ncmudbug

It should cost less than a hundred bucks!

SunnyRayToronto

A couple hundred bucks buying online for 2 isolation wires, 2 cam sensors, 2 o-rings and 2 rubber plugs plus shipping.

I wasn't refering to just a couple of isolation wires. If you're going to do it,... do it right. If all you change is the isolation wires, then you're still have to be constantly paranoid checking for oil leaks. Its really not worth the aggrevation just to save a few bucks cutting corners,.... do it right and enjoy the car instead of having to contantly worry about it.

phucmang

i got a question, mercedes is saying my ECU is ****ed, soaked in oil but i replaced the 2 isolation wires... problem is i did not replace the 2 cam sensors...

is mercedes trying to **** me? or is my ECU realy toast??

if my ECU was soaked wouldnt there be problems that i would be running into?

the car drives fine, i did replace the 2 wires.. is my ecu really toast?

ncmudbug

Good point!

daiso'

Thanks guys I know i have to do this but i just want to make sure i have enough time as i wait for the parts or just buy from the dealership.

@sunnyraytoronto where did u purchase the said items and how long was the wait

SunnyRayToronto

How many KM do you currently have? The oil leak generally starts slowly,... so check and look carefully. If you already have the start of the oil leak, then I would worry about how much time you have and want the part urgently.


For online parts, I like dealing with www.getmercedesparts.com. They usually ship quite fast unless you order something odd,... I did in my order for these parts but even then it took about a week.

The one negative about www.getmercedesparts.com is they won't ship to Canada directly. Even if they did, you wouldn't want them to since they ship UPS and UPS Canada will charge an insane brokerage fee that'll usually add over 50% to the value of whatever you already paid.

Anyways, I would suggest shipping it to CBI. Whatever you buy online from USA, you ship to CBI's address in Niagara Falls, New York, USA (right by the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls) and they'll only charge you $6 per item when you go pick it up (this will avoid UPS/FedEx brokerage fees, customs problems and problems with some online stores not shipping to Canada).
http://www.cbiusa.com/

CBI USA
1711 Cudaback Ave
Niagara Falls, NY
14303

Google CBI USA,... lots of good reviews.

Since tires are so much more expensive in Canada, CBI USA is really popular for Canadians shopping for online American tires.
http://www.moneyville.ca/article/998...more-in-canada


Oh, you wanted to know the prices,... this is from around February earlier this year,.... so price are probably the same.

Isolation wires (2), to prevent future leakage, $25.88 ($34.50reg) per unit (271-150-27-33)
2711502733
ADAPTER CABL
http://www.getmercedesparts.com/part...&siteid=214660

Cam Sensors (2), to stop the existing leakage, $36.38 ($48.50) per unit (271-051-01-77)
2710510177
Engine - Camshaft & timing - Variable valve timing - Magnetic sensor
Magnetic sensor, c230 - 4 cylinder, 1.8l 2003 - 2005
http://www.getmercedesparts.com/part...&siteid=214660

O-ring (2), installed with cam sensor, $4.50 ($6.00) (010-997-23-48)
0109972348
SEAL RING
http://www.getmercedesparts.com/part...&siteid=214660

Rubber plugs (2), installed with cam sensor, $1.88 ($2.50) per unit (271-051-00-32)
2710510032
COVER
http://www.getmercedesparts.com/part...&siteid=214660

Subtotal: $137.28

I went for the official cable ties,.... but any should work!
Cable ties (2) 002-997-24-90 $2.63 ($3.50)
0029972490
LOOM TIE
http://www.getmercedesparts.com/part...&siteid=214660

Subtotal with cable tie: $142.54

Shipping 10.15
Handling Fee $2.00

Total $154.69

daiso'

You know we have Germanparts.ca and they are located in rexdale and offer local pickup. Thanks for all the info and compare all the prices. Hopefully I have sometime to shop around.

Btw 110000km or 70000ish miles

LILBENZ230

Isolation wires should prevent oil from getting into the wiring harness even if the solenoids leak. I see no reason to replace the solenoids if they function fine.

pilotski

My dealer said they are replacing basically EVERYTHING electrical in the engine bay - ECU and harness, O2 sensors and wiring, alternator and wiring, cam position sensors and wiring, injectors and wires. WOW. It's going to be electrically ALL new again under the hood thanks to you guys. $5000 in work with NO cost to me and a new silver with black leather C300 to use as a free loaner while they do the work! I can't wait to get my Coupe back though. Thank you!

ncmudbug

Sounds like another happy (electrical) ending!

LILBENZ230

I was hoping to get some new parts out of the ordeal, but my preventative installation of the adapter wires at 41000 miles had protected everything. Glad to hear these are getting sorted out, though. The M271 has its issues but it has served me well. After over 125k miles, Trey's STAR computer couldn't find a single stored engine fault.

Twenty4Play

I never wanted to be part of this thread. But here I am! Car just went into the dealer today, hopefully I get some of the good news many of you are sharing and it will be of no cost to me. This lovely POS has had every issue under the sun, as much as I love the car, I'm done with it... single worst car I've ever owned when it comes to maintenance.

