Landon5790

Howdy y'all! I am considering purchasing a 2008 Mercedes E63 with out 53,000 miles on it. I have a new E350 cab and want to add the E63 to the garage; however, I've heard some pretty negative information about the reliability of the car and the cost of ownership.

Would y'all share your experiences with the car's reliability and cost of ownership and, also, point out things I need to be careful about when buying one?

Thank!

Yuille36

Understand that your buying a older car, so there will be unforeseen expenses associated with it. Has the car had all of it scheduled maintenance performed? If so, then the normal services should be all that you need worry about. My 07 E63 has been strong, typically stuff like engine coolant flush, transmission flush, rear diff flush, brake flush is performed on a scheduled basis. I've had to replace the idler pulleys, and crankcase ventilation valve. Also repaired my trunk hinge wiring, as I had a broken wire that wouldn't allow my trunk to open/close properly. Brakes are a major expense, as the front rotors aren't cheap to replace. It's not the powertrain that will give you headaches, it's all the little electronic gizmos, that Mercedes is famous for that cause migraines. The W211 body is classic, the car is gorgeous inside and out, has a lot of power, stops on a dime, and is luxurious. Oh, the airmatic suspension when broken isn't a cheap fix. I recommend a aftermarket warranty. Remember there are $100,000 cars when new, so maintenance is relative for a car costing that much. Just because the car is now $26,000 doesn't mean that maintenance is.

Landon5790

YUILLE36, thank you! The car has all the books, keys, new tires, and fairly complete records. Just for a sense of perspective, how much does the brake job cost and what should one expect to reserve for maintenance annually?

tw2

I really wanted one too but I am very happy I got an e55 instead. The M156 engine can pop head bolts, destroy cams and need new lifters. Not a common problem but very very expensive if it does happen- see c63 forum for more details. I love the sound from the e63 and the transmission is excellent (and expensive when tcu needs replacement $1500) but the car lacks the low rpm bbrroooaaahhh the e55 has. Very fast but not as much fun for daily driving in my opinion.

Landon5790

It's my understanding that the E55 is less reliable and more expensive to maintain, though. I'd suppose you'd disagree with that?

tw2

Not necessarily, I guess it comes down to what you are expecting to go wrong. Both have airmatic. They both have mostly the same electronics and features.

E63 has headbolts, lifters and cams, it has the early 7-speed which is prone to needing conductor plate which comes with TCU replaced. Both of these are quite expensive. Head bolt fixing is usually a few thousand minimum assuming there was no hydrolocking and bent rods.

E55 has supercharger pulleys exploding (rare with stock pulley but you can buy a protective shield to limit damage. Intercooler pumps go- easy and cheap to replace. Generally regarded as a very reliable engine and transmission combo. E55 has SBC braking system which will need replacement in higher mileage cars ($1500 or so at the dealer).

I have test driven both cars a bit over the years. There were a couple of each at the dealer I went to, they were the exact same prices, E55's both had around 21,000 miles, the E63's both had about 30,000 miles. I chose the E55 purely due to not wanting to risk headbolt failure which some people would say is irrational and also the impressive torque curve which I don't think anyone can argue with.

mightar

I'm very happy with mine. If you plan to stay stock, the E63 is the way to go without question. I love the M156. AMG liked the M156/159 enough to base 3 black series vehicles off of it as well as the current AMG GT3. If you're scared of the headbolt failure you can do a proactive service for under $3k.

If you want to mod, get an M157. Much better bang for buck imo.

tw2

I was considering doing this DIY (not my first time in an engine) but decided against the time and expense. Here are some links for interest. Some would argue this is not an appropriate way to get around the problem but it is much easier and cheaper than removing the heads that's for sure.
https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...swap-m156.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/w219/6292...-part-2-a.html

Pinned

Everything on AMGs is expensive - but you are also looking at buying a car that is cream of the crop in terms of features, comforts, build quality, etc even compared to the cars it competes against.

The brake job is probably not the best way to look at cost of ownership on the AMG - it's expensive, but also not really a frequent need and not indicative of reliability. It's about $1500 in parts to replace the pads and stock floating rotors in front + standard rotors in rear. You can also choose to use single piece C63 or E55 front rotors and bring the total parts cost down to $700 or so.

