W212 6.2l e63 - options + mileage game

[TrueSpirit]

Would appreciate some thoughts on the below, I'm on the lookout for a 6.2l s212 or w212 e63 (if it has folding seats)
I'll be looking to get one with the LSD , dynamic and massaging seats , reversing camera (though this can easily be retrofitted ). The main option I'm on the fence about is the distronic / adaptive cruise control on the pre facelift , is it any good or a waste of time. I had it on a 2018 c class with steering pilot and thought it was brilliant but concerned it's going to be early / beta quality tech on a 2010 model even though it was out on the s class in 1999

Finally aside from headbolts on an engine built on original headbolts is the 6.2, if properly looked after, an engine that can survive well above 100k miles ? Thinking of what mileage to cut off my search .

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Finally aside from headbolts on an engine built on original headbolts is the 6.2, if properly looked after, an engine that can survive well above 100k miles ? Thinking of what mileage to cut off my search .

Cam lives can wear if the hydraulic lifters stick. The cam adjusters can also wear. All three points can start to manifest at around 100k miles but some cars suffer sooner, and some later.

 

[TrueSpirit]

Any idea roughly how much it costs to preventatively fix ?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Cam lives can wear if the hydraulic lifters stick. The cam adjusters can also wear. All three points can start to manifest at around 100k miles but some cars suffer sooner, and some later.

Can lives was meant to be cam lobes!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Any idea roughly how much it costs to preventatively fix ?

It depends on where you source the parts, what else is found whilst the work is in progress, and who does the work. Labour will vary most.

If any of the buckets are worn then it may cause some wear to the corresponding cam lobes, so the affected cam(s) may need to be replaced.

Similarly one or more of the variable valve timing units will likely require attention, so either replacements or repair kits may be required too.

If paying someone else to do the work then expect £5-15k depending upon how much of that lot needs to be done and who does the work for you.m

That’s a broad range however if you’re going to incur the labour cost to do the head bolts and buckets you might as well do whatever needs doing.

 

[st13phil]

The main option I'm on the fence about is the distronic / adaptive cruise control on the pre facelift , is it any good or a waste of time.

I had a 2012 Biturbo W212 with Distronic on it and it worked fine.

I also had a 2015 facelift car with Distronic+ & steering assist. That incarnation was better, but the system on the pre-facelift car was fine.

 

[TrueSpirit]

I had a 2012 Biturbo W212 with Distronic on it and it worked fine.

I also had a 2015 facelift car with Distronic+ & steering assist. That incarnation was better, but the system on the pre-facelift car was fine.

Thank you !

 

[Jukie]

Can lives was meant to be cam lobes!

Can lives matter!

 

[Londonscottish]

Would appreciate some thoughts on the below, I'm on the lookout for a 6.2l s212 or w212 e63 (if it has folding seats)
I'll be looking to get one with the LSD , dynamic and massaging seats , reversing camera (though this can easily be retrofitted ). The main option I'm on the fence about is the distronic / adaptive cruise control on the pre facelift , is it any good or a waste of time. I had it on a 2018 c class with steering pilot and thought it was brilliant but concerned it's going to be early / beta quality tech on a 2010 model even though it was out on the s class in 1999

Finally aside from headbolts on an engine built on original headbolts is the 6.2, if properly looked after, an engine that can survive well above 100k miles ? Thinking of what mileage to cut off my search .

I've got Distronic on a 2010 E500 and it's excellent. I use it constantly on DCs and motorways.

 

[TrueSpirit]

I've got Distronic on a 2010 E500 and it's excellent. I use it constantly on DCs and motorways.

Thank you, Does your car have any other interesting options like massaging seats, night vision assist etc and if so , do they have any real world utility ?
I've seen a few different ones with various options

 

[Londonscottish]

Thank you, Does your car have any other interesting options like massaging seats, night vision assist etc and if so , do they have any real world utility ?
I've seen a few different ones with various options

I've had MB massage seats in the past; the actual massage function was a bit meh; the good thing was the adjustable bolsters.

Night vision assist is rarely of use to me as I'm very rarely driving in the middle of nowhere in the dark. However, I recently discovered that it's brilliant in a torrential downpour on a motorway as you can see through the spray. Other than that, it's pub top trumps really.

In terms of toys on this car, Distronic was the big game changer for me. The minute I hit a DC or a motorway it's on. I find it really intuitive and relaxing.

Also, on long journeys, I really like the blindspot and lane assist. Also very relaxing.

In terms of bringing the dash up to date, I had an Integrated Automotive (Android/Apple) unit put in. It uses the existing screen and Comand nudge wheel. Not cheap but it really modernises the car.

I like my audio quality and as this car didn't have HK (unlike my previous one) I shelled out on a sub, some Morels and some Dynamat in the doors.

 

[badgx]

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 100+ 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?

212 very highly dynamic car, with coil springs to the front, highly recommend

 

[st13phil]

Does your car have any other interesting options like massaging seats, night vision assist etc and if so , do they have any real world utility ?

Although that question wasn't directed at me, I'll jump in on the question of seats.

My pre-facelift E63 had ventilated Dynamic Multi-Contour seats and Distronic, plus a host of other extras as it was originally an MB UK fleet car that had been heavily optioned. When I was looking for a replacement facelift car, the two options I decided it must have were ventilated Dynamic Multi-Contour seats and Distronic which should give you an indication of their real-world utility.

