HI, my name is Danny. I reside in Glendale, Arizona USA. I have owned a used 2005 C230 Sport Kompressor Sedan 6 speed supercharged 4 cylinder going on 3 years now and as of now I regret buying a Mercedes Benz. I have had better luck with Hyundai's. It drove fine until just outside of warranty.

I hope meeting new members I can get some advice and learn some tricks of the trade so I can fix most of the problems myself.

I am a custom car builder and custom air brush/painter.
I have built some big block Pontiac motors as well as small block Ford motors. But I NEVER thought I might have to tear into my Mercedes Benz.

1) As of now I am missfiring in Cylinder #2. I took it to the dealership and I was told that the valve seats in combustion chamber #2 failed and I have lost compression in that cylinder due to this. Compression tests and flow tests confirmed this. #1, #3, #4, cylinders are good, but I am told that the head will have to come off and I will have to get it rebuilt. OF course I was 6000 miles outside my warranty!! And I can't pass emissions!!!
The stealership wants $4000 to do the work, but the economy is bad and of course money is tight. I am sure I can do it myself. But I need some inside info and advice.

2) The steering column lock is busted as well, I went to adjust it one day and POP it busted.

3) The rear pop-up shade in the rear window is stuck in the up position and it sux driving at night.

The fuse is good, This is a desert car so no rust is on it. But I do hear the GREEN relay on the right hand side clicking when I press the button to retract the rear shade down. But the shade still stays stuck in the up position.

4) The top portion of the passenger side door handle busted and I have to be careful when closing that door.

5) The driver side window motor failed and the window just drops and I had to open up the panel and prop the window up.


I hope to find some knowledgeable friends here.

But fixing the Cylinder head prob is TOP PRIORITY.

 

1- sounds like the locking click got jacked, i've heard of people replacing those.

2- cant help on that but i 've hear you could take it apart by removing the rear deck
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ml#post1733740


3- can be replaced very easy there is a DIY on here the part is about 60 to 90 bucks
even though the link is for moleskin, it tells you how to remove the door panel which is requiered to replace the door handle
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...tallation.html

4- you could find that part on your local junkyard. brand new is probably going to be an arm and a leg from the dealer.


good luck fixing that number 2 and welcome aboard.

 

WOW, thanks for the info on the 3. I really appreciate it.

I am going to try to take the cylinder head off.

But I need a Factory Service Manual (FSM CD) for my C230. I am going to search the forum later to see if anyone has one handy.

 

There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this board. I'm betting that by this weekend Glyn and John ride in on their white horses, with even better info. Welcome to MBWorld.

 

so
1 that does not sound good wish i could help
3 the motor might have burned out you could take the hole thing out and i am sure make it go down and just leave it down.
5 sounds like the plastic clips that hold the glass to the regulator borke that is not to bad to fix.

 

The head issue! Yikes, I thought that was solved by 2005.. scary. This is an expensive repair no doubt.

 

Yeah, people who apologize for MB say the problems were solved by 2005 often here, but then vanish when threads come up that show they weren't.

That head problem is nuts, really. Then the replacements will do it, if you're unlucky, since one can't believe MB saying all the old designs are out of the parts chain. It still shows how they were still selling defective heads. Anyhow, check with the dealer. Maybe they're running a campaign on those heads. At the least, check the cam sensors on the front of the head and see if there's oil in the wiring harness coming out of the sensor plug sockets. If they didn't put the isolation wires that block the oil flow in there, then you're going to have bigger problems to contend with. You'd then have to check with mercedes and see if you qualify for the service campaign on them and the wiring. The m271 is a disaster. And when it's not the head, the lower end is the problem.

 

Check the cam sensors - they are known to leak and cause lots of problems and throw LOTS of codes. My local stealership tried to get my friend to replace her whole engine... I told her to take it to my indy who sent her back to the dealership about the cam sensors and they fixed the sensors / 12 dollar hose and all her codes went away.

