ML63

[E55BOF]

I don’t understand how or why the zero emissions thing isn’t picked up automatically though.

I suspect because so few vehicles are affected that it just doesn't appear on the radar. I'm not complaining...

 

[SpikyMikey]

London ULEZ no charge. Cities on the Continent requiring a Clean Air tag, as in France, could be a problem, though, but I won't be doing any Continental motoring holidays.


It's already passed two UK MoTs. The engine is a 156.980, just like my in black one, which is on over 100K and passed the MoT emissions standard easily, so I'm not worried about the emissions.

No service history, because no digital service book, but from what I've seen about JDM cars, it will have been impeccable. Just had a full service here, including the plugs, and a pair of OE front struts because one was weeping a touch. No new speedo needed; the existing kph speedo needle now indicates mph. (Apparently UK cars can only show MPH, but Rest of World cars can show either). Cool; never had a car with a 320 mph speedo before....

It does have factory underseal.

It's being sold from the Straightouttajapan site; same owner, same premises, same company, but First Choice buys to order, not at Japanese auction. Six month warranty at no extra cost, and as he'd already taken a deposit, but the sale fell through, he'll reduce the asking price by that deposit.

Did I buy it? It's Tanzanite Blue with a light interior; do you really need to ask....?

Deposit (refundable) paid, pick it up on Thursday, subject to a satisfactory test drive.

I've got a good feeling about this one; I don't think it will be the usual see it, drive it, like it, buy it, bring it home, ring Terry Gates and start throwing money at it scenario...

Well played that man

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Did I buy it? It's Tanzanite Blue with a light interior; do you really need to ask....?

Deposit (refundable) paid, pick it up on Thursday, subject to a satisfactory test drive.

Congratulations.

You’re now part of a very very select club having not one - but two - of the finest cars in the world.

 

[E55BOF]

Won't be for long, I hope. I can only drive one at a time...

 

[fabes]

I had a wander around the Jap importer here in Southampton a while ago (they specialise in MPVs) and the interiors were mint, genuinely 'mint'. And in an MPV!!!

Am told a very high percentage of Japanese cars are as new inside (plus serviced on the button)

Congrats, that looks a very good buy, that ML55

 

[pioneercollector]

Very very nice indeed - I had a few JDM cars in the past, all were very clean and i had no problems with anything ( Apart from the radio, as stated earlier the frequency range is different in Japan )

If i was after another large SUV that is exactly what i would have purchased - Well done

 

[E55BOF]

The OE COMAND head unit has been changed for a cheap 'n cheerful all-singing all-dancing bang-up-to-date Chinese replacement unit, so no problems there, though I really don't like flashy touchscreens full of gaudy icons, which look out of place in an old car like that. A Comand lookalike with modern innards might fit the bill better, but I'll see what it's like before deciding whether to fit something else. TBH, a serviceable NTG2.5 would be quite adequate for me...

 

[Will]

Could you swap over any of these bits from the other one, if you’re getting rid?

 

[E55BOF]

Possibly, but I'd have to get a pro to do it. The NTG2.5 in the black car was not original, so had to be coded to that car (not as simple as it sounds; I got Neil Braybrook to do the whole installation), so that would need to be done again for the blue car.

Then unless the basic wiring in the blue car, which had factory Option 810 (premium sound system - I assume HK, unless it was something else in Japan), is the same as in the black one, which didn't have that option, I'd have to get him to sort the blue one out too, then retrofit the head unit from the blue one into the black one.

In fact, the more I think about it, the more I have a headache... I'll see what the one in the blue car is like first.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Head bolts ? Cam 'phaser' plates ? All sorted ?

 

[E55BOF]

Early engine, well before the head bolt issue.

Likely much lower mileage than for the cam adjuster problem, and if there had been a problem it would have been sorted anyway in Japan.

Business sale, so the trader (good reputation, excellent reviews) is liable for up to six months, and there's an aftermarket warranty as well. Of course, when I drive it it may be like a tin full of spanners, but my current similarly early engine is on 106K miles and runs fine, so I know what a good one is like.

I'm not too worried...

