Strigoi

Weistec has head studs.

http://weistec.com/all/clk/clk-63/20...tuds-m156.html

hachiroku

i spent 30 minutes trying to find this video on youtube that i can't seem to find. the user tested 4-5 different engine coolants with a piece of metal that had a small electrical current put through it to simulate engine conditions. it showed that different engine coolant types protect the metal in different ways. some lasted 2,3, or 4 times longer than standard green coolant in preventing metal deterioration, but in the end all pieces of metal had some wear on them. the worst obviously was plain water.

our headbolts themselves are not necessarily defective themselves, but it was basically a bad design. inferior is a better word.

but...in stating that, we shouldn't fail to mention that "some" folks with LOW miles, like 30k have had their head bolts fail. there has only been a small handful of those cases. maybe 2 or 3 documented worldwide. i'm not speaking to that aspect, but the slow deterioration to the metal itself from sitting in the water jacket of the engine block.

i drive my car and engine hard...very hard. i like to have that piece of mind when i press the go button every time i jump in.

sciroccor

made by ARP! that's what i have in my race motors. work great! stretch bolts aren't the best. Carrol Smith had a really nice article about them somewhere.

nikehead1980

lol my local shop says this to me every time I take her in!

But to the OP, another thing to consider...insurance!

Just got my renewal bill and my premium increased $500!
Last year it increased $100! So I'm at about $2100 a year, I don't have any tickets or accidents. I've called Mercury and they advised me that all companies have increased their premiums...so I priced out about 7 different companies and yep she was correct! I was shocked considering my car is 11 years old now. I'm in California so I can't speak for the rest of the country.

Again I love her and don't want to be a downer, just something else to consider if you're in the market for a E63. Just my 2 cents

Strigoi

I'm in CA and my premium for the E63 and my Durango is $1,095 a year. That's with "full coverage" on the E63 and liability only on the Durango. I'm with Farmers, 38 y/o, clean driving record with no tickets or accidents. I do own my home and have all of my insurance through them. Not sure how much that helps, if any.

I also just paid my bill a couple of weeks ago and there was no premium increase.

cetialpha5

Just because the indy doesn't advise doesn't mean it's not a good thing to do. They just don't want the additional liability. If it goes on you, all they can say is that it's very rare, you must have bad luck. That's tough luck. They're not going to give you a new engine. Same reason lots of indys don't want to change the transmission fluid, they don't want you coming back when it goes.

Also I believe MB uses the gold Zerex G-05 which is considered one of the better kinds of coolant, not the green stuff. That's why it's got a 10-15 year change interval.

nikehead1980

HAHA I'm thinking it's because I'm in Southern California where all the crazy drivers live! Traffic is no joke down here, UGH!

Strigoi

Possibly. I'm up in the SF Bay Area though.

sciroccor

i see you're in MA, do you use an indy? anyway, i am going to get it done, my other question is, do you change the gaskets at the same time or do you save a ton of money (probably) and replace only the bolts?

hachiroku

any GOOD indy would advise that its best to remove the heads when changing of head bolts/studs. as far as doing the work, they should obviously make you sign a liability agreement. my Indy said although its best to remove the heads, he's ok with doing the one bolt at a time method for as others have done it successfully.

some just don't want to bother.

Dublinoh

Keep up with oil changes and radiator flushes. Don't thrash the car before it has fully warmed up. Then stop worrying about it. Do you worry about the air shocks, the pano roof, etc? If so your driving the wrong car. STOP worrying about it.

hachiroku

oh i thought i bought a toyota

mightar

My sentiments exactly.