W211 AMG Discuss the W211 AMG's such as the E55 and the E63

Possibly purchasing a 2009 E63 - need advice

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Old Aug 24, 2014 | 05:35 PM
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09 E63 - 03 Sonic Blue Lightning - 09 F150 4x4 Beater
Possibly purchasing a 2009 E63 - need advice

After lurking for a while I have found these cars have a history of having quite a few issues. I have read of the head bolt issue air bags and rotors, aside from that what should I be aware of? Is the head bolt issue something to be concerned about or is it a fairly rare thing? I know most of the history on the car as it is owned by a friend. 54,000 miles on the clock. Recently it has received new rotors and pads and has been serviced very well. Also, what kind of longevity are you guys seeing with this platform? The most recent threads I could find were from mid 2013. Thanks in advance,

Last edited by 10-94; Aug 24, 2014 at 05:45 PM.
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Old Aug 24, 2014 | 05:56 PM
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2006 cls 55 amg
lifter and cam issue also
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Old Aug 24, 2014 | 06:06 PM
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09 E63 - 03 Sonic Blue Lightning - 09 F150 4x4 Beater
Originally Posted by sircl55amg
lifter and cam issue also
My research led me to believe the most affected engines were earlier in production. 2007 in particular.
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Old Aug 24, 2014 | 07:44 PM
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65 Chevelle Wagon w/ C5 frame, 08 ML63, 04 S600, 04 E55,(sold) 00 ML55,(sold) 98 C43-55K Swap
If you want a w211 e63 the 09 is the one to buy. Most of the m156 issues were sorted by 09 and you also get the ntg2.5 command system. The "bad" head bolts were being fazed out in mid 09 production if I remember correctly, so that may still be a issue. Has it ever used any coolant?

Search on the c63 page too. They spend more time "dealing" with the m156 and may have better info on production updates and problematic production dates.

Last edited by stockC43; Aug 24, 2014 at 07:46 PM.
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Old Aug 24, 2014 | 07:51 PM
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09 E63 - 03 Sonic Blue Lightning - 09 F150 4x4 Beater
Originally Posted by stockC43
If you want a w211 e63 the 09 is the one to buy. Most of the m156 issues were sorted by 09 and you also get the ntg2.5 command system. The "bad" head bolts were being fazed out in mid 09 production if I remember correctly, so that may still be a issue. Has it ever used any coolant?

Search on the c63 page too. They spend more time "dealing" with the m156 and may have better info on production updates and problematic production dates.
No coolant issues that i am aware of. Ill check in with the c63 page as well. How about transmission issues?
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Old Aug 24, 2014 | 08:08 PM
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Originally Posted by 10-94
No coolant issues that i am aware of. Ill check in with the c63 page as well. How about transmission issues?
No, not really. 722.9's came out in 04 in some models. By the time 09 came around most issues were resolved. I wouldn't worry about that. Just service it every 40k mi.
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Old Aug 24, 2014 | 10:35 PM
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09 E63 - 03 Sonic Blue Lightning - 09 F150 4x4 Beater
Originally Posted by stockC43
No, not really. 722.9's came out in 04 in some models. By the time 09 came around most issues were resolved. I wouldn't worry about that. Just service it every 40k mi.

That's good to know. It looks like any M156 built before 2010 can be effected, however the word is still out as to an idea of a percentage of how many of them actually fail. This car shows no symptoms of the issue.
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Old Aug 25, 2014 | 11:25 AM
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I think there's been around 20 C63s with the issue and 2 or 3 E63s, at least that have been reported or compiled around the internet...

With that being said, it's not a common problem by any means, just a catastrophic one, so everyone is afraid it will happen to them. And if you were that worried, and had the money, you could swap to the ARP bolts and prevent the whole thing from ever occurring.
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Old Aug 25, 2014 | 02:03 PM
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09 E63 - 03 Sonic Blue Lightning - 09 F150 4x4 Beater
Originally Posted by G_Money
I think there's been around 20 C63s with the issue and 2 or 3 E63s, at least that have been reported or compiled around the internet...

With that being said, it's not a common problem by any means, just a catastrophic one, so everyone is afraid it will happen to them. And if you were that worried, and had the money, you could swap to the ARP bolts and prevent the whole thing from ever occurring.

That's the general idea I had. Of the thousands of engines, only a few causalities have come up. Still not a stellar record, but nothing to lose sleep over. In fact, in my research and asking current owners if they had any issues, I have found quite a few 08-09 E63's and C63's running strong with well over 85-90k miles which have never had an issue. A couple of which I know for a fact get beaten like a rented mule regularly. The key seems to be frequent maintenance intervals. (coolant flushes at 40- 50k and regular oil changes). a couple of these cars had two coolant flushes before they hit 80K and are on their third one now. Also, they are driven regularly. None of the owners I spoke with let their car sit for more than a couple of weeks between driving them. Not sure if this helps answer my own question, just my understanding of the issue after speaking with friends and friends of friends with this engine platform.
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Old Aug 25, 2014 | 02:47 PM
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Maybe you can get a 2010 for the same price..

