Guys, as you may or may not be aware of, I purchased a 08 C63 last year around this time with the lowest mileage on a 08 you could probably find in the country, 400 miles. Now, Im at about 12K miles on the clock, it's my DD car and absolutely love the car. I have not encountered any issues with the car at all so far, knock on wood, and have serviced it at the dealership that I always went to for all my previous MB cars, one of the SA's there is really cool and mod friendly because he is a car guy himself and understands when issues arise not to blame it on mods right away.. Talked to him a little about the head bolt issue and he basically told me straight up that if it ever did happen with my car, he would do his best to cut down costs and talk to the technicians to see what he could work out for me.

However, the car is without a warranty and I have read up on the head bolts issue with the car as well as other people who have already came upon the issue with their 08-10 C. 08 was the first year of the C63's and bolts obv arent the updated ones, they're the weak ones with the shi*ty design. It is a ticking time bomb at this point in time.. I have owned the car for just about a year but considering it's a 6-7 year old car, it's safe to say that when I purchased it at 400 miles, it was pretty much a brand new car for me and it didnt have much of a history since it just wasnt driven that much by the original owner. This is the main reason why I bought it and I was confident in buying it because of the super low mileage on the car.

I need some advice from you guys as I was thinking maybe to sell the car and get a 2012 C63, or do some preventive maintenance for the head bolts, or just wait it out until it happens, that's if it really does happen.. or any other suggestions you might have for me.

Again, I love the car with a passion and wouldnt even think twice about selling if it wasn't for the head bolts. Things can get quite expensive with the extent of damage these head bolts could do and I have no warranty.

I appreciate any and all advice you guys can give me, Im just a guy trying to look out for myself. Thanks

 

i, personally, don't think it's as big an issue as it's been made out to seem like it is. there's thousands and thousands of c63's that were made with those headbolts...and only a very few handful of those experienced the problem. the reason that you hear so much about it is because it costs so much to repair once it does happen to those few people.

 

When the issue happens to someone, they come to the internet. Think about how many c63 owners are out there and not on this forum. People come to places like this 4 out of 5 times when there is an issue with their car.

That said, I wouldn't go buy a 2012 to be "safe." You'll end up losing as much money on the trade value as it would cost to do the headbolts.

If you're that concerned, talk with your SA friend and have him draw up a quote to replace with new headbolts. Suggest they do one bolt at a time which will save money. Merc63 has the DIY going as well for this process.

Otherwise, just drive the car. I had a warranty on my 09 which is what kept me sane while driving it so I understand where you are coming from.

If I were you I'd just keep driving the car for another year or so, wait for the new c63s to hit the used market, and grab one of those.

 

How the heck did you buy a 5 yr old car with just 400 miles?

 

OP, I'd keep the car and just upgrade the head bolts. Judging by the mileage it has covered before you purchased it, it is probably in an amazing condition overall, that alone would dissuade me from getting rid of the car if it were mine.

 

2009 MY at 86,000 miles and counting. DD'd her since the day I got her at 9,400 miles back in 2012. Runs as strong as the day I got her and then some.

You're not wrong to have these fears, but like others have said, it is an extremely rare issue that seems to have been blown out of proportion because of the magnitude of the costs involved.

Just keep up with maintenance and you should be fine. It's going to be hard to swallow, but if the head bolts fail, they fail. It's just bad luck.

If you really want a 2012 MY then just get it and put your mind at ease.

 

I can't say whether the odds of a head bolt failure might be decreased or not because of the ultra-low mileage. But I really wouldn't worry about it now. Based on what we've seen here 35-45k miles seems to a mileage range that is common for a number of these failures. Enjoy the car and definitely don't obsess about it for now IMO.

 

I was in this situation less than a year ago. I didn't want a ticking bomb on my hand so i went ahead and traded my 09 for an almost new 13. plus i wanted a red car with red seats so that was the driving factor.
But to be honest, you might end up losing more money in the sell and buy process. Get it fixed and breathe easy. and even if you don't fix it, chances are occurrence are very very low.

 

Why not just get an extended warrenty?

 

Thank you guys for your advice! I really do appreciate all the input. Yes, the head bolt issue has got me thinking alot about the car lately and as the miles add up I get a little more anxious than before.. I have kept up with services at the dealership to document all the maintenance completed. I want to be on top of it with them just in case something happens they know Ive only ever serviced this car at their place.

Im pretty confident that even now with 12K miles on an 08, I could still get a good amount of money selling the car and getting the facelift sedan or something else instead, but I love the pre-FL look alot and since buying it last year, my original plan was to keep the car for a long time because of the super low mileage it had when I bought it, for me it was like buying a new car from the dealership even though it was 6 years old.

Anyways, I will think about this a little more and tread carefully, driving this car without warranty can be somewhat scary at times. I will let you guys know if I have a better idea later on, but for now Im just going to enjoy the car like I have been for the past 12K miles.

Thanks again !

 

It's about $4-5k to swap the headbolts? Why not change them for preventative maintenance? You'll probably lose more by selling it and acquiring a facelifted C63...

 

you bought a car 6 years old, out of warranty, and that has literally been sitting all it's life.


3 things that are NEVER good, for ANY vehicle.

 

I have to agree. Why did it sit for so long? You sure the mileage wasn't rolled back? Lol

 

Swiped from another thread.

Bolts from an 09 with 125k km (78k miles). Not bad shape.

 

Why not just buy a third party warranty? For less than the cost of the head bolt fix you can buy a warranty and be covered if anything does happen

Remember these cars are expensive to fix regardless of the issues, mines in the shop now and just the repairs (non head bolt ) this week are paying for my extended warranty

 

Just enjoy it. Most of the issue you hear are from people venting on the boards. No one ever comes in here just to say, I have a pre-fl and the engine is good. So the internet gives you a lopsided view. I have an extended warranty total care from easy care. Not cheap but cheaper than a preventative headbolt swap. I guess they are betting Im not going to have an expensive issue in the next 4 yrs 50k miles, which is good I guess.

I say if it aint broke dont fix it. Unless you have someone really qualified, other types of multiple annoying issues might come up after its done. Learned that from my X5 preventative valley pan gasket replacement

 

Not only would you lose money on the trade, but you would lose even more when you sell the newer car, due to being earlier in the depreciation curve. WAY more $$$ than it would take to fix something that isn't even a problem at this point, and might never be a problem anyway.