Thanks brother. Yeah, beyond money, I put a lot of time and work in to get the styling just how I wanted it and now I'm really enjoying that... but I suddenly have an uneasy feeling about the engine and I have to listen to myself before it's too late and I regret not acting upon it.

It's funny how I'd have no problem dropping $6K on a set of forged wheels, but a $6K repair to get me back where I was is not okay with me. Again, it may never happen, but I shouldn't be concerned about it.

Right now I'm about 70% sure I'm going to trade it in. If I do, it'll go as it is. De-modding is no fun and not worth the effort to me. (but good advice, lol)

I'm looking at W213s right now, but I'd prefer the same color combo if possible (black on beige/cream), air suspension, and a car that's lived in the US south, so that's asking a lot and makes for even slimmer pickings.

 

Since you like to keep your cars for a long time, I would advise against air suspension as that is a major point of failure, unless not having one is a deal breaker. I think the adaptive suspension option will be good enough after all going from W205 to W213 you will for sure get a ride quality upgrade, C-Class to E-Class at the end of the day. So if you needed air suspension on the C, you might(?) not need it on the E. I am sure you are aware there are M274 s in the W213 too so you need to get something with the M276.

 

No way I could give up ur car if I was in ur position, unless I took almost all my mods and pit them on the next car. Or I guess if the next car had all of it already, but In ur case I don’t think that’s a model out there

 

My primary reason for wanting air is more about ride height adjustment over ride quality. I like coilovers for this reason, but it's a PITA to adjust the ride height and takes about 2 hours to make changes. On air, just plug into the OBD port and make live adjustments in seconds.

Oh yeah, for sure a M276.

 

I hear you man and I don't really want to do this, but I think I should.

What your saying makes sense, but if I do this, I'm changing to an E, so most wouldn't fit or be needed. Plus I love working on cars and making them better, but making them worse just feels like work, lol.

 

I kinda got that idea about you, it’s about enjoying the process not just the endpoint

I was looking for an e class amg but never drove one bc there were none in my budget range
had a E class loaner they ride great !!!

 

Exactly dude. It's a mixture of both.

I'm looking and hoping to find a decent deal on a E43 and the same as you, the challenge is finding one in budget. This is also a horrible time to buy a used car. My timing is perfect, lol.

Glad to hear you liked the E. I've never driven one but I'm sure I'll be happy with one. Same with my C, never even sat in one until I bought mine and have loved it.

 

If only you can go online and buy an M276 engine from someone and swap it in your own car without any programming or anything.... one can dream...

 

2015+ airmatic is very reliable, haven't seen any reports

Also you can just buy a black c400 or c450 and transfer everything over

 

From what I know the wrist pin issue isn't a problem for m274 models after late 2016 models. This issue was found pretty early but unfortunately mercedes doesn't consider it recall worthy( idk why). However the later models of m274 don't seem to have this issue or at least there aren't as many cases as for the 2015-2016 models

 

Problem is that it isn't just the wrist pin, it is the subsequent model years MBs with the M274 experiencing engine grenading due to piston cracking.

 

well, I just rebuilt an m274 on a flooded 2018 c300 so hopefully the new pistons won't have that issue

 

Hopefully but did you ever considered forged pistons when you tackled the project?

 

I would've done it, if it was my car or an order for a customer. However as of right now I rebuild salvaged cars and restore them as close to original as possible. But I'm actually planning on going all forged internationals on my w204 C250. Hopefully will also be able to add cylinder reinforcement to push for more power. That said I would totally swap the cast pistons for the forged on the c300. Just not in this case

 

I see.

 

I agree and mechanically the system is fairly simple, just as an aftermarket air kit... a compressor, valve block, a bunch of tubing and air bags. The biggest issue with air suspension is air leaks and if you're someone that works on your own car, air leaks are pretty easy to fix.

Yeah, that could work, but I'm looking to upsize a bit so most of my stuff won't fit, not even the wheels (offset not good for a E-Class).

 

Yeah and my engine serial number is after they presumably corrected the wrist pin tolerances, so I should be good there, but there have been many examples after the fix of similar piston failures so I just don't trust it at all.

Being that I have a 2015, I see myself square in the danger zone.

 

After a lot of consideration, I've made the decision I am trading-in my C300 (as much as it hurts to do so).