Newer tech and body style....having an 07 and am trying to go to 2012 for the twinturbo myself...but I have seen very close price from 09 to 2010 2011...

brake rotor must be in good shape.. esp the fronts
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Old Aug 26, 2014 | 04:56 PM
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Originally Posted by sunil517
Newer tech and body style....having an 07 and am trying to go to 2012 for the twinturbo myself.
Not to mention the increase in gas mileage. Another minor thing I see, in almost all the Carfax reports for '07-'09, are multiple wheel alignments.
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Old Sep 8, 2014 | 08:45 PM
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Coming up on 150Kmi. Only the intake manifold gasket. Running oil analysis since 70kmi and no worries.

I can agree on the front alignment. And it is not that it is off, the insides wear odd. you can find lots of pictures on that.
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Old Sep 9, 2014 | 10:15 AM
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My 2007 is at 65k miles with no problems and running like a dream, although the Weistec stage 3 really helped :-). A friend has a 2007 with 98k miles and no issues there either.
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Old Sep 9, 2014 | 01:26 PM
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2007 E63 AMG
Picked mine up not too long ago in June, I'm the second owner. Extensive maintenance report with just minor repairs, nothing big. So far the only thing I had to do was top off the coolant, that MB forgot to do when I brought it in for check. 91k miles.
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Old Sep 10, 2014 | 12:19 AM
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09 E63 - 03 Sonic Blue Lightning - 09 F150 4x4 Beater
Originally Posted by Jon2007E63P30
Coming up on 150Kmi. Only the intake manifold gasket. Running oil analysis since 70kmi and no worries.

I can agree on the front alignment. And it is not that it is off, the insides wear odd. you can find lots of pictures on that.

That makes me feel very good! What kind of oil and what have been the results?
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Old Sep 10, 2014 | 05:23 PM
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2007 E63 w/P30 and Eurotech CF Diffuser
0W-40 Mobil1 European Formula

And please spare me the "Your supposed to use 5W-40 ESP.. blah blah blah"

I use what the AMG Academy uses. Go search the other threads where I explain my choice.
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Old Sep 10, 2014 | 06:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Jon2007E63P30
0W-40 Mobil1 European Formula

And please spare me the "Your supposed to use 5W-40 ESP.. blah blah blah"

I use what the AMG Academy uses. Go search the other threads where I explain my choice.
You're supposed to use 5W-40. I'm kidding. I use 0W-40 also.
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Old Sep 10, 2014 | 08:57 PM
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09 E63 - 03 Sonic Blue Lightning - 09 F150 4x4 Beater
Originally Posted by Jon2007E63P30
0W-40 Mobil1 European Formula

And please spare me the "Your supposed to use 5W-40 ESP.. blah blah blah"

I use what the AMG Academy uses. Go search the other threads where I explain my choice.


I would say, with nearly 150,000 miles, that's all the proof I need!
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Old Sep 10, 2014 | 11:07 PM
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2009 E63
I've had mine for 3 years now and no major issues. It's still low miles, only had 10,000 when I got it. The only repair has been 2 serpentine belts that got shredded due to a warped pulley wheel. They replaced that after the second failure and it's been fine since.
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Old Sep 11, 2014 | 05:22 PM
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my e63 had an extensive maintenance history so I purchased it thinking everything that can go wrong has gone wrong.

WRONG.
right at around 70k miles i had the front left air strut go, the electric trunk stopped working, camshaft/lifter issues, tranny issues and belt slippage due to a bad pulley. My mechanic told me that my air pump is really weak and should be going pretty soon as well.

THANK GOD I invested in a warranty lol not saying that you're going to run into the same issues as me but you should definitely get an aftermarket warranty. Mine has already paid for itself by at least 3 times.
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Old Sep 11, 2014 | 07:44 PM
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09 E63 - 03 Sonic Blue Lightning - 09 F150 4x4 Beater
Originally Posted by CarbonHan
my e63 had an extensive maintenance history so I purchased it thinking everything that can go wrong has gone wrong.

WRONG.
right at around 70k miles i had the front left air strut go, the electric trunk stopped working, camshaft/lifter issues, tranny issues and belt slippage due to a bad pulley. My mechanic told me that my air pump is really weak and should be going pretty soon as well.

THANK GOD I invested in a warranty lol not saying that you're going to run into the same issues as me but you should definitely get an aftermarket warranty. Mine has already paid for itself by at least 3 times.

Which warranty company did you go with?
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Old Sep 12, 2014 | 05:13 PM
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Originally Posted by 10-94
Which warranty company did you go with?
USAA
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