DannyXFL

No dealer involved. Bought from a friend of a friend. Seemed just fine, and the person was reputable, but what a mistake. I did take it back to the indy shop that looked it over a week before the sale and he looked to be in shock. He had done an oil change, inspection, changed some fluids and felt it was in good shape. He doubted what I was explaining until he got it on the lift and removed the bottom shield. It was plain to see even before he removed the shield, it was soaked. He told me to take it to MB because there had to be something serious and replacing the seal wouldn't be the root cause. I took it 2 days ago and they wanted $12,000. On top of that, they were worried there could be further damage to other seals. They wanted 28 hours of labor! They said they had seen one of these before. They confirmed it was the AOS mechanism that clogged and failed. They suggested it could have been from previous owner driving lightly, then new owner driving more aggressively. The car is stock and I did step in a few times on public roads, but nothing crazy, no tracks, and nothing I don't do in my Jeep! This will be a lesson I take with me forever. At this point I'm trying to take it to a reputable MB-only shop that's been around for 40 years in my area. I want to hear his opinion. Maybe the repair wouldn't be $12k and maybe there's someone who would want to take it over, knowing the situation. It's obvious MB dealership doesn't want to touch it.

bobblehead

mine was under $5,000 US with parts and labor

see post #88

Nearly 30 hrs labor is probably the consensus.

https://mbworld.org/forums/w213-amg/...failure-4.html

if you have the time, read thru this thread

DannyXFL

The more I've looked into this the more 30 hours seems right. Anyone with this car or anything similar needs to monitor the AOS/PCV system regularly. Lots of info online, but not related to this car. Seems to occur a lot in turbo European cars. There are simple ways to tell if it's going bad ex. Smoke in the exhaust, burst of pressure out the oil cap while running, and rough idle. Mine had none since the pressure had already founds its way out. I'm not sure if it can be the case that it suddenly fails without having been on the decline. Blown RMS is the last sign. If this system is faulty it can also encourage carbon build up on the intake valves. So, fix RMS, replace AOS system, do a walnut blast while at it? I'll have to see what the mechanic suggests.

bobblehead

For whatever the repair costs be, you should really ask that person to reimburse you in whole or at least split in portions.

I.T. Guy

From zero to completely soaked in a week it is unlikely the seller was able to “hide” it. **** happens. Fnd a $5k place instead of a $12k place and enjoy one of the best cars in the world.

SnoopLevine

Agreed.

OP - The previous owner screwed you. Time for new friends

HBerman

And this type of failure is the main reason that I'm trading in the 2021 E63S wagon before all of these issues crop up. RMS failures, oil ventilation, transmission breakdown, etc. Your luck at the roulette wheel as to which of these issues pop up. YMMV

theboogers

Who is the builder name on the engine?

Cylinder Head

iTrader: (1)

Old and new RMS parts could not be more different. Dowel rods eliminated, completely different materials. I think Merc royally screwed the old design, and I'd really like to know what model years have the new part.

chassis

Looks like the new one has a cost-reduced stamped steel carrier plate the the old one has a cast Al or Mg carrier plate.

Do you have a full view of the old part showing the entire bolt pattern?

sixfive

Not sure if these are worth anything or are telling part of the story of my ‘19 repair as I’m no mechanic, just thought I'll share …. I meant to put these pics in the other thread but its the same topic so . . .

SilverE5588

Thanks for the pics. Interesting design change. I'm looking at a 19' 63 now that had the rms done in june/2023. Taking it , it has the newer style rms . Hoping they did the separators as well . If not, wonder if this new style rms will hold up with clogged separators .

Surely alot on the road this way lol . I plan on changing them if they weren't regardless .

Inquired about a few in my search & found alot of these dealers are doing the rms w/o the separators. Guess it's just a matter of time in these cases.

HBerman

Good luck with the purchase. I would assume that the oil separators were replaced as well as the RMS. There does not appear to be a known operational issue that leads to the separators failure. It could just be dusty driving or some other road conditions that leads to the clogging. Not sure if the separators have a new p/n either.

zukmeister

Would more frequent oil changes prevent clogging?

I'm hoping that my 2023 has the new part for RMS because that's really the only thing in the back of my head making me concerned about this car long term

bobblehead

Oil/Air Separator - Mercedes-Benz (177-078-54-00) Left

Oil/Air Separator - Mercedes-Benz (177-078-55-00) Right

Still listed as the current part for our car. This is the same parts mine was replaced with earlier this year.

bobblehead

I changed mine at 5,000 miles since day 1 of ownership. Yet it failed at end of year 5 with 60,000 miles on the clock.

I.T. Guy

I'm hoping frequent Italian Tuneups are the solution.

PeterUbers

lol drive it like you stole it

DannyXFL

Hi Everyone. Oil leak has gotten the point I won't drive the car anymore. A friend who used to be a mechanic sent me to an independent shop. They looked up the book hours on rms replacement and it is 12 hours. They quoted me $1,500 for the labor. They are going to do some research on the AOS system replacement, so that will be more hours, but whatever the cost, it's probably 1/8 what MB is going to charge. It's a risk, but so is having MB fix it. They also looked up TSB info and said there are a large number of these and could have a recall with being so prevalent. Shop owner said he will never understand why german manufacturers use a cheap plastic part for such an important job of keeping oil out of the intake.

For anyone looking to buy this car, take a look at your bank account closely. You might make or have a lot of $$$$ but are you willing to spend it???? Haha, I got quoted $10k for front brake pads and rotors. MB says not to replace carbon rotors with pads, like you would on steel rotors, but will they tell me that or leave out that detail? You know the answer. Just a taste of what's in store for ya'!!!