The seat ventilation feature is a bit feeble - it's just fans in the seat that circulate the cabin air through the backrest and squab - and the massage function is a bit of a gimmick (although it can be nice to use on a long journey), but the dynamic multi-contour feature is the dog's bo11ocks. Not only can you adjust the bolsters, but there's an adjustable upper and lower lumbar support, you can alter the length of the seat squab to provide optimum thigh support and - best of all - the seat bolsters inflate under cornering to keep you in place. I can honestly say that once adjusted to where I wanted it, the seat was the single most comfortable I've experienced in any car with the bonus of providing extra support when throwing the car around.

Second best option would be the ordinary Multi-Contour seats which do everything I've mentioned except the dynamic bit. If you're looking at a car and are uncertain whether it has the regular Multi-Contour seats or the full-on Dynamic Multi-Contour seats the easy tell-tale is that on the adjustment panel adjacent to the transmission tunnel the former has adjustment thumbwheels, while the latter has adjustment tabs.

 

[TrueSpirit]

Perfect, appreciate all the amazing insight. I'm most of the way on the train to view my number one choice. Slightly disappointing to be likely to be in another large barge (212) had my heart set on a 204 63 wagon but next time perhaps.
The 212 e63s I owned was very sparse on options, lovely car as it was but the rear seats didn't fold over and perhaps I should have thought about a retrofit but on the other hand I'll hopefully be glad to try a 6.2 with performance pack and lsd
There's another one with a HUD I think that I'd have loved to view as they're a great option but I'm more interested in an LSD and dynamic seats . Had those on my w211 and never felt my 212 was quite as it should have been without them.


Might have to park it on the street for a few days as the Mrs doesn't know I'm potentially going to buy another car

 

[Londonscottish]

Folding seats in a sallon or coupe are great. I had them in my 200SXs - I could slide my mountain bike in no bother - and in my C43 saloon. I was renovating my first house at the time and it was amazingly handy for moving fencing supplies and general building/gardening stuff.

 

[TrueSpirit]

New car acquired. 1 year warranty , 6 months from dealer. First thing I'm going to do is get the engine looked at for potential issues and send it back if it's hiding issues. The rear bumper carbon trim is damaged and not sure I'll be able to find a replacement.

Interestingly the cabin of my w212 S was far prettier with a lot more leather and leather stitching etc etc. It was definitely a reasonably significant step up against this pfl. Not that there is anything wrong with the pfl cabin but the S facelift cabin is really plush by comparison

I kind of dig the steering wheel on the pfl, it looks really dated in pictures but I like it in the flesh.

The options on this car cost around 18k and the dynamic bolsters work very well. I'm having to get used to the darn cruise control stalk which seems far more attractive to grab when trying to indicate. Finding a facelift with all those options would yield quite a special car.

The engine really really suits the car (Until it blows up) , oddly it almost sounds closer to.my.old w211 e63 rather than the w204 c63. The transmission seems decent.

Might be due to the tyres but my S facelift had a more accomplished ride and generally was more comfortable , repelling bumps a bit better, the pfl performance pack car seems to have a firmer ride. Still nice though

The steering of the pfl is ofcourse stiffer given the type of rack, feels good and communicates bumps etc very well, haven't had enough of a chance to corner the car and test the feel yet.

Finally the drive of the pfl feels closer to the w211 than the facelift 212 which drives more like more modern mercs / AMGs. This car has more of that old school feel to it and a lot of that could be due to the steering and engine.

 

[badgx]

New car acquired. 1 year warranty , 6 months from dealer. First thing I'm going to do is get the engine looked at for potential issues and send it back if it's hiding issues. The rear bumper carbon trim is damaged and not sure I'll be able to find a replacement.

Interestingly the cabin of my w212 S was far prettier with a lot more leather and leather stitching etc etc. It was definitely a reasonably significant step up against this pfl. Not that there is anything wrong with the pfl cabin but the S facelift cabin is really plush by comparison

I kind of dig the steering wheel on the pfl, it looks really dated in pictures but I like it in the flesh.

The options on this car cost around 18k and the dynamic bolsters work very well. I'm having to get used to the darn cruise control stalk which seems far more attractive to grab when trying to indicate. Finding a facelift with all those options would yield quite a special car.

The engine really really suits the car (Until it blows up) , oddly it almost sounds closer to.my.old w211 e63 rather than the w204 c63. The transmission seems decent.

Might be due to the tyres but my S facelift had a more accomplished ride and generally was more comfortable , repelling bumps a bit better, the pfl performance pack car seems to have a firmer ride. Still nice though

The steering of the pfl is ofcourse stiffer given the type of rack, feels good and communicates bumps etc very well, haven't had enough of a chance to corner the car and test the feel yet.

Finally the drive of the pfl feels closer to the w211 than the facelift 212 which drives more like more modern mercs / AMGs. This car has more of that old school feel to it and a lot of that could be due to the steering and engine.

Congratulations Would love to see some photos

 

[TrueSpirit]

 

[badgx]

Cracking motor, with the much needed split seats

 

[Skd884]

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Congratulations enjoy that legendary sonorous m156