Nektopoli

Going to have to trade in the M272 W203 and I'm looking at 2 W204s. One is a 2011, 42,000 miles with the M272 engine the other is a 2013, 75,000 miles with the M276 engine.
Both are the same price, I know there's a difference in engine size and power but I'm more interested in the reliability of one engine vs the other. My W203 was bought used
with 75,000 miles and now has 150,000+ miles and is still ticking. - NP

superangrypenguin

The 2011 is also pre face lift. Do you know if the 2011 still had the balance shaft issues?

Quite frankly I'm leaning towards the 2013. Getting oil changes done on time is important more so for the 2013 due to direct injection. That said if you have the full service history I'd go for the latter.

xsever

The balance shaft issues on the M272 were eliminated in mid-2007 as far as I know. A 2011 M272 will definitely not have balance shaft issues. The only downside of the 2011 W204 is that it has the old interior whereas starting in 2012, the interior and exterior got a major facelift.

From what I've been reading on the forum, the early M276 is definitely not as reliable as the latest and final M272. I'm thinking about the failure of the common high-pressure fuel pump amongst other issues reported here such as carbon buildup, etc...

I'm in the market for a W204 and only considering a 2012 C300 4MATIC because it's got the best of both worlds: M272 engine with the full facelift.

superangrypenguin

Totally agreed. I have been very thrilled with the reliability of my 2012 C300, and I WOT it several times on almost every drive (once the engine is warm). I'm at a paltry 71,000km now, but they've been VERY hard miles for the motor, and it keeps on taking it like a champ! I'm quite surprised at the reliability, even though my expectations were high. That said, the 2012 C300 is what I drive, but that said, I try to be as impartial as possible, and certainly would agree that it would be the best choice for the W204.

Nektopoli

Thanks for the great info, I'm not to worried about it being pre-facelift, at 33K less mileage the 2011 will give me 2+ more years of driving vs the 2013. Both are a step up from my 2007. I'll guess it time to get all the manuals, key fobs together and head over to the dealer and see what they're give me for my 2007. - NP

Adi-Benz

M272! Good luck!

Also I feel that you have less to lose on depreciation due to the mileage of the m272 one.