Got my new E63s last week. Already needs $2500 intercooler
05-27-2018, 05:12 PM
#51
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W463 G550 / C190 GTC //prev: W204 C63 507 / R170
So I know all about "wear and tear", Im a seasoned highline car guy and know I must pay to play.. However, this issue is disheartening and I fear this to be a often reoccurring issue due to poor design.
A road pebble hit my intercooler and puntured it. Day 7 of ownership at 700 miles, still in the "break in" period. After seeing fluid and smelling leak I drove it straight to dealer. They let me know a rock had punctured intercooler already and I need to pay $2500 to fix it due to it being non-warranty part, like a damaged windshield or rim would be considered.
I asked my dealers GM to assist me, as I have a good relationship with him. He tried. I even contacted MB Headquaters and the "escalated" call to executive referral customer service, who offered me a $500 credit for repair.
Ok, thank you for the offer MB. I appreciate it. However, Im in sandy Charleston SC and we have pebbles amd debris as bad as anywhere. At this rate, we are potentially talking $9000 a month in non warranty repairs on my brand new car. Because without a permanent resolution, like a mesh insert to protect the intercoolers and components, this is going to happen over and over.
The critical components to the drive train should be well protected against reasonable road debris and wear and tear. Otherwise, you have a track only car.
Ive browsed the interwebs and mb forums and have seen this issue described and it seems this is reoccurring alot.
Is there a recommend fix that wont effect intercooler effeciency? Is there another method thats better to contact MB tech side to discuss a fix, not so much a hand out or free repair, but an actual preventative repair and will put my mind at ease? I travel each week to Charlotte and back and our Carolina roads are riddled with debris, requiring 3M paint protectant film on my other cars to keep front ends from getting sandblasted. So this adds another obstacle. What to do, what to do... On another note, looking forward to getting my downpipes and brabus ecu upgrade soon... Right after I invest in custom fab mesh inserts I guess :-/ .... Wish they had caught this, its gonna end up costing alot of new owners unexpected $$$... So goes the love/hate automotive relationship, and "Its Complicated"...
A road pebble hit my intercooler and puntured it. Day 7 of ownership at 700 miles, still in the "break in" period. After seeing fluid and smelling leak I drove it straight to dealer. They let me know a rock had punctured intercooler already and I need to pay $2500 to fix it due to it being non-warranty part, like a damaged windshield or rim would be considered.
I asked my dealers GM to assist me, as I have a good relationship with him. He tried. I even contacted MB Headquaters and the "escalated" call to executive referral customer service, who offered me a $500 credit for repair.
Ok, thank you for the offer MB. I appreciate it. However, Im in sandy Charleston SC and we have pebbles amd debris as bad as anywhere. At this rate, we are potentially talking $9000 a month in non warranty repairs on my brand new car. Because without a permanent resolution, like a mesh insert to protect the intercoolers and components, this is going to happen over and over.
The critical components to the drive train should be well protected against reasonable road debris and wear and tear. Otherwise, you have a track only car.
Ive browsed the interwebs and mb forums and have seen this issue described and it seems this is reoccurring alot.
Is there a recommend fix that wont effect intercooler effeciency? Is there another method thats better to contact MB tech side to discuss a fix, not so much a hand out or free repair, but an actual preventative repair and will put my mind at ease? I travel each week to Charlotte and back and our Carolina roads are riddled with debris, requiring 3M paint protectant film on my other cars to keep front ends from getting sandblasted. So this adds another obstacle. What to do, what to do... On another note, looking forward to getting my downpipes and brabus ecu upgrade soon... Right after I invest in custom fab mesh inserts I guess :-/ .... Wish they had caught this, its gonna end up costing alot of new owners unexpected $$$... So goes the love/hate automotive relationship, and "Its Complicated"...
You can’t just put a mesh in front of the grill opening - it will restrict airflow and you risk voicing your warranty. There is a reason they didn’t put a mesh in front of the radiator.
It was not a good design decision.
I’m now not sure if I should get the E63.
05-27-2018, 05:14 PM
#52
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W463 G550 / C190 GTC //prev: W204 C63 507 / R170
After reading this entry, got the Zunsport for my '15 GTS (just like yours). Very well made and easy to install. I received them in 3 business days from the UK with lots of communication from Zunsport to ensure I got them and was happy.
I will be putting these on the E63 whenever it shows up.
I will be putting these on the E63 whenever it shows up.
Why don’t you think Mercedes added one from the factory?
05-27-2018, 05:19 PM
#53
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W463 G550 / C190 GTC //prev: W204 C63 507 / R170
I just looked at my intercoolers and they ARE protected by a plastic grid. Almost looks like nothing is there and is not too apparent until you get up close or feel the surface. My production date was Nov 2017 second decade. Leaves still accumulate occasionally at the bottom of the opening, but the smaller stuff falls out through the opening at the bottom of the bumper. A mesh would be a good addition to stop the leaves.
