Mekanicc01

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here, which could lead to many more, depending on whether or not I become a MB owner (more on that below).
Full disclosure : I currently own an E46 BMW 328i, with manual gearbox. I'm not a fanboy. I have always been a fan of both MB and BMW, and driven and loved many MB (W140, W221, W211, R129) which belonged to my late grandfather, may he RIP.

I'm posting today because I'd like to join the community of MB owners by purchasing a W212 350CDI blue efficiency. As a matter of fact, I test drove one of them yesterday and loved it.
It was advertised by the owner as a june 2011 model, so I thought based on previous researches that it'd be 265hp / 7GTronic+ version.

When looking up the VIN number it turned out to have been manufactured in 2010-04-21.
The engine code is 642850 40 961700 and gearbox code 722902 02 738009.

I'm thinking the 902 in the gearbox code means it's a 7G (and not 7G+), but I have no certainty about that.
More worryingly, I searched the Web high and low to determine which power output the engine has, to no avail...according to the chart in the link below, the "W212 E350 CDI BLUE EFFICIENCY" can be found with several power outputs / model years, including 265hp in the last section of the chart.

I'm lost. And I can't comprehend why this info is not widely and clearly advertised by MB themselves...
Could anyone help please?

https://motor-car.net/mercedes/merce...ercedes-om-642

S-Prihadi

All I can use is Wiki if for MB diesel engine. Me blind on their diesel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merced...z_OM642_engine

To check if your 7 speed tranny is the PLUS version or not is easy.
When you check the VIN, you get the datacard. Find the code A89, if there is A89, that meant the tranny is 7G plus and uses the blue fluid, not red.

See example of my data card E400 W212.065 RHD car, RWD only not 4 matic.





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Mekanicc01

Thanks!
I couldn't find the A89 code so that means it's a regular 7G.

The only gearbox related codes I could find are:
- 427 (7 speed automatic transmission)
- A22 (new generation converter)
- G902 (transmission version 02 code)

Arrie

My first MB was a 2011 E350. The window sticker said it had 268 hp. That is too weak for this heavy car so i traded it in for a 2010 E550 with 386 hp.

Gear box was the 7G without the Plus so it takes fluid change at every 40 000 miles.

Mekanicc01

Thanks for your input. Actually the one I drove yesterday (which was a 2010) felt fast enough, but I'd rather have the 265hp version than the 230ish one, as a base for a remap. IMO the diesels are about more than HP figures only, as they have comparatively huge amounts of torque (620nm in the case of the 265hp version).
Before I decide to purchase it I'd really like to find out which version the engine is.
Here is the link to the data card, if that helps : https://www.lastvin.com/fr/vin/az1nGEyGmRgAxv67l

DubVBenz

Where are you located? The US never got the later variant of the OM642 engine with the updated turbo in the W212 (W221 and W166 did). The US version is only 211 HP/ 398 Ft/Lbs. I would have purchased one with the newer variant of the OM642 if they sold it instead of my E400. A 2011 is also likely not the 7G-Tronic Plus. 2012s and above (aside from the OM642) did get the 7G-Tronic plus

Be aware that the OM642 has an expensive flaw, the oil cooler seals. Very cheap part to replace, but requires a ton of labor and can be several thousand dollars. I think all OM642s had this until 2015. My w211 had them done years ago.

If you're not getting the 265HP version of the OM642, I would instead just go for the OM651 E250 Bluetec, which has almost the same power and I think is probably a better engine in terms of reliability.

Mekanicc01

I'm located in Morocco, where we basically get Euro-market vehicles (so the 265hp should have been made available, but in the case of this particular april 2010 car (manufacturing date, sold in june 2011) I need to check whether that's the case).
Other, safer way would be to wait for a 2012 car to show up in the ads, but mileage could be high (the one I test drove only has around 80000 miles, which is rare).
About the oil cooler seals, I'm a bit of a DIYer so I thought I could replace them myself when needed. It looks like a time consuming but not particularly difficult job.

Reliability really has become an issue with German cars and that's a shame... I was going to get a 313hp BMW 535D F10, but I had to pass on it because of a much costlier timing chain/guides issue that can potentially grenade the whole engine...

DubVBenz

I was not aware of that on the 535D. That was on my short list when I got my E400, but when I test drove one I was too big for it (I've since lost a ton of weight). The door entry on a W212 was larger for some reason. The later 540D has a different motor, I wonder if those have similar issues.

Mekanicc01

They probably improved things, but from what I've read the B series engines (B47=4 cyl. /B57= 6 cyl.) do have issues as well. For both series (N/B), the issue is more prevalent on the 47's than the 57's, but there still are issues with the 57's.
Mind you, that doesn't mean the majority of the engines fail, but for the M series (so 2 generations back from the B) for e.g. there are little to no failures reported as they had a double row timing chain at the front (much easier to service) rather than a single row at the back of the engine...

DubVBenz

Good information, thank you.