statepkt

Just bought my 2007 E63 ~4 weeks ago (private seller) and I have had my first significant setbacks:

Fuel Sender Leak. Confirmed after opening the back seat and seeing the puddle of gasoline
Head gasket failure or more likely head bolts failed:
Symptoms:
-Smell the exhaust and it was more sweet than gassy and fumes. Burning coolant
-Open coolant reservoir and you can smell exhaust fumes.
-Coolant loss (started the day I picked the car up)

I did not get milky oil until just last night (final blow to the gasket I suppose) and I parked it not wanting to hydrolock.

Looking at about ~5k I suppose for the HG.

The only good thing is that I did buy the car off of ebay and they have the VPP to cover undisclosed engine and transmission issues up to 50k.....will have to see how well this works.

In addition my bill of sale did specifically state the seller must disclose all known issues and none are listed. The car was losing half a gallon of coolant after 1 day of driving after I picked it up so the seller must have known. So perhaps I also have a small claims court avenue if needed.

Speedriven1

The early 63's were unfortunately prone to head gasket failure. Make sure you do studs as well, could be the culprit to the failure. Good luck!

ArmoE55

A couple important questions:

-What was/is eBay's return policy?

-What exactly did you write on the BOS?

Those are serious car issues and valid for small claims. Don't assume the seller knew about the issue; you have to prove that the seller knew and did not disclose to you the issue.


EDIT: Was a PPI possible before sending payment? Maybe a contingency on your BOS?

Critter

Did you get to check out and drive the car before purchase?

statepkt

I am the third owner. Car had 57k when I got it. I drove the car in the middle (not hard, but certainly not a grandma)

Yeah I looked at Weistec to get their ARP studs when the work is done. The only distributor in NC I see is GMP Performance in Charlotte. They work on Mercedes a lot, BUT apparently this is their first tear down on an M156.......I asked to speak to their tech to get a feeling on how comfortable I am with them. For a job like this I would want experience..........

statepkt

eBay doesn't really have a return policy. Its a protection plan for buyers to protect from undisclosed or hidden issues. My situation seems to apply.....but we'll see how they respond. Any one had experience here??

BoS states exactly:
Seller has no knowledge of any hidden defects in and to the Vehicle, and believes to the best of the Seller's knowledge that the Vehicle being sold is in good operating condition. Said Vehicle is otherwise sold in “as is” condition and where currently located.

I got a PPI done on the car at Autoscope in TX. They did not catch anything (fuel sender or coolant leak). I suppose I should call them back and ask for my money back????

ArmoE55

It sounds like you have a claim from the protection plan eBay offers (I've never bought/sold on eBay so I'm not aware of their rules and regs); I haven't read the terms and conditions of that plan, either. Do you pay a fee being the buyer?

BOS sounds good, but again, you have PROVE that the seller knew about the issue BEFORE selling the car to you. Otherwise, the seller can simply say he had no knowledge and your BOS said "as-is", so the problem happened after you took the car - and yes, small, insignificant technicalities get cases thrown out in court - our wonderful justice system, right?

The PPI wasn't done properly as both of those issues would've been caught by a 12 year old looking over the car. You may have a case against them as well.


At this point, in my opnion, your best bet is to hammer at that protection plan eBay offers and hope they bite.

statepkt

^Thanks. Those are my thoughts exactly..... All vehicles sold through eBay gets coverage if you and the seller are in good standing

On the BoS....I don't see how he could have not known when the car was losing 1/3 of a gallon of coolant every day.

Fuel Sender I don't see how he could have not know. If you fill it up it will leak gasoline fumes. When I opened it up I even found dirt and leaves (have pictures), someone definitely looked at this issue.

Critter

Sorry to hear about your misfortune, Apparently Autoscope in TX have neither the eyes or nose to spot these car issues. Really if the car was on a hoist the gas smell should have been easy to spot and the bay must have had a real sweet smell, idiots to say the least. Good Luck, but definitely go back to Autoscope and vent for your money back.

Speedriven1

Remember these are not LS1 motors that are simple to take apart and put together with no issues. Make sure you choose wisely. Actually had a customer(a 63 car) that had the studs replaced and the cam timing was off. Causing motor failure.

aeroman

Dude you found dirt and leaves under the seat? That fricken car has been in a field somewhere. You check to see if it has been wrecked?

biggking

Good luck proving this in court or to eBay. PPI came back clean, and thats what they're going to argue. You won't see a dime from the seller dude SORRY. Also did the listing say the car is sold "AS-IS" or did the seller also list out what is covered and what is not? eBay won't fight for your *** (remember that) and they will simply shuffle you out the door. Sucks that this happened to you :|

statepkt

^^^I know. The shop actually works on a large number of Merc included C63 and E63s. They do work like adding super chargers and aftermarket mods. But they have not done a M156 tear down before. I am reserving judgement until I talk to the tech in the shop.

^^To me that indicates someone definitely opened the back seat to investigate this problem. Not sure it means its been in a field. Title is clean, body is clean.

^Proving is always the hard part. But it will be hard for the seller to substantiate that the car was leaking 1/3 gallon coolant everyday and he didn't know. Same with the gas fumes.
Listing didn't say anything about AS IS. Just the car is in excellent condition.

Speedriven1

Where are you located, I can see if we have a shop out that way.

statepkt

I am located in Raleigh, NC. I am struggling to find a Indy Shop anywhere around here that has a good knowledge base on the M156

The only shop I found is http://www.gmpperformance.com/index.cfm

Critter

Well speedriven, was wondering how long before you tried to sink the hook. Would it be safe to say with your vast knowledge of the 63's "prone to failure" any client would have to sign a document stating you are not responsible for any damage caused by your "tune" or after your tune? Comments

Speedriven1

It is public knowledge that the early 63's have this issue on stock form. Im not aware that he has a tune or not. What your trying to imply if have no idea.

biggking

Again proving this when the PPI shows otherwise is difficult. Have you contacted the seller regarding this matter?

biggking

Honestly every tuning shop I've heard of around here says they won't cover ****. It's up to you to figure out who's legit and who knows what they are doing. Honestly skimping out on a tune by a reputable company and going with joe blo is your fault. I'm not trusting my car with any dumbass that has a laptop, if he does not have a few dyno sheets of the same car. Common sense brotha.

statepkt

^^PPI doesn't say anything about coolant being checked. Probably why they missed it. I would grant that it would be hard to spot a HG coolant leak. Mot people don't smell the exhaust and the sweet odor was not apparent unless you put your face next to the exhaust.

Yes I contacted the seller. Of course he denied knowing about any coolant leaks or gas fumes. The gas fumes was for me a qualifier question to see if he would admit to anything. The fuel sender unit definitely was opened before and inspected.

Speedriven1

I checked all our vendors/shop list, unfortunately we don't have anyone out there. But good news is that gmp is a good shop. Know for audi's and vw's.

statepkt

^Seems like a good shop and they do a lot of work with Mercedes/Audi's..... But just worried they haven't done a tear down on an M156.

Speedriven1

I'm sure they have done many other cars. I wouldn't be worried with them

statepkt

As a note for ligation......it is damn hard to find any lawyer to take a case for ~5k damages. I have a legal plan through work that pays for all costs, but still.......

FromM3toAMG

All i can say is wow.. you obviously did ZERO research on the car before buying. Third owner at 57k.. that alone is red flag personally. Let me guess you got it for a good price.. guess you get what you pay for.