When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I recently picked up a 2021 GLC 300 which came fully loaded with all the goodies for a very good price (WARNING) which keeps the miles down on the SL. HOWEVER I noticed that the car throws a constant P219C code and then just yesterday an 0301 (Missifre Cylinder 1) and the whole damn car felt like it was going to fall apart. I cleared the code and carried on... the car behaved fine since P219C seems to come back though, the plan is to start by replacing the plugs and then check injectors if this issue is not resolved, despite being a 2021 the car has very high mileage at 79k so I figured I'd start with the plugs, I'm debating about purchasing an MB extended 100k mile warranty that should be good for 1 year. I've done some research and I'm kind of hoping that this isn't a cracked piston... who'd have thought that a near 20 year old Mercedes AMG with ABC suspension is more reliable than a 3 year old modern Mercedes. Any advice/help is appreciated!
It is the cylinder head issue on 2021 4 cylinder M260/264 engines. GLA/GLB got extended warranty due to this. It is not cheap to fix without a warranty. See below:
Thank you for that, I've got the car scheduled for a visit to MB, after speaking with MBFS they noted that the car itself has a 5 year or 100,000 mile limited warranty, so I'll be taking the car to MB and see what they make of it, a friend of mine who works at the dealership advised me to change the plugs and check the injectors as apparently on the M264, higher mileage cars can suffer with faulty Injectors which can throw a 219 / 030X misfire code. A faulty injector would be better than a failed head, I do wonder why MB haven't added the GLC to this list yet. I'll keep you updated when I get information.
Just an update regarding the issue... So, after day 1 at the dealership the car behaved and they found no errors... I then described the issues again after getting a bit pissed off, poor fuel consumption, check engine light, vibration when using the hold feature at a stop sign/traffic light, the occasional misfire when driving etc... They took the car for a 10-15 mile test drive as I told them a 2 mile test drive won't do anything. The service advisor said that I was spot on... surprise surprise... It's a faulty fuel injector, the block and the head are fine. They are replacing the fuel injector tomorrow morning and then do a road test... They even offered me a job... I mean, honestly, I'm sure there are procedures to follow as an MB tech, but if you have been advised with codes P219C and P0301 and just recently P0202. You'd research those codes and knowing the M2XX Engine you'd figure it out pretty quick. Thankfully the car is under warranty and I don't have to pay a dime. Stressed but, Hopefully it all works out.
Were the error codes you provided accurate?
Did they coincide with Mercedes error codes?
Just trying to figure out why they didn't investigate your evidence.
The code I found was indeed the same code that MB had on their test drive, P219C (Air/fuel imbalance) It was a strange situation as 90% of the time the car would always throw a check, ironically during my drive to the dealership the code never came on and they stated that they could not find any history of the car having codes, I mean... I told them the issues the car was facing and gave them the right codes P219C and P0301 and I once had a P0202 (All injector related) although P219C Can also be the cylinder head issue. Their first test drive was 2 miles... I told them that if you use the hold feature the car will shake and the engine sounds like it's rattling. The video that the tech sent was frustrating, just... Yeah, we didn't find any codes or nothing, but we'll wash the vehicle for you.
Further update, they replaced the Injector today, the check engine light is still on, they did a further diagnosis and found that the car needs a new Cylinder head (It was supposed to be fine) This will be replaced under warranty and boy do I feel good knowing that I was right all along! Maybe it's not too late to change careers?
Update, I collected the car and what a difference! It's literally a new car, the fuel consumption is back. The total costs WITHOUT the warranty was significantly higher than $10,000. They replaced the cylinder head and all 4 Injectors as well. Thank goodness for the warranty and shame on the dealership I purchased the car from for hiding such a catastrophic fault, they will be dealt with accordingly as this would be considered fraud. So, the M260/4 faulty cylinder heads did make it into the 2021/22 models as the guy who works at the dealership has recently replaced a late 2022 GLE 350 Cylinder head.
just continuing some research on the GLC. is it safe to say that i should stay away from a used 2020 GLC 300?
Honestly, I wouldn't have one without a warranty, that's for sure. Now that the Cylinder Head has been replaced I'm hoping this turns out to be a reliable car.
03-27-2024, 09:23 AM
