E63 deposit paid

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Thanks, was thinking Brooklands.
 
The car had been painted to tart up the little scuffs / scratches, as part of their pre sale preparation. It just so happened that the in house painters at MB Gatwick did a shoddy job both in their inability to mask off an area as well as the lack of quality control.
As mentioned earlier MB Gatwick didn't check over the car pre sale but then again, why would they.

The only reason I bought it via a dealer and this was my first experience at buying a second hand car though dealership was for the two year warranty. The AMG warranty booklet that I received on purchase covers pretty much everything including oil leaks etc, so I'm a bit surprised you had trouble with yours.
I will not ever set foot in MB Gatwick again so I hope the customer service can only improve elsewhere.

I might be wrong but the MB dealership network was shook up a number of years ago as money was being lost and has now orientated itself with sales being the only priority. This in combination with the fact that a large percentage people rent their cars for three years and then chuck them back may have something to do with the experience.

I had exactly the same MB warranty, it covers major oil leaks but not rocker cover leaks etc although the M156 engine suffers mostly from cracked rocker covers not the seals themselves, but proving they’re the leak is a task.

This car is stunning looking though, hope it gives you plenty of hassle free driving over your ownership, I’d love an E63
 
Well the Lookers Gatwick saga continues,
The oil leak / weep on the front of the engine that was noted on purchase and fixed….has returned four months later.

At the time I enquired as to what parts were used and was provided a list which corresponds to part 23
which is a crank breather seal and is potentially oily and found at the rear of the engine.
seals 2.png And Parts 170 and 190 (both banks) are hose boots from turbo to intercooler and it was quite clear no oil originated from either of
these and in no way 190.
hoses.png I have removed some ancillaries in order to get an improved view of these areas and it is clear that the oil leak has returned and as originally suspected is from the cam shaft covers, more specifically their lowest points. (Not my engine)
pic32.jpg

My inference is that they looked for the source of the leak, found something they didn't like the look of and replaced the parts that had been removed in the investigative process and cleaned off the residue with much brake cleaner, as listed on the parts consumed. Or perhaps just removed the parts to clean away the leak from the covers, but either way.

I've an email from the service manager stating that the leaking hose boots and breathers (breathers are found at the rear of the engine) had blown oil up the front of the block and it wasn't coming from the cam covers at all….I must be wrong, right.

Can anyone think of a way to get the failed warranty work re-carried out by another dealership as opposed to the charlatans at Lookers Gatwick.
 
The parts related to 23 are not uncommon to replace due to slight oil leaks. Think many have been done as part of servicing in the network.
 
I’d ask a couple of questions of MB, firstly has the car undergone any previous warranty work that could be related to the current oil leak issues, to be honest just ask them to list ALL Warranty work.

Secondly I’d use the inspection carried out by PCS as evidence to support that the leak was always coming from the lower part of the cam housings. Obviously it depends how in depth PCS inspected and how they’ve worded it on their report. Then insist they reinspect and carry out the replacement of the seals and investigate root cause as to why they’ve failed, or given the hassle you’ve incurred are they willing to pay PCS to do the same?

With regard to some of the parts they’ve replaced, then whilst they appear not to have been the root cause, they are items worth changing for preventative reasons.
 
ugh - this brings back memories of my dealing with MB dealer in Liverpool on my C-Class - pretty much the same with regards to wheels/tyres, same with regards to paint work (really shoddy wing respay with no masking that in the end i got someone else to do ) , the LSD was empty of oil as i drove it out the showroom it made an almighty noise (so much for the Pre Delivery Inspection), air con issue they resolved but broke interior trim and said i had done it, post first service with them the exhaust banged around as i left and they had not secured it properly, unsure why they took it off!, the list went on and on.....

hope your woes are fixed soon.
 
If it was genuinely a crank case breathing / pressure issue, the over pressurising may well have blown the seal at that low point on the cam cover, as pointed out by your RED arrows.

However something tells me they should have ALSO replaced part #20 which I believe is the actual oil separator (I am not sure of the name of this part, as I am new to the M157, but seems very much like the part that decides what CC vapour returns to the intake OR is shuffled off to the sump as oil)

Assuming that the seal #23, alone, cured the CC pressure issue (can't see how as its just a seal), IF there was a CC pressure issue present, then it seems quite straightforward that the cam cover seal on the front now needs to be replaced.

But I think your concern is how is this job now going to be done, smoothly and without any negativity/rubbish, by Lookers Gatwick.

If it was me I would go to a new dealer and explain the issue and remedial work to date. I cannot see why a new dealer will not take this on, but I suppose easier said and done.

Also as Cyclone said, best to get a full list of all warranty work carried out on the car, previous to your ownership, AND its still good to have had the breather seal and turbo pipe couplers, replaced (as long as they were done well) !
 
I unfortunately I didn't ask PCS for a report, it was more a look over the car to make sure it was as it should have been with no clear
problems. They were happy with the car apart from the items noted but were alarmed by the wheel bearing issue.

"It is a second hand car" and "you could spend alot of time chasing that" seems to be phrases bandied about by people who don't want to know or can't be bothered to. Which can be difficult when things have to be as you expect them to be.

Thanks for the replies, I will head to Brooklands armed with the suggestions
 
You have a PM
 
Inspired by the AMGeed 1yr ownership update I thought I'd follow along and go with a 1.5yr update.

A busy year in the E63 with trips to Austria pre-covid and my annual trip to Norway during the 'quite time'.
An immense load lugger with kids and gear and the ability to knock hours off estimated journey times.
Bumped into the limiter a few times travelling through Germany but it really does get noisy up there with 120 being more preferable to the ears. No issues with the brakes hauling down from those sorts of speeds either, all solid. MPG not bad either, returning 21mpg on the 2600 mile round trip.

I'm having some issues with the gearbox, a thump if felt throughout the car under acceleration in certain circumstances. This is proving hard to replicate and is becoming more frequent. It feels as if the gearbox wants to chance up a gear up then decides against it and continues in the same gear. So far this was mostly in 4th but now I'm beginning to feel it occasionally in 2nd. Gearbox software updated and reset last time at Brooklands with no improvement.

Both cam covers continue to leak oil as well as the turbo cooling hose leaking very slowly where it meets the timing case / water pump. It's going back to Brooklands for these issues to be looked at again and hopefully something happens this time.



DSC_0124.jpgDSC_0127.jpgDSC_0128.jpg
 
Ownership update, I've had enough of dealerships they are a joke.

The oil leak from the cam covers; although this is covered in the 'approved used' literature, Mercedes techs at either Gatwick or Brooklans cannot seem to find the leaks on either of the cam covers.


DSC_0280.jpg

Both sides exhibit exactly the same leak.

The slow coolant leak is from one of the turbo cooling hoses, a failed o-ring. The individual o-rings are not available anymore so i've ordered a full set of turbo cooling hoses.

DSC_0287.jpg

It's the top one and you can just see the crystals trail on the water pump cover.

Classic, oil thermostat leak
DSC_0288.jpg

Coolant thermostat came out in one piece but I did find a fine amount of sealing debris in the thermostat mechanism. This is seemingly common according to Tasos.

DSC_0292.jpg

I'm still in the strip down phase and waiting on the hoses and various sealants.

DSC_0279.jpg
 
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Reading this thread is making me think twice about buying an E63 M157 😕
 
It was an eye opening experience, maybe I was naive but I'd never pay a dealer premium again, MBUK and the dealerships just don't want to know.
Regardless..... but if you've not done so, check out Tasos on the Youtube for your M157 /M156 fix.
I guess most engines have issues of one sort or another but these are seemingly recurring issues on the M157 that smack of cost savings.
It's a great platform and package and I enjoy it but the quality on my 2002 E39 M5 was better. I can't see the M157 having a similar life span.
 
Reading this thread is making me think twice about buying an E63 M157 😕
How many threads on here are reporting big problems with the M157 engine David?
I can think of only one other, E55BOF's.
How many threads have you seen reporting problems with the M156?
I'll tell you, multiple numbers.
I know which one I'd choose. Don't let two instances here put you off.
 
I'd buy an M157 again, it's a great engine and does get overlooked somewhat.
5.5L and two turbos is pretty special and combined with rwd, well they're not doing that anymore :p
 
Why does the M156 engine get bad rep on a M157 thread. It's very sour grapes indeed. I haven't read any full on engine failures on this forum. There could well be one before I joined but I haven't read a total failure thread. The M156 engine is a masterpiece and does have a weak link it it's armour but can be put right should it show signs of certain issues. This is the second thread I have read of the M157 having big big issues. I can't comment on the engine as I have never owned one or driven one. But I will say this the M156 is an incredible engine and is so rewarding to drive what ever you throw at it. I had the 55k. And I see know backward step. It's a very very capable engine. And like said very very rewarding. The sound alone pisses all over the M157 in my opinion. 525 bhp is plenty enough power for me.
 
How many threads on here are reporting big problems with the M157 engine David?
I can think of only one other, E55BOF's.
How many threads have you seen reporting problems with the M156?
I'll tell you, multiple numbers.
I know which one I'd choose. Don't let two instances here put you off.


Multiple numbers, bollock. !!!!!
 
It was an eye opening experience, maybe I was naive but I'd never pay a dealer premium again, MBUK and the dealerships just don't want to know.
Regardless..... but if you've not done so, check out Tasos on the Youtube for your M157 /M156 fix.
I guess most engines have issues of one sort or another but these are seemingly recurring issues on the M157 that smack of cost savings.
It's a great platform and package and I enjoy it but the quality on my 2002 E39 M5 was better. I can't see the M157 having a similar life span.


Agreed about the E39 M5 a masterpiece
 

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