 

[ALFAitalia]

Early engine, well before the head bolt issue

???? Surely it was ONLY the early M156 engines that had the head bolt issues. Engines with serial numbers 60658 and higher are equipped with the redesigned bolts and are therefore not affected by this problem....anything with a lower number has the old bolts with the weaker bolt head.

 

[E55BOF]

Not the case, I think. When I bought the black one, nearly a year ago, while looking into the headbolt issue I found this on t'internet:

"The original head bolts introduced to the M156 were T55 which can be found from 06 up to 08.

Then for whatever reason MB decided to use T60 head bolts which had very little material on top. These head bolts were found in models approx late 08 to 10. They are the ones to watch out for, especially if the antifreeze has not been renewed, which contain anti corrosion inhibitors that supposed to help prevent corrosion.

MB finally introduced the superceded E14 bolts which had male heads with more material on top. These were introduced from approx 2012 onwards. There were some engine cut off numbers that I have noted somewhere, need to find the numbers.

Personally, I would not worry about headbolts in the UK. We tend to renew our antifreeze in our colder climate fairly regularly, so the antifreeze corrosion inhibitors should hold out any internal corrosion to bare minimum.

I would advise changing antifreeze every 2 years, it's a cheap preventative measure that will help protect the engine from internal corrosion.

The headbolts can be changed for new ones, only takes 2 full days from start to finish. The E14 bolts cost about £48 for a pack, will need 2packs, available from Autodoc.

Camshaft adjuster can get worn out, can replace with hardened plates from 63motorsport. The original camlobes and hydraulic lifters in my car which at the time of my inspection covered 100k+ miles were in great condition.

As preventative measure I renewed all headbolts with E14, replaced the camshaft adjuster plates with hardened ones from 63motorsport and upgraded to black series hydraulic lifters which have larger oil retention capacity, purchased from MB dealership.

Whilst engine apart, worth replacing the plastic pcv valve too, it goes brittle and could let in vacuum leak.

Apart from that the exhaust note on the 212 E63 M156, it possibly sounds better than C63 and even my E63 211?"

I'd say that was from a Man Who Knows. I can't recall the source, but it may have been member @badgx; see this thread: M156 - pre 2011 - how risky? | AMG Lounge, post #09.

See also this on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AMG/comments/mz9uoz/m156_head_bolts/, Zissou 1's post.

I'm still not too worried...

 

[ALFAitalia]

Everyday is a school day so thanks for that. Was 2007 not the first year of production anyway?....production started 2006 for 2007 model year...
But lots of sources say to the contrary of your post. Personally I don't think it's common enough to worry about it too much.

Mercedes-Benz M156 (C63 AMG, S63 AMG, & More) Cylinder Head Service Recommendations

There are a number of issues on the Mercedes-Benz M156 engine found in various AMG models that would require you to remove the cylinder head. Whether you need to tackle just one of the issues or all of them, you should know how to remove the cylinder head, and what to look out for once you have...

www.fcpeuro.com

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I’d say buckets and cam lobe wear is the bigger risk than headbolts. Although I also hadn’t heard that the first couple of years are not at risk of headbolt failure.

There were signs of wear on the cam lobe and buckets on my car at 110,000 miles and that had been properly spoiled its whole life. To this day it has a perfect main dealer service history.

I’m not quite so positive about whether the average person replaces the coolant. I’d say it’s the exception rather than the rule, as it’s a put-offable cost for many unless required as part of a repair.

 

[E55BOF]

Everyday is a school day so thanks for that. Was 2007 not the first year of production anyway?....production started 2006 for 2007 model year...
But lots of sources say to the contrary of your post. Personally I don't think it's common enough to worry about it too much.

Mercedes-Benz M156 (C63 AMG, S63 AMG, & More) Cylinder Head Service Recommendations

There are a number of issues on the Mercedes-Benz M156 engine found in various AMG models that would require you to remove the cylinder head. Whether you need to tackle just one of the issues or all of them, you should know how to remove the cylinder head, and what to look out for once you have...

www.fcpeuro.com

I can't be sure, of course, but I note that the originator of my first quote had no interest in selling anything, while FCP sell the parts needed to change the bolts, so as Mandy Rice-Davies famously said: "Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?". Zissou 1 in the Reddit quote also had no interest in selling anything. It's never going to be wrong to change the bolts, but I'd give more weight to disinterested parties' opinions.

