2012 E350Cdi Coupe - DIY Service?

[MrGundam]

I have had a search through the forum but getting a bit confused.

I am a competent DIY / hