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Please check my VIN for Balance shaft issue?

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Old Apr 23, 2013 | 10:13 PM
  #151  
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WDBTJ56H48F249509 has M272 engine #852393, which is beyond the range for both balance shaft and cam magnet problems - you're good!
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Old Apr 24, 2013 | 04:07 PM
  #152  
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From: SOFLA
2003 E320
Originally Posted by Rudeney
WDBTJ56H48F249509 has M272 engine #852393, which is beyond the range for both balance shaft and cam magnet problems - you're good!
Thank you so much. Thats a huge weight removed.
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Old Apr 26, 2013 | 12:13 PM
  #153  
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clk
Can you please check my VIN

thinking of getting an early 280 on an 05 plate
WDB2094542T062712

Thanks!!!
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Old Apr 26, 2013 | 10:53 PM
  #154  
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M272 # 195075 - in the range for potential balance shaft problems.
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Old Apr 27, 2013 | 11:09 AM
  #155  
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2006 c230
WDBRF52H16F749951 can someone check this before I buy it....thanks
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Old Apr 27, 2013 | 12:41 PM
  #156  
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WDBRF52H16F749951 is a C230 with M272 engine #168670, which is within the range for potential balance shaft problems (as I would expect with a MY2006). Have you had any symptoms? If no, I'd still get codes pulled as the problem can start with a few intermittent instances of P0016/P0017 that are stored, but so random the MIL is not illuminated. And of course your may be just fine and never have problems, but better to know sooner than later.
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Old Apr 27, 2013 | 02:38 PM
  #157  
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clk
Originally Posted by Rudeney
M272 # 195075 - in the range for potential balance shaft problems.
Thanks Rodney!
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Old Apr 27, 2013 | 10:38 PM
  #158  
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2006 c230
WDBRF52H16F749951 is a C230 with M272 engine #168670, which is within the range for potential balance shaft problems (as I would expect with a MY2006). Have you had any symptoms? If no, I'd still get codes pulled as the problem can start with a few intermittent instances of P0016/P0017 that are stored, but so random the MIL is not illuminated. And of course your may be just fine and never have problems, but better to know sooner than later.


I am looking to buy this car. it only has 45,000 miles on it. Not private seller but from a wholesaler. Any way I can find out if it has been fixed or anything? Car im buying was a theft vehicle but in perfect condition and all 3 keys which seems like someone pulled one over the banks eyes! Insurance write off. Thanks for the info
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Old Apr 27, 2013 | 11:10 PM
  #159  
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The only way to tell if it has been fixed is by dealer service records. If you'll taker it to a dealer for a pre-purchase inspection (they usually charge around $150 for this), they can look at the service records and let you know. Otherwise, unless you can get this car for about $4K less than one not in affected range, then I'd pass. It's an expensive roll of the dice.
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Old Apr 28, 2013 | 04:04 PM
  #160  
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2006 c230
I can get the car for 11,000 bucks, 45,000 miles and thank you for your help!! I did notice that when I started it and let it run I smelt something but not like oil burning. Smelt kinda like plastic melting type smell but no exactly like plastic melting. Hard to explain, may just be a normal smell but there was some sort of smell. The car has been sitting couple weeks.....

Last edited by stclairstv; Apr 28, 2013 at 04:07 PM.
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Old Apr 28, 2013 | 04:24 PM
  #161  
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2006 C230
Is my engine # affected??

Here is my VIN WDBRF52H96A841001
CEL is on and we've had some odd shifting issues in an automatic transmission. Thanks for any and all help!!
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Old Apr 28, 2013 | 09:44 PM
  #162  
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Originally Posted by stclairstv
I can get the car for 11,000 bucks, 45,000 miles and thank you for your help!! I did notice that when I started it and let it run I smelt something but not like oil burning. Smelt kinda like plastic melting type smell but no exactly like plastic melting. Hard to explain, may just be a normal smell but there was some sort of smell. The car has been sitting couple weeks.....

KBB lists trade-in value at about $11K and private party at about $13K. Generally speaking, I shoot for KBB trade-in value when buying a used car, and dealers generally offer $2K-4K under KBB trade-in value. So, given that you may have a $4K repair on your hands, I'd not pay more than $8K for it. But that's just me.
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Old Apr 28, 2013 | 09:47 PM
  #163  
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Originally Posted by PatrickWynn
Here is my VIN WDBRF52H96A841001
CEL is on and we've had some odd shifting issues in an automatic transmission. Thanks for any and all help!!
You have M272 engine #139974, which is within range for potential balance shaft problems. This will not affect shifting. In fact, unless there is a catastrophic failure of the timing idler gear on the end of the balance shaft, you won't have any symptoms except for the P0016/P0017 (DTC 1208/1200) codes. The shifting could be something else. I strongly suggest you get codes pulled - preferably with SDS so you get the native DTCs and TCU codes.
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Old Apr 29, 2013 | 01:47 AM
  #164  
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hello everybody

hi all,

please can someone check my VIN ?

