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Turned 100,000 miles. Time for new tires. I went with the Conti CrossContact LX25 again. Great tire. Much more comfortable, quieter and longer lasting than the factory LX Sports which were slappy, loud and short-lived.
The LX25s lasted about 60k miles. I run them with 45-50psi when hot (road temp). Around 45psi cold.
Only have a few miles on the Continental CrossContact LX25, but so far I agree with all of your observations (can't comment on wear yet but the treadwear rating is like 50% longer than the CrossContact Sport).
Changed three spark plugs on the passenger side at 100k miles. Why only three? I wasn't up for doing the much more difficult driver's side, and I have limited time these days due to travel. And I wanted to see if any coils were damaged during removal - I think one will be tossed.
I installed three new coils with the plugs. Fired up and seems like it runs smoother. No CEL, no vibration. All good.
Spark plug torque 23Nm, no grease on the threads
Coil screw torque 9Nm, no grease on the threads
I checked the right bank (passenger side) exhaust cam position sensor and exhaust cam magnet connectors for oil - none found.
Top and bottom coolant hoses look good. They look fairly easy to replace if/when needed. I might replace the hoses as preventive maintenance when I do a coolant replacement at 150k miles.
WIS calls for removing the intake manifold to replace spark plugs - this method requires more parts (intake runner seals) and seems no less work than doing it the "normal" way. Avoiding intake manifold removal allows changing as few as 1 spark plug in a session, if desired.
Engine air filter housing, cabin air filter duct and corner bulkhead removed.
View of three coils. Yellow powder is pollen, it's heavy in this area at this time. The GLE engine bay is much dustier than my wife's BMW X3. BMW does a far better job of engine bay sealing than MB does. There is no comparison.
Old coil showing dried factory grease which turns into glue.
Old coil with dust and grime on the outside surface which contributes to difficult coil (boot) removal
New coil showing factory grease that dries to glue. I added a liberal amount of dielectric grease to the boot, coil electrical pins and coil connector sleeve/housing.
New coil with silicone heat shield tubing
New spark plug - factory from dealer parts department
#1 plug
#2 plug
#3 plug
Technique for opening MB electrical connectors. Unlatch, then squeeze connector lever and wiggle, while simultaneously lightly applying force with the tip of a flat screwdriver (next photo)
Apply light force to the edge of the connector with the tip of a flat screwdriver, while simultaneously squeezing and wiggling the unlatched connector. I didn't have enough hands to take the photo with both tools in use.
@Leetom I'm travelling at the moment so can't take a pic. WIS doesn't show it too well. It is "plainly obvious" in my opinion. If you are contemplating doing this job, you will be able to locate the drain and fill plugs. You probably know this, but break free the fill plug first, before draining. This assures you are able to put new oil in after draining out the old. It would a rough day to find a frozen fill plug after having drained the oil.
Completed spark plug change at 101k miles. All 6 coils are new.
Coil part number: A2769065400, with heat insulation sleeve, ordered from nearest dealer as directed from mbparts.mbusa.com
Spark plug part number: A0041598103, in stock at local dealer
Spark plug torque: 23Nm
Coil screw torque: 9Nm
All plugs have uniform appearance. The engine runs very smoothly.
The left bank is such a pain. Sedans (C-, E-) might be easier because of the lower ride height and relationship to windshield and upper shock tower. On the GLE this is an inconvenient job. Plugs #5 and #6 together require the same amount of time as plugs #1-#4 combined. The main issue is the ECU support bracket, ECU cable/harness and dipstick are in the way.
The most difficult part of this job is pullng the old coil boots off the old spark plugs. To help this next time, I liberally greased the spark plug porcelain, inside of coil boot and outside of hard plastic oil tube. When installing the coil today, they slipped together easily. Hopefully they come off as easily.
The MB assembly grease is terrible - it dries to a hard glue making it very difficult to remove the coils.
