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After just selling my w210 E55, I am negotiating with an MB dealer on a 2011 E63 CPO. However, I have become spooked about buying the car after reading about the M156 headbolt stretching and cam lobe / buckets materials issues. These problems will result in engine failure if not addressed and are prohibitively expensive to repair if they occur outside of the warranty period. That said, do any E63 owners know if these problems were fixed in MY 2011? How many of you have experienced these issues? C63 and ML63 owners seem to have had the lions share of these issues, even though it's the same engine.
This car has been my "dream car" since it appeared in 2007 and now I am wondering if I should find a new candidate after lusting for it over the past four years.
After just selling my w210 E55, I am negotiating with an MB dealer on a 2011 E63 CPO. However, I have become spooked about buying the car after reading about the M156 headbolt stretching and cam lobe / buckets materials issues. These problems will result in engine failure if not addressed and are prohibitively expensive to repair if they occur outside of the warranty period. That said, do any E63 owners know if these problems were fixed in MY 2011? How many of you have experienced these issues? C63 and ML63 owners seem to have had the lions share of these issues, even though it's the same engine.
This car has been my "dream car" since it appeared in 2007 and now I am wondering if I should find a new candidate after lusting for it over the past four years.
Thanks for any help you can offer
I dont believe the 2011 E63 has a M156. And a 2011 is a W212. I think you have the year wrong..
2011 was the last year for the 6.2 L motor in the E63. The twin-turbo W157 engine found its way into the E class in 2012 a year later than the S and CLS among others.
i believe the 2007 was the year of the head bolt issues...I don't think the years after that were a problem. If you are worried you could replace them with aftermarket ARP bolts like other owners have done.
On a side note can you swing jumping to a 2012 E63? Those TT can make some good gains with an aftermarket tune....
E55Freak: I could but I have a severe case of first year phobia. Besides being an old school guy a big normally aspirated motor puts a huge smile on my face. For boosted fun I drive my wife's SL55. The M156 is is my first choice unless reliability issues negate it. I am in need of a fun to drive daily driver that I don't have to wrench on.
The head bolt problem affects model years 2007 through early 2011. I was researching it while deciding what to buy for my next interesting car. Decided against anything with an m156 - partially because of the reliability issue, partially because I really prefer the mid-range torque of forced induction engines.
And a quote from said discussion: "I just reviewed past threads and the TSB data indicates the issue affects all M156 engines, up to serial number 569xx 60 060658."
So check the engine serial number of the car you're interested in. Mostly likely it is fine, unless it was built very early in the 2011 model year.
I've read about the issues but have had absolutely no issues with my 2007 E63. Love the engine and the car. A 2007 E63 is an absolute performance bargain nowadays. We are taking Honda Civic prices for an absolute pristine car with 50 kmiles.
I wonder what percentage of cars actually develop the head bolt and valve train issues.
From what I've been reading seems the 2009 W212 gets it more than most other years. Its not as common on the W211 2007/2008 (still present though) and it isn't as prevalent on the 2010 either.
E55Freak: I could but I have a severe case of first year phobia. Besides being an old school guy a big normally aspirated motor puts a huge smile on my face. For boosted fun I drive my wife's SL55. The M156 is is my first choice unless reliability issues negate it. I am in need of a fun to drive daily driver that I don't have to wrench on.
That eliminates 2012 and 2013 for you......my dilemma for my next car in the near future...
Thanks to all for your responses. Shadow5501 is correct, the head bolt issue does indeed affect 2011s. I just received a VMI that showed replacement at 24K miles. I will ask the dealer for the engine SN for of a different car that I am looking at.
On another note, the VMIs also reveal that a lot of work is being on the airmatic suspension as in compressor and strut replacement. I sure hope its not as expensive and failure prone as the ABC in my SL55
Edit: Just learned that based on the engine SN the car I am interested in does not have the head bolt problem. Now all I have have to worry about is cam lobe / bucket materials issue.
2011 E63 VMI
Last edited by alans1; May 14, 2015 at 04:22 PM.
Reason: New info
i believe the 2007 was the year of the head bolt issues...I don't think the years after that were a problem. If you are worried you could replace them with aftermarket ARP bolts like other owners have done.
On a side note can you swing jumping to a 2012 E63? Those TT can make some good gains with an aftermarket tune....
Any engine that has had the repair is going to be reliable from now on. A lot of C63 guys replace the bolts with studs or the revised oem bolts before they stretch. Any M156 from 2007 to mid 2010 is affected. After that it is down to the engine number as above. There were probably 10's of thousands of M156's manufactured. The number of failures is no doubt a very small percentage.
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