jpflip

Got this code last week and it is -20 C here so I did not had much heat lately in the car LOL!!! Got the part today and replace the thermostat. I had to remove the air pump to get better access and to do a good job in cleaning the mating surface…But I was not able to found the radiator drain!!! I got WIS but the picture did not help me! I got a C350 2010 and could not found the valve they are talking about ??? Is it on the left side of the radiator or the right side? Thanks!

steveb9771

Are you sure your engine has a thermostat? The S550 engine does NOT have a conventional thermostat. The engine temperature is electronically controlled. I believe the C350 engine design is very similar to the S550 with the primary difference being V6 vs V8.

jpflip

Of course. Took me about two hour to replace it but another hour to try to found the radiator drain ;-)

Glyn M Ruck

They have electronically aided/controlled thermostats which is reflected in the price.

jpflip

Just found something interesting about the thermostat. A thermostat on a normal car can last for decade but german engineering at his best decided to do better ;-) The thermostat on our Mercedes get power from the ECU to heat an element and operate one of the three valve into the thermostat assembly. More heat more valves open…. Yes there is a total of three valves within the assembly. If yours failed you can always test the element with an ohmmeter. Only two wire , if you got 15 ohms the heating element is good. Mine was good but something else failed… I've tried to put in in boiling water and nothing moves….I completely dismantle the assembly to see if anything is wrong with the sliding movement and nothing wrong… I also found the filling (wax) that expand with heat to operate the valve was still inside….Another bad design ???? It was my first DIY job on my Mercedes and really hope it is not going to happen to often. It was a difficult week for friends that own mercedes. One had a balance shaft failure $4500.00 and the other one a transmission replacement $11500 euros…Ouch!!! I'm getting scared ;-(

Uncle

Mine failed also. It is a little odd that something as basic as a thermostat has been so over engineered.


When I think of the problems I have had, many parts that simply do not cause problems on most cars, makes me think that something is amiss at the MB plant in South Africa.

Glyn M Ruck

The thermostats are Wahler, made in Germany. None of the common failure parts like EIS, ESL etc. etc. are made in SA I'm pleased to report. The East London plant generally knocks the crap out of Bremen & Sindelfingen on faults per 1000 units.

Uncle

You have a point. Where are the door handles, front struts, power steering pump, console control knob, TMPS valves, made?

jpflip

Do you have failure of all these components ???

Glyn M Ruck

Europe. Some Eastern Europe.

Uncle

I have had all of these replaced, all under warranty, except for the thermostat. My point is, these items should be bulletproof and not fail as frequently as they do. Give some thought to the door handles. In your life, how often have you experienced this type of failure? And the fix is very expensive.

jpflip

Agree…I began to regret my choice. Last week a friend of mine got his balance shaft replaced on his 2008. He was completely in shock, $4500.00 and this was fix by an independent shop . The dealer evaluation was $7000.00… How can you be proud of driving a Mercedes after that

RickP330

Ugh, I've had the thermostat and ESL failures. The Balance Shaft Failure scares me. There is some way to to find out via your VIN number if your car is affected. Seems it was a material quality issue with the sprocket on the balance shaft. I have been unable to determine if my car is on the list. Does anyone know how to find out???

Much TIA,
Rick

jpflip

Glyn submit the list of affected cars here. But you need your engine serial number…

https://mbworld.org/forums/clk-class...ssues-dtb.html