I found a new video, this one from FCP Euro. They use the WIS method which calls for intake manifold removal. Looks easier, but more parts to disassemble which risks collateral damage and requires new intake duct seals.
Front (#4) and middle coils removed, new spark plugs (not visible) are installed. The top half of the ECU bracket needs to be removed, otherwise removing the #5 (middle) coil is a no-go. The removed bracket is facing up toward the camera near the bottom of the photo. I left all coils removed until dealing with the rearmost cylinder, to create as much working space as possible.
Rearmost (#6) coil ready to be removed. Connector is removed and ECU cable is shoved out of the way as much as possible. I wanted to remove the vacuum tube but it wasn't coming off easily so I left it alone to avoid breaking it. In the end I destroyed the #6 coil during removal. It was the most dried/stuck of all, likely because of the heat load in this area. This is why it pays to have new coils on hand when doing this job, especially at mileages 100k and higher.
Look at all of the dust - this adds to the difficulty of removing the coil connectors and coils. I keep my engine bay very clean - where I can access by hand. There is a high dust accumulation in this engine bay because of the absence of adequate dust seals. BMW does a far, far better job of sealing the engine bay. I do not live in a high dust environment.
"Oily" sheen on the coil connectors is dielectric grease I added as a dust trap and to aid future disassembly.
Haven't done much maintenance lately. In a good place at the moment. 103k or 104k miles now.
Transmission fluid needs changed again. Shifts into and out of 4 are quite clunky, as normal with the 7G. In/out of 4 means clutch K3 is actuating which is a weak link in this box.
Front brakes: Still on factory pads and rotors. 7mm of pad remains on the left side, 5.5mm on the right. Both rotors deeply grooved but no vibration or squeal. Probably October-November will be time for replacement.
Changed spark plugs a few days ago, at 47k miles. Tough job, it took over 4 hours. I will be faster at it next time, but tricky steps remain.
Generally I followed the work of Senior Leigh on YouTube. He has excellent videos on YouTube, and instructions on his site. I will link to all of this below.
The only points I will note are differences between the W212 E 350 in Senior Leigh's videos, and the W166 GLE 350.
- Right (passenger side North America) spark plugs 1, 2 and 3 are fairly easy. It took me 1 hour to replace them, and it will take me 30 minutes the next time I do this job.
- Left (driver side North America) spark plugs 4, 5 and 6 were difficult. The main reason is the metal bracket that holds the ECU and other items. Ideally it should be removed, and is likely not difficult. However, I was able to manage to complete the job without removing it, and Senior Leigh did not remove it in his videos.
- W166 GLE vs W212 E-Class differences:
-- rear corner bulkheads need to be removed on the GLE
-- slight differences in the ECU connector, wire and hose routing are slightly different between the vehicles. This affects access to remove the coils on the driver side. Removing the metal ECU bracket would help in this case
-- I have the impression the E-Class fenders are lower relative to the engine, compared with the GLE. Because the GLE is a taller vehicle, and has seemingly taller fenders, reaching into the engine bay on the crowded driver side is a challenging part of this job
- Caution regarding the ECU connectors, there are two of them. When re-installing one of them (I think the smaller rear one) the radiator fan turns on to high speed for about 20 seconds, then turns off. This can be dangerous if you are not expecting it, and there is an item of clothing or body part near the fan. Senior Leigh did not disconnect the battery in his procedure. I did not disconnect the battery.
Additional comments:
- spark plug electrodes look OK, but the threads were blacker than I would expect
- M-B assembly grease on the spark plugs is very thick and dry. This caused difficulty in removing the coils. Is there a special M-B tool to remove spark plug boots? The curved jaw Lisle pliers were OK, not great, for this.
- smear the lightest film possible of dielectric grease on the jackets of all mating electrical connectors. Dust gets in between the connector halves, and acts as an abrasive and prevents easy separation of the mating halves.
- removing the coil electrical connectors was fiddly, but not the hardest part of the job.
- the 14mm thin wall 12 point deep socket was excellent, see Senior Leigh's site for part number.
