I got the brakes done this week, and the wheel repaired today.
Next step will be some cosmetic improvements. Need to get rid of as much chrome trim as possible. Will be wrapping the window trim in black, and painting the emblems black. Ordered some black hood vents, too.
Congrats! What color did you get? I may have missed this with all the posts here...
Would love to see the final result after you wrap everything. Why are you wrapping it? You don't like the chrome? It will look quite unique when it's done.
Diamond White
Black Interior
Performance Pkg
Driver Assist w/ Distronic Plus
Rear Seat Comfort Pkg
Panorama Roof
Split View
Pretty much everything but B&O stereo, which would be pointless for me because I'm replacing the stereo anyway.
Would love to see the final result after you wrap everything. Why are you wrapping it? You don't like the chrome? It will look quite unique when it's done.
sr
I HATE chrome with an absolute passion. I'm coming from BMW and Audi and I'm used to the Shadowline trim and Black Optics packages.
Diamond White
Black Interior
Performance Pkg
Driver Assist w/ Distronic Plus
Rear Seat Comfort Pkg
Panorama Roof
Split View
Pretty much everything but B&O stereo, which would be pointless for me because I'm replacing the stereo anyway.
I HATE chrome with an absolute passion. I'm coming from BMW and Audi and I'm used to the Shadowline trim and Black Optics packages.
Wow, that sounds superb all around. I had shadowline trim on my last BMW 7 series as it came that way, but didn't even think about doing a wrap on my new S63 as I am happy w/the looks I guess. Will look forward to your pics.
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