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Figures I can't have nice things. MB is going to burn for this.

sdifox

sdifox

No Lifer
My 06 E350 4Matic is telling me there is a problem with my balance shaft. Turns out it is a poorly made part and all the MB cars with the early production M272 and M273 engine will suffer this failure. The balance shaft sprocket will wear off and that will require a tear down to replace. I am dreading what they'll tell me when I take it in to get an estimate.

MB knew about this in 2007 when all the cars were still under warranty. They did not issue recall, instead they figure let the warranty expire, the part dies, then the customer foots the bill to fix it. And if you take their good will discount of 50% you cannot bad mouth them. Bastards.


http://classactionlawsuitsinthenews...-engines-idle-gears-in-mercedes-m273-engines/


I am not looking forward to this repair bill.
 
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Take it you don't have the do it yourself option? Or anyone you can convince to do it for a 6 pack?

The balance shaft for those are in the valley of the V, under the intake manifold and heads and driven by the timing assembly. Should be able to pull the front timing cover and pull the gear off seperately and replace it.

Worst case you're just pulling the intake manifold out as well, that's not too terrible on a RWD straight up and down centered V6 (compared to a FWD where it's rolled over on it's side making half of it unaccessible). And it's a 90 deg V6 so the valley is wide enough to get to with the heads still on.

The shaft itself is only for engine smoothness, it doesn't affect the way the engine runs at all, but being that the gear is the problem and it's driven by the timing chain, there is potential for serious problems.
 
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Also the M273 is a V8 it doesn't have a balance shaft, but it seems there is an idler gear in the timing system that is prone to the same problem.
 
exdeath said:
Take it you don't have the do it yourself option? Or anyone you can convince to do it for a 6 pack?

The balance shaft for those are in the valley of the V, under the intake manifold and heads and driven by the timing assembly. Should be able to pull the front timing cover and pull the gear off seperately and replace it.

Worst case you're just pulling the intake manifold out as well, that's not too terrible on a RWD straight up and down centered V6 (compared to a FWD where it's rolled over on it's side making half of it unaccessible). And it's a 90 deg V6 so the valley is wide enough to get to with the heads still on.

The shaft itself is only for engine smoothness, it doesn't affect the way the engine runs at all, but being that the gear is the problem and it's driven by the timing chain, there is potential for serious problems.
Click to expand...


yeah, break off a piece and it's a bullet... as to DIY...no. This ain't changing tires. wish I had shop friends.

solenoid, seal rings, chain tightener, balance shaft, counterweight and chain tensioner .

More than a week of labour 😱

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...GUtNTZlNGVlNzk2NDVi&hl=en_GB&authkey=CK3b-LQN


PS the car is an AWD, I don't know if that makes replacing the balance shaft any harder.
 
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That sucks dude.

Not for nothing, but when you buy an MB these types things are a possibility and because of the advanced tech used on these cars, you have to expect it's going to be expensive to repair. People who want cheap repair bills should not buy a BMW, MB or Audi.

When repairing it, will they be replacing that faulty part with a redesigned one that should not fail again? Or will you be looking at the same problem in another 60k miles?
 
sdifox said:
I haven't even heard about this til I have a shop I work with pull the code then start searching online. It's a big problem that has been hushed over.
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Sort of like the problem with Ford trucks w/the Triton V-8's launching their spark plugs out of the heads at around 100K miles, requiring the heads to be replaced. Complaints about this abound on the 'net, yet Ford denies the problem existed.....too few threads for the spark plugs in the head, leading to the threads weakening over time and eventually giving up and letting the plug get launched out of the head.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_spark.html
 
AMCRambler said:
That sucks dude.

Not for nothing, but when you buy an MB these types things are a possibility and because of the advanced tech used on these cars, you have to expect it's going to be expensive to repair. People who want cheap repair bills should not buy a BMW, MB or Audi.

When repairing it, will they be replacing that faulty part with a redesigned one that should not fail again? Or will you be looking at the same problem in another 60k miles?
Click to expand...

as far as I can tell, they made a new harder part... I don't think it is reasonable that a part inside the engine should fail so quickly. I have read someone mention 7,000 for repair bill 😵

Expensive labour/maint is one thing, under performing part is another.


I don't think I will keep this car for another 60k mi if that is the case.
 
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You gotta have cash to own a mb. I don't get the guys making under 100k buying these German cars? Really you should be making about 120k minimum before owning a luxury car IMO. Hopefully you can afford the several thousand dollars repair bill. Good luck.
 
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OILFIELDTRASH said:
You gotta have cash to own a mb. I don't get the guys making under 100k buying these German cars? Really you should be making about 120k minimum before owning a luxury car IMO. Hopefully you can afford the several thousand dollars repair bill. Good luck.
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when I bought it (US$23k used, in cash) household income was 200K... I got hit by personal stupidity (left a ~100k secure job) compounded by economic downturn (got laid off 1.5 year after going to 130k job).

We are still over 100k and mortgage is paid off. But this is not about how much money I have, it's about how a car should be built. Expensive maint is one thing, premature failure of key parts is another.


I am so not looking forward to telling my wife this... She wanted a new Camry/Mazda6/Accord/altima ... I persuaded her to go this route..
 
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OILFIELDTRASH said:
You didn't know that the supposedly superior German cars require high dollar maintenance and repairs going in?
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I knew maint and repairs are expensive. But I never expected a part in the engine failing so soon. Engines are supposed to be problem free (assuming proper maint) for at least 200k.
 
Sorry man. Maybe this is something you can do yourself. I'm no car guy but maybe a service manual, the right tools, and a buttload of patience could get it fixed? Maybe trade the sucker in on the camry or accord your wife wanted? I buy Japanese cars and American trucks. I have always had low cost of ownership and trouble free driving experiences.
 
OILFIELDTRASH said:
Sorry man. Maybe this is something you can do yourself. I'm no car guy but maybe a service manual, the right tools, and a buttload of patience could get it fixed? Maybe trade the sucker in on the camry or accord your wife wanted? I buy Japanese cars and American trucks. I have always had low cost of ownership and trouble free driving experiences.
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lulz, I will have more spare parts than mb has parts for the car. Still deciding what I would do.

Maybe it's time for that CTS-V :awe: but most likely I would just suck it up and pay the repair bill. Looking into third party options if MB won't cover it.


I am so joining the class action if it gets certified.


For what its worth, the Protege5 needed 4 water pumps, and 2 shift cable in the 6 years I owned it. I don't think water pump and shift cable (on an automatic...) should go out so frequently either.
 
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Just pay for the repair and be done with it. Seriously. The more you think about how it should have been recalled the more you're gonna be pissed. I've been in a similar situation on one of my cars and $900 later I have piece of mind and I'm done with it.
 
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