The Best ///M/Barge/General Rant/Look at this/O/T(Vol XIX)
Discussion
Fast Bug said:
30mpg is amazing! The best I've got out of my 6 pot E53 was 31.5, and that was on a 200 + mile trip up North was the cruise control set for 75mph. I was chuffed with that as well 
Cruise is terrible for fuel economy. It will brake on downhills and accelerate to keep the speed up on uphills. You want to do the opposite. Still a good figure though!rejn said:
Having said all of that, I've put the Yaris on winter tyres and really been enjoying hooning around on icy roads - it's made me start to really like the car again (which was missing for a while), so I'm going to keep it a while longer.
I can't remember. Did you bang some Oz wheels on it for full rally rep effect?Crook said:
I should probably ask this on the Mercedes part however I know that some on here have had and do have AMG _63 cars.
Is there any difference / benefit APART from the size between a C63 and an E63 both in the 6.2 estate flavour? I've not looked into it with any seriousness yet however the Audi, whilst being genuinely a very surprisingly great car is absolutely killing my back: I cannot get on with the seat and so as with my ideas on an M6 the window of opportunity for stupidly large engines as daily drivers is slowly closing.
C63 As an example.
One difference would appear to be an absence of E63 estates for sale.
I have a little experience in this department. Is there any difference / benefit APART from the size between a C63 and an E63 both in the 6.2 estate flavour? I've not looked into it with any seriousness yet however the Audi, whilst being genuinely a very surprisingly great car is absolutely killing my back: I cannot get on with the seat and so as with my ideas on an M6 the window of opportunity for stupidly large engines as daily drivers is slowly closing.
C63 As an example.
One difference would appear to be an absence of E63 estates for sale.
The 6.2 M156 in E63 is more powerful than even the W204 507 limited run. For me, this makes it a no-brainer. Even without the P30 pack, the E63 is a proper riot to drive, but also still -crucually- an E-class when required.
I've had two W212 E63s; one a 6.2 and the other a face-lift Bi-turbo. I prefer the 6.2 any day of the week.
For some reason, the market is obsessed by the C63. Sure, they might be a slightly sharper steer, but that hardly matters when the E63 is still a delight.
Crook said:
I know you live in the land of petrol so I suspect it's only when the fuel light is on that any sort of restraint was offered but what sort of average were you getting in the 6.2?
I averaged 18.5mpg over 2 yrs and 40k miles. Nearly all of this was spent either in traffic or at 200+ kmh. There was no in-between. Given the treatment it had, I'd say that's pretty miraculous!
To help you with the man maths, here's some vids of it doing its thing.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LoMWRSds5JCb9vRL9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KHSR63T29Rbk2Ljx9
And to my mind, it looked better than the C63 too:
One of the top 5 cars I've owned.
Crook said:
that’s a lot better than I was expecting.Also, that sounded immense.
All I did in 40k (hard) miles were brakes, tyres, rear airbags (Arnott jobbies), a voltage regulator and an inlet manifold gasket. Oh, and a headlight bulb. Sold the car at 95k miles. Servicing (for ME was every 6k miles, but in UK I think it's 10k?).
The trick is to buy a late car with plastic rocker covers (sounds counterintuitive). These were the last of the M156 production run, where most of the early maladies were resolved.
Many internetists theorise that cooling was more of a problem in the W204 (despite lower power output) and hence, catastrophic failure rates in C63s seem high. Not sure I completely buy this, but it's worth bearing in mind.
Regardless, the main M156 issues to look out for:
- cold start clatter should be minimal or not at all (takes a second for oil pressure to accumulate in cam gears)
- a hot start clatter is bad news (no oil pressure in the cam gears)
- lumpy idle when hot, as above. If cold, see inlet manifold
- clatter when revving means doom (run away)
- a ticking from top when hot indicates lifter wear
- hesitancy when cold is likely inlet manifold leak
- hot running (above 95°c water temp) is most definitely low coolant (ergo coolant leak, ergo head gasket leak)
- battery warnings are almost always regulator issues (unless the car doesn't actually start)
And specific to the E63:
- "s
tting dog" syndrome is knackered rear bags. These cars have a curious mix of front coil struts and rear bags. - seat bladders can be faulty and are expensive to replace. Check all the buttons work.
RE head gasket: most early cars will have either been scrapped or fixed by now. Nevertheless, there's plenty of info on Google about how to check for the crossover point where better head studs were used, yada yada. If you're buying a late car (after 2012) this shouldn't matter anyway.
Other than that both C and E63 are dependable old busses and hilariously fun to drive. Ones to watch out for are the P30/1 spec cars ("Performance Pack") Which gives you bigger brakes (red calipers), 10mm ride drop and the all important LSD. Obviously, with the C63 theres also the 507 models with all the trimmings anyway).
Dont be put off by higher mileage if there's evidence of TLC. You'll want a UK spec car as these were generally highly optioned. Jap cars are almost always povo and tend to be auctioned off when problems arise.
Oh and, stick a VIN into here to check spec and engine number:
https://www.lastvin.com/
Edited by Autobantz on Sunday 18th December 06:20
Blown2CV said:
It’s not hard to work out. E63 esp in S form are a lot more rare and a lot more expensive than the equivalent C.
Yes but...The E63S(W212) was a 585bhp Bi-turbo and, luckily for you guys in the UK, 2WD only in RHD form. We didn't get the option in LHD; it was 4-Matic or go home (and slightly underwhelming as a result).
Some prefer the Bi-Turbo torque (and extra thrust), but for an AMG engine, it feels slightly asthmatic at the top end and not nearly vocal enough. IMO, it's too closley related to the M273 4.7 on which it is based (and also not devoid of gremlins either).
Regsrdless, it's a different price proposition to the W204/W212 6.2 V8 question. Given the option, I'd probably still pick a 6.2 pre-facelift P30. They're that good.
This one was for sale local to me… what a cool thing for cruising round… infinitely cooler than any modern Supercor.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0...
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0...
Hopefully this link works. An unfortunate reminder for Me that people in higher cars cant see little cars.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
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