Hello all! New here from Louisiana. I currently drive this 2009 Sierra Denali 6.2





I am about to sell it to a good friend, as i no longer have use for a truck. I have really been eyeing the 2010-11 e63's, looking for an affordable one yet in great condition. I discovered this one in Houston, and am going to look at it this weekend. I felt like coming here to ask you guys- is 102k miles too much for a well maintained e63? Im used to high mileage vehicles and their quirks... My Denali i just posted has 200k on it and my truck before was nearing 300k with pretty much all original drivetrain/paint/interior/etc. This said e63 is a very good price in my opinion... $27,850. http://www.abzmotors.com/web/used/Me...exas/27409014/

The Carfax shows it was in houston most of the time, and has every bit of service done at mercedes of north houston. I called the dealer, supposedly the owner was very picky about it and just wanted to sell it once it got out of the 100k mile warranty. It had the headliner removed for a loose bolt in the pano roof early on, and then the radio knob was replaced. Is this something i should jump on, or run far away from? I am pretty mechanically inclined so working on this vehicle myself could be made into a somewhat fun learning process.
thanks guys

 

Read about the various known problems on the headbolts, tappets, etc for the M156 engine on this and the C63 forum to get an idea about venturing toward this car.

 

+1. I've decided never to purchase a car with the m156 engine. That's because I am partial to forced induction, but also because they break too often, generally in impressively expensive ways.
I suggest browsing through these mbworld threads before looking at the car: https://www.google.com/#q=mercedes+m...te:mbworld.org You may want to save that trip to Houston.

 

Yes, he is correct to an extent on this. I know the 2010 models for sure was having headbolt issues, not all. So def look to see if that was dealt with or listen or look for it happening now with the vehicle.


Yes, forced induction is great. But the m156 does not break too often, unless you are abusing your car.

I have a 2011 e63 and never have I ran into major issues. My car is well kept and driven how an amg is suppose to be driven. Mix of track and street. Biggest cost I have had was rotors and breaks. But yes, its your opinion.



My car has 49k miles, I love the m156 N.A motor. To me, its more reliable than the bi turbo in the long run and less expensive with repairing. But I will be going with the 4matic e63 soon with warranty. If you are to get any AMG vehicle I suggest with a warranty unless you're a mechanic and work on your own cars.

Good luck and make sure you thoroughly check any car before purchase. ESPECIALLY AN AMG !!!

 

yeah i will for sure scope the car out as best i can. I just have owned american made cars all my life, i love the quality of these vehicles. Not only that but the e63 has such a beastly powerplant. I mean my Denali im in has a 6.2 with around 410 crank hp, but it sounds nothing like the m156. I do literally nothing but highway driving so getting 15mpg MAX in an all time 4wd 6.2 liter 4 door truck is kind of silly. A car is so much more practical for what i do. IN the future though, i will buy another truck, but one under $5000 or so, so that i can actually treat it like a truck and not baby it like i do my Denali. I appreciate the links though guys, have been scrounging through them at work.

So say i buy this thing and want to prevent this issue from coming up. Whats a ballpark figure on just replacing the head bolts? As in preventing the problem

 

Without a warrantee on a car that is this expensive to work on and parts your taking a huge gamble, if the engine needs to be pulled apart your looking at over 15 grand or more, so your 27K investment becomes a 42K investment still worth 27K. My suggestion look for a 2012 with low mileage and the good 157 engine and get it with a warrantee and try and purchase a extended warranty. Always want to try and keep these cars under warrantee as long as possible. They are great cars, but just expensive as hell to work on if your paying cash, with these cars warrantees make a lot of sense. I'd think for between 40 and 50K you could get yourself a good 2012 e63 amg sedan and have a lot more fun with it too with the turbo's.

 

Something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-Ben...m=301835958189


try to get the car for 46K and then throw down another 5 grand to extend the factory warrantee another 3 years. If you can't afford something like this I'd just keep your truck if I were you, it looks real clean and maybe you get another 100K miles out of it.

 

man id love to have something like that but it is just out of my price range... 40k or so would be my absolute max at this point in my life

 

Anybody that knows these cars will tell you that buying a used AMG with 102K miles on it is crazy unless you are a AMG repair guy, if that's the case and you can tear down a motor or trans yourself, go for it. If not maybe get something like a Camaro SS for under 30 grand.

 

I bought a 2010 E63 with 98k on it in November. It had a good Carfax report and I had it inspected at a Euro Shop. Only been about two months so far but it's doing just fine. I'll actually hit 100k on the drive home from work today.

 

after 100K it's just a death march w/o extended warranty. i'd stay the h away.

or, from now on, everyone should just ask about pricing and INCLUDE the extended warranty cost.

