The expert “Behind the wheel” named all the weaknesses of the 2007-2015 model (W204 and S204).
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Choosing a good option in the secondary market is not so easy. Especially when it comes to the Mercedes-Benz C-class.
The main difficulty is to deal with car engines. About a dozen of them were installed on cars from 2007-2015. Alexei Strelnikov, an expert at Za Rulem, the oldest and most authoritative automotive publication in Russia, gave readers some valuable tips.
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The C-class engine range is very extensive. But in most cases, versions with petrol fours with a volume of 1.8 liters of the M271 series (156–204 hp) are presented on the secondary market.
The second most popular is the 1.6 engine (156 hp) of the M271 and M274 series.
Since 2007, these engines have been equipped with a drive supercharger, and since 2009 it has been replaced by a turbocharger. Alas, it is these popular versions of Mercedes that are best avoided.
The weak point of the M271 motors is the timing drive with a single-row chain, which can withstand about 80 thousand km. Due to an unreliable tensioner, the chain can even fly off, and the valves will meet the pistons. There are also leaks in the oil filter and heat exchanger. After 150 thousand, the elements of the crankcase ventilation system may collapse. And the lines of the cooling system after 200 thousand km begin to collapse. But superchargers and turbochargers serve at least 200 thousand km.
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The M274 engine is a lightweight and improved M271 engine. Its resource according to documents is less by 50 thousand km (250 thousand km). But the timing chain is 20 percent more reliable and nurses about 100-120 thousand km. But there were problems with the clutches for changing the valve timing (they may not reach the mileage of 100 thousand km). They need to be replaced with upgraded ones. The electric pump of the cooling system turned out to be not the most reliable node, which is fraught with overheating. The control valve in the lubrication system also fails – after a run of 100 thousand km, and this threatens to seize the cylinders.
Read about other engines and the reliability of other components and assemblies of the Mercedes-Benz C-class W204 and S204 in the March issue of the magazine “Behind the wheel” – already on sale.
Great Wall created an 8-cylinder engine – you won’t believe why. And this is not a V-shaped engine, but a boxer one, which makes the center of gravity of the vehicle as low as possible. “Behind the wheel” can now be read in Telegram.
The material was prepared based on the article by Alexei Strelnikov “Is it still reliable?”, Published in the magazine “Za Rulem” No. 3/2023.
Photo: Daimler AG
