Longevity of M276 Engine
Last edited by jwells222; Mar 8, 2025 at 09:17 PM.
Those are off the top of my head I might had missed many things though.
Forum member @chassis wrote a nice DIY guide with various wear and tear items: https://mbworld.org/forums/gle-class...ispreloading=1
Hopefully forum member chassis can include the things I missed.
Spark plug replacement Every 50 or 5 Years
ATF drain and fill with new filter Every 60 or 6 Years
Front Differential case drain and fill No scheduled interval, but every 60 or 6 Years is
advisable
Rear Differential case drain and fill Every 30 or 3 Years
Transfer case drain and fill Every 50 or 5 Years
Steering fluid drain and fill N/A - Electronic fly by wire steering so no fluid
Engine air filter Every 50 or 5 Years
Replace fuel filter Every 120 or 12 Years
Coolant drain and fill Every 120 or 12 Years
(main circuit and low temperature circuit)
Spark plug replacement Every 50 or 5 Years
ATF drain and fill with new filter Every 60 or 6 Years
Front Differential case drain and fill No scheduled interval, but every 60 or 6 Years is
advisable
Rear Differential case drain and fill Every 30 or 3 Years
Transfer case drain and fill Every 50 or 5 Years
Steering fluid drain and fill N/A - Electronic fly by wire steering so no fluid
Engine air filter Every 50 or 5 Years
Replace fuel filter Every 120 or 12 Years
Coolant drain and fill Every 120 or 12 Years
(main circuit and low temperature circuit)
I have a 2017 C 43 with the same engine, I am planning to keep it for a very long time. Even if I get a new car (I was considering a CLE 53), I will still keep this one alongside. I am very satisfied with how it doesn't have a complicated drivetrain, mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, hybrid. The M276 is an overall great package.
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I already did the mod: https://mbworld.org/forums/w212-amg/...ml#post8963720 (you should read the first page's frequently asked questions).
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
The M276 is the most reliable MB engine in at least 20 years, in both configurations of 3.5NA and 3.0TT.
Staying ahead of all maintenance is required. Early spark plug, engine air filter and oil changes are advised. I change oil on my Cayenne every 5k-6k miles using a cheap store brand oil filter and my Blackstone results are excellent.
Replace ignition coils every 50k miles.
Inspect the engine bay and underbody regularly for signs of leaks.
MB transmissions depend on oil change at the specified interval.
In summary, do the maintenance.
I feel, if I would have left my car stock, I wouldn't have had so many issues but most likely not been able to avoid the camshaft adjuster issue. At this point, I'm undecided of fixing the adjuster issue or getting rid of the car. I just got the GLC63 (do not want to use as a daily), so to replace the C400 I would get another used vehicle that I do not know the ins and outs of. The C400 is still fast! If I line up against a newer C450/C43, it makes for a very interesting race and I'm only Stage 1. I can only imagine what it would do once everything is freshened up!
I feel, if I would have left my car stock, I wouldn't have had so many issues but most likely not been able to avoid the camshaft adjuster issue. At this point, I'm undecided of fixing the adjuster issue or getting rid of the car. I just got the GLC63 (do not want to use as a daily), so to replace the C400 I would get another used vehicle that I do not know the ins and outs of. The C400 is still fast! If I line up against a newer C450/C43, it makes for a very interesting race and I'm only Stage 1. I can only imagine what it would do once everything is freshened up!
Thank you for the link W205C43PFL
Last edited by CA400; Mar 10, 2025 at 04:55 PM. Reason: added comment
Thank you for the link W205C43PFL