I just looked at my intercoolers and they ARE protected by a plastic grid. Almost looks like nothing is there and is not too apparent until you get up close or feel the surface. My production date was Nov 2017 second decade. Leaves still accumulate occasionally at the bottom of the opening, but the smaller stuff falls out through the opening at the bottom of the bumper. A mesh would be a good addition to stop the leaves.
Then retrofit the old cars with the same MB parts. I would get MB HQ to pay.
05-27-2018, 07:20 PM
#54
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I'm sorry but both your premise and your warranty comment could not be more wrong ... this isn't to take a dig at you, it just should be noted so that no one takes either seriously.
05-27-2018, 07:52 PM
#55
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W463 G550 / C190 GTC //prev: W204 C63 507 / R170
I’m a former automotive engineer. Why should we take your comment credibly?
You are modifying the car if you place a partial obstruction in the path of the air. Good luck arguing why this didn’t violate your warranty if you have cooling issues!
You are modifying the car if you place a partial obstruction in the path of the air. Good luck arguing why this didn’t violate your warranty if you have cooling issues!
05-27-2018, 09:06 PM
#56
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Anyone who makes the blanket statement 'voiding your warranty' should be disqualified from having any opinion on the subject. That's not how warranties work, that's not the law, that's not the way customers interact with their service dept in the real world, and there's practically nothing that can void an entire warranty short of concurrently modifying every single aspect of a vehicle.
As far as engineering being the only variable as to why a manufacturer chooses to install or not to install any specific part on a vehicle, that statement is beyond ridiculous and makes me question the veracity of your statement that you were an automotive engineer. For if you were you would have been frustrated many a time by marketing or accounting adding or omitting parts that could improve vehicle performance. Not to mention legalities and standards that vary from region to region. Your reductionist argument of 'if it's not there it means it shouldn't be there' is absurdly wrong.
Anyway, it would take way more time and energy that I am willing to expend to go through all the errors in your reasoning and conclusions ... most people here thankfully have a grasp of this stuff, including the knowledge that manufactures often work hand in hand with aftermarket companies (think Callaway) ... in fact the fact that you should make your point on an AMG forum given the company's history makes even more risible. In any case, my comments aren't meant to get into a back and forth with you, they are for the benefit of the few who might take what you say to heart and base any decisions upon them.
You may have the last, and inevitably mistaken, word.
Last edited by soulsea; 05-27-2018 at 09:14 PM.
05-27-2018, 09:11 PM
#57
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W463 G550 / C190 GTC //prev: W204 C63 507 / R170
Won’t even justify this with any more wasted time typing. You obviously don’t get it. I thought AMG drivers were smarter. I guess not all.
The car was engineered without some aftermarket chicken wire restricting airflow.
Good luck getting cooling related repairs done under warranty.
The car was engineered without some aftermarket chicken wire restricting airflow.
Good luck getting cooling related repairs done under warranty.
05-27-2018, 09:50 PM
#58
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2019 E63S wagon; 2016 Landrover Landmark
I don't want to get in the middle of a quality internet pissing match, as I have other forums to pee in myself, but both sides have a point here IMO.
1.) Put some screen in place to protect intercoolers from road debris damage, and that will reduce the effectiveness of air intake temp reduction... sure.
2.) Or just leave the openings unobstructed and risk taking $2,500 hits each time a stone pops up off the tire in front of you on the highway. That is a tangible cost.
But if I go to Benz and say "hey my grocery-getter can't get under 3.5sec when I race launch it over and over to impress my buddies", and of course the dealer will blame the protective screening. And in few, if any cases would such screening cause mechanical failures (though dealers like to blame any alterations tangent to a mechanical failure).
I'm fighting an insurance company of a driver that went from a dead stop and rammed me while on my $8k Seven road bike to address the physical damage to my property. Additionally I'm still trying to getting Garmin to admitting the $1k power meter pedals they sold me and hundreds of other people are crap and a warranty or refund is due... the response from both offending partners has thusly been silence... I imagine anyone who owes you some sort of recompense without a quid pro quo will typically look to avoid responsibility. Benz seems to be doing as such with the exposed intercoolers too.
Cheers
1.) Put some screen in place to protect intercoolers from road debris damage, and that will reduce the effectiveness of air intake temp reduction... sure.
2.) Or just leave the openings unobstructed and risk taking $2,500 hits each time a stone pops up off the tire in front of you on the highway. That is a tangible cost.
But if I go to Benz and say "hey my grocery-getter can't get under 3.5sec when I race launch it over and over to impress my buddies", and of course the dealer will blame the protective screening. And in few, if any cases would such screening cause mechanical failures (though dealers like to blame any alterations tangent to a mechanical failure).
I'm fighting an insurance company of a driver that went from a dead stop and rammed me while on my $8k Seven road bike to address the physical damage to my property. Additionally I'm still trying to getting Garmin to admitting the $1k power meter pedals they sold me and hundreds of other people are crap and a warranty or refund is due... the response from both offending partners has thusly been silence... I imagine anyone who owes you some sort of recompense without a quid pro quo will typically look to avoid responsibility. Benz seems to be doing as such with the exposed intercoolers too.
Cheers
05-27-2018, 10:54 PM
#59
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W463 G550 / C190 GTC //prev: W204 C63 507 / R170
Totally agree with @24Hours. But hasn’t this issue been solved by MB with the 2018MY E63s? I read that they are now being manufactured with OEM intake grills.
So just buy those OEM parts and fit them to older cars. Problem solved (hopefully), and no worries about warranty violation because you haven’t modified the car.
Now, I would get MB to pay to retrofit the older cars!
i had a similar issue on my C63 507 (W204), where a rock tore a hole in the AC condenser. But the grills on my car are covered and the openings are not large. Perhaps this was just a fluke...
So just buy those OEM parts and fit them to older cars. Problem solved (hopefully), and no worries about warranty violation because you haven’t modified the car.
Now, I would get MB to pay to retrofit the older cars!
i had a similar issue on my C63 507 (W204), where a rock tore a hole in the AC condenser. But the grills on my car are covered and the openings are not large. Perhaps this was just a fluke...
05-28-2018, 05:30 AM
#60
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I will contact AMG in Affalterbach and get back to you with a final response regarding this issue.
These theoretical debates are not useful.
These theoretical debates are not useful.
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24Hours (05-28-2018)
05-28-2018, 01:36 PM
#61
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2018 S560 and 2019 E450 Wagon.
I have a friend about to get a new 2018 E63 Wagon, it is on the boat right now. I'll let you all know if it has the new grills over the intercoolers, I have the feeling it will. If so as was said I'd think it would be possible to get that part number and install it, I would argue at the parts dept at the dealer that it should be No Charge as it should have been there already. I might speak to my original salesman about this too when the part number does become available. What I put on my car is just Temporary, I know it does not offer 100 percent protection, maybe like 75 percent protection, but its better than nothing.
05-28-2018, 07:32 PM
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2024 AMG EQE SUV , 2021 E63S Wagon - gone, 2018 E63S Sedan - gone
I have a friend about to get a new 2018 E63 Wagon, it is on the boat right now. I'll let you all know if it has the new grills over the intercoolers, I have the feeling it will. If so as was said I'd think it would be possible to get that part number and install it, I would argue at the parts dept at the dealer that it should be No Charge as it should have been there already. I might speak to my original salesman about this too when the part number does become available. What I put on my car is just Temporary, I know it does not offer 100 percent protection, maybe like 75 percent protection, but its better than nothing.
Speaking of bad design, my car also came with Pirelli P2 tires which are some of the noisiest on rough road surfaces that I've ever encountered. Also, my car was delivered in Feb with temperatures averaging here in NC around 35 degrees F. The Pirelli tire warranty states that it is null and void if you operate the tires on a vehicle below 45 degrees F so basically, I drove away from my dealership delivery with an unsafe and potentially hazardous condition (no disclosure from the dealer or MBUSA of course). I've since swapped out these for Michelin PS4's which are much quieter and handle better (gas mileage went up a bit too).
Last edited by HBerman; 05-29-2018 at 08:08 AM.
05-28-2018, 09:40 PM
#64
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This is unfortunate and seems to be a design flaw. Same thing happened to Schmee’s GTR on YouTube.
You can’t just put a mesh in front of the grill opening - it will restrict airflow and you risk voicing your warranty. There is a reason they didn’t put a mesh in front of the radiator.
It was not a good design decision.
I’m now not sure if I should get the E63.
05-29-2018, 12:57 AM
#65
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2018 E63S AMG
Debris large enough to puncture an intercooler is not limited to the track.
See https://mbworld.org/forums/w213-amg/...ml#post7373876
I'd certainly like to see some additional protection . . .
See https://mbworld.org/forums/w213-amg/...ml#post7373876
I'd certainly like to see some additional protection . . .
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ronin amg (05-29-2018)
05-29-2018, 01:34 PM
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2014 C63 Edition 507
There is an on-line chat session with the AMG Private Lounge/MB USA staff tomorrow evening at 9:00 pm eastern. This would be a good topic to raise there. Details are on the PL site.
05-29-2018, 05:56 PM
#67
Super Member
Which is why I'm asking if there are more cases of punctured intercoolers on the site, easier to get some responses if it's more than just one or two customers.