 

Hmmmm.... supposedly the issue with the engine was fixed in 2005.
Sadly it appears, no.
So, that being said, there is hope.
People have successfully used a product called Seafoam, to
remove built up carbon the valves and seats, and
restore compression.
Seriously, I have seen this work, before and after compression checks, FIXED it!
A woman I know has a 2003, and has her mechanic do the treatment periodically and she has not had to pull the head, on my advise, and she's well over 100K miles now.
Give it a shot!!!!

Additionally call the local dealer, and give them your VIN and check to see if there
are any outstanding service campaigns you need to get such as the
"$12 hose" as it's become known.
If you in the USA they will replace for free, as well as leaky cam sensor.
If you are outside US look for the $12 hose thread if it hasn't been done yet.

If in the final analysis you decide to pull the head yourself (and this should not be necessary!
the problem you are describing was suposedly fixed in 2005)
check on benzworld.org in the W203 forum, there's a step by step with pictures from someone who did this,
but they ended up spending 1 or 2 grand even as a DIY. I think they put new valves in.
SEAFOAM IT FIRST!!!
Sadly it appears that the C230 hasn't had a bulletproof engine since
2002, and even then it's prone blowing head gaskets leak from the right rear corner.

 

Now the M111 is free of the head issues and the $12 hose, right?

 

Yes, but it has an issue with the right rear corner of the engine that is shared with it's 6 cyl. cousin the M104. Typically happens later, though I got PM from a guy who got it, at like 60K miles I think.
That just requires a gasket though, there's a write up in R170 forum (SLK).
Still that's an 8 hour disassemble. There's a double row timing chain vs. single row for the M271. They cheaped out.
It's not a big leak, and I was told to just keep driving it by my indy.
I'm at 168K and I just put a little coolant in once in a while, no mayo on the oil cap, it leaks out the
side, down the block not into the engine, thankfully.

No $12 hose, but the leaky cams can kill the car pretty good if you
didn't catch it in time. Lucky for me, one time when I had it in for service, they just did this. I didn't know about the issue till later and was happy to find the pigtail between the harness and the sensor. I had wondered about the part on the service invoice labelled "Magnet" ha.

We also, along with everyone else had the potential
dreaded Valeo radiator, but again I got lucky. Mine was Behr.
Other than that, there's the orings on the tranny, and I did those
a while back and will make it part of the tranny service going forward, for which I'm now due again.

The M111 was around a long time, and was proven.
That was part of my purchase decision.
Now the rest of the car is a different story, lot and lots of
repairs, but almost all under warranty, and extended warranty.

By 100K miles, I had the car pretty well sorted out
except for constant ESP error which no one ever seemed to
fix correctly.
The only non-maint. item since then was a wheel sensor, $300 to diagnose and replace.
And the starter, but I think of that a maint. item when
you are at 150K miles.

 

Ok, I'll look out for that sector of the engine. How do camshafts leak? Do you mean the sensor? I put the isolation wire in the moment I got the car, just as the leak began and it's been static ever since, in fact. It just reached the plug and less than 2" of the harness when I got the car.

The double row timing chain on the 111 is cheaper?

I'll check the radiator, but mine is a 6 speed, so it doesn't matter anyhow. So long as the cooler ports are plugged.

 

Ah, smart man. Sounds like it's all good as we say in Cali.

Single row chain is cheaper, they cut corners.
In the DIY I read for the M111 head the guy wanted to replace the chain but discovered it was a real pain and left it, but as it turned out the chain was fine and at 175K miles or something. So, double row chain = Happiness.
I have heard the M271 chain stretches and thats part of the problem
of it causing the valves to get screwed up and sometime it jumps a tooth.

Ah yes, 6 speed = no problems with Valeo radiator. Just keep fresh gear oil in it.
I saw on german ebay the other day a very good price on clutch plate.

Aside from head gasket if you replace fluids regularly and do the maint.
religiously this can be a long lasting car once the bugs are worked out
from the factory. Crossing my fingers!

