Mercedes4Life1

I've had a 2006 CLK 350 for about three years now and have enjoyed it very much, but I think that to buy some peace of mind and avoid a potential very expensive repair bill in the future that it's time that I got rid of it. After reading about the balance shaft gear issues for the M272 engine for '06 and '07 models, and not just for the CLK, I've come to the conclusion that Mercedes may not be the way to go now

I read about this the issue about 6 months ago, and have been hoping that this wouldn't happen to my car. My check engine light came on the other day (2 days after a service B ) and I started getting really paranoid that it might be the dreaded P0016/P0017 problem. Turned out that it was just a simple air intake leak that my indy mechanic corrected in 10 minutes and charged nothing for. After that worry for about 2 days though, I don't think I wanna keep worrying about this.

When I got this car 3 years ago I researched everything and don't remember seeing anything on this, though three years ago maybe it hadn't been noticed much yet.

Contemplating an '05 CLK 500, but really with this whole deal with Mercedes screwing people over with the M272/M273 engines I'm not sure I want another Mercedes for a long while now. I know protesting the brand by not getting another accomplishes nothing, especially with the next one being used also, I still feel a bit vindictive. Looking at Infiniti now...

Any thoughts?

discoduck

Why not go for an older CLK and just update to the facelift as you go? Tail lights, interior etc... That way you still get a reliable powertrain

kameno

i remember reading somewhere that you could go to the dealer and get your vin number or whatever checked to see if your specific car falls within the affected cars. not sure.

discoduck: damn that's a sexy 55

Kevwood

The M113 is a very solid & stable platform to have fun with. Regarding the M272, I wonder exactly how many have actually had the failure.

Good idea and ya, quite the "55" eh?

Glyn M Ruck

The M272 sprocket failure on the Lanchester shaft drive was due to a portion of a large batch of sintered sprockets not being hardened properly. This is common technology used in the industry. In a belt & bracers approach Benz has returned to sprockets machined from steel billet. Even if your car is in the VIN window it does not mean that they will fail. A single oil sample to Blackstone will tell you if you have abnormal wear. In most parts of the world Benz repairs this FOC on a no questions asked basis even outside warranty.

eddieo45

Anyone else find the OP's choice of name on the forum ironic?

Kevwood

It was the first thing I noticed when I saw the thread posted.

betrezra

It's listing like the one below that give me hope my clk55 will last a long time. 122K Miles and running strong. Gotta Love it!

++++++
2004 Clk55 AMG
Silver w/black interior silver trim
Has every option
122k miles, the car runs amazing, i drive it 60+ miles day.
Great Tires
Excellent condition inside and out

Frank Rizzo

Glad someone else noticed.

...that, plus the single post count lost my interest.

discoduck

I was waiting till someone said something lol

discoduck

Hell yeah

bigben320e

+1, and that 1st post by the OP...yeah right.

Mercedes4Life1

Yeah the VIN was checked and it falls within the range, should have included that in the post. And yeah, I noticed the irony in the name after I posted And they're apparently are no dealers in my area that will do this repair if it becomes necessary without charging minimum $4000. My indy mechanic quoted me $3500-3900. People in other places are saying some will do the goodwill fixes though.

Glyn M Ruck

Send a used oil sample to Blackstone & post the results at your next oil change. Then you will know whether the sprockets are wearing or not.

eddieo45

FWIW, I've had my 2006 CLK for 2 years and service it at the dealer. My SA says my car seems not to be affected and also that he has yet to see one that is. So, I'm not a worrier (worryer?).

Rudeney

Generally speaking, MBZ will "goodwill" the repair, but only if the dealer goes to bat for the customer. If you don't have a good dealer or a good relationship with your dealer, it's unlikely you are going to get any help. I'm going through this now with my CLK550. It's very aggravating because I used to work with for this dealer (actually, I was a consultant placed there as part of a QA project). They are horrible - I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy. I think I'm just going to take a few days off work over the holidays and DIY.