NEWBIE!! E220 POOR MPG

bora2907

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Hi,

So Mercedes has always been my dream car and now ive finally got one!!! :) So ive purchased a e220 cdi auto 2006 prefacelift! its amazing and terrible :(

For a start, I noticed the gear changes at higher revs. this can be annoying so i got the gearbox oil and filter change (amf i think) by mercedes. this had a slight effect but still changes at high revs. 1st to 2nd, and 2nd to 3rd is okish but there is a delay when changes to 4. also when im on the motorway cruising at 70, ive noticed the revs are high, they remain at round 3000. this may be normal but im used to my vw bora where it sits just on 2000.

Furthermore, i get terrible mpg. around city i average 24mpg (light foot) and on motorway at 70ish i get 34/35mph (77 miles journey, reset trip before i left)

i understand its 2.2 and auto but im sure it should be alot higher that, atleast in the 40's. is this normal for these cars?

Im now starting to regret buying a merc :(. its a lovely drive and way better than my vw bora but with the higehr rev change, it ruins the drive. and creates a hole in my pocket lol.

any advice?

what i should also say is i am in need of a thermostat as sometimes it can reach half however on some occasions it does. i travel from nottingham to leeds twicve a week, and once or twice it will reach half but sometimes it doesnt. Also, its rather sluggish for a 150bhp car!

I have read on other forums that thermostat can effect the fuel but surely it wouldnt do a great deal??? i would of imagined it to only make a difference of 1mpg if that or am i wrong???

Help much appreciated!!! Thanks
 
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Troon

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Welcome.

"ATF" - auto transmission fluid.

The gear shifts can be fairly high: I use "C" mode rather than "S", as it changes earlier. Many people believe that it starts off in 2nd in C mode, but my car certainly doesn't. 70mph is about 2200rpm in my car from memory, will check on the way home. You can encourage it to change up by a quick tap of the stick to the right ("+").

As far as economy goes, "round town" has so many variables it's impossible to judge, but I've never seen figures below high 20s in any of the town driving I do, and my car's heavier than yours assuming yours is a saloon. I don't know if the facelift engine is significantly different in its economy. On the motorway, I get an indicated 40–45mpg cruising at 70 (again, the estate is heavier with significantly worse aerodynamics); if I pootle at 55–60mph I can see 50, 55, even 60 with some (safe) hypermiling techniques.

I have just (Friday afternoon) replaced my thermostat: the car was running at an indicated 70–80°C before, and now reaches a stable 90°C with the new 'stat. As you say, this shouldn't make a massive difference to economy, but every little helps. Have you checked the tyre pressures?
 

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bora2907

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Thanks for you reply

It's always been in "c" mode, Also what I forgot to mention was when in tiptronic, it won't change gear from 3rd to 4th until it reaches 2500/3000 revs which is really annoying.

I have checked tyre pressure and they're ok. Thermostat should be done this weekend. Hopefully should make a change to the fuel economy.

I've beginning to think that I may have brought a melon lol as mines lighter than yours and you still get better fuel. Would you recommend anything else? Sometimes I think the gear change could make a significant difference to the fuel economy. I've drove my sisters c220 and hers changes perfect just under 2000 revs. She averages 35 mpg around town.
 

Ricardo_e220

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I leave mine in c as well, mines the facelift but is averaging 41.7 on the on board computer. Real is 39.8 and most o this is motorway as I do a lot of miles. Town kills it to 25mpg often, highest recently on the screen was 50mpg from Birmingham to home Newcastle last week. It takes effort to let it cruise ( better economy without this) the more you push on it suffers.


8490202994_e89d16da22.jpg


Not bad for a big tank.

Have you checked the air filter is clean also ? As the replacement is 4 years and silly mileage - I need to do mine
 
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bora2907

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Ive got no record of the MAF sensor being changed. will check air filter tomorrow. I wish i was getting 50mpg :(

i drove from nottingham to leeds yestarday and i reset the mpg soon as i hit the motorway. averaged 75ish all the way to leeds and 50 for roadworks and i avergaed 38 just as i got off the motorway. it still sits on high revs in my opinion.

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Ricardo_e220

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Mine runs about the same sort of rpm at that speed, don't forget you've only got 5 gears in it.
 
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bora2907

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Would it not be worth trying a Throttle reset?

I saw this on another forum..... is that by...


