factory problem?
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 712
Likes: 2
From: chicago
2005 c230 kompressor 2003 s500 94 wrangler
factory problem?
i was doing some research on the m271 engines and i came across this mercedes techician and service team manager that said :
i have this 05 m271 engine and plan on having it til the engine is totally busted
after reading this mercedes factories are garbage
i honestly regret buying from this piece of **** company
I was told by someone in Mercedes Uk that for some unknown reason the factory had issues with the cylinder head valve seats being machined incorrectly on approx every 1000th unit off the line so lets hope that the modified head has been checked before being supplied
i have this 05 m271 engine and plan on having it til the engine is totally busted
after reading this mercedes factories are garbage
i honestly regret buying from this piece of **** company
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
Be careful of what you read on the internet. A lot of it is crap. The minute I hear "I heard from somebody" stories I get suspicious. The hose problem was a recall & head problems were due to valve & combustion chamber fouling in poor fuel areas like SA & the US which led to misfires etc. There is plenty on this forum about the issue. The engine was designed to operate on low sulphur Eurograde fuel. The head was redesigned & the problem was basically over by the end of 2003 production on the M271. We had a family car that had 3 heads replaced. No valve problems have shown themselves on this forum other than the fouling issue. We have not had misfires that we were unable to track down to a known cause.
Remember that forums tend to concentrate issues because many members only join when they have trouble.
2005 facelift W203's have been some of the most reliable M271 powered cars on this forum. The engine has been reliable in the W204 & now we have the 271 Evo turbo unit in the latest models. The biggest problem on the M271 has been camshaft magnet/sensor oil leaks & even those have reduced drastically.
Enjoy your car & don't go looking for trouble where it does not exist. All manufacturers have issues. We have had Toyota engines fouling their heads up recently as an example, and Porsche & Audi on new direct injection models.
Honda does build some of the best screwed together & reliable cars in the world but even they have suffered transmission issues etc.
Remember that forums tend to concentrate issues because many members only join when they have trouble.
2005 facelift W203's have been some of the most reliable M271 powered cars on this forum. The engine has been reliable in the W204 & now we have the 271 Evo turbo unit in the latest models. The biggest problem on the M271 has been camshaft magnet/sensor oil leaks & even those have reduced drastically.
Enjoy your car & don't go looking for trouble where it does not exist. All manufacturers have issues. We have had Toyota engines fouling their heads up recently as an example, and Porsche & Audi on new direct injection models.
Honda does build some of the best screwed together & reliable cars in the world but even they have suffered transmission issues etc.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; Nov 23, 2011 at 06:19 AM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,054
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From: fort worth, tx
06 C230 SS 6spd
Yeah all manf have some sort of issue they figure out after production. My 97 honda prelude had a ign switch that would kill the car when its driving because it would over heat because the switch couldnt handle the voltage. Honda recalled it on all 5th gen prelude. Having read threw A LOT of threads on here, I have not read anyone posting an issue with the valves causing problem. Just the usual magnet issue but that even has died down since many members tell newbies to change those out when they first get the car if it hasn't already been done.
You can't call MB a S#!T company because they are one of the most reliable and well built cars around. Yes it has had its issue with the early model w203 but what company can say they havent had a problem with car. If you ask a lot of the members on here, they would say their car is reliable and are happy with what they have. Hell I went to MB because I knew they were very dependable cars.
just do the normal services and up keeps with the car and I'm sure you'll be happy with your car. Dont judge your impression off of what someone else said because everyone has their opinions and some can be bias.
You can't call MB a S#!T company because they are one of the most reliable and well built cars around. Yes it has had its issue with the early model w203 but what company can say they havent had a problem with car. If you ask a lot of the members on here, they would say their car is reliable and are happy with what they have. Hell I went to MB because I knew they were very dependable cars.
just do the normal services and up keeps with the car and I'm sure you'll be happy with your car. Dont judge your impression off of what someone else said because everyone has their opinions and some can be bias.
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2019 G70 6MT & 2022 Ford Maverick XL
Honda went through a 6-7 year span of simply being unable to make an automatic transmission that would work correctly. Talk about frustrating.
To advise him to get an M111 car is silly. To do so, he'd have to go back to the early W203 days. Sure, the engine might have been marginally more robust (though even more crude) but the rest of the car would be a gigantic step backwards. In general, the 2001-2002 W203 should be avoided at all cost.
OP - the head/valve issue doesn't pop up on the 2005s very often. In general, the 2005-2007 W203s are very solid, reliable vehicles.
To advise him to get an M111 car is silly. To do so, he'd have to go back to the early W203 days. Sure, the engine might have been marginally more robust (though even more crude) but the rest of the car would be a gigantic step backwards. In general, the 2001-2002 W203 should be avoided at all cost.
OP - the head/valve issue doesn't pop up on the 2005s very often. In general, the 2005-2007 W203s are very solid, reliable vehicles.
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w203 M111 E20 ML EVO
That is the most *silly* thing I've ever heard..... AS I OWN ONE with no problems at all - while on the other hand 271 engines are full of issues
anyway... to make the maximum out of ur car's engine use a high quality engine oil + additive. I'd recommend Kendall GT1 High performance with liquid titanium + B-1 oil treatment
anyway... to make the maximum out of ur car's engine use a high quality engine oil + additive. I'd recommend Kendall GT1 High performance with liquid titanium + B-1 oil treatment
Last edited by LightDragon; Nov 23, 2011 at 10:57 AM.
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Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
Early W203's were some of the most troublesome cars Benz has ever made as was the E Class of that era.
Only use 229.5 approved oils & do not put additives near them. All you do is take the oil out of spec.
