🤔 That means that you cars engine oil hasn’t reached optimal operating temperature of 81 degrees Celsius. Once the cars oil has sufficiently heated up, the flashing will go away, and reflect the actual oil temperature. If you engine oil rises above 215 degrees Fahrenheit the oil cooler auxiliary fan will kick on, so don’t be alarmed by that, if you live in a hot climate like AZ, TX or NV.

Well you have an oil cooler on the passenger side fender well, just in front of the front passenger tire hiding behind the fender liner. Also the heat from the headers, and don’t forget this is a big hulking engine. And these engine run hot anyway, as they hold almost 10 qts of oil. Not hot in overheating just hot in general operation. 😁. Also you have all that heat from the large radiator and primary oil cooler, so the heat radiates out into the surrounding metals; fenders and hood.

 

Thanks for the info. I just thought it was odd that it was only on the fender in front of the wheel/tire. If I move back toward where the headers would be it's much cooler. The oil cooler on the passenger side makes some sense now. What's on the driver's side in the same spot? Another oil cooler? Maybe the coolant overflow reservoir?

 

Coolant reservoir, Air compressor for the suspension, nothing else that I can think of that would produce a lot of heat besides the engine.

 

As I stated before these engine puts out a lot of heat....period 😷

 

ok thanks

 

Another question. I've watched videos on how to check my oil level through the dashboard. I followed the steps, got to the appropriate screen but "oil level" was not listed. Otherwise the display matched the videos. Any thoughts why mine isn't showing the oil level??

Thanks

 

Yes, the E63 M156 engine doesn’t have an electronic dipstick, and can’t be checked from the instrument cluster. The video you viewed was for the E55, and it’s M113K engine, same body different engine from 03-06. The E63 actually has a dipstick, I suggest that you read your owners manual, to better familiarize yourself with your vehicle. 😁 Your dipstick has a red cap, and is located towards the back of the engine close to the firewall. The car will let you know when your low on oil. It will tell you to add 1 Qt.

Do you have maintenance records on your vehicle?
When was the last time your fluids were changed?
Oil, Engine Coolant, Brake Fluid, Transmission Fluid, Rear Differential Fluid and Power Steering Fluid?

I just reconditioned my leather interior, I try to do every month, during the hot summers, as the interior temperatures can reach 130-150 degrees in the summer, and my car is black so it get smoking hot inside with the panoramic roof.

The key to having a good looking AMG is constant maintenance, so of course that costs money. I’m having my faulty keyless go door handle and oil temp sensor replaced next week.





So keep the questions coming, I enjoy answering them. Disclaimer: I’m not an AMG expert, but I have owned three of them, and numerous other Mercedes and I have a wealth of knowledge regarding Mercedes Benz.

 

Wow. That looks nice. Kudos. Great shape. Love the wheels. I really like that lower front air dam. What is that?

Thanks for the info as always. Much appreciated. Funny, I saw that red dipstick and thought it was trans fluid because it was so far back. So good to know. Where is the trans dipstick then??

I do have some service records. Probably not all of them. Looks like basic maintenance was done. Only has 60k miles. I don't think any fluids besides oil were ever changed. I'll start working on those. I think I have a power stearing fluid leak either from the pump, reservoir, or maybe a hose. Not sure yet. Doesn't seem major and the reservoir reads full. Not really a leak as much as some residue that caught dirt.

I also noticed a weird clunk in the back when I go over speedbumps and a squeek in the front as well with speed bumps. Back could be shocks?? Front could be bushings?? Maybe not all but some?? I have to dig into it.

Btw, I hate owner's manual. It's like reading war and peace. Way too long and this one, is definitely not user friendly. I do much better searching on line and working the forums.

Thanks again for all of your insight. I'm not a mechanic but definitely know my way around a wrench, but at 55 years young its getting a little harder to crawl under the car LOL

 

That is a Carbon Best carbon fiber front splitter, that is covered with paint protection film, to protect from road debris and rocks, and has a sliplo universal skid plate mounted underneath it to protect it from scraps if it bottoms out on anything. 😁

These cars don’t have a dipstick for the transmission, as they’re sealed from the factory. Thus you have to take it to Mercedes or a independent Mercedes shop in order to have the transmission flushed, new filter installed and topped of with fluid. This whole process is done by disconnecting the transmission cooler lines, and hooking them up to a machine that sucks out the old and injects the new, it can even back flush you transmission filter, but I recommend replacing with a new one. As the transmission fluid should be replaced every 4 years or 40,000 miles.