1. Get in and shut the door
2. Turn key to position 2 (right before the start position) DO NOT START THE CAR
3. Press the gas pedal to the floor... past the kick down point... see why I say DO NOT START THE CAR!??!
4. Hold the pedal there for 15 seconds
5. After 15 seconds while foot still planted, turn the key off but do not remove it
6. Release gas pedal... and get ready to be bored
7. Wait at least 2 minutes while not touching anything in the car, don't open the door even.
8. After the 2 minutes start the car and drive off normally... you should notice a difference in the shift pattern and smoothness.


I did the above but didnt feel any difference. Would i need to get it connected to the star computer?
 

stevenN

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Yes that's the one.
If it works and if you believe others it will reset how the gearbox interpretes your driving and make the gear changes smoother.
 

stevenN

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Just re-read your post.
With a combination of all you have been told you should do fine.
The thermostat change should make a great difference.
My car although older needs its changing.
I used to get mid to high forties on my daily commute couple the stat problem with the cold weather and it struggles to get to forty.
The MAF will effect your acceleration but won't have as much effect on mpg
 
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bora2907

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Just re-read your post.
With a combination of all you have been told you should do fine.
The thermostat change should make a great difference.
My car although older needs its changing.
I used to get mid to high forties on my daily commute couple the stat problem with the cold weather and it struggles to get to forty.
The MAF will effect your acceleration but won't have as much effect on mpg

Thanks for your response. I've got the car booked in with my local garage to do the thermostat. Also he drove my car and he believes the egr valve is clogged up. So he's going to clean that inc manifold.

Looking forward to once its all done.
 

Jonny Moore

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Ive got no record of the MAF sensor being changed. will check air filter tomorrow. I wish i was getting 50mpg :(

i drove from nottingham to leeds yestarday and i reset the mpg soon as i hit the motorway. averaged 75ish all the way to leeds and 50 for roadworks and i avergaed 38 just as i got off the motorway. it still sits on high revs in my opinion.

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That's definitely revving high, it should be 2000rpm at 70mph, it's in 4th gear I recon.
 

st4

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That's definitely revving high, it should be 2000rpm at 70mph, it's in 4th gear I recon.

It is in 5th gear

It isn't, it's definitely in 4th.

The RPM would indicate its in 5th.

However, when using the manual mode it would say 4 in the mileometer rather than D.

An E220cdi would change up normally by then around 60mph into 5th unless accelerating harshly.

It (an E220cdi) pulls 60mph at 2k revs and 90mph at 3k revs (and 120 at 4k IIRC). 75mph is midway so 2.5k is right.

The TC never fully locks up. In ricardos picture his foot will be off the pedal, and the RPM would drop straight away before the speedo can register the fall in speed. Thats why his RPM is different, by about 200rpm.
 
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Ricardo_e220

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It does seem like the 5sp auto isn't really a long gear at all unlike other manuals I've had in the past. Definitely doesnt assist with fuel economy - with fuel going this way ill be back in a passat estate in 18months
 

st4

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Its why MB moved to 7 speeds as 7th is much taller.

The plus about 5g being the way it is and 5 being a short gear, is that acceleration in top is good and it can go into 5th from 50mph and stay there even on gradients. Its a great box for non Motorway and DCW driving.


The plus side of the car doing 70mph at 2200rpm is acceleration is there if needed,
 

Oily Spanners

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E220 poor mpg

Hi,

Read all the posts can see that it could be many things.

You need to be aware that when engines are controlled by ECU (computer) the two most important signals the ECU is looking for is the engine temperature, and the lambamda sensor, which measures your exhaust gas emissions.

The ECU then sets the engine timing to suit. The values are preset in the ECU.

So much for the boring stuff.

Basically this means you need to get the temperature sensor fixed asap as the ECU will see the engine is running 'cold' against optimal values and 'richen' the mixture. Only when ECU sees the correct temperature will it change the mixture to give you best performance & economy.

Changing air filters is also a good idea , but I find that petrol quality varies greatly despite where you buy it, be it, Shell, BP, or supermarkets. When I get a 'new' car I always used petrol treatment which will clean the fuel system and engine internally. Most important are the fuel injectors as these can get gummed up with the additives they put in petrol which also affects MPG.( not injecting properly) These additives also help keep the lambda sensor 'clean' which not only gives you better MPG but prolongs their life. They are not cheap to replace.

I use Wynns or Redex which are worth every penny. To get you going stick a full bottle in on at least half a tank and take the car for a brisk drive down the motorway. Do some hard acceleration in low gear and you will be surprised what comes out the exhaust.

You will find the engine will be more economical run, quieter and be more responsive.

I do this every other tank full and get good MPG.

Oily
 

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