When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Looking into buying a 2014 E63S with around 85K miles. Around 75K, the vehicle had the dreaded issue of the camshaft hall sensor leaking into the wiring harness. At the time, the hall sensors were replaced, but the wiring harness itself wasn’t replaced as oil hadn’t run through the whole harness yet. Solenoids were checked as well and we’re fine. The owner had the new sensors checked again at his last service 5K miles ago, and they were fine / not leaking.
My question with this is that 2 years and 10K miles later, the owner still has had no issues and it runs fine. I’m just a little worried given service docs stated that the harness itself wasn’t replaced, even though oil was leaking into it. Is this a ticking time bomb, or is it a non-issue given the harness wasn’t wet through, the sensors were replaced, and it’s been running fine for 2 years 10K miles. Let me know your thoughts.
More than the cam sensors leak oil:
- oil pump solenoid
- magnets
were these addressed as well? Were they replaced?
The will need a thorough re-inspection and check the pins of the ecu for oil. If the harness is dry and the leak sites are dry (or pigtails were interpositioned between the harness and sensors) then you are no better off or worse off than any of us, so continue to consider this car and keep going through the m157 checklist of possible issues.
More than the cam sensors leak oil:
- oil pump solenoid
- magnets
were these addressed as well? Were they replaced?
The will need a thorough re-inspection and check the pins of the ecu for oil. If the harness is dry and the leak sites are dry (or pigtails were interpositioned between the harness and sensors) then you are no better off or worse off than any of us, so continue to consider this car and keep going through the m157 checklist of possible issues.
Thanks for the reply and sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Per the owner (who is an MB tech and sent me all records), only the hall sensors were replaced, and the magnets and oil pump solenoid were not replaced. The vacuum pump was however replaced. The car has seemingly been extremely well maintained per the records the owner has shared, but these two points (magnets, solenoid) are giving me a bit of fear.
I did ask the owner about the sensors, mags, and harness as a whole, and he noted that only the hall sensors were replaced since oil hadn't made its way through the harness. He also confirmed no oil at the ECU side, and that the solenoids were fine at the time, and everything has been good for the last 10K miles. He checked again at his last service 7K miles ago and noted all associated parts were fine.
The "oil in harness" is easy to spot at the CPS + ECU, right?
The big deal is to get a cylinder bore scope inspection. The result speaks to the engine longevity after purchase.
I do have a question on the "oil in harness" issue though. From records and the owner's words, the one I'm looking at had some oil actually get into the harness previously. How much of an issue is it that the harness now has oil in it? For example, is that residual oil going to lead to issues down the line?
Cylinder borescope inspection was performed and cylinders look good. This specific E63 also does fall under the extended warranty which covers the exhaust valve assembly, cylinder heads, and head gaskets.
What is your risk tolerance? What's your car "background" - what have you owned and which cars were high maintenance?
do you want used Camry reliability out of this car - you won't find that here. You should be prepared to pay $5000-10000 in repairs over the course of a 4-5 year ownership in unexpected issues that could go as high as $30,000 if you need a new engine. If you don't even want that possibility then walk away from this and any m157 car.
However, statistically this is unlikely to happen to you and can you find another used car that meets your needs an desires more than this one?
What is your risk tolerance? What's your car "background" - what have you owned and which cars were high maintenance?
do you want used Camry reliability out of this car - you won't find that here. You should be prepared to pay $5000-10000 in repairs over the course of a 4-5 year ownership in unexpected issues that could go as high as $30,000 if you need a new engine. If you don't even want that possibility then walk away from this and any m157 car.
However, statistically this is unlikely to happen to you and can you find another used car that meets your needs an desires more than this one?
good luck.
Risk tolerance is pretty high--I have a Z4M with BMW's wonderful S54, which is a beauty of an engine but also has its fair share of issues. Other than that, owned a number of other cars in the past 5 years that have been mixed bags reliability wise, but the Z4M takes the cake on worst reliability as much as I love it.
Camry reliability is far from expected with any car I own / would like to own, but the M157 seems to have various different points that could definitely cause some level of financial hurt. Also seems to be that the warranty piece may not be a saving grace given the cost of repair in the case of catastrophic damage. $5K-$10K over 5 years is no issue, $30K for an engine on the other hand would be an issue. Seems I'll have to do some self-reflection and figure this one out. As much as I love the car, some stones are better left unturned I suppose. Could potentially go the route of holding off for a little, and buying something M177-powered that's potentially CPO, in a few months time.
If you are willing to pay for a warranty and go through the potentially arduous process to hopefully get a repair covered, this might be for you. It’s not for me. I would avoid M157 engined vehicles.
