C63 AMG - Bad batch of engines!

[kamalpatel12448]

Hi folks,

Just wanted to share something I learnt today and was wondering if owners could share experience on this...

Apparently, there is a batch of C63 engines that have serious problems - symptoms are they drink more oil and water than usual. I've just heard about this from an indy and in this case the car was replaced by MB Watford after 4 engine rebuilds. This applies to 08 plate C63's and I am led to believe there is a MB Technical Service Bulletin that states the batch of engine numbers.

Q1. C63 owners how much oil/water are your cars drinking?
Q2. Anyone heard of this before?
Q3. Can anyone lay there hands on the MB TSB and share the batch of engine numbers so members here can check they don't fall foul of what appears to be a major problem?

So far I am all good on the C63 but I do want wouldn't to travel the journey I just heard about as I would be .

Thanks in advance,
K

 

[topliner]

c63 Broken headbolt

Hi, don't know if the following has any connection with the C63 engine faults but I cause to visit the local dealers with an ongoing problem with my car on several occasions and the first time I went in I could see a C63 in the workshop being worked on on my last visit about a month later I noticed the same car in the same place with the bonnet still up, being nosey I commented that the car had been there sometime to which the service receptionist said " yes the customer complained of coolant loss, normally after preliminary checks and no cause is found the car would be shipped back to Germany but in this case Mercedes have instructed us to strip the engine and the technician found a broken headbolt".

 

[urquattrogus]

Oh dear.

Just found this post. My fathers C63 has just gone into a Mercedes dealer at 27,000 miles. In the past he has complained about excessive engine oil use, but had been told that it was within tollerances and that "they all do that sir"

It has been smoking quite a bit under hard load from the exhausts.

Now he has coolant loss, and put his foot down saying that surely they must check the engine.


In the end they were quite cagey about it, and said they wanted to have the car for a few "checks". He probed more and they elluded to a cylinder head bolt tightness etc that needs to be checked.

Now the latest is that he cannot have the car back, they have put an endoscope down the bores and can see that the coolant has got in there and washed the carbon from the head and started to wash the bores, they are now awaiting instruction from mercedes benz.


This is pretty dissapointing as one of the many reasons he bought the car was that there should be compartively little to go wrong.... He will hope to keep this car to at least 80,000 miles.

The car is an estate version, and one of the very first Performance Pack Plus cars, he has a personalised plate, so I cant remeber exactly how old it is, but I think it arrived in early 2010. He recorded 27,000 miles so far.

He was offered an A class as a coutesy car which he turned dowm and thought wasn't really good enough after spending £60k.

This is all a bit worryimng really, If they rebuild the engine I'm not convinced that it will ever be quite right! what about when it's out of warranty!?

The ideal would be that they replace the unit, but knowing how expensive that probably is, it doesn't seem very likely.

Has anyone else had this, and does anyone know more info about the service bulletins/actions that have been taken in the past.

Any other advice?

Thanks

 

[whitenemesis]

"Bad batch" ?

I thought AMG engines were hand built by a single technician, or was that in the past?

 

[cleverdicky]

"Bad batch" ?

I thought AMG engines were hand built by a single technician, or was that in the past?

Hand built on a production line.
Surely you've seen the news about the bail out in Greece? Where do you think the Germans will find the money to pay for for it. Cut backs!

 

[whitenemesis]

[YOUTUBE]q7yrRh8xeek[/YOUTUBE]

 

[cleverdicky]

Nice vid but hardly 'hand built'. Even the head bolts were machined in. And who knows where those castings came from.

If they have a whole batch that's dodgy, my guess is one of the suppliers trying to get a way with using cheap parts.

 

[whitenemesis]

I think the point is one man does all the ops. Getting a machine to torque down bolts is probably a step forward. Hopefully the tech is second checking the values, printouts.

Against total robotic assembly where the engine isn't checked until assembly is complete?

 

[jberks]

The ideal would be that they replace the unit, but knowing how expensive that probably is, it doesn't seem very likely.

Has anyone else had this, and does anyone know more info about the service bulletins/actions that have been taken in the past.

Any other advice?

Thanks

You have to see what they come up with. If the engine is defective then I'd fully expect it to be replaced with a new unit. Knowing MB I'd expect them to do this without question. Cost is irrelevant, especially as the engine cost to you or I bears no relation to the internal cost to MB.
They're usually pretty good with these things (regularly replacing £1500 braking systems in 7 year old E classes for nothing) so in the first instance, I'd trust them to sort it out.

 

[Roxie]

Apparently it is normal for these engines to use oil, but if you use more than 0.8 litres over 1000 kilometers then MB will replace the pistons. That's 620 Miles to me.

So it looks like there may be a Known problem.

 

[whitenemesis]

Apparently it is normal for these engines to use oil, but if you use more than 0.8 litres over 1000 kilometers then MB will replace the pistons. That's 620 Miles to me.

So it looks like there may be a Known problem.

References would be good? Any tech docs?

 

[kamalpatel12448]

Oh dear.