Bobby Dazzler's was registered in January 2007, so must have been under construction late 2006. It had a full top-end rebuild at 109,463 miles, and was "...incredibly clean inside but slight wear found in one VVT camshaft adjuster and on one camshaft and so both were replaced..." His ad doesn't say whether the head bolts were replaced before he acquired it, though, but of course the previous owner might have had it done and not kept a record.

It might be that the T55 bolts were better than the T60, but still somewhat subject to the issue, but we'll never know; MB probably do, but they ain't talking... I agree that on balance, head bolt failure on the M156 is not common enough to be much concerned; I'm still not too worried...

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Bobby Dazzler's was registered in January 2007, so must have been under construction late 2006. It had a full top-end rebuild at 109,463 miles, and was "...incredibly clean inside but slight wear found in one VVT camshaft adjuster and on one camshaft and so both were replaced..." His ad doesn't say whether the head bolts were replaced before he acquired it, though, but of course the previous owner might have had it done and not kept a record.

Long post alert

It’s very unlikely to have had new head bolts before I owned it. I’m not sure that head bolts were really a known issue before I bought it. Maybe.

I bought it all the way back in 2012 from the main dealer that both the first owner and I used for buying, servicing and repairing our cars.

I bought it from the very same person who specified and sold it to him brand new, part-exchanged it back into stock, and then sold it to me.

That same person was his single point of contact at the main dealer dealer for everything, including sales, servicing and repairs.

It was a VIP concierge type arrangement. He was their largest customer with a large commercial fleet and an annual rotation of multiple AMGs.

He replaced all of his cars every year with the exception of our ML which was his favourite car and he replaced with another ML.

Ours was the first W164 ML 63 delivered to that dealer and the car that replaced it was the first W166 ML 63 delivered to that dealer too.

I had an excellent relationship with dealer and so in addition to the usual pre-GDPR paperwork I have dealer warranty and goodwill records too.

I almost bought the ML as a package deal with his SLS AMG which he part-exchanged prematurely, as it received far too much attention.

Within days of collecting it he placed an order for an SL 63 AMG. The SLS was perhaps deliberately parked next to me whilst we negotiated the deal!

The SLS (coupe) was a blinding deal but would have been a stretch too far at the time. Probably one of those “if only I…” moments.

No regrets buying it though. Such a wonderful car, and remarkable to have only been owned exclusively by ML 63 AMG obsessives!

Back to topic. I don’t think it’s had head bolts

 

[SpikyMikey]

Long post alert

It’s very unlikely to have had new head bolts before I owned it. I’m not sure that head bolts were really a known issue before I bought it. Maybe.

I bought it all the way back in 2012 from the main dealer that both the first owner and I used for buying, servicing and repairing our cars.

I bought it from the very same person who specified and sold it to him brand new, part-exchanged it back into stock, and then sold it to me.

That same person was his single point of contact at the main dealer dealer for everything, including sales, servicing and repairs.

It was a VIP concierge type arrangement. He was their largest customer with a large commercial fleet and an annual rotation of multiple AMGs.

He replaced all of his cars every year with the exception of our ML which was his favourite car and he replaced with another ML.

Ours was the first W164 ML 63 delivered to that dealer and the car that replaced it was the first W166 ML 63 delivered to that dealer too.

I had an excellent relationship with dealer and so in addition to the usual pre-GDPR paperwork I have dealer warranty and goodwill records too.

I almost bought the ML as a package deal with his SLS AMG which he part-exchanged prematurely, as it received far too much attention.

Within days of collecting it he placed an order for an SL 63 AMG. The SLS was perhaps deliberately parked next to me whilst we negotiated the deal!

The SLS (coupe) was a blinding deal but would have been a stretch too far at the time. Probably one of those “if only I…” moments.

No regrets buying it though. Such a wonderful car, and remarkable to have only been owned exclusively by ML 63 AMG obsessives!

Back to topic. I don’t think it’s had head bolts

TLDR.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

TLDR.

IDGAF

 

[SpikyMikey]

IDGAF

DILLIGAF ?