JohnAlderfer1

My dealer wanted to change spark plugs at 60,000 B service and wanted $828 to do it. Claims upper intake manifold must be removed? Is the correct or reasonable. 350 E class runs perfectly

konigstiger

12 e350 MB recommends every 60,000 miles/6 years whichever comes first, yes on manifold. See attachments.

blegthbloo

Spark plug lifetime on these cars is 60k miles/6 years. I have a '13 E550 and my dealer charged $300ish labor to install (I provided the plugs; about $80 from eBay). Might be cheaper to supply your own plugs, but make sure they are the revised versions. MB #0041598103 I think. The plugs will be Bosch ZR6SII3320R (note the 'R' at the end). You can call the service advisor and confirm. These plugs should be used throughout the entire E-class lineup (and others), but it doesn't hurt to confirm from MB directly.

z06michael

FYI replacing them is very easy,takes about hour and a half to do

cetialpha5

In 2012 they went with direct injection so it's different than the M272 (2010-2011) engine which was simple to do. And I believe you do have to take off the intake manifold hence the higher cost.

thefisch

I think the dealer wanted $600 on my 2011 while a local indy was just under $300. I guess that is the 'simple' price.

raja777m

I know this is an 1.5 year old thread, just wanted to add my 2 cents.
My 2014 E350 4Matic, I bought the spark plugs from eBay. I did not buy the PPM [which was my mistake] (1500$ for 3 service pack quote from tafel motors), would have covered the spark plugs replacement also.
Anyway. Dealer charged me 3 hours labor(445+taxes) and then he honored the 125$ off of 250$ coupon, which came around 375$ and 55$ I paid for plugs off of eBay.

My question: Does it really take 3 hours for the labor for professionals like the dealers got or I was just taken for the ride? I remember the SA calling me within 2 hours from the time he sent me the complimentary multi-point inspection.

They have Express B-service for ~$550 which includes brake, ATF and Oil change. So, A-Service should cost less and the difference is 120-150$ is what I lost by not buying the PPM.

tigermikel

I am 60 years old.

In my 20s I changed spark plugs on my cars and did some oil changes. Not much since then

To prepare myself I watched FCP Euro videos and some others on YouTube. Search and watch.

With that background I changed my 11 E350 4Matic spark plugs in less than an hour and a half. That included changing the engine air filters under the plastic housing.

You need very basic tools (socket wrench set) and screwdriver and a few torx bits)

This is very easy on the 2011 and I am SO THANKFUL I have an 11 after hearing the news on the 2012 change. Why would MB do that?

BTW.... My incity MPG had dropped to 14 MPG so I knew I should do new plugs. My incity increased to 22 MPG when I changed the plugs.

Has anybody had that dramatic an increase? THIS IS HUGE!!

FYI to anyone on the fence about plugs.... 1) it is EASY on the 2011 E350- 2 screws on each coil then the spark plug. If you have all your tools ready it is less than 10 minutes per cylinder and 2) if you ignore it and your are not burning the fuel efficiently, MBENZ say you can destroy your catalytic converter.

Remember : If you are already removing the engine covers, use a TORX #25 to CHANGE YOUR ENGINE AIR FILTERs!!!!! WHY NOT- it is an additional 10 minutes!

I loved this car when I bought it. Now that I am doing most of the work to keep it going... I love it MORE. It is FUN and much of it is easy!

DFWdude

My thoughts are simple... If the "350 E Class runs perfectly" then leave it alone. Recommended service intervals are only that... RECOMMENDED.

The 20-something gal at the dentist office who cleans my teeth says I should floss twice daily. Other than dentists and dental assistants, who on this planet flosses twice daily? Do they even floss at all in Europe?

More absurd, I had my garage door serviced several years ago (The door was 15 years old at the time). The garage door expert told me that I should have my garage door lubed and adjusted once every year. Other than garage door experts, who on this planet adjusts their garage door once a year?

Last time my dental assistant lectured me about flossing, I asked her if she gets her garage door adjusted every year...

I have a 17-year old MB C320. By Mercedes recommended service standards (100K miles for this engine or 6 years), this car should be on it's third set of spark plugs (per the 6-year recommendation) as it now has 110,000 miles, and it is running perfectly... on the original plugs.

I treat some fluids differently than hard parts... I do change the oil once a year, even if the car has driven only 4-5K miles since the last oil change. I use the best oils, too. But I wll NOT change the transmission fluid at it's recommended interval, because I've had two transmissions replaced on previous cars shortly after a fluid flush/fill. The transmission specialist who replaced the torque converter on two minivans told me. "Anytime you flush the transmission, you risk dislodging sludge and dirt that will make the tranny perform worse, or fail... Change only when it tells you it needs it... you will know when...."

And those plugs? Naw. I'll watch the gas mileage for changes, and listen for any developing misfires, etc. as any prudent owner should do.

Did you know that you should replace your home water heater every 8-10 years? Your sink's garbage disposal every 5 years?... your home air conditioner compressor every 12 years? That you should replace your home's windows every 20 years? Yea, right...

akingzkid

Well said DFWdude and funny as well. One suggestion from me though...................you should floss dude, or we will be calling you snaggle tooth DFWdude. LOL.

cetialpha5

It's a mixtures of apples and oranges though. In 2012 when Mercedes went to a direct injection engine, they also switched to a multi spark system. That one has the spark plugs firing up to 4 times a cycle instead of a single cycle, even waste fire plugs only fire twice a cycle. Their newer system fires up to 5 times a cycle. Still some of it is preventative, if you leave the plugs in there too long, it's possible they may seize and you'll have a hard time getting them out in 10 years instead of 6. But spark plugs are one of those things where you can see that the old ones have some wear and even if it sounds like the car is running fine, you may benefit from slightly better gas mileage as the gap does open up as it wears down.

You're also confusing the average life to recommended change interval. I just change my water heaters when they fail, some I get 6 years out of, one is going on for 19 years, but that's because I changed the anode rod. I've seen some cheap garbage disposals that were builder grade 1 year warranties last 20 years and others just die after 2-3 years. For those you can just change them with they fail.

Mud

I don't think it's a big deal if someone changes stuff earlier than "recommended intervals", or if someone does it right on mfg schedule.
If thats what they like to do on their car, go for it.