Just found this post. My fathers C63 has just gone into a Mercedes dealer at 27,000 miles. In the past he has complained about excessive engine oil use, but had been told that it was within tollerances and that "they all do that sir"

It has been smoking quite a bit under hard load from the exhausts.

Now he has coolant loss, and put his foot down saying that surely they must check the engine.


In the end they were quite cagey about it, and said they wanted to have the car for a few "checks". He probed more and they elluded to a cylinder head bolt tightness etc that needs to be checked.

Now the latest is that he cannot have the car back, they have put an endoscope down the bores and can see that the coolant has got in there and washed the carbon from the head and started to wash the bores, they are now awaiting instruction from mercedes benz.


This is pretty dissapointing as one of the many reasons he bought the car was that there should be compartively little to go wrong.... He will hope to keep this car to at least 80,000 miles.

The car is an estate version, and one of the very first Performance Pack Plus cars, he has a personalised plate, so I cant remeber exactly how old it is, but I think it arrived in early 2010. He recorded 27,000 miles so far.

He was offered an A class as a coutesy car which he turned dowm and thought wasn't really good enough after spending £60k.

This is all a bit worryimng really, If they rebuild the engine I'm not convinced that it will ever be quite right! what about when it's out of warranty!?

The ideal would be that they replace the unit, but knowing how expensive that probably is, it doesn't seem very likely.

Has anyone else had this, and does anyone know more info about the service bulletins/actions that have been taken in the past.

Any other advice?

Thanks

Very sorry to hear of this trouble you're father is having with his C63. I think there are various comments on Oil use and there are specified tolerances. I believe the give away is the excessive use of coolant. I suspect the problem hasn't happened overnight for your father so I would accept nothing less than a replacement engine assuming the car is in warranty, out warranty will be challenging, but I would demand the same.

Also, to be clear, I've only heard of one C63 going through this before and MB replaced the car, yes the car, not just the engine.

I believe the answer to the problem is diplomacy, perseverance and escalation to MB UK as I'm sure it will be necessary. Eventually, I'm sure MB will do the right thing.

Good luck - do keep us posted and if you need support the forum is here for you!

Kamal

 

[kamalpatel12448]

References would be good? Any tech docs?

It is in the C63 MB Manual that comes with the car. To be honest a good C63 will never use anything close to the tolerance stated. So far my 63 has required a 1 litre per year of top up, many say post 15k miles this typically goes down. I've just passed 16k so we'll see.

 

[WG M-B]

There is an issue with a batch of 63 engines.
A very good friend of mine had a 63. Mb could not cure it and after x2 engine strip downs at the local dealer. They could not resolve it.
So they supplied him with another 63, and guess what?
Two months later exactly the same problem.
He now drives a BMW!

 

[urquattrogus]

Do people think that we should write a letter to MB Uk? or the dealer?

Somehow I wouldn't be surprised if the dealer is told to go for a rebuild, but perhaps I am being unfairly pessimistic!

 

[WG M-B]

My friend actually took me to the mb dealer that was carrying out the repair and the service manager took us into the workshop to look at the work being carried out.
After asking a few technical questions we were told that there was no real conclusion to the excessive oil consumption. AMG advised that new pistons should be fitted and this would cure the issue.
I then stood and argued that there should be only one solution.....a new engine!
Mb would not fit a new engine. The new pistons were fitted, problem still there.
After another strip down and rebuild and three months of arguing mb gave in and gave him another 63.
Within six months the issue arrived with the second 63.
Consuming excessive amounts of coolant!!!!!!!!
And after having mercs since eighteen years old [and some very nice ones at that] he now drives a 335d bmw.

 

[kamalpatel12448]

Do people think that we should write a letter to MB Uk? or the dealer?

Somehow I wouldn't be surprised if the dealer is told to go for a rebuild, but perhaps I am being unfairly pessimistic!

Worthwhile doing IMHO.

 

[urquattrogus]

The dealership have known about this for over a week now, and we have no idea what the timescale is or what is going to happen.

The service manager sends blunt emails in block capitals which is not overly helpful. Dad is on holiday so asked to be emailed.

We also emailed a letter to mercedes customer services, but have had no acknoledgement. I'm a bit surprised at this, I thought maybe an automated email would arrive or we we would get a phone call.

I work in the agricultural industry, and if a customer complains about a tractor he can ring a call centre and they will takle up the issue and get back to them, contatcing the dealer in the process.

Let's hope something happens fairly soon next week.

 

[kamalpatel12448]

The dealership have known about this for over a week now, and we have no idea what the timescale is or what is going to happen.

The service manager sends blunt emails in block capitals which is not overly helpful. Dad is on holiday so asked to be emailed.

We also emailed a letter to mercedes customer services, but have had no acknoledgement. I'm a bit surprised at this, I thought maybe an automated email would arrive or we we would get a phone call.

I work in the agricultural industry, and if a customer complains about a tractor he can ring a call centre and they will takle up the issue and get back to them, contatcing the dealer in the process.

Let's hope something happens fairly soon next week.

So where did you end up on this? Any luck with our friendly dealers, which one were you using BTW?

Update on my C63 to date, owned it for 18 moths, used 1 litre of oil and so far no additional coolant.