SL55/63/65/R230 AMG: Are the Head Bolts defective on 2011 SL 63 manufactured February 2010?
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Member
Joined: Sep 2009
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Mercedes Benz, BMW, Porsche
Are the Head Bolts defective on 2011 SL 63 manufactured February 2010?
I'm looking at a stock 2011 SL 63 manufactured in February of 2010 and don't have the in-depth knowledge that some members have.
The owner purchased it new and has driven it 22k miles.
After searching this forum, I came up with three possible defects.
1. The head bolts
2. The ABC system
3. The brake system that apparently has a 25 year warranty provided by MB for all R230 SLs.
I'm hoping that the build date is late enough that these may not be problems.
The owner maintained it at the dealer and seems to never have had any problems.
He's the kind of guy that just enjoyed the car and doesn't need to care about these kinds of problems.
Can anyone tell me about the head bolts for this manufacturing date and any other issues I should be aware of?
Thanks,
The owner purchased it new and has driven it 22k miles.
After searching this forum, I came up with three possible defects.
1. The head bolts
2. The ABC system
3. The brake system that apparently has a 25 year warranty provided by MB for all R230 SLs.
I'm hoping that the build date is late enough that these may not be problems.
The owner maintained it at the dealer and seems to never have had any problems.
He's the kind of guy that just enjoyed the car and doesn't need to care about these kinds of problems.
Can anyone tell me about the head bolts for this manufacturing date and any other issues I should be aware of?
Thanks,
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 4,761
Likes: 566
From: Milwaukee, WI
2010 C300 4MATIC........ 2011 C63 AMG.............. 2015 CLS400 4MATIC.....
They most likely are. I believe every 6.2 SL has the headbolt issue.
This is gone over a lot in the C63 section, you can find lots of info there. There is a way to tell if the headbolts have been replaced, as well as other details.
They are about $4k average to get done at a shop and they WILL fail no matter what. You just don't know when, so better to prematurely repair than wait.
Here is a thread - it is for C63's, but explain your situation along with the VIN and they might be able to let you know if it is affected - which, I'm 95% sure based on production and time you listed.
https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...rly-2011s.html
This is gone over a lot in the C63 section, you can find lots of info there. There is a way to tell if the headbolts have been replaced, as well as other details.
They are about $4k average to get done at a shop and they WILL fail no matter what. You just don't know when, so better to prematurely repair than wait.
Here is a thread - it is for C63's, but explain your situation along with the VIN and they might be able to let you know if it is affected - which, I'm 95% sure based on production and time you listed.
https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...rly-2011s.html
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 58
Likes: 24
From: Tucson, AZ
2013 F12
I believe you can verify the head bolt issue by plugging in the VIN # at the following website > https://carinfo.kiev.ua/cars/vin/mercedes That will give you the engine build number. The attached MB technical service bulletin indicates which M156 engines are affected (up to 569XX 60 060658). I purchased a '11 SL63 last Fall and learned after the fact that my engine is included in the head bolt issue grouping according to this data , however, I asked our local dealer if they could verify and they said it's not? I'm inclined to think the dealer is wrong about this one. Haven't taken things apart enough yet to verify.