I do have a question on the "oil in harness" issue though. From records and the owner's words, the one I'm looking at had some oil actually get into the harness previously. How much of an issue is it that the harness now has oil in it? For example, is that residual oil going to lead to issues down the line?
Cylinder borescope inspection was performed and cylinders look good. This specific E63 also does fall under the extended warranty which covers the exhaust valve assembly, cylinder heads, and head gaskets.
> Gamble :
The harness is known to be already oiled up... what's coming won't be a surprised, will it?
The variable is what % chance to need the associated $10k harness/ECU replacement???
I see that 75% chance to happen.
> Cylinders:
Glad they got inspected at some point. It's up to you to trust or question someone's words. I would not mind asking visual evidence and mileage specifics and individual cylinder details. The truth can get misrepresented with great talents.
I give 60% chance this engine has a cylinder condition... they all do. Even I had stuck rings. A salesman saying no-no-no doesn't make unsustained claims any more true.
An engine being $30k... whom do you trust when your checkbook is open???
Ask for evidence or a meaningful discount if you are satisfied with the engine block condition.
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; Jan 23, 2024 at 04:34 PM.
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
Gotta ask why the owner is selling a car that has been lovingly cared for. And if the owner was a Mercedes mechanic, how long has he owned it? Does he get cars with a problem, buy them cheap, fix them enough to be sold, and sell them? Is he selling for a good price? Can you get a Vehicle Service Contract (e.g., extended warranty) on the car? @Highline-Autos.com sells warrantees from a couple of different companies. Fidelity Warranty Services and Endurance Warranty Services have good reputations.
Risk tolerance is pretty high--I have a Z4M with BMW's wonderful S54, which is a beauty of an engine but also has its fair share of issues. Other than that, owned a number of other cars in the past 5 years that have been mixed bags reliability wise, but the Z4M takes the cake on worst reliability as much as I love it.
Camry reliability is far from expected with any car I own / would like to own, but the M157 seems to have various different points that could definitely cause some level of financial hurt. Also seems to be that the warranty piece may not be a saving grace given the cost of repair in the case of catastrophic damage. $5K-$10K over 5 years is no issue, $30K for an engine on the other hand would be an issue. Seems I'll have to do some self-reflection and figure this one out. As much as I love the car, some stones are better left unturned I suppose. Could potentially go the route of holding off for a little, and buying something M177-powered that's potentially CPO, in a few months time.
the big piece for the m177 will be the RMS failures that run $8-10k to fix and may recur within the ownership of the car
I'd part ways with my 2014 e63s with 32k for the right price. Currently in winter storage, no issues what so ever,all cam sensors and cam magnets replaced even tho they never leaked, also added the harnesses just incase. Honestly just looking to get out of a car loan and possibly buy something cash out in the future. Pm me if interested
Last edited by Mojo20032004; Jan 24, 2024 at 07:25 AM.
My question with this is that 2 years and 10K miles later, the owner still has had no issues and it runs fine. I’m just a little worried given service docs stated that the harness itself wasn’t replaced, even though oil was leaking into it. Is this a ticking time bomb, or is it a non-issue given the harness wasn’t wet through, the sensors were replaced, and it’s been running fine for 2 years 10K miles. Let me know your thoughts.
It's most likely a non-issue but you would be wise to get the ECU plugs removed and checked for traces of oil, including the ECU pins (super easy to remove the plugs). Then you'll know how bad the problem is, or otherwise.
My M157 ECU had traces of oil (57k miles) on the larger plug and pins, so my harness has oil in it for sure, big deal. I cleaned up the plug and pins and replaced all sensors/magnets (also recently disconnected the oil pump solenoid connection). Since then no oil has returned to the ECU, but I check every 3 months to be safe. After reading your post I re-checked all sensor/magnet connectors. Absolutely no oil to be found and the engine runs like a dream.
The cam sensors and magnet solenoids are present and basically every Mercedes model that is been made in the last 15 years, they will all develop a leak.
I would personally rather buy one from a person who was paying attention and caught them before the oil went to the ECU rather than from somebody who has never checked.
Another way to say this, is if you're worried about oil in your harness, don't buy a Mercedes go buy a BMW that you have to replace the rod bearings in LOL.
As long as the oil never made it to the ecu, I would have no hesitation buying or owning a car that had a little bit of oil in the sensors. Personally I would avoid a tuned car, and at minimum I would scope the front two cylinders.
Mine at 45,000 miles had a trace of oil in seven of the eight culprits. I immediately address them all and added the sacrificial harnesses to make sure it never happened again.
After reading through this thread and the replies.....I'd skip the car.....a tech is going to say exactly what you want to hear, too many cars out there to worry about something like that. A 2014 AMG has no doubt been driven hard over the years, who really knows what was done, what will need to be done and how the car will perform in the future.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