- I didn't get in-process photos of the driver side because I was getting tired and frustrated and wanted the job finished.
I started the engine after replacing plugs 1, 2 and 3. Smooth running, no problems.
After installing plugs 4, 5 and 6, the engine started and ran smoothly, but the check engine light was on. I went for a test drive and there were no problems, no vibration, misfires, etc. The check engine light remained on. I took it to an auto parts store to have the code read - P0113 Intake Air Temperature Temperature Sensor 1 Circuit High Input. After the act of reading the code, the check engine light did not return when I restarted the engine. The code has not returned in three days. I think the code was thrown during re-installation of the ECU connectors and the radiator fan cycled.
If without the torque, the regular filling is 6 quarts? My dealer is telling me 5 1/2 quarts.
Originally Posted by chassis
Had the dealer do the 60k mile transmission fluid drain and refill, plus transmission filter. It was a cost/benefit thing for me. The fill-to-overflow-when-hot procedure felt like a bigger pain than I wanted to deal with.
I paid $600 for the service, more than what I have seen posted on this site. I called around to other dealers, and they were $100-$150 cheaper, but they were an hour or two away from me. I am in a small-medium size city with one MB dealer, so there is no competition. No loaner vehicles from my dealer, the excuse they are using is the pandemic. Is anyone getting loaners these days? Is anyone getting a loaner if their vehicle is beyond factory warranty coverage?
The service manager didn't know if the procedure called for torque converter drain. Typical and no surprise to me. Another service advisor said the TC is drained if a drain plug is present, but didn't know if my vehicle had a drain plug. Better answer. Turns out the service advisor said there was a drain plug, and the TC was drained.
The transmission shifts pretty well. I put it through some good paces in Sport and Comfort, at WOT and part throttle. It seems to shift more smoothly and decisively, but that could be psychosomatic on my behalf. Anyway, job done!
I have all of the materials for an engine oil and filter change, that will happen this week. Later this spring I will change the oil in the front and rear axles, and transfer case. That should be everything until next winter when I put on an annual set of wiper blades.
Not sure if the 550 has same tranny as 350, but my 550, including torque converter, takes 9liters...I could only get 8.5L out...about 1/2 L is stuck in cooling line with a heat valve cant open. Dealer told me they never drain TC, just drain pan and install 5Liters and call it. So they leave nearly 1/2 of old fluid in there...yikes!
Not sure if the 550 has same tranny as 350, but my 550, including torque converter, takes 9liters...I could only get 8.5L out...about 1/2 L is stuck in cooling line with a heat valve cant open. Dealer told me they never drain TC, just drain pan and install 5Liters and call it. So they leave nearly 1/2 of old fluid in there...yikes!
8.5 liters is a drain and fluid replacement including TC. Cooler and line fluid volume + pan + TC drain is more than 9 liters.
WIS specifies TC drain if the TC has a drain screw. If the dealer didn't check for the drain screw, that would have been out of pure laziness. And greed in the case where a drain screw was present.
Hi - Sorry just seeing this. I went with a new head and while engine was out I replaced crank position sensors and engine mounts as they tended to go bad and it was only a few bucks for parts. The engine is a monster so wanted to stay with it as I already have a easy running W211. Recent issue with engine reinstall is that a trans clip was not fully seated and came off on highway. Think I caught early but waiting to find out how much fluid they had to put into the transmission. Here's hoping!
Hi All! I'm ordering parts for an upcoming spark plug replacement job and found a good site for ordering parts - FCPEuro.com.....check it out!
Also, this is primarily for 'chassis'...I notes that you run your tire pressure on your continental Cross Contact LX25's at 40/45 psi. This surprises me as I see the recommended pressures around 36 psi (yes, I know what's on the fuel filler door is higher). Has the tread wear been even? Do you like the ride, cornering, braking, etc at 40/45? Would like to hear more about it.
I am at 40psi now. No problems with anything (tire wear, cornering, braking etc.).
