One very angry c63 owner!

One very angry c63 owner!

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Discussion

MPowerMark

Original Poster:

712 posts

205 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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So I'm driving my c63 (facelift model) around a long twisty road in the highlands of Scotland. The car is performing great and all is well. I am driving in manual and it is a hot day. Oil the pasture is 135 degrees and the car knocks itself out of manual and into sport plus but with slow gear changes and restricted power. Eventually car cools slightly and I get the power back.....until 135 degrees and it is lost again as if the car is putting itself into some safe mode/limp mode to protect the engine/ transmission. No warning lights on the dash. This is the second time this has happened to me so I decided to do some research. This is a very well known problem on the facelift models and usually affects people who track there cars and drive them hard. They can barely complete two laps and the car goes into a limp mode due to overheating.

The car is a AMG! It is supposed to be designed to be able to perform. M3's don't have this problem. Lexus don't. Porsche don't, lotus don't etc etc. apparently it is due to the design of the front bumper and a air duct used for cooling being a different shape and size to the pre facelift model. Maybe it needs bigger oil coolers fitted also?

The car will be booked into Mercedes to be looked ( under warranty) so let's see what they come up with. I am expecting the usual, do fault found sir rubbish. I won't be letting this one drop. I bet the new c63 could not even complete one lap of the nurburgring on a hot day. How embarrassing!

Anyone else suffered from this?

Type in c63 AMG overheating issues into google and you could read for hours. One chap who wanted to track his car has to remove his front bumper just so he could get the most out of his day! Need I say more.

Not a happy chappy.

lee c63

157 posts

123 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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I think there is a modification that can be done (Black series cooling upgrade) but i assume it will be expensive.


MPowerMark

Original Poster:

712 posts

205 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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And why should I have to pay for an upgrade so my so called performance car, perform? The c63 does not do what it is advertised to do. That is unacceptable.

chiefski26

815 posts

200 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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The cooling package includes the following changes:
• larger front oil cooler lying
• larger wheel arch cooler
• custom air guides
• Larger air intakes in the underbody paneling and wheel arch right
• Custom oil lines for engine and gearbox oil

Elimination:
• Extractor fan in the wheel arch right
• Serial cooling componenents

Cost tbc by mb.

Possibly another option -

I had more conversations with Steve at Weistec concerning heat issues/cooling on C63's. Weistec actually went into the computer and reprogrammed the temps in which the fan turns on and off. They programmed my fan to turn itself on earlier and stay running longer and then shut off at speeds of approx 80mph or higher. He said depending on RPM and vehicle speed they turn the fan on at much different times than the factory settings. For example my fan stays running at idle no matter what the temp after cold start up has been initiated. At speeds over about 80mph the rotating fan actually impedes airflow over/through the radiator, therefore they turn it off and achieve better flow and thus cooling....you would think AMG engineers would know this but apparantly they are using other logic to determine fan on/off. Seeing that I am running a blower and close to 900hp with no real heat related issues and there are guys out there is stock BS's having slight issues I would say the Weistec method is more efficient.

It would be interesting to know if this new MB cooling mod includes a ECU re-flash. If so it would tell me that they are playing with the fans as well as thresholds (limp mode/timing, etc.) related to temps.

Edited by chiefski26 on Tuesday 20th May 14:53

ecain63

10,588 posts

174 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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Why, if the pre facelift C63 cooling worked so well did AMG bugger about with the facelift to make it so troublesome when giving it prolonged stick?

moffat

1,020 posts

224 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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My gearbox has overheated before but my engine never has.

The gearbox went into C and limp mode - drove home and the next morning all was fine. I hammered the car pretty hard too but the oil temp never went over 120F and I average 9mpg.

I think if the oil is going 125F+ there is a mechanical problem?

slippery

14,093 posts

238 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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The exact same thing kept happening to me at MB World on the track with the C63 coupe. The CLS didn't suffer from it at all.

Slarty Bartfast

251 posts

209 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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They do go on quite a bit about it on the US forums, gear box overheating on track days. One of the reasons I went for the Pre-Facelift…

ecain63

10,588 posts

174 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
quotequote all
Slarty Bartfast said:
They do go on quite a bit about it on the US forums, gear box overheating on track days. One of the reasons I went for the Pre-Facelift…
One of the reasons i'll keep my pre-facelift. Might even supercharge it if later in the year.

lee c63

157 posts

123 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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ecain63 said:
One of the reasons i'll keep my pre-facelift. Might even supercharge it if later in the year.
Get it done it turns a animal into a beast!!!!!

ecain63

10,588 posts

174 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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lee c63 said:
ecain63 said:
One of the reasons i'll keep my pre-facelift. Might even supercharge it if later in the year.
Get it done it turns a animal into a beast!!!!!
Im sure it does. Might come in handy for a ring trip next year.

MPowerMark

Original Poster:

712 posts

205 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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Thanks for the replies chaps. Interesting comments.

Should Mercedes not deal with this overheating issue with a recall. Overheating a engine or gearbox is obviously very bad for said components and will affect there lifespan. This is supposed to be a highly engineered car. They can't even get the cooling right! This is not what I spent my money for. This Is a major issue in my eyes.

How do you think I should approach Mercedes about this? Has anyone mentioned it to them before? Did they want to know? If they don't what is the next step? Write to AMG? I don't want to let this go as I think I have been sold something that foes not do what it says on the tin.

Mark

firesafetydave

955 posts

247 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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I had exactly the same issues a couple of weeks ago. On a trip,with friends in Wales. Pushing on in sport + oil temp up over 140 and went into safe mode. Thought it was engine oil temp. Next morning on the black mountain pass, oil temp well below 120 did it again. Definately gearbox oil temp. Keep me informed as to what you do, who you write to as I will do the same.
Dave

firesafetydave

955 posts

247 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
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Have now, in the first instance sent an email to marketing-amg@daimler.com.
Let's see what happens

slippery

14,093 posts

238 months

Wednesday 21st May 2014
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I don't blame you guys for pursuing it. It's just not what you would expect from the performance arm of MB and it's not even like you have to put the car under a serious amount of abuse to get it to happen.

MPowerMark

Original Poster:

712 posts

205 months

Wednesday 21st May 2014
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I will give Mercedes a chance to sort this out before i start writing letters. The car is booked in. I will keep you all informed.

MPowerMark

Original Poster:

712 posts

205 months

Wednesday 21st May 2014
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Should i be entitled to another AMG model when the car goes in for warranty work? i am told i will be getting a E class.

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Wednesday 21st May 2014
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You need Herr Flick, he'll sort them out.

slippery

14,093 posts

238 months

Wednesday 21st May 2014
quotequote all
MPowerMark said:
Should i be entitled to another AMG model when the car goes in for warranty work? i am told i will be getting a E class.
I think you'll be in danger of sounding a bit precious if you demand an AMG courtesy car.

MPowerMark

Original Poster:

712 posts

205 months

Wednesday 21st May 2014
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I didn't think myt chances were good. worth a ask though.