The one thing I don't understand is that at 34,000 miles (1 month after buying the car, that was 6 months out of warranty), I had to get a valve job done. The dealer was "generous" enough to pay for half of it. Then one month after that, same thing happens, I take it in, they say it needs another valve job, but this time it's because the head is bad, so they have to replace the head as well. Again, since it's out of warranty, they say they will pay for half of it (shouldn't they have fixed the head the first time?). Anyway, here I am with the solenoid problem and it pisses me off to no end that this wasn't taken care of when they did the valve job, and then replaced the head.

I shouldn't be surprised though... I hit a curb (while sliding on ice) a while back and needed to get the whole left-front suspension replaced by the MB dealer since insurance was paying for it. A week later I take it our family shop to get a oil service done and he says: "I noticed your whole left-front suspension is new... but whoever did it put an old torn up rubber boot back on instead replacing it while they had the suspension off. You do know that it's pretty much the same in labor to replace that rubber boot as it was to replace the suspension?" Lazy MB dealership. *Ahem* MB of Littleton, Colorado.

Anyway, thanks for all the info. Hopefully I'll have a happy ending like many of you.

LILBENZ230

Sorry to hear about your issue, but the head was the culprit all along on your past issue. It was a known issue with some M271s.. so you got screwed because they didn't fix it correctly the first time. Dealers in the USA never cease to amaze me at their crookedness.

Twenty4Play

The M271 is a bucket of problems. We have an ML430 (170k) and a C320 (150k) and neither have ever had a serious issue.

Funny thing I forgot to mention... I had the cam solenoid stents put in last week at the behest of our family mechanic. Not even a week went by before check engine light on. So much for preventative maintenance. lol

On a good note - the dealer has said it's being fixed under bulletin. So no cost. I hope this is the last major issue with this beautiful pile of sh**.

LILBENZ230

It's anecdotal. Each iteration of the W203 had known issues. There are those like you who have had one problem right after another, and those like me with the same year, same car, with 125,300 miles and never a problem. Forums concentrate problems.

I understand your frustration, of course. But part of your problem is undoubtedly the dealership you take it to. The head issue was known from 2003 and supposedly fixed in 2004 (what is your build date?). It should have been fixed under goodwill and they should have fixed it properly the first time.

The truth of the matter is that the 2003-2007 W203s are, as a whole, solid vehicles. The second truth is that MBUSA dealers are, as a whole, entirely incompetent part-swappers that will rip you three new ones at the first whiff of your vulnerability. Post-warranty they should be avoided, much like the 2001-2002 W203, AT ALL COST.

ncmudbug

What is the issue with the head on an M271? Since the "fix" they did the first time was a valve job, I assume it has something to do with valve seats...

Glyn M Ruck

The original M271 head was designed with swirl characteristics etc ideal for Eurograde fuels. In poor fuel markets the inlet system & combustion chambers used to foul leading to detonation & valves hanging open due to tulip fouling. Redesigned.

Funny - Toyota is now experiencing the same issue.

ncmudbug

At least it's not something like soft valve seats. Do you know when the head was redesigned? I wonder why Twenty4Play had the problem since he is from Colorado, I would expect he had decent fuel. Is it something the rest of us should worry about?

LILBENZ230

The problem is mostly a non-issue on 2005s, though it does happen here and there. It was much worse on 2003s especially. What is your build date? It was supposedly remedied by 2004, but I suppose there could have been very early MY2005 cars built with the old design. Not sure, though.

If I were you, I would not worry about it.

ncmudbug

My build date is 12/04 so I should be alright. That's a relief not to worry about it. Thanks for putting my mind at ease, Matt.

LILBENZ230

The percentage of trouble cars even among the MY2003 M271 cars was probably low.. forums concentrate problems because most people only come here and post when something goes wrong.

Do the proper maintenance, use top tier fuels and throw in a bottle of Techron concentrate every few months.. don't baby it 100% of the time - stretch its legs some - and you'll likely be fine. You weren't on the forum when Scottisha was an active member here. His 2005 C230 6speed was at 203,000 miles the last time he posted and had never had any serious issue.

Glyn M Ruck

Last production with old heads seems to have been somewhere about March 2004 depending on plant.

There is no really decent fuel in the US yet - same as SA. We go Euro 4 next year - then comes Euro 5.

The US refineries all need upgrading and it is not economically viable at present low US fuel cost. Unfortunately you can't have it both ways.

Matt is correct. Use Techron & don't baby the M271 engine. Give it a good Italian tune up.

ncmudbug

Italian tune up, eh! My favorite kind!

Thanks Matt & Glyn!

Twenty4Play

I'm guessing my issues had two-fold causes: 1) it was a previous lease vehicle, so I'm guessing the prior owner didn't care much since he/she knew it was getting turned in. So they probably used low-grade fuels and delayed oil changes. 2) It's a M271.

I've never put less than 91 octane in it for the past 3 years, kinda wish we had 93 octane here in Colorado.

@LILBENZ230 - Is there a bulletin for the head issues?

LILBENZ230

The M271 is a fine engine.. it was designed to run on 95 RON Eurograde fuels, Benz slipped on the early design but the engine has remained in ROW since disappearing from USA in 2005 but is now back as M271 Evo as a turbo unit.

I'm not aware of any bulletins but this is pretty common knowledge for long-term forum members. Again, your dealer screwed you. 34000 miles isn't fast enough to require such extensive work under almost any scenario.