I originally increased pressure to try to extend tread life. The factory LX Sports were terrible tires - fast wearing, noisy and slappy from the beginning. LX 25s are nicer in every way. However, 40psi does not seem to have had a definitive effect on tread life. I continue with 40psi, but I can't say that it matters.
Subjectively, lower pressure feels like I am slushing around on less sharp tires from a cornering point of view.
can someone have a video how to remove the backseat? hard to do by picture thanks
Originally Posted by chassis
Replaced the aux battery today. Vehicle has 95k miles.
The battery was not in the right rear taillamp area! The WIS I have is for up to 2016 model year and I mistakenly assumed 2017 would be the same. Not so. My vehicle is a 2017 SUV base model.
The battery is under the left second row seat. 1 hour job the first time, 20 minutes next time.
- remove luggage load floor
- fold both seat bottoms forward, fold both seat backs down
- using a flat blade screwdriver, carefully pry off two lashing D-ring plastic covers and remove two lashing D-rings, remove full width carpeted trim cover thereby released
- remove two rear screws fastening left rear seat back assembly to floor
- fold left rear seat back up
- remove two remaining screws holding left rear seat back assembly to floor, lay seat back assembly down on rear luggage floor
- remove left rear door weatherstrip adjacent to sill protector
- using trim wedge, pry left rear door sill protector from the front and work rearward, remove sill protector
- using trim wedge, release carpet from under side trim panel, lift carpet to expose auxiliary battery
- spread two plastic battery retaining clips, slide battery up and forward out of plastic holder, leaving leads attached to battery
- remove leads from old battery, connect leads to new battery
- start the vehicle to confirm proper function
- reverse the steps for assembly
Everything is straightforward, no gotchas other than working with trim which is always fussy. No programming, no codes, no XENTRY.
While doing the job, I inspected the liftgate perimeter seal (good) and the spare tire area for leaks (bone dry). On my vehicle with harman kardon stereo and steel suspension, there is virtually nothing located in the spare tire area, except the tools needed to change a tire. No electronics, unlike W/X164. There is a ground point an inch or two above the lowest point, but that is low risk and had zero corrosion - the chrome on the terminals was shiny like new.
Old part number and new part number are the same, 000000-004039 $47 + tax in stock at the local dealer.
Tools: E12, T40, T30, 3/8" ratchet drive, 3/8" medium-long extension, trim wedge, screwdriver. TRIM PRYBAR NOT REQUIRED - I used it to remove the spare tire trim clips when I first looked for the battery in the rear.
Old battery in place before removal
Old battery removed from plastic bracket before removing leads
Tools - trim prybar on left is not required
Old battery - new battery is the same part number
View looking from inside the spare tire area - no aux battery!
View looking down from the removable panel near the mesh netting - no aux battery!
When I decided to change my belt I found that the local OReilly's carried a Gates belt that fit. It was about $35 (but mine's the diesel). Maybe that will save you a long trip to the dealer next time.
It took about an hour to do mine, much of it trying to figure out how the plate mounted to the engine just forward of the belt could be removed fully from the car. I don't know if you'll have this issue but I had to remove fasteners from air duct plastics that attach above the radiator support. After that it was fairly easy. I saved the old belt and carry it as a spare.
I highly suggest printing out the belt routing diagram before you start so you have a reference. My GLE did not have one under the hood and it took me a few failed tries before I had to come inside and find and print the routing diagram.
Hope this helps!
I just bought a 300d a month ago. I was wondering if these have a DSR button? I cant find it!
I know it's been a long time this thread hasn't been updated, but @chassis I'm interested to hear some updates from you regarding your ownership of the GLE.
I currently own a 2012 C300 4MATIC on purpose since I wanted to stick with the M272 engine, but now that I am pondering what to buy next, the GLE is the first on my list but no way I would buy a twin-turbo M276 so the 350 it is for now.
I know it's been a long time this thread hasn't been updated, but @chassis I'm interested to hear some updates from you regarding your ownership of the GLE.
