HykakanAMG

I know this is a lot of writing, but it is an interesting read if you won't mind the long sentences.

I wanted to give everyone a good detailed explanation of owning a car with the M156 engine. Any of the 2007-2009 AMG models (C63, E63, CLS63, S63, SL63) have this engine and should have the same issues.

I currently drive a 2008 E63 AMG that has aftermarket warranty from easycare. I bought the car around 61k miles and currently have around 66k. I bought the car from a benz dealership and I asked for all the maintenance records along with personal experience with the previous owner. Luckily, he was a middle-aged wealthy man and didn't drive the car too hard from what I can tell.

The following is a list of repairs ranging from low to high price, along with mileage.

Mileage
7489 - Oil Change

14125 - Oil Change

26027 - Seal ring, brake wear sensor, brake pads, brake fluid, oil change.

36022 - Seal sing, brake wear sensor, battery, brake pad, brake paste, transmission oil, brake fluid, rear axle, oil change.

45611 - Filter, windshield washer fluid, gearl oil, screw plug, gasket, oil filter

55350 - Oil change

60970 - Breather pipe, engine mounts, valve cover gasket (left), sealant, windshield fluid, bushings (both) for engine mount.

Acquired warranty around 61k (everything after this, warranty has covered)

62488 - Crankshaft main bearing seal, intake manifold leak (replaced intake manifold bolts), valve cover gasket(right), main battery, aux battery, brake pad (front, rear), Alternator and voltage regulator. Total around 3k

65500 - Oil Change

65902 - Front left strut - Total around 1k.

There were also many many sublet repairs and some that don't state the actual repair from previous owner. Overall I think the car has been taken care of pretty well but could've been better. Also, all the repairs after the warranty have been done at an indy. So if this was a benz dealer, u can assume the price would be double. Crossing fingers, no head bolt, coolant, or tranny issues. Runs pretty strong too.

Mileage Breakdown on what is left on my warranty. Currently 66k, expires at 85k. So effectively I have 19k left of warranty mileage.

I drive 40 miles a day to work, 4 times a week. So I drive 160 miles a week and rounded up 650 miles to work MINIMUM per month. So yearly, I drive 7800 miles to work and lets say we round it up to 9000 for personal driving. So in 2 years I will drive 18000, almost right before my warranty expires. So in 2 years, I will trade in my car.

I want to explain something about aftermarket warranty to some people that would probably change their perspective on the price. I purchased extended warranty through the benz dealer for $4800 for 2 years / 24000 miles. Easycare has hiked their prices like crazy since January 2015. So I got a loan on the car for 5 years. 5 years = 60 months. So 4800 / 60 = $80 a month for warranty. After purchase, I refinanced my car and did 84 months for 1.99 APR. So 4800 / 84 = $57 a month. I effectively reduced my warranty by $22 a month, along with my monthly price. My GOAL is by the TIME I TRADE IN THE CAR, IT SHOULD EFFECTIVELY CO-INSIDE WITH THE TIME WARRANTY EXPIRES AND THE TIME THE MARKET VALUE OF THE CAR EQUALS WHAT I OWE ON MY LOAN. This is how everyone should buy any car and is the secret to correct used car buying from personal experience. So my monthly is around $500.

So monthly I pay $500. 2 years of payments = $12000. By the time 2 years are up, I should be (loan amount - $12000). I owe 33k on the loan. The loan includes purchase price, tax, warranty. So in 2 years, the loan will be reduced to 21k. I believe in 2 years, 18-22k should be in the correct range for a used E63 with 85k mileage. The only risk to this is that your loan amount will not equate market value. In this case, you have some negative equity but it's not a lot. If you can afford an AMG, you can afford to lose a couple grand, but you might also break even. It's all about the correct mathematics and timing. So effectively instead of paying 4800 for the warranty, I only pay $684. The warranty already has covered several thousand. Here is the only catch. You must buy THE CAR AND THE WARRANTY from the same dealership. If you buy your car at Dealership A, go a do a pre-purchase inspection at Dealership B, they will offer you the warranty, but it will not be combined with ur loan amount. They will give u the warranty with an 18-month repayment plan with a 10% down. So you'd have to put $480 down and pay the rest of the warranty loan in 18 months.

Overall, this simple formula can save most people a lot of money and headaches in the long run.

Again, the trick is......

Own the car in warranty and when market value equals loan value, trade it in, after 1-3 years or whenever you feel tired of it. Did same with previous AMG's and currently with this. Also EasyCare is pretty top-notch and they are the only company I believe that covers AMG. Just don't mod your car. I have a post on easy-care in another thread. Make sure to get TotalCare and not StatedCare.

All in all, benz starts showing most issues after 50k, so warranty is essentially MANDATORY. When they gave you 4 years or 50k warranty, that should signal to you that after 50k issues start to pop up.

Mod wise, resonator delete, headers, and tune is all you need. It's pricey for headers, but they give u like 50whp with tune.