Replacement engine needed for 2010 E350 CDi

gassed up

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My E350 has been chipped by a previous owner, it leaves my wife's E350 standing. Still perfectly civilised until you provoke it. Longevity may be an issue but it has only done 39,000 miles and I only do 3,000 a year. I'll be 85 before it gets to 100,000!
 

sonic

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My E350 has been chipped by a previous owner, it leaves my wife's E350 standing. Still perfectly civilised until you provoke it. Longevity may be an issue but it has only done 39,000 miles and I only do 3,000 a year. I'll be 85 before it gets to 100,000!
Any difference in fuel consumption between the two?
I will be 78 when my 350 gets to 100K if i keep it.
 

matthew k

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OMG!!!

I always thought that the OM642 engine was regarded as almost unburstable, solid and utterly reliable.

I love mine, in fact I'm saving furiously to get it remapped, to prevent future embarrassment from small, big engined cars in a straight line drag. (Got beaten up by a Mini Cooper the other day, in saying that, we ran out of autobahn at 130mph and I was beginning to catch up to him, albeit rather slowly). :( :p

Will I be wasting my money? :geek:
No, your going to get a few years out of it surely, however, euro 4-5 are basically becoming obsolete, so I wouldn't pump huge amounts into one. A remap is around £200-400?
 

gassed up

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Any difference in fuel consumption between the two?
I will be 78 when my 350 gets to 100K if i keep it.
Fuel consumption comparisons won't yield any useful intel. I drive mine like I stole it, my wife wafts to and from retail experiences.
 

hod05

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I haven't been on the forum for quite some time but I hope somebody can help please. It isn't for me as both my Mercedes (touch wood) are currently running well, but for a very good friend who seems to have a big problem with his E Class and I'd really like to help if I can.

Background to this is last weekend they were about to start a return journey from a short holiday in Nice, S.France back home to Hampshire and upon starting the engine, they heard a loudish ticking noise. He tells me he didn't do any basic checks like checking oil level etc or calling in to a local MB dealers but, instead, rather inadvisedly decided that as the engine otherwise appeared to be running ok, they would head for home. They proceeded to drive at a continuous and fairly high speed up the autoroute system and he tells me that although the engine was perhaps becoming more noisy and starting to run quite roughly, it didn't appear to lack power and continued to run. I should add at this point that, lovely chap though he is, my friend has absolutely zero mechanical knowledge or empathy! I can't believe it was still running well but as I say, he is a complete mechanical numpty.

Anyhow, they joined the train at the tunnel and back in the UK, they had only been on the road for about 2 miles, doing more than 70, when there was a loud mechanical noise followed by the engine cutting out and they coasted to a halt on the hard shoulder. Again, somewhat inadvisedly, he proceeded to try starting the engine and carried on cranking it, despite the previous mechanical noises! He eventually accepted it wasn't going to start and had the car recovered home.

The following day, he called out his local mobile service guy, thinking he could fix the problem and get him back on the road. Service fella, upon hearing the story, apparently just shook his head and said it sounds like the engine is completely fubared and he will need a replacement engine. Friend then phoned our local MB dealership to be told a replacement engine is c.£14,000 + labour so, out of desperation, and knowing I knew a lot more about cars than him, phoned me yesterday afternoon to ask what he should do. His predicament is exacerbated by the fact he was calling me from the airport before they boarded a plane to China for a 3 week holiday, so he didn't have any time to get anything arranged.

From what he has told me, I very strongly suspect it was a failing turbo causing the initial noise on startup and it finally failed in spectacular fashion, probably with broken turbo components being ingested into the engine. I meant to say the car has completed around 115,000 miles, so a failed turbo is very likely to be the culprit at that mileage, I should imagine.

With the car in good condition, it is probably only worth around £7.5 at best, so depending on cost of repair, it maybe only good for scrap, which is probably what I would opt for, but he wants to keep it and get it repaired as economically as possible. In his absence I've said I will make some enquiries for him with a view to finding a reputable company who could supply and fit either a reconditioned or replacement engine so can anybody please recommend a reputable and reliable company preferably, towards the south of England but will consider anybody who is good? Ideally, he would like a company who could collect the car, to save the problem of getting it recovered to their works.

I have found one company called "Engine-reconditioning Ltd" who seem to be a franchise type operation with 9 workshops dotted about the country the nearest, of which, is in Oxford, I think. Has anybody heard of or experienced this company and can comment at all please? All other recommendations much appreciated too please.

Before anybody says it, I've already told him he's an idiot for just pressing on after hearing the original ticking noise. At that stage, it probably only needed a recon turbo and he'd have been on his way, albeit a day or two late perhaps! I think he now understands the error of his ways.:(

Did the turbo fail because the oil was low at the start of the journey? Or are merc turbos known to fail around 100k?

Bit worrying if it's the latter I have a E250 Om651 does that have the same turbo as the this v6? Or is this failure a 350 thing?
 

steveq

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Did the turbo fail because the oil was low at the start of the journey? Or are merc turbos known to fail around 100k?