 

Walk away and go for a 2011 or newer and get a warranty. Find one with no more than 60,000 miles but try to find one with about 30,000 miles and factory warranty left and buy Mercedes extended warranty with it.

 

On another note I'm amazed how good the body looks on your truck with all those miles, unless it's a older picture. The way those custom tires stick out so far, I'd think you'd have a lot of chips from stones and road debris all the up and down the sides of the truck. I would definitely want big mud flaps with a setup like that. I'd be tempted to take something like that off road and without the mud flaps it would be a mess.

 

I think im going to go look at it, and take an oil sample to send in to see if there are any traces of coolant. Is the problem something that could be slowing starting, or is this something that becomes apparent very quickly? I really dont know what to do at this point. I want one of these things SO bad and have a buyer for my truck.. but can't get into something like this and chance the engine going out on me.


That pic of my truck is pretty current. I NEVER get offroad or else my paint would be done for. When it rains the roadfilm is ridiculous... cant even drive through a puddle without it being all down the side of it.





It used to sit like this, before i got the new wheels. It also had the original 1/2 ton/1500 front end on it, before i swapped it out to the 2500HD Denali grille and bumper








OH and while im in my photobucket, saw this in a mercedes dealer about a week ago and could not believe it. 190 evoII with 800 original miles. Pristine.

 

Wow that 190 is unreal

 

I kinda like your truck better with the stock wheels, well that's just me. That is a sweet truck. If I did not have much money and were in your shoes I'd want both vehicles and not spend a lot of money. What I'd do is get something like this http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invento...ting=127463827 and find a good European car mechanic other than the dealer when I needed him. People that have these cars love them and what the heck it's cheap money so you got a lot of room for repairs when needed and keep the truck. I've read lots of good things about these cars, they are torque monsters and I think they look cool and this one appears to be in good shape, just make sure it was not in a wreck. The dealers had the car over 2 months so who knows maybe you can pick it up for 11,500 or so with a little negotiation.

 

Have you owned a performance luxury car in the past? I am asking this because you do know that maintenance on these is expensive. For instance the front brake rotors cost from 800.00 to 1200.00 dollars each. Good brake pads are 200.00 to 300.00 for the front. Transmission service which is required every 40,000 miles is 400.00 to 500.00. Even oil an change cost double of what a normal car's oil change cost. And at 100k miles its due for some major maintenance including plugs, brake fluid flush and possibly transmission service, rear oil change, etc. The e63 m156 engine holds almost 10 quarts of oil and IMO OEM filters are a must and most tire shops cannot do an alignment on the E63. If you are prepared to Pay to Play then go for an E63. FYI, I love my E63 beast, its sooo much fun, but I have other cars and most days I am in my AWD Yukon XL Denali and the wife is in the Genesis.

 

I'm surprised at all the doomsday scenarios folks are suggesting. If the car checks out mechanically and drives as it should it might be worth the gamble. Houston is a big city and it's not uncommon for people to have 60-80 mile round-trip commutes. Add in miles for errands, etc and it adds up quickly. As we all know, highway miles don't do much harm.
I'd sooner trust an immaculate car with miles from a picky owner/enthusiast than a mystery low-miler. However, that's assuming you know the owner or at least can meet them face-to-face. This is from a used car dealer so you would want to perform your due diligence. The rims don't do much for it but otherwise it looks great in the pics.
With any out-of-warranty high-end car, be prepared to put money aside for inevitable repairs.

 

Not doom and gloom, just trying to be realistic. There is a non-zero chance that any m156 will need a $10k engine repair. We're not sure exactly what that chance is, let's say 5%. Maybe you're ok with those odds, maybe not. Doesn't matter it's personal interest and opinion. But either way you need to be able to afford the repair if it happens, and you need alternate transportation while the car is in the shop for several weeks. It's worth mentioning because a brand new crate engine for most cars is a fraction of that cost, so an uniformed buyer would never be prepared for the risk of a five figure repair.

Other stuff like brake rotors and tires is just normal running costs for an AMG. Again, not doom and gloom, it's just being educated. An awesome AMG isn't much fun if you can't afford to keep it on the road.

By far the most likely outcome is that the car will be fine and we'll have another AMG addict on our hands. That's great, but not a reason to ignore any potential downsides.

 

To the OP, you have to remember most on here DO NOT work on their vehicles themselves. Especially not to the extent you have on your past cars. And as far as most here are concerned, if the car is out of warranty, it is pretty much done for.

I had a 55 with almost 140k miles before I traded her in. Made over 490rwhp up from ~380rwhp stock. I will have spent almost as much money on the 63 (Biturbo) in the short time I have had it than on the 55 in the years I had her....that should tell you something. However I did do a lot of the work on the 55 myself

 

I was actually looking at the e55 a while back, but man the interior KILLS me. FOr looking at that generation, i like the e39 M5 better. My dad had one that he kept in flawless condition and it was a great car.

I do understand and accept the high high maintenance costs. That itself doesn't bother me. This headbolt issue is the only thing keeping me from this car. That, and obviously if i get down there and it is not in perfect condition in my eyes. Im dying to get in an AMG, but not to the point where i will settle for a ticking time bomb that will cost me thousands, maybe tens of thousands to keep on the road. My daily commute to work is only 20 miles or so round trip Monday-Friday. SO i wouldnt be just racking up miles like i did on my Denali. I used to go to college 60 miles round trip every day and then worked mobile, constantly driving my truck around. So this car wont see that kind of action.

I try to do as much of my maintenance work as i can. In fact i have NEVER brought any of my vehicles into a dealership, just a few times to a shop i trusted. But alot of that is simply because of how bad they try to get to you, the GM dealers around here at least.

I will go and check the car out i suppose. Supposedly the pads and front rotors were replaced in October. Im not crazy about the wheels either, in fact i wish it had the stock wheels on there. I will eventually put wheels on it if i get it. I would just tint it, lower it very slightly, and put some nice 20's on there. I have no clue about modifying cars though as i have always had trucks.

I have a buddy ready to pay a little over payoff for my truck, and i have a 2000 chevy impala that i got for free pretty much, it had TONS wrong with it when i got it. Hole in radiator, no headlights, needed fender and hood, no windows worked, no a/c, no dash lights, etc. I fixed everything on it, It just needs paint on the hood and fender then i will sell it to make a good bit of money off it. SO im ready to buy one of these e63's, i just REALLY want to make sure it wont be a rolling nightmare.

 

it's not that AT ALL.

most of the problems you can't just "work on it themselves". the squeaking steering during cold requires new strut top bearings. This on a car that's not even 5 years old.

others involve transmission / shifting /keyless go problems. htf you gonna just put that on the jacks in your garage and "fix it"?

we're not just talking about brakes and oil changes here. that you can obviously do on your own, but the OEM rotors on the E63 is something like $1000 dollars online.

 

Hmm blown head gaskets....changed on jackstands in garage a few times. Pull trans for clutch, yep jackstands and garage. Pull auto trans for rebuild (shipped off the trans), check!
Keyless go problem on my E55, no jackstands, fixed with replacing handles. Strut bearings would be what??? Less than $100 per side? The 3 joints on the E55 went bad pretty frequently, replaced over a weekend without much hassle. Motor mounts were a 20-80k ordeal (some went faster than others), also done in my garage. Fuel pumps and fuel sending units take about an hour each to replace on the E55

Those shift and trans problems you are talking about are a manufacturer defect and most of them cannot be fixed. Some cars have it, others do not. If he test drives the car he can easily figure that out

 

You really sound like you want this car and i can sympathize completely. Do some research in these forums (these guys are awesome and there's a ton info), go check out the car thoroughly in person and then go with your gut. I bought my e63(157) sight-unseen from TX and had it shipped to CA but it only had 20k mi on it and was still under warranty. 100k is a lot of miles and it's like a dollar bill... who knows where it's been or how it's been treated, so get a feel for what you're about to get into. Also, I still wrench on my truck but there's no way I will try to work on my e63. Thankfully my MB dealer is 1.5mi down the road and I was prepared to spend money on maintenance when I decided to buy it. BTW, the tires I just put on were $500 each and I expect to incur this expense every two years which I planned for... for some, this is an annual cost of owning an e63. I forgot to add... sweet truck.

 

Cars like this become affordable due to depreciation, and especially after warranties run out. Unfortunately, the cost of maintenance and repair remains the same as new cars and those factors are what made the ownership of them after warranty a potential nightmare.

A NA unit like the M156 should have been more reliable than a forced-induced one if it wasn't for all those problems in the engine head. It's just sad that MB would not go in to clean up all those known problems and make M156 an otherwise bullet-proof engine. The headbolts issue is a time bomb that can go off at anytime and not dependent on how long and how hard you drive it. In the past few days there is a guy reported on the C63 forum about the headbolts issue showing up in his CL63 with well over 100K miles--the cost of repair sounds prohibitive. Of course, there are other things like cam wear that continue to be found even on recently built M156 engines.

Another thing worth noting is the airmatic problem that affect cars with build-date as late as end 2011--once you notice in the morning the rear wheel inner arches are sitting on the rear wheels, it's too late and it's time to flatbed it to the dealer for some major hit on the wallet. As you can see...there are lots of little things like these, and they all cost quite a bit.