Only use 229.5 approved oils & do not put additives near them. All you do is take the oil out of spec.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 712
Likes: 2
From: chicago
2005 c230 kompressor 2003 s500 94 wrangler
yea ill never buy an asian car....as someone said 6 to 7 years trying to find a solution to the trans failing
and i drove a new honda civic it feels so light and dangerous
i love my wanna-b amg...random people/including me cant get their eyes off of it
and i drove a new honda civic it feels so light and dangerous
i love my wanna-b amg...random people/including me cant get their eyes off of it
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,714
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From: 1 hours drive north of Sydney Australia
2007 W204 220CDI Classic Sedan
after reading this mercedes factories are garbage
i honestly regret buying from this piece of **** company
-------------------------------------------------
i love my wanna-b amg...random people/including me cant get their eyes off of it
What are you on ?
Take a look at the 2011 reliability survey.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/143268/c...-honda-on-top/
i honestly regret buying from this piece of **** company
-------------------------------------------------
i love my wanna-b amg...random people/including me cant get their eyes off of it
What are you on ?
Take a look at the 2011 reliability survey.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/143268/c...-honda-on-top/
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 290
Likes: 1
w203 M111 E20 ML EVO
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 712
Likes: 2
From: chicago
2005 c230 kompressor 2003 s500 94 wrangler
after reading this mercedes factories are garbage
i honestly regret buying from this piece of **** company
-------------------------------------------------
i love my wanna-b amg...random people/including me cant get their eyes off of it
What are you on ?
Take a look at the 2011 reliability survey.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/143268/c...-honda-on-top/
i honestly regret buying from this piece of **** company
-------------------------------------------------
i love my wanna-b amg...random people/including me cant get their eyes off of it
What are you on ?
Take a look at the 2011 reliability survey.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/143268/c...-honda-on-top/
as i said i drove one
Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
I'm afraid the facts stand for themselves. The recall rate was the worst Benz had experienced in their history. The W203 was the first vehicle ever to use computer simulated endurance testing instead of doing it on the road & it was a failure. The problems in 2000, 2001 & 2002 were horrendous. The South African plant was part of the engineering team that had to work through all the redesigns from suspension to upholstery to SAM's & electronics & it goes on & on. They even had a rusting problem on some cars. Merc sucked in all the quality surveys in those years. For the W204 they had learned their lesson & were back to on the road endurance testing as before in South Africa & Namibia for the hot testing & Finland for the cold weather stuff. They then passed out DVD's to potential customers showing the entire testing regime. I have one.
When it comes to lubricants I think I know what I'm talking about. It's my job. See my profile. Benz spends millions of dollars on the OE & service products testing & approvals process to sort out what is best for their cars manufactured with the materials they use & to protect their customers. Then some goon pours some crap into the approved engine oil formulation. Anyway - they know how to handle that. They sample the oil & invalidate your warranty. One IR scan will pick up crap added to the oil.
When it comes to lubricants I think I know what I'm talking about. It's my job. See my profile. Benz spends millions of dollars on the OE & service products testing & approvals process to sort out what is best for their cars manufactured with the materials they use & to protect their customers. Then some goon pours some crap into the approved engine oil formulation. Anyway - they know how to handle that. They sample the oil & invalidate your warranty. One IR scan will pick up crap added to the oil.
Super Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 818
Likes: 3
From: Atlanta, GA
'02 C230 Coupe (Me) '03 SLK320 6MT (Wife)
i honestly regret buying from this piece of **** company
yea ill never buy an asian car....as someone said 6 to 7 years trying to find a solution to the trans failing
and i drove a new honda civic it feels so light and dangerous
i love my wanna-b amg...random people/including me cant get their eyes off of it
yea ill never buy an asian car....as someone said 6 to 7 years trying to find a solution to the trans failing
and i drove a new honda civic it feels so light and dangerous
i love my wanna-b amg...random people/including me cant get their eyes off of it
Ok, this is now just a thread for no reason.
Glyn - you know more about oil than I ever will. If you say so, I'll accept it.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 712
Likes: 2
From: chicago
2005 c230 kompressor 2003 s500 94 wrangler
Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
I have never worked for Benz. I have had the pleasure of working with them to both company's mutual benefit.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 8,384
Likes: 800
2019 G70 6MT & 2022 Ford Maverick XL
I'm afraid the facts stand for themselves. The recall rate was the worst Benz had experienced in their history. The W203 was the first vehicle ever to use computer simulated endurance testing instead of doing it on the road & it was a failure. The problems in 2000, 2001 & 2002 were horrendous. The South African plant was part of the engineering team that had to work through all the redesigns from suspension to upholstery to SAM's & electronics & it goes on & on. They even had a rusting problem on some cars. Merc sucked in all the quality surveys in those years. For the W204 they had learned their lesson & were back to on the road endurance testing as before in South Africa & Namibia for the hot testing & Finland for the cold weather stuff. They then passed out DVD's to potential customers showing the entire testing regime. I have one.
When it comes to lubricants I think I know what I'm talking about. It's my job. See my profile. Benz spends millions of dollars on the OE & service products testing & approvals process to sort out what is best for their cars manufactured with the materials they use & to protect their customers. Then some goon pours some crap into the approved engine oil formulation. Anyway - they know how to handle that. They sample the oil & invalidate your warranty. One IR scan will pick up crap added to the oil.
When it comes to lubricants I think I know what I'm talking about. It's my job. See my profile. Benz spends millions of dollars on the OE & service products testing & approvals process to sort out what is best for their cars manufactured with the materials they use & to protect their customers. Then some goon pours some crap into the approved engine oil formulation. Anyway - they know how to handle that. They sample the oil & invalidate your warranty. One IR scan will pick up crap added to the oil.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