WDBHA29GXWA580967

i have lost my service book.

my mail is: yashar1001@hotmail.com


many thanks in advance!!

Last edited by Yashar Mammadov; Apr 29, 2013 at 01:48 AM. Reason: addition!
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Old Apr 29, 2013 | 02:59 AM
  #165  
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From: Bourgas, Bulgaria
CLS 350 W219
Hi I'm an owner of a second hand CLS 350 (European car),the vin is :
WDD2193561A001130, I'm pretty sure that the car is within the affected range, but how can I find if it has been repaired ?
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Old Apr 29, 2013 | 10:13 AM
  #166  
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Originally Posted by Yashar Mammadov
hi all,

please can someone check my VIN ?

WDBHA29GXWA580967

i have lost my service book.

my mail is: yashar1001@hotmail.com


many thanks in advance!!
That's a W202 with an M112 engine so no worries about balance shaft issues. If you are looking for service records, you'll have to go to a dealer and have them pull a VMI for you.
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Old Apr 29, 2013 | 10:16 AM
  #167  
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Originally Posted by Elrond
Hi I'm an owner of a second hand CLS 350 (European car),the vin is :
WDD2193561A001130, I'm pretty sure that the car is within the affected range, but how can I find if it has been repaired ?
Yep, you have engine #7508, which is within the range for potential balance shaft problems. Have you had any issues? How many miles on the clock? Even if the MIL is not illuminated, you should still check codes - intermittent P0016/P0017 codes can occur but not in enough numbers to trigger the MIL. Of course if the gear is failing, which yours may not be, the problem will get worse and the errors more often and eventually the MIL will be illuminated steady.
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Old Apr 29, 2013 | 11:06 AM
  #168  
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From: Bourgas, Bulgaria
CLS 350 W219
Thanks for the info, the car has 110000 miles and there aren't any errors ( checked in a local dealer ) but the dealer can't confirm that the balance shaft has been replaced. But I would guess that it has been serviced, because from what I read this problem usually occurs around 65000- 130000km (not sure what is that in miles), but I still would feel much better if I find a way to confirm for sure.
By the way a friend of mine has the same cls 2004 dec 350 petrol and he has done more 200000 miles without a gearbox or enfine problem.
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Old Apr 29, 2013 | 09:42 PM
  #169  
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Generally, the balance shaft errors show up before 100K miles, so your might be fine. Unfortunately, there is inexpensive way to inspect it - by the time you get everything prepped to remove the timing case cover, you're 80% into the labor of replacing the balance shaft.

Like I said, not all will fail. Only MBZ and their supplier knows for sure, but the hypothesis is that the part supplier had a defective process for hardening the balance shafts. Maybe they used multiple furnaces for heat hardening and one had a bad thermostat, or maybe a certain employee didn't know how to properly operate the furnace, or maybe the guys got drunk on payday Thursday, came in hung over and careless on Friday. Regardless, only some percentage of them are bad. It seems that the supplier did not serialize the parts, so MBZ only knows that they could be in the first 500,000+ M272/M273 engines built until they discovered the problem.
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Old Apr 30, 2013 | 02:50 AM
  #170  
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From: Bourgas, Bulgaria
CLS 350 W219
Hi RODNEY, your info has been very valuable, I just spoke with the official dealer's, main office in Bulgaria (that is where I live) and they told me that the price of the repair kit and the work is aprox. 1000-1200Euro (around 1300-1600 USD), which is not too bad. So I'm feeling a bit better now, any way my next mercedes if there is one will be with a V8 and no balnce shafts .
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Old Apr 30, 2013 | 11:14 AM
  #171  
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FYI, this same failure occurs on the M273 V8 engine (up to serial number 88611). Both engines have an idler gear that the timing chain runs on between the two cam banks. The difference on the V8 is that the gear is just an idler, bolted to the engine block on a bearing. On the V6, the gear is forged onto the end of the balance shaft, thus driving the balance shaft to counter-act engine vibrations inherent in a V6 configuration, but not an issue on a V8. it seems the same supplier (improperly) forged both the idler sprocket on the V8 and balance shaft/idler sprocket for the V6.
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Old May 1, 2013 | 10:38 AM
  #172  
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2007 Honda Fit
Please check my vin for balance shaft issues WDXPF446679317427 MB Sprinter
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Old May 1, 2013 | 08:50 PM
  #173  
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WDXPF446679317427 has M272 engine #514675 - no worries on the balance shaft.
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Old May 1, 2013 | 11:14 PM
  #174  
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CLK 500
Rodney, ur probably sick of this by now, but could you check on vin WDBTJ75J15F133339
please?
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Old May 2, 2013 | 09:19 AM
  #175  
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WDBTJ75J15F133339 is a CLK500. That's an M113 engine, which will have no balance shaft issues.
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