SL/R231: Engine killed :(
Thread Starter
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Joined: May 2002
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From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
Engine killed :(
We were caught in very heavy rain last Friday with visibility less than 10 feet. Got off the highway for safety but then the car died on us just a block away right at an intersection.
I heard some noises and then had a strong electrical smell. Called roadside assistance and after a "mere" 4 hours the tow truck came to tow to the car to the dealer. Not a fun experience, to be sure.
Today I called to find out what the status of the car is just to hear that the engine needs to be replaced at minimum. $62,000 for the engine plus at least 40 hours labor!
Apparently the engine must have sucked in water and literally bend the pistons, etc
At this point I am wondering if the car is going to be totaled or repaired. Are there any rules/percentages at which point in time a car is totaled? 3 month old, 4000 + miles $121k sticker.
Could use some advice here!
I have had a lot of MB's before, but this crazy. Never seen this before.
I heard some noises and then had a strong electrical smell. Called roadside assistance and after a "mere" 4 hours the tow truck came to tow to the car to the dealer. Not a fun experience, to be sure.
Today I called to find out what the status of the car is just to hear that the engine needs to be replaced at minimum. $62,000 for the engine plus at least 40 hours labor!
Apparently the engine must have sucked in water and literally bend the pistons, etc
At this point I am wondering if the car is going to be totaled or repaired. Are there any rules/percentages at which point in time a car is totaled? 3 month old, 4000 + miles $121k sticker.
Could use some advice here!
I have had a lot of MB's before, but this crazy. Never seen this before.
Thread Starter
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Joined: May 2002
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From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
Engine was hydrolocked. Talk about bent pistons etc!
MB also said there is not a single engine around in the US or Germany.
Apparently there is no stock and would be built to order.
Go figure...
MB also said there is not a single engine around in the US or Germany.
Apparently there is no stock and would be built to order.
Go figure...
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W212 FL
That's beyond incredible . I am glad you are alright but have never heard of anything like this before . It must be as bad damage as bent pistons from cracking timing belt 
So, you need a new engine ,must be worse than flooded cars because those cars engines are not running when that calamity strikes but in your case your engine was running
I think, considering price of the engine - it's more than %50 window sticker price of the car - you should be able to get a brand new car .
Holy moly , you can buy a W212 as brand new for that engine cost as well
. I am glad you are alright but have never heard of anything like this before . It must be as bad damage as bent pistons from cracking timing belt So, you need a new engine ,must be worse than flooded cars because those cars engines are not running when that calamity strikes but in your case your engine was running
I think, considering price of the engine - it's more than %50 window sticker price of the car - you should be able to get a brand new car .
Holy moly , you can buy a W212 as brand new for that engine cost as well
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Joined: Nov 2008
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From: Northern VA
2006 E55
I'm sorry a bit confused....
Is the 2013 SL in your sig?
A brand new mb hydro locked? How much water did you drive through?
Your insurance won't cover this?
A new engine is roughly 60% of the msrp of the whole car?
This is a very strange situation.
Good luck!
Is the 2013 SL in your sig?
A brand new mb hydro locked? How much water did you drive through?
Your insurance won't cover this?
A new engine is roughly 60% of the msrp of the whole car?
This is a very strange situation.
Good luck!
Thread Starter
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Joined: May 2002
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From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
The price for the engine is crazy; more than a V12 TT if I recall.
The insurance definitely covers the damage, but given the costs I look for the car to get totaled. We'll see...
In regards to the water, I really can't say. It was coming down so hard and there was a lot of water on the road, but it didn't reach the body of the car. Maybe a few inches? The assumption is that when driving, water was pushed up (like a boat) there was a wake that pushed water up the intake.
This didn't appear extreme. I just expected some electrical short and a quick fix...
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From: Colorado
07' SL65, 04' E55, 03' Evo8, 08' GSXR, DSM's...
/\ An old buddy of mine with a W211 went through several large "puddles" during a heavy rainstorm and the water would splash up towards the intake tubes like you described and not long after the car shut off, we had to wait for a tow truck, and in the end MB paid ~30k for a new engine (or rebuilt) under warranty. This was in a E320. Several rods were bent in his. Good luck getting it worked out in your favor.
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From: Dallas TX
2013 650i Coupe, 2010 IS250 AWD, 1999 S500
Had to be more more than a few inches of water. A Mercedes normally doesn't have a problem with plowing through a few inches of water unless they're cut back on durability and/or engineering/design.
M
M
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From: Florida
AMG SLS & S coupe
Any news from the insurance company regarding totaling to car?
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Joined: Nov 2008
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From: TX
2013 SL550 Tectite Black
I never drive the SL in rain... That's what the SUV's are for.
Thread Starter
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Joined: May 2002
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From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
Car was totaled - new one on the way :)
On my last trip to the Smokies, I had blinding rain and standing water for an hour. At one point, I was down to 20 mph on the interstate. Needless to say we came through unscathed, or I would have posted it here.
Any news from the insurance company regarding totaling to car?
Any news from the insurance company regarding totaling to car?
That said, they offered me the totaled car for $49k+ which I declined; no need or time to fix the thing up.
Interestingly enough, gap coverage wasn't needed as the cash value exceeded the payoff amount
Finding another car was not as easy as expected as this time around I wanted to make sure we get a car with ABC; virtually no cars could be found in irridium silver and ABC and the options I wanted.
We did find a car in Kentucky with all options minus the B&O sound system, which I find unnecessary when driving top down. Plus with Burmesters on the way, these blow B&O out of the water anyway, that will be a choice for the next one...
Now we are waiting for the new one to show up. Beautiful weather here finally and no drop top! Still fighting with the dealer to get the pre-paid maintenance back. What a scam. They consider this non-refundable
Thread Starter
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Joined: May 2002
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From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 270
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From: Arlington VA
'24 CLE 53
Prices on the '13s fell out the bottom here in NoVa. If the databases can be trusted, my $125,385 car has an average sale price of $114.5K now. That's $2K less than I paid on 24 April when I picked it up, but the car was still pretty popular when I ordered it in Jan and made the deal. I guess most are waiting for '14s at this point in the year.
Thread Starter
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,552
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From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
You are right. Most will wait for the '14 model but I am not really sure why. Most people lease these days and there is virtually nothing in the '14 model that's worth the upcharge.
For me it was about availability. Summers are too short in Minnesota!
For me it was about availability. Summers are too short in Minnesota!
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W212 FL
Good news , now you can pick up a brand new car , your car was mint though . European delivery sounds fun and good experience but I would also kinda prefer buying a car inside the US thru a MB dealer , you can go to Europe for holiday lol
I think you will have to wait for your car to arrive that's bad part but assuming you waited for your ex SL then it should not be a problem at all
Best of luck with your new pick
I think you will have to wait for your car to arrive that's bad part but assuming you waited for your ex SL then it should not be a problem at all
Best of luck with your new pick
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2011 E550, 2008 SL55 AMG
For U.S. customers, European Delivery must be done through an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer. You have to put in an order (typical lead time is four or five months), and pay for the car up front. Last time I checked you get a 7% discount off MSRP on certain models. You pick the car up at the factory, drive it around, turn it in at a designated shipping point (E.L. Harms IIRC) and the car is then delivered to your selling dealer - takes four or five weeks and there's no cost for shipping. It's one of the best ways to buy a new Mercedes-Benz and have a European holiday - the 7% discount can cover a lot of expenses.
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From: San Francisco
2015 S550 Coupe