mid someone had spilled a little down the sides of the power steering reservoir, it could look like a leak as it will attract dirt, get yourself a brake of brake cleaner and a rag to clean it. The only true way to tell if you have a leak is by hoisting the car on a lift, and removing the engine belly pans and examining the power steering rack and the lines for leaks. A power steering flush is cheap < $150 have them use synthetic power steering fluid, this should be done every 4 yrs or 40,000 miles. Brake fluid every two years, Engine coolant every 4 yrs or 40,000 miles, and I change my engine oil every 6 months or 5000 miles, as I just had my head bolts and lifters changed out last year. And finally the rear differential every 4 yrs or 40,000 miles. I would also have you idler pillows and belt tensioner check for play, and examine your serpentine belt for cracks, and replace your spark plugs at 75,000 miles. So you see how routine maintenance can quickly add up, but you don’t have to do it all at once, to save money Do it little by little. The most expensive will the transmission flush < $500, every else is a < $150 unless you idler pillows and belt tensioner are bad, then that will cost < $350.

Most likely the squeaks you hear are bad ball joints, thrust arms bushings, or a bad air spring which aren’t cheap, roughly $1200 to replace both front.
But a good mechanic can diagnose suspension issues. If your rear shocks are bad they are a little pricey, as they control the dampening and rebound in the rear, and the front air springs control the front.

I’m also 55 yrs old, and I do a lot of maintenance myself, and what I can’t do, I take it into my shop that I’ve utilized for the last 10 years after my AMG came out of warranty, they also service my BMW X5M.

I have a good friend that is also the Shop Foreman and AMG Master Tech at my local MB dealership, he told me to save my money and to stop bringing my car to the dealershop, but take it to Benz Elite Automotive, as these techs have trained under him and opened their own shop. And I never looked back, and couldn’t be happier. And the best part they let me assist in my repairs, and educate me at the same time. I just don’t have their expertise 😁
And since I’m retired military I can also utilize the auto hobby shop on base to work on my cars, I’ve done brakes, oil changes and numerous other things there. 👍🏽

So I hope that all this information is helpful to you.

Will

 

Ugh. Transmission fluid is definitely not an easy job then. Thanks for the break down of fluid changes. Sounds like I'll need to start working on those as I don't think they've been done. Oil was changed right before I got it so I'm good for a little while on that.

What about the cabin filters? I noticed the one in the engine compartment is a carbon filter and it looks pretty good. I heard some of these cars came with a dual inside filter as well under the glovebox. Do you know if this car has that, or just the one in the engine compartment?

Oh, and good advice about the power steering fluid. I'll clean it up as best as I can first and then just monitor it. I'll check underneath as well but need some time to do that since I have to pull off the belly cover

Thanks

 

The transmission job is left to the pros, as you need the expensive fluids and the machine in which to do it. No longer can you simply pour transmission fluid down a tube.

Your car just has one charcoal infused cabin filter that isn’t located inside the car underneath the glovebox, but inside the engine compartment on the passenger side beneath two plastic covers.

Beleive it or not, but brake fluid and power steering are almost always neglected. And brake fluid is hydroscopic meaning they absorb moisture, and left unchanged can cause a lot of issues, if one the caliper pistons get stuck due to moisture corrosion.

Many years ago I experienced a stuck caliper on my BMW 3 series, the cars was pulling to the left, and the rotor was glowing orange. Luckily BMW replaced everything under warranty.

If your car is stock, then you’ll have a particulate filter and a regular air filter under your air filter boxes. Since my car has carbon fiber air boxes that particulate filter was eliminated, as the air flows better with a slight HP gain.

Remember to do your preventative maintenance in steps to keep the cost done.

 

Good advice on the trans fluid. That's a VERY expensive trans and don't want to have issues with it.

Thanks for the info on the cabin filter. There's a lot of stuff on youtube that says if you have the 4-zone climate control system you will also have the dual filters under the dash passenger side. I haven't looked. Thanks for saving me time on that.

Pretty certain my car is stock. I checked the air filters and only saw one on each side. Your're saying there's 2 more? I didn't see those??

 

The particulate filter is inside the upped intake, you’ll only see it if you take off the silver upper Cover that has AMG on it.. My C63 has the cabin filters under the glove box, but have never heard of them on the E63, must be a European model.

My best advice to you would be to find a good reputable Mercedes shop, that will value you as a customer, that does great work at a reasonable price.