 

Yeah, me too. The car was well maintained, still under the warranty when we got it (with the extension), maintenance records, old guy, etc. Being Germany, it's easy to get a car with low miles, especially since the American 100k miles is 100k km here. Cars are considered valuleless and ready to be junked or sold to other countries when they get to 100k, especially mercedes. Yep, that's what I thought about the timing chain. That was one of the reasons I wanted the m111. There was another one we wanted, with fewer miles, but it didn't sell because it had massive electrical problems, so the dealer shipped it off for repairs. My guess is that it was the cam sensor issue, along with being a 271. We got very lucky.

...and I forgot about the crank position sensor... Doesn't need to be replaced yet...

 

I keep one in the glove box and a complete set of mercedes specific tools in the car.
CPS at dealer is a $100+ part. Online it's like
$40. I also ordered a couple extra screws since I hear it's hard to reach and don't want to lose it.
So far, haven't needed it. I repaired stuff in advance rather than waiting for failure.
Such as, battery, alternator (had it rebuilt 120K), supercharger (new, also same time at 120K from ebay).
Increases reliability

HA, 100Km is junk?
We got people with 200K + miles on the coupes.
The forums are invaluable sources of info, since even the dealers neglect to
do some of the oh so important little things that are the cause of the big things.
The things we mentioned + tranny flush. Oh and cleaning the MAF religiously will extend it's life.
Ah, also distilled water when flushing radiator. I haven't had to replace the water pump yet.
Knock on wood. All these little details save you big bucks, and make the car more reliable.
My car just purrs. And it's even modified.

OK, sorry, not meaning to hijack the thread.

 

The lower end? The most prevalent problem with the M271 on here is oil in the cam solenoids and wiring, though easy enough to prevent. I joined this forum when my car had 25k miles on it, at 41k I installed the adapter wires. No issues.

This head problem is (based on my MBWorld tenure) infrequent in the 2005 model year. I have seen two maybe three 2005s on this forum have this issue. The 2003s, several.

The M271 is not a disaster, either. Technically it is an advanced engine. It has over 100hp per liter in 230K form, gets great economy, is cheap to service, and for a LOT of us M271 owners - very reliable. We have several 2005s on the board with 100-150k and at least one past 200k. I'm at 107k and mine runs like new and is wearing extremely well (see my oil analysis thread).

All of the engines in the W203 should take you far. Some will last longer than others, yes - but all should be good for high mileage when properly cared for. That says, and as Glyn says, **** happens.

 

And ladies and gentleman, that is an apologist's post.

 

So your opinion (M271 = disaster) invalidates all positive experience of owners. That makes perfect sense!

Ladies and gentlemen, that is the attitude of a child.

On another note, you should try contributing rather than being ridiculous. Your opinion is your opinion, not a fact - and not accepting it does not make me or anyone else an apologist for anything. No one "vanishes" when these threads emerge (obviously), though the word is that the issue was resolved sometime in late 2004. This is accepted on this forum which is why I and C230 Sport Coup said that. Obviously it is not completely impossible it can happen to the 2005 models, but it is far from an epidemic (and anything is possible). You want to know what an automotive disaster is? Look up Honda transmissions mated to V6 engines circa 1998-2004. There is an engineering disaster. The M271 is far, far from that. Lastly, until a second opinion is in we don't know that this car has the head issue at all - it wouldn't be the first time a dealer has tried to pull one.

Your personal beef with this engine has no bearing on anything else.

 

Ok, so all that means is that Honda transmissions are also on the **** list. Doesn't invalidate poor Mercedes reliability. I never understand why people say "this [x] sucks too!" when presented with[z] that has problems, as if to think that presenting [x] makes it so that [z] no longer sucks. However, it's more along the lines of typical internet tactics that were generated in 1997, by attacking a person and forcing them to go on the defensive about anything else, including themselves, in order to stray as far as possible from the dissonant topic at hand. In this case, the 271 engine, my opinion of it, which you clearly state you understand, but now are following me from thread to thread about how the engines are problem-free.

 

You lack basic comprehension skills which is not my problem and also not the problem of the OP who is asking for help with issues not for your take on Mercedes-Benz engineering.

OP - my apologies.