The only real issues on these cars, assuming they're well maintained, are headbolts. You can replace these prior to a failure, but they are not a super common issue on our cars as compared to the C63 for some reason. Any of the electronics can fail, the panoramic roof can fail, etc. But overall these cars are reliable for what they are. Plan to have some money put aside just in case as you would with any performance car.

It sounds like you're looking to buy a clean and well maintained car, so I wouldn't worry too much. Just have a PPI done, make sure you're comfortable with a car like this, and I don't think you'll run into any wild surprises.

Infiniti

I previously owned an E55 and also a C63. I now have a P30 E63 and love it. All the refinements in the E63 make it a different car. I would recommend getting an 09 as the command and BT is awesome. I do miss the initial power of the E55 but thats nothing that Long tubes and nitrous cant fix.

IndiumGreyE63

Mine has been trouble-free, from a major headache-perspective. I've owned it since new. The brake job was the most expensive, but it runs strong and reliably as it did on day one.

The only problem I did have, was a creaky pano roof. About 8 years ago, my MB dealership brought in some specialist to fix my roof. It has been quiet and rattle free ever since.

Strigoi

I've had my '07 for about 7,000 miles now and haven't really had any issues. I bought it with 72,000 and it has 79,000 on it now. It did need motor mounts when I bought it but they were only $120 in parts and it took my friend an hour to swap them at his shop. Also check to make sure the keyless entry door handles work. My drivers side one recently crapped out on me so the whole handle will need replacing to fix that. It's just a minor annoyance since I have to actually unlock the car with the fob to get in that door.

These cars also have issues with leaky fuel tanks. Mercedes is currently covering it under warranty. I had mine replaced several months ago and haven't had any issues with it since. They even gave me a loaner for the 2 days they had the car.

Overall I am extremely happy with the car. Like others have said, they can be expensive to fix. You may want to consider going with a non-pano car since the roof is not cheap to fix if it breaks. I absolutely love how it looks on a white car so I had to have that option.

Also plan on budgeting for a new set of tires once a year or so. They don't last long.

edit: Also if anyone is looking for an honest indy shop in the SF East Bay check out California Star in Lafayette. One of my best friends works there and they're a great shop. They're the only people I trust to work on any of my vehicles. Mercedes and BMW are their thing.

Yuille36

I have own three AMG's thus far, and like others have reiterated and AMG isn't cheap to maintain period. But like a said before it's all relative. A Ferrari/Lamborghini or Porsche would also be expensive. But you would enjoy your AMG just as I've enjoyed mine. If you maintain the car as you should very little issues should pop up in the cars lifecycle. And this E63 is the second one that I've owned. My first one, had the sensor go bad in the drivers door handle replaced under warranty. The rear subframe bushing needed to be replaced, under warranty. And that's it for issues, besides squeaky brakes associated with massive rotors. And this car had a check engine light, that so associated with replacing the crankcase ventilation valve, and broken wiring loom in the left trunk hinge, that explained the trunks failure to open and close properly. But that is it. So not every AMG will have the same exact issues. So I think that you would be happy with an 07-09 E63. I contemplated buying a E55, but I worried about the valve cover leakage, supercharger pulley, IC pump issues. Not to mention they were built between 04-06, and I didn't want quite that old of an car. Come on their 11-13 years old already, my car in 10 yrs old. They older a car gets the more issues you might encounter.

benzokirk

I'm particularly interested because I just picked up a 2008 E63. I'm in Chicago and plan to drive it up from Houston next week. All the questions I had have been answered in this thread. Good info!

fila0220

I've had my E63 for nearly 4 years. Its def the funnest car I've owned. I kept it stock and it never ceases to bring a smile to my face. Once the oil in the engine is warmed up to 80C and the highway opens up the engine keeps climbing the RPM gauge effortlessly. I changed my oil and filter every 3k, and I make it a habit to always check power steering, coolant, and oil levels every 2 weeks as to her being thirsty. I have changed the following in the car (keep in mind I had her from 59k to 76k miles). I tend to fix problems as they present themselves in the early stages

-Sway bar
-2X transmission and engine mounts
-battery
-alternator
-dreaded front rotors ($1200) job
-fuel filter (which Mercedes refused to reimburse me, due to it being done at an indy) but that's a whole different topic. Shame on them...
- Valve body for the transmission
-2 pulleys

The infamous head bolt issue is kind of the elephant in the room. No body really talks about it until it happens to them. When people go to forums they usually come for rants, problems and issues that they are having, so the handful of head bolt issues in the m156 platform really resonated on the forums. Its rare but it does definitely happen if you don't keep an eye on the warning signs, (low coolant). The headbolt issue has been known to effect cars in high and low mileage, 120k and 33k. I personally think its due to people not properly warming up their cars.

I bought my car form a forum member on here in Chicago, it was one of my favorite experiences in a car transporting it back to NY with my father.

I always tell everyone looking into a w211 amg, if you wanna mod you go with the e55, if you wanna stay stock you go with the e63.

Landon5790

Outside of having a PPI performed, what are the warning signs for the head bolt problem?

Pinned

Loss of coolant or coolant/oil mix.

MACEDON

Buy it honestly, it's really not that terrible.

If I can afford you you sure af can too.

SleepersRock

Your situation seems to be the same as mine! My 2002 E55 was declared a total loss in February 2017 after I got rear ended. I really wanted an E55k, but the ones available for sale (in black) in the Bay Area were suspect after getting a PPI.

My desired order list was: 05/06 E55, then 10/11 E63, then 08/09 E63.

A broker I spoke to suggested expanding my search zone to LA. Immediately, I saw a sweet 08 E63 in flint gray (the only other color besides black i'm interested in) w/57k on the clock. Went back and forth with seller and decided to buy after it came back from a PPI in nearly perfect condition.

Picked it up Good Frida and drove back to the Bay Area and couldn't be happier. Not my first or second choice, but still pretty stoked none the less.

VS the E55K: off the line the E63 feels faster than the E55k. From 80-120 the E55k is faster. The sound from the E63 is WAY better.

Strigoi

Same went for E63's when I was shopping around for them in July/August last year. I checked out a bunch and all were "in perfect shape and needed nothing". Had my friend that works at an indy shop check them out and they all needed thousands of work at shop rate. Every one of them had had paint work done and needed front brakes as well. None of the sellers (all dealers) would budge on their prices. I was a cash buyer ready to do a deal that day as well. I basically wanted to do asking price minus what it would cost me (not shop prices) to take care of things that should have already been done.

I finally came across one at MB of Walnut Creek that they had just gotten and jumped on it. It also had the color combo and options I wanted. All original paint in nice shape (it had had a clear bra, no rock chips), super clean interior and just needed motor mounts. Bought them for $120 and my friend installed them for a 6 pack. I lucked out because they had to call a guy that was on his way to buy it and tell him it sold when we finished up the paperwork.

Sounds like there's a lot of less than well maintained E55s and E63s around the Bay. Just got to stay on top of searching and be ready to buy when you find the right one.

Skizz

'09 P30 here that I've had a few years now. Bought it from original owner and have around 56k on it now. It was under ELW when I bought it so had TONS of work done on it (including headbolts, buckets, etc) under warranty by my buddy who's an AMG tech at my local MB dealer. It didn't NEED it, but we went all out on a maintenance update program for all parts we could get in under warranty. Love that guy.


The COMAND update for '09 is nice, as is the flat bottom steering wheel. Pretty much all else is the same for 07-09, except for a few very minor changes that don't really mean anything. If you can find a P30, it has factory LSD, and the suspension is tuned a little stiffer than non-P30. I've kind of gone all out on mine (except supercharging it) with tune, headers air boxes.....pretty much the most you can do to the M156 platform without a blower or internals. The headers/tune really woke the car up. Added some Weistec goodies that don't make it any faster, but I still like to think it does


I love my car, and I bet you'll love one too. The only downside is now it's got me jonesing for a CL 65.

Landon5790

Skizz, thanks man! I plan to get one with between fifty and seventy thousand miles and look forward to doing some modifications. The car's going to be a big, fun toy. If you'll permit, I'd look forward to talking with you further about mods.

Skizz

Absolutely. I'll help any way I can. Feel free to PM me as well.


What part of Texas are you in?

Yuille36

In my opinion you really can't go wrong with buying a 07-09 E63 But do your homework first, or you may get stuck with an AMG that requires lots of work, and a lighter wallet

MikeE63

I bought my 08 back in Aug with 107K on the clock. 9k miles later and not much to report which is great. When I first got it I changed a bunch of brittle vacuum lines and the rubber gasket where the air box connects to the intake. Other than that its been great.