W210 E240 Plugs ??

[jberks]

Just had a call from the dealer to say that my plugs need doing as the car is nearly 5. I though time expiry was an aeroplane thing but anyway. They wanted £220 for this - probably plus vat. I've said to leave it as the car runs better than ever and I expected to get at least 60k out of them in any case (done 45k).
So,
1) are the plugs time expired items?
2) Eurocar parts wants <£5 each, = £60 ish for the 12. Are these the same parts ? e.g. Are they trying to charge me £160 to spin a plug wrench ? What am I missing ?

 

[Arnie]

Normally, the plugs would be changed at about 60,000 miles, but it also depends on how the car has been driven (motorway or city use). Really, you need to take one or two out and see.

The plugs are normally Bosch and I think the correct ones (long-life) for your engine are the platinum variety, which may be a bit more expensive than £5?

Still, I guess that a good £80 - £100 of your quotation is probably labour.

(My dealer wanted to change my tryes with 5 mm tread left!)

 

[jberks]

Thanks Arnie,
The details from Euro are
BOSCH n/a 408771300 SPARK PLUG MB 112/113 ENGINES £4.10
BERU n/a 408771305 SPARK PLUGS £3.95
- though this is clearly not the Bosch part number so it's hard to tell whether it's the same part.
It has done a fair bit of town work, but then I suspect the replacement suggestion was made before the bonnet was raised so they haven't looked at them either.
I have already agreed to pay them £40 to replace the brake fluid and £37 to replace the coolant. Given the mess and hassle involved, I think this is reasonable and wouldn't do this myself (I don't mess with brake fluid - know your limitations!). I was caught out with £120 for the air and fuel filters (come as a set apparently!) - Euro about £50, but then I don't know where the fuel filter is or how to change it, so at half an hour's labour, I'll let that one go.
But I think I can manage to change a spark plug or 12 ! Especially for £160! :lol:

 

[Arnie]

Halfords usually have the range of Bosch plugs including the platinums (and they also have the reference guide that you can check including Mercedes.) However, if you remove one of the plugs and read the number, you can then get more the same.

 

[David Williams]

My dealer asked me if I too wanted the plugs changed at 40K because of the age (98 320 CLK) like a knob I said yes - and they scammed me for hundreds of pounds (Total bill for an A service £880...) The car runs no differently - Keep your money in your wallet.

 

[Birdman]

I have an estimate for routine 65K miles/4 year replacements including plug change. Plugs (x16) at £130 plus 2 hours labour at £176, so £306 inc VAT.
Question is, can an average person diy to save on labour? Or is there more to it than lifting off the air filter, extracting the plugs and torquing down a new set. Btw this is an E55 W210 but the engine is just a bored and stroked 430. Any hints welcome.

 

[jberks]

mmm 7 minutes a plug Presumably each new plug is lovingly polished by hand! I can't see why you couldn't do it yourself. I'll be doing mine when they are needed.
What is the actual mileage on the car ? Do they really need doing? Its a schedule item, rather than based on observed wear, so I'm fairly sure that most are replaced well before they need to be. (see David Williams above).
I'm going to pull one out and check it's condition first. Though as it aint broke, I'm not rushing to fix it!

 

[Birdman]

Well, Big Bertha (can't think of a suitable name but W210 E55 certainly ain't it) has 69K miles on the clock and 44 months on her birtha certificate
So a plug change isn't out of the question, its just two hours sounds a lotta time. Unless we're talking ferrari plug change, you know, first lift the engine out etc.
Mind you, extracting a plug and correctly torquing the replacement is going to take three or four minutes, leaving half an hour to remove and replace the gubbins on top of the engine and another 30 minutes to get the vehicle into the bay, chat to the storeman, drop one in the engine bay, go get another, recover the dropped plug, move the car back into the lot, make out a time sheet...
Interesting piece in yesterday's S Times 'In the oily grip of the £150-an-hour mechanic' about the franchised rip-off. The average hourly wage of the mechanic is £15 and the rest goes to the dealership. Question is, where do you get the original M-B parts without the M-B logo on the box because it will save a fortune on their mark-ups of 186% (front brake disks) to 392% (catalytic converter). The article gave a site at www.carparts-direct.co.uk but I couldn't upload the price list. Don't suppose it would extend to plugs and fuel filter on the rarer models or would it?

 

[piestore]

112 spark plugs

Hi

yes they are due on age at 4 years but I would ignor that and change them on mileage only , they are not easy to change the allowed time is 2.5 hours plus the plug cost thats why it seem expensive DIY'ers often damage the ht leads and this causes more expense