I was lucky that my good friend recommended a shop to me many years ago, and I haven’t been disappointed yet, and most importantly they guarantee their work, or they’ll make it right at their own expense. And often times the little small 10 minutes they don’t even charge me.

one most often overlooked item is the headlight bulbs, if your lights look dim while driving at night, then this is the culprit. Over time your bulbs brightness will start to fade. This is an easy fix, the HID bulbs can be purchased cheap if you search around.

As the dealer charges you an arm and a leg, the Sylvania D1S bulbs can be purchased cheap on Amazon. That is the cheapest place I’ve found them.

Most importantly, do not touch the bulb with your bare hands, always use silicon gloves, as the oils in your hands will transfer over the the bulbs, and the first time you turn on the lights will quickly burn up and pop. Causing you to spend even more money replacing them.

The fog lights are halogen and easy to replace yourself.

 

These are some of the improvements, that I've done over the years to get my car dialed in the way I wanted.

 

I believe the fluid is still ATF 134 which you can get from a Shell distributor. That fluid is only about $60 for a case of 12 quarts. I believe the dealer typically charges $20+ per quart.

https://www.shell.us/business-custom...r-locator.html

 

If I recall correctly, it stops flashing when the oil temp hits 85 digress or so, maybe 90.

 

Your oil temperature may vary from mine, but 1 degrees Celsius equals 2.16 degrees Fahrenheit. So my cars stops flashing at 81 Celsius which is 174 degrees Fahrenheit at 90 Celsius would equal 194 degrees Fahrenheit. Well this Wednesday, I’m having my oil temp sensor changed as the temps have been fluctuating lately, giving my false reading varying from 88-98 Celsius while the car is running.
im also getting my keyless go door handle replaced. This is an original part, over the years moisture gets inside the handle and causing the electronics inside to fail.

 

Thanks for the info and photos. You've done some really nice mods to yours. Very nice. Probably a bit pricey as well. For now I think I'm going to keep mine pretty stock. However, while doing some youtube searching for all kinds of things, I ran across a replacement head unit that does it all and is designed to fit right in with a proper trim plate and all. Very enticing as I like back up cams and sensors, navigation, blue tooth etc. I did order the puck so I'm just waiting for and then plan to install it. Seems like it's probably just plug and play. I also ordered an updated navigation DVD. It was only about $13. I imagine that DVD is in the trunk??

 

You really don’t want to know how much money, I’ve spent on my E63 over the years, for maintenance, modifications and upgrades 😩

Yes, the DVD Navigation Unit is located on the left side of the truck behind a panel, that is here you would insert the new Nav DVD. I too have a new DVD inserted, but most people just use their phones, as it has the latest updates compared to the car.

Even the new DVD is outdated, as I don’t think that you can even buy a new DVD from Mercedes, as they no longer provide updates for our systems anymore. I think that you may have purchased the same one that I have. 😁

 

I checked again after I went out yesterday and my car also stops flashing at 81-82 Celsius. I just couldnt remember for sure because I pay more attention to when it stops flashing, rather than the actual temperature before I open up the throttle. I never go WOT until it stops flashing.

 

Mine stops flashing as well at 81, but when driving will vary from 78-98. I know the oil has reached operating temperature, but will drop back down to 78 and start flashing again, then start raising up to 98. It’s weird, but I know from past experience it’s the oil temperature sensor. But due to a scheduling conflict I have to reschedule my service until next week to have the door handle and temp sensor replaced.

Then I need to schedule my X5M for a engine coolant flush, brake fluid flush, power steering flush and change the fluid in both front and rear diffs. Then next month I will do the transmission and transfer case that alone is a $1000 job 😩 But all the flushes is around $900 which isn’t that bad.

 

Ok so new question.

I heard there's a way to verify whether or not my car has the old or newer head bolts. The old one's had the issue of rusting out and snapping causing some serious problems. The newer one's resolve the issue. There was a cut-off point at some point. I was told based on my VIN that I can find out without taking it apart. Does anyone know where and how I can do that?

Thanks

 

I believe that problem with the head bolts wasn't fixed til the 2011 model year. So unless you have the VMI from the dealer which says they were replaced or some other info from the previous owners, assume that you have the older bolts. It's mentioned in other threads the engine number where it was fixed in case your car was on the borderline.

 

Please to share this link to a service bulletin from MB for anyone who is concerned about head bolt failure issue on the W211 E63.
Please refer https://www.datamb.com for engine number and vehicle information . Visit http://australiancar.reviews/_pdfs/M...tin_200901.pdf to cross check with the serial number of the engines affected by this issue.

 

When I clicked on the Bulletin, it doesn't refer to head bolt failure it refers to camshafts and lifters. Is it a different bulletin?