Bit worrying if it's the latter I have a E250 Om651 does that have the same turbo as the this v6? Or is this failure a 350 thing?
I am sure the OM651 has a different turbo -- well actually turbos. The OM651 in 220 & 250 guise has two turbos -- a small one a larger one.

There are many, many OM651s with very high mileage operating with the original turbos.
The critical piece is to change the oil as per the schedule or more frequently and use the correct spec quality oil.
 

LostKiwi

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Did the turbo fail because the oil was low at the start of the journey? Or are merc turbos known to fail around 100k?
We don't even know the turbo did fail.
I'd suspect it wasn't the cause.
Turbochargers are reliable simple devices when properly cared for. They should last the life of the car if looked after correctly.
 

malcolm E53 AMG

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One possibility is that the OP’s friends car had an oiler cooler leak which led to a catastrophic engine failure due to lack of lubrication, the turbo may have even let go before the engine, the exact cause of the failure isn’t known and may never be as it’s not an economic repair
 
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Ductman

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I’m still away in the US at the moment, due back 3rd December and my pal isn’t due back from their trip to China until end of this month so nothing more has happened yet. I’ve given him what I think are his options and won’t know what he has decided until we are both back but I will update this thread just as soon as we know what’s happening.
 

hod05

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I’m still away in the US at the moment, due back 3rd December and my pal isn’t due back from their trip to China until end of this month so nothing more has happened yet. I’ve given him what I think are his options and won’t know what he has decided until we are both back but I will update this thread just as soon as we know what’s happening.

Shame to scrap the car if its in good condition otherwise, isn't it possible to get a complete used motor from a write off car? Must be possible to find a rear end damaged car with good engine
 
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Ductman

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Shame to scrap the car if its in good condition otherwise, isn't it possible to get a complete used motor from a write off car? Must be possible to find a rear end damaged car with good engine
That is, indeed, one possibility he will be considering but probably an unlikely outcome. I think given the opportunity to mull it over whilst on holiday, they will most likely be wanting to go for the quickest option with the least hassle ie buy a replacement car.
If nothing else they will have learned an expensive lesson that if you are hearing a mechanical noise upon starting the engine, do not under any circumstances simply think it will be ok to then drive at high speed back from the south of France without checking it out!
Probably had it been any one of us, we would at the very least check the oil and if still concerned, drop into the nearest MB dealer to get the car checked out. As I’ve said previously though, my friend has zero mechanical empathy or understanding and his thought train would have been, well it’s still running so let’s get on our way and if it stops, the recovery man will fix it.
It’s scary just how little understanding he has. :eek:
 
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pgh13

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That is, indeed, one possibility he will be considering but probably an unlikely outcome. I think given the opportunity to mull it over whilst on holiday, they will most likely be wanting to go for the quickest option with the least hassle ie buy a replacement car.
If nothing else they will have learned an expensive lesson that if you are hearing a mechanical noise upon starting the engine, do not under any circumstances simply think it will be ok to then drive at high speed back from the south of France without checking it out!
Probably had it been any one of us, we would at the very least check the oil and if still concerned, drop into the nearest MB dealer to get the car checked out. As I’ve said previously though, my friend has zero mechanical empathy or understanding and his thought train would have been, well it’s still running so let’s get on our way and if it stops, the recovery man will fix it.
It’s scary just how little understanding he has. :eek:
Saw your update thread and it rang bells from way back when a friend asked me to look at his (Mk1, so you can tell how long ago, Cortina) that 'just stopped.' Pulled the gearbox and as I removed the clutch, the friction material just fell out. :)
 
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Saw your update thread and it rang bells from way back when a friend asked me to look at his (Mk1, so you can tell how long ago, Cortina) that 'just stopped.' Pulled the gearbox and as I removed the clutch, the friction material just fell out. :)
Ahhh those were the days. If only everything were that simple now.:)
 

Jim2

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Interesting comment about the OM642 engine’s fragility, it has its flaws but the irony is that the engine has been in production so long that most of them have been designed out, so in effect they are a known quantity, I preferred it’s predecessor the OM613 IL6 but the V6 has grown on me

Can the same be said for the 0M651 engine, Malcolm? And if so, what were the "danger" OM651 year's? ( or conversely the safe year's???
 

malcolm E53 AMG

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Can the same be said for the 0M651 engine, Malcolm? And if so, what were the "danger" OM651 year's? ( or conversely the safe year's???

From what’s been reported on here the OM651 engine seems very reliable the only fly in the ointment being timing chain and cam sprocket wear and it’s not clear how many engines suffer, if I owned one I’d certainly replace the oil every year and be vigilant regarding chain noise
 

Jim2

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From what’s been reported on here the OM651 engine seems very reliable the only fly in the ointment being timing chain and cam sprocket wear and it’s not clear how many engines suffer, if I owned one I’d certainly replace the oil every year and be vigilant regarding chain noise


From the service history on mine, it mentions warranty work has been done on the chain and sprocket's, so I hope that I'm safe enough in that respect, I change the oil regularly, and by date, so as far as preventative maintenance is concerned, that should be ok.
 


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