Vdhroso

I have arrived at the point where I have been encouraged to replace the spark plugs on my car. I know I can hold off on it but I plan to keep the car for a long time. I need some help. I do not plan to do this on my own as I do not trust myself to work on any part of the engine. With that said the stealership is out of the question as they wanted to charge me $700 for that service. I have looked at indie shops around my area and it seems like even they are priced pretty high at around $430 (parts & labor). Labor is around $300. I am thinking I am just going to buy the spark plugs myself and have a shop do the labor. I found this product on Amazon for a great price but would like some input from the community.

I am pretty sure these will fit my 2013 C350. If anyone knows any good independent shops in the Boston area, please let me know. Thanks

Racin_fool

check out FCPeuro.com if you havent seen it already.. prices are cheap and they are located up in the NE area near you

nelson g

This past weekend I just did the plugs on myC300 and it was easy. You just need to take your time, besides plugs you will need a few other things. One thing not mentioned in either of the links below is some liquid wrench or PB Blast. I found that the dealership had not put any anti-seize on the plug so it was a slow go as to not strip the threads. I would also suggest changing the air filters, it's easy and will help you get better gas mileage.
You don't need a thin walled 5/8th spark plug socket, but a normal 5/8th socket with the rubber insert works as well. Also the T30 driver you will need for the screws that hold the coil packs in. And do use anti-sieze it helps later.

https://mbworld.org/how-tos/a/merced...k-plugs-388301

It's an easy job watch the video and read the DIY By Weston Chadwick he did a great job on the DIY. And you will be happy afterwards because you saved so much money. It cost me $122 for plugs and filter.

Hope this helps

dennish

IMO, yes an easy job for a DIYer with car experience. But if you have no experience, I would find an Indy shop. Sometimes things just don't go right.

Vdhroso

I have done other DYI projects but they have been mostly small things like air and cabin filters, illuminated star installation. I don't feel comfortable putting my hands in an engine so I would definitely prefer a pro to do it for me.

Colin G

Do it yourself for under $100.

nelson g

The real value in owning a Mercedes is how well they are built the down side is how much the dealers charge for service. If you read the DIY and view the video and take your time you can do it. Before I purchased my C300 I only did oil changes on my cars and motorcycles. When I purchased the C300 decided I would do as much of the service as I could. I since learned to do brakes, brake bleeding, plugs, sway bar links, air filter, cabin filter, steering wheel change, and of course oil changes. I do it first because I save money, but the most important I feel good knowing I did it.

You can do this job. I usually have my laptop in the garage so I can reference the video and poss it. The dealer in my area wanted $643 to do the job, I happy saving $521.

PelicanParts.com

If you're looking for a step-by-step guide for the spark plug replacement, take a look at the link below to our site's DIY tech article on the procedure. Please let us know if you have any questions and we'll be happy to help out.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...eplacement.htm

Vdhroso

I hear you bro. Dealerships have no shame. They will squeeze every penny out of you. Again I would do it on my own but first of all I am not mechanically inclined and I do not have a garage to work in. Plus independent shops prices are much better than the dealership. I was able to find a few places that can do it for around $200 which is still much better than the $700 the dealer wanted to charge. I completely agree with you on the fact that when you do it yourself it feels good knowing that you did. No one else cares about your car like you do so the mechanic working on it could possibly do a sloppy job causing more problems down the line. There is that rare risk. I am also nearing my transmission fluid change which I will most definitely not do at the dealer.

Vdhroso

Actually the more I look at the DYI videos and instructions, it does not seem that hard to do. Just need to be careful. I might try to tackle this service by myself. There are some differing opinions I am reading though. Pelican parts recommends not putting anti-seize but Nelson in this thread is saying to put anti-seize. Not sure what the correct thing to do is.

dennish

I agree with the no anti seize on these car's plugs. If you decide to do, I think it's good idea to torque the plugs.

mrbrannin1

call the dealer and talk to a few techs. or go up there to the service window and talk to them... they are normally cool and give you good advice how to DIY so if they recomend anti seze the do it and if they don't then don't.... thats what i would do if im loosing sleep over that situation just my 2cents!!

tapankd

Hey man.. I am in the Boston area too.. have some services coming up ? Which Independent shops are you looking at ? So far I found the following shops with decent reviews on yelp for mercedes owners.

1) Raytem Automotive - German specialist in Waltham MA

2) European Auto Solutions in Waltham MA

If you know any decent independent shops.. please share here or PM me. Thanks in advance.

Vdhroso

Hey Tapankd, I found an independent shop specializing in strictly Mercedes vehicles. It is called Elite Auto Service in Somerville MA. They are a little pricey because they are trying to put themselves on the same level as a dealership. Reading their history it says that the owner was a certified MB master technician and the people working there are all certified techs which allows them to demand higher prices than other shops but still much lower than dealerships. I am going to look into these two you provided. Thanks.

nelson g

The reason I used anti-sieze is after talking to my customer who happen to be mechanics they all recommend a little ant--sieze so when you change the plug later it will be easier to remove them. I could tell when i tried to remove the plug they were not easy to remove. That is why I ended up spray some PBS to loosen them. It's your choose just take your time and you can do it, it's not that hard it just takes patience.

Vdhroso

I agree, patience is required. But it does not seem overly complex. It can be done.

Vdhroso

Would anyone know what the tightening torque would be for the 2013 C350. It does not show it in the owner's manual. The guy in the video has a 2008 Engine.

edgalang

@Vdhroso

Replied to your PM. Look at the DYI I linked you.
The M276 is definitely harder to replace the plugs than the M272 (at least the backside).
What's more important than the anti-seize debate is making sure you put some dielectric grease on the boots.

dol4er

I am no expert and I cannot help with DYI but I can tell you that my dealer replaced my spark plugs and it took only a few minutes so it must be very quick and easy process. I guess there is nothing to worry about if you find the right DYI video.

Colin G

Anti seize will throw off the torque values when using a torque wrench.

I use a light smear of engine oil.

Don't forget to blow out the plug holes BEFORE removing the old plugs. Dirt and small stones can gather in there. Last thing you want is that **** falling into one of your cylinder bores when you pull the old plug out. Do not forget to use dielectric grease in the boots where they connect to the plug.

JohnnyC

Yeah i just did my m276 spark plugs and it was pretty time consuming. The spark plugs you need will hafta have a 12 sided star, not a hexagon.

JohnnyC

The spark plug torque is 23mm.... and the E8 plug bolts is 9nm

W204Motorsports

Took me 15mins to change my spark plugs. Our engine have lots of room to work around, get a torque wrench, an e8 socket and get to work. Also some dielectric grease to put at the end off the boot but just watch some tutorials, its is a very simple process and its the same for any gasoline engine.

edgalang

The OP has the M276 engine, which is a tighter fit than the M272. With the M272 there is no excuse to not change your own.

c300white

Yeah - don’t be scared of doing. The spark plugs. Not much harder than changing the oil. Just get a magnetic plug socket and borrow a torque wrench from auto parts store - and follow the YouTube videos on how to do - the key is not to overtorque the plug. I got 6x denso plugs from rock auto for $45 or so . (Bosch or ngk would also be good). You will need 8” extension or so for your socket set to the the plug socket down the hole- but there is plenty of room to work on these engines.

my plugs came out fairly easily - no PB blaster required - but if plug is in there tight you can spray some down the hole and let it work for 10 mins or so.

Platinum plugs do not need to be gaped - and typically have zinc coating already on the threads so no anti-sieze should be used