So the real hunt begins. I'm looking for a 2017-2018 E43 (or E400 with the right options) or a 2019 E450 (with the right options).

My preferred car would be a 2020 E53, but they are out of my budget right now.

It may take a bit to find the car that fits, as probably my biggest constraint is I'd like to keep the asking price under $42K and under 55K miles.

We'll see!

 

Congrats, great choice not sure how much sound matters to you bud, but the E 43 never got PE I think? so the sound might not be thaaat nice but it is still nice enough I think https://mbworld.org/forums/w213-amg/...e-exhaust.html

 

I was thinking of doing that when gettin rid of my ‘19
but couldn’t find anything that wasn’t a lemon or frame damage
i wish u better luck !!!

 

Took a while (3 months) but MB finally agreed to repair their 2018 M274 C300 engine (Cylinder 1 failure at 13,000 km) at their expense approx. 12 hrs after I called head office in Germany and after ghosting my local dealership in Australia for weeks on end. Fortunately I did not need a car. Note, I never received a reply from Germany.

Shortly after agreeing to repair my car they advised they needed to replace the engine (also at their expense). A courtesy car was included the same day as they began their works (2 months). Not a sorry or anything of the kind when I picked it up, it did not even get the standard car wash.

What now annoys me is that what I thought was a "New Engine" is in fact just a "Long Block (in which the entire crank assembly including the cylinder head, valves, injection and much more have been completely overhauled and installed using only MB Genuine Parts), compared to a New Engine or New Basic Engine or Basic Engine or Long Block Plus. In short Long Block replacements are a “remanufactured engine” that does not get tested on the manufactures test stand before been sent to the dealership. You can learn more about that at b2bconnect.mercedes-benz.com/gb/products/remanufactured-parts/cars/engines/basic-engine

Even more annoying is that the this Long Block from the "new engine number” 454,306 provided appears to have been produced 86,479 before my failed engine “540,758" OR approx. 47,704 after MB modified their faulty wrist pins that were installed as of engines in 2015 engine number 274 920 30 406 602 on which leads me to believe this engine may have been produced in 2016-2017 ??

Someone please correct me if my understanding about the engine number is incorrect.

Anyway its now been 5 months and with 2,002 km on the engine and is already more noisey on cold starts that the original engine. Transmission also notably louder. I don’t know what to do, I just know I don’t trust this engine, or MB and I will never buy another MB again. Is it all in my head or should I flick it.

If you are interested in what a new m274 long block sounds like with 2,002 km you can download my videos at recorded on a iPhone 101a M274 2018 Cold Start 3m 30sec - 37-40 deg celsius.mov
https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0...40_deg_celsius

1b M274 2018 Cold Start 35 secs - Bottom Engine Bay + SLOWMO.zip
https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0...e_Bay_+_SLOWMO

1c M274 2018 Cold Start 10 secs at 50 70 80 95 96 deg celsius 4-10.zip
https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0...g_celsius_4-10

No warranty was offered on the new long block as it was done under warranty.MB also returned it with a broken PVC line (crank case vent line) and a torn aftermarket pod air filter. Fortunately as soon as I drove it the 2k drive home I inspected their workmanship. Had I not caught this vent line it would not have been too long before I was back for another engine replacement.

 

Lookin to grab that new interior eh?

Probably doesn't meet your space requirements but CLS400 also works

 

Also - what engine code is in CLA?

I know its a nissan/infiniti engine as well, but its exactly the same. No reports from those 2.0t

 

Thanks brother! Yes, the E43 did not have the PE option, at least I've not seen an example of one. But I would think since it's an AMG branded model it would have an exhaust system tuned to the engine and I would think it may be a bit more "throaty" than a E400. Not sure.

This doesn't matter much to me, as I'm not a fan of loud 4 cylinders or V6's, they sound like farm tractor motors to me. Just my opinion! If y'all like it, cool. I'm more of a V8 exhaust note fan. I must say though, the new straight 6 sounds really sweet.

I'm also not a fan of the extreme pops and bang trend. Again, just my personal opinion and taste. This used to mean you have bad timing and something is wrong with your car... this is still the way my ears hear it. :p

 

Wow, sorry to hear this man. I think at the least, you should feel fortunate you are in a country that affords you some relief. Here in the US, if you're out of factory warranty, you're screwed.

Good luck with the rest of your story and I hope things go well for you!