 

Most info here is anecdotal. My info about the M271 is also anecdotal. I know three of these cars. Mine and two people around my neighborhood. My 03 has 137,000 miles. The only thing I have had to replace on the engine is a thermostat about 5,000 miles ago. The engine runs perfectly. The other two have over 100,000 miles and as far as I know, talking to the owners, have never had engine repair. All cars are one owner.

I here the hell some people go through with their M271s and feel for them, but my experience has been just the opposite. My car has the original battery, exhaust, shocks, alternator, water pump, etc. I am not an MB apologist, but after living with this car for nearly 9 years, I have to say I love the engine.

 

The M111 engine was well described by the motoring press, Quote "Coarse. Noisy. Crude. Hardly words you'd expect to hear applied to a car bearing the famous Mercedes badge. Yet, when describing the company's four-cylinder petrol engines – the M111, 180, 200 and 230 Kompressor – all are entirely accurate." unquote. It was however robust & tough although customer pressure forced a redesign due to it's lack of refinement.

While people on this forum know my preference for the V6 engines the M271 is at least far more refined than the M111 lawnmower engine & aside from the camshaft sensor leaks that have pervaded for which Benz should be shot, it has generally proven a good little engine that works hard considering it's capacity.

The cylinder head problem in early models in poor fuel markets was legend & it was redesigned. If you could keep it from fouling itself with deposits it was fine.

This 2005 valve failure is unusual. Confirm low compression. Leakdown test is best. Pop the head off - do a complete cleanup & valve job - including seats as necessary. Reassemble & you will be good to go. Replace timing chain & tensioners while the engine is open.

Your other problems are irritating but not major. Seach the forum - there are fixes posted for all. That stupid rear blind was troublesome & finally deleted from SA production. Are you sure the window motor has failed? It sounds as though the regulator arm bush to glass has failed - also redesigned - see Laneshift posts for a fix. The door grab handle breakage was common - just replace it. They generally did not break on SA cars as they were local content & stronger.

I have never seen a bottom end failure on an M271 in SA & we have a hell of a lot of them. Mainly in C180 & C200 less stressed form.

Good luck!

 

Where's the smiley of me beating up on an engine?
he he
Hard to believe this thread is turning into a who's engine is better thread.
Ha hah ahhahahahahah!

But lets face it, the M272 has the balance shaft gear issue,
that completely wipes out the engine, MB won't admit responsibility,
over 700,000 engines, and they couldn't care less, pay them 3-6 grand to fix.

The M271 has other issues that effect the valves, and for most owners
requires a head replacement to truely fix, upwards of 3 grand.
There's a DIY on benzworld and even as DIY it took
2 grand to get the car fixed, replace the valves etc.
since the valves get messed, malformed.
That pretty well covers the entire c class engine lineup for
standard non amg mercedes from 2003 going forward. M112 not withstanding.

The M111 and the M112 are still far more reliable engines when it comes to the basics, lawnmower sounds aside, which can be changed.
It was exactly that lawnmower sound that led me to get the Remus and header.
Still, the only advantage of the M271 is mileage, it sounds a little nicer, and in every other category sadly, it fails.
And now we have issues with the 2005 also?

Coarse ? Noisy? I'll challenge and beat any M271 equipped car in this forum ah hahahahahahah!!!
I drove many a M271 equipped loaners, and on the flat they were quite ok, on the hills they ran out of juice going
at an incline over hwy 17, me with my foot on the floor, and no more power forthcoming. Flat out at 50 mph.

Lawnmower? Eat my grass Glyn!

 

Thanks for clearing that up. I thought for sure that sknight had an M271 failure or something but he has an M111.. none of these engines were "disasters". That kind of hyperbole is misleading. I had never read of bottom end failure on the M271 on here, either.

Todd - if you ran out of juice on inclines in a M271 and not in a M111 you were doing it wrong.. user error, replace user. The power is adequate. Mine has no problem maintaining speed in the NW GA mountains. I was driving a friend's 2002 Accord I4/Auto the other day and it did, however - holding 3rd gear, 4k RPM to maintain 60mph on inclines the Benz can do in 5th gear at 2500 and no downshift required.

 

My m271 has been great. 152000 and zero problems. m271 does not equal disaster