SteveAMG63

Hello, I am new to the forums and reaching out for some help locating a replacement Motor for my 2014 e63s. The car lost compression on 2 cylinders and now requires a motor replacement. I purchased the car a little less then a year ago and the Fidelity power train warranty, from the dealer, to cover engine failure, turbos, and transmission expecting some security in case of a failure. Unfortunately, failure occurred @66k miles and I reached out to Fidelity and I was initially pleased to hear they were going to cover the claim. However, Fidelity requires that the replacement motor must come with a 12 month / 12k mile warranty and that there is a financial cap on the policy for a one time claim which is the NADA value of the vehicle.That being said the Fidelity policy will only cover $32,000 of a $52,000 Mercedes factory replacement motor. This doesn't take into account the labor to R&R and tax that has to be paid. The Fidelity representative initially said they use LKQ to source replacement motors and only have 2 options a re-manufactured short block M157 motor available with 0 miles for $25k or the Mercedes direct replacement for $52k. When I asked the Fidelity representative for a build sheet on the motor, description or if the shop follows Mercedes Specs in the rebuild process he replied that he cannot provide vendor or build sheet information but it carries a warranty. I am not comfortable with the lack of information was wondering if anyone had a Low mile M157 motor available? is it possible to rebuild these? if so any recommendations of a shop? or I am just over thinking this? Any advice is appreciated! I am in Cleveland Ohio.

-Thank you in advance

CZ 75

What was the cause of the failure?

SteveAMG63

II was told there was no compression on cylinder #3 and the bore scope showed some scoring of the finish of the cylinder. They think maybe a valve let loose.

PeterUbers

https://mbworld.org/forums/ml63-amg-...nder-head.html

This may not apply or was already considered; good luck

also - any history on the car - used? Tuned? Maintenance schedule?

chassis

Sorry to hear, and hope you find a new engine and get back on the road soon with the AMG.

The M157 is a time bomb. Do not own without a warranty.

Faast

I have seen brand new motors or very low mileage ones here on the forum for around $15 - $18,000 + $5000 to R&R so what's the problem here?
Any high performance engine is tickling time bomb, name one high power motor from any marque that isn't?

Highline-Autos.com

Hey @SteveAMG63 we are Fidelity retailers and congratulations on purchasing the coverage, or else you'd really be in a world of financial hurt. One quick thing here, like all insurance, max payout is the value of the item being insured, so it is not that there is a cap on single claims, you're reaching the cap on the policy IN a single claim. Is sounds like there is a plan on the table to have a new motor put into your vehicle without any additional out of pocket by you, I'd run with it.

chassis

VAG 4.0VTT. Sad part about the MB story is, the lower-powered M278 also suffers the same issues as the M157.

SteveAMG63

Thank you Peter that's interesting!

jvakos

@SteveAMG63 what cylinders did you have the compression issues in? Did your dealer do the leak down test as well? From the info in this similar post that @PeterUbers shared (https://mbworld.org/forums/ml63-amg-...nder-head.html) it sounds like some ML63 / M157 owners who were able to leverage this MB Extended Warranty which came out specific to the exhaust valve/ring/cylinder head issues based on codes being present AND proof from a compression & leak down test. https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...-m278-m157.pdf

I realize you have a Fidelity extended warranty and they've offered you a claim option, but it might be worthwhile to also share with Fidelity the PDF of the MB Extended warranty for this issue and see what/IF you can get MB Warranty to cover in addition to what Fidelity has committed to.... maybe a long shot but something to explore.

sunil517

dealer replaced one head. I ask for both be done and they said no. It lasted until 98l when I trade it in with out an issue.
But your have cyl damage so a block is needed. I bet for 32k you can get a sleeved motor rebuilt with the best aftermarket has to offer and better motor than an OE M157

Highline-Autos.com

[QUOTE=jvakos;8838855IF you can get MB Warranty to cover in addition to what Fidelity has committed to.... maybe a long shot but something to explore.[/QUOTE]

At least 9 years out of Factory Warranty? Unlikely.

SteveAMG63

Today, Fidelity said there is a claim cap per individual claim. The cap is the Nada value of the car at the time of the loss $32,400. Moving forward they will continue to cover claims up to my purchase price of the car which was $49k less any previous claims. At that time the policy will reached its max payout and is over. This is what I have been told by various managers through this process.

The thing that doesn't feel right is that when I purchased the warranty from the dealer I was told it would cover a complete engine failure. That is the false sense of security I thought I purchased with this warranty. Come to find out when it failed, at no time, within the stipulations of the Fidelity warranty would this policy be able to cover the cost of a total engine failure. The replacement motor, R&R, sales tax the first day I owned the car would be more then the NADA value of the car. Additionally, Fidelity is mandating that any replacement motor come with a 12 month / 12k mile national parts and labor warranty from whatever supplier you use. Extremely tough puzzle to put together within their terms for this car and within their budget.

I am thankful they are covering $32,400 of the motor, but wish the process was as simple as the dealer made it seem. Buy the warranty if the engine, transmission, or turbos fail it will be covered. Its a bit misleading in a total failure situation and more accurate information should be given to the customers at the time of purchase to describe the claim process and its terms better.

PeterUbers

couldn't agree more

SteveAMG63

***ONE additional detail. If I cannot find a supplier who has a motor, is willing to give it a National 12month/12k mile parts/labor warranty, and then install it within the Fidelity budget I have to come out of pocket for the difference. If I cannot afford it and can not do the repair Fidelity just closes the claim. A repair has to be completed within their budget and terms for Fidelity to issue any payment.

SteveAMG63

john, I brought up the document with the dealer and they stated that it does not apply to my vehicle.

cotmfk

Sorry to OP for their situation. Thank you for updating the thread with your process. This is great information as to whether one of these warranties is really worth it or not.

Best of luck, and I hope that you are driving again, sooner than later.

PeterUbers

agreed - great info and he offered the reality of the scenario the isn't clear on purchase of a warranty at times

Faast

Doesn't make any sense as any performance motor, any ( M5/M6/AMG/Ferrari/Porsche and you name it) would cost more than $60,000 from the factory especially if Fidelity insists on 12 month/12k warranty, just doesn't make any sense.
Having said that, $32,000 ( give an take) would still get the motor rebuilt by a reputable mechanic,

Before I buy my next Fidelity, I for sure will confirm this point as it would be a big time NO NO to purchase one

PeterUbers

so it seems fidelity is stopping at the total value of the car currently - it's worth $32,400 - the car - so they are only able to give him the value of the car.

that said, it doesn't therefore make sense to consider fidelity if it's based on the value of the car not the cost of replacing a motor with the restrictions and requirements they are imposing unless you're willing to understand you'll eat about $20-30k in oop costs. And that still may be reasonable given how amazing the car is for the money and what it would have cost brand new (north of $100k)

E63SAMG2014

So the optimal option would be dealership direct replacement in which fidelity would surely pay out the 32K and pay out of pocket for 20k for the difference in motor plus labor/taxes. Yes?

E63SAMG2014

why does it not make sense to buy fidelity? If they are paying out 32K. Out of 5-6K warranty cost. Of course given the stipulation contracted by fidelity however that all can be ridden if it’s done at dealership with the direct replacement. Without rebuilding. It’s be scarce to find a shop that would be inclined to deal with this warranty mess and on top give out a national 12k12mo warranty on it.

PeterUbers

did you read my entire reply? 😊

the OP wasn't told he may have OOP expenses if "his engine died" rather he said he was essentially told that it would be totally covered. It may not have made sense for him to buy the warranty and the car as well if the warranty detail was clarified with him. He may have decided to buy a used super sedan based on the promise of a Fidelity warranty. Should he have to pushed more to find more detail on the warranty? caveat emptor - sure, probably but at some point we need to place some trust in the seller simply for the sake of efficiency and getting out of the dealership before dark.

I definitely see what you're saying and for a certain consumer it makes so much sense, and perhaps you can see my point as well.

kponti

These engines seem to be popping more and more as the cars exceed 50k miles.
Problem with MB is there aren't enough enthusiasts to teardown the engine and say for sure what's causing the failures, only speculation that seems like anecdotal evidence. We talk about weak rods on the 4.4l BMW engines, bad bearings on their inline 6s, etc etc..... but enough people have torn their engines apart to be able to isolate the issues and even the causes and even come up with torque levels that can cause these failures.
We are still guessing here in the MB world


Imo injectors or coils (and possibly errors in indexing plugs) are what are causing there failures. My misfires started with the Rentech tune after changing plugs at the dealership (done at the same time, 27k miles on the clock). Lots of knocking after eurocharged dyno tune (switched to eurocharged after Rentech was unable to fix random misfires, no misfire on eurocharged tune).
Popped engine a year and half and several revisions later.

Bad tunes of course wil cause failures for sure, but that's obvious. Not so obvious is why some engines tuned or stock, pop at that mileage

I.T. Guy

52k seems cheap - is it a Reman too?
I was quoted US $93k installed by a dealer in Ohio when my 212 popped I’ll try to dig it up