I currently own a 2012 C300 4MATIC on purpose since I wanted to stick with the M272 engine, but now that I am pondering what to buy next, the GLE is the first on my list but no way I would buy a twin-turbo M276 so the 350 it is for now.
@xsever Not much to update! I haven’t been driving much lately. The GLE has been running fine, 105k miles now. Caught up on maintenance, next one will be 110k mile oil change. Probably will do a transmission service in the spring.
I have odds and ends of preventive/proactive maintenance I want to do in the spring:
- belt idlers and tensioner
- front brakes will be needed in the next 6 months or so - still on the factory front pads and rotors
- top and bottom radiator hoses
- maybe new floor mats
All systems are nominal at the moment!
Mentioning things to keep checking now and then (twice per year):
- sunroof drains
- liftgate perimeter seal (lube with Gummi Pflege)
- door gaskets (lube with Gummi Pflege)
- cam sensors and magnets for oil
@xsever Not much to update! I haven’t been driving much lately. The GLE has been running fine, 105k miles now. Caught up on maintenance, next one will be 110k mile oil change. Probably will do a transmission service in the spring.
I have odds and ends of preventive/proactive maintenance I want to do in the spring:
- belt idlers and tensioner
- front brakes will be needed in the next 6 months or so - still on the factory front pads and rotors
- top and bottom radiator hoses
- maybe new floor mats
All systems are nominal at the moment!
Mentioning things to keep checking now and then (twice per year):
- sunroof drains
- liftgate perimeter seal (lube with Gummi Pflege)
- door gaskets (lube with Gummi Pflege)
- cam sensors and magnets for oil
Thanks a lot for the prompt answer and the ton of information provided. I remember you had written once in this post about an engine oil leak that developed and that the dealership considered as "weepage" only and they wouldn't fix it under warranty. Did you end up getting that fixed? What was the cause and which parts needed replacement?
Thanks a lot for the prompt answer and the ton of information provided. I remember you had written once in this post about an engine oil leak that developed and that the dealership considered as "weepage" only and they wouldn't fix it under warranty. Did you end up getting that fixed? What was the cause and which parts needed replacement?
Oil leaks were front cylinder head covers, and what appears to be a rear main oil seal leak, or something at the rear of the engine at the transmission interface.
Cylinder head covers were fixed by the dealer under warranty after me asking three times and then catching the MB Service Manager in a lie. MB dealers bear a strong resemblance to scummy snakes.
Rear of engine leak was not fixed and it has not gotten worse. By now it looks like dried oil stain. Maybe it leaked for a short while from the factory, and now has resolved itself. Don’t know. What I do know is that it isn’t continuing to leak today.
Oil leaks were front cylinder head covers, and what appears to be a rear main oil seal leak, or something at the rear of the engine at the transmission interface.
Cylinder head covers were fixed by the dealer under warranty after me asking three times and then catching the MB Service Manager in a lie. MB dealers bear a strong resemblance to scummy snakes.
Rear of engine leak was not fixed and it has not gotten worse. By now it looks like dried oil stain. Maybe it leaked for a short while from the factory, and now has resolved itself. Don’t know. What I do know is that it isn’t continuing to leak today.
Alright. Thanks a lot for the info. It really pains me to see MB's reliability drop off like that. So far, my experience with the M272 has been nothing but pleasant but of course I keep up with maintenance.
It seems that as MB's sales started ramping up, their focus on reliability started to drop off. I come from an engineering background and it just doesn't sit right with me at all seeing MB's reliability where it is now while Toyota for example and in general, is making solid vehicles and much more reliable engines and transmissions.
I'm lost as to what to buy next: a 2016-18 GLE 350 4MATIC or a 2018+ Toyota Prado (which is similar to the Lexus GX in the US). I love the MB brand and we've been long time owners of MBs in the family but the reliability risks scare me.
I've seen your other contributions to the M274 failures threads and dear Lord what a horror show.
05-28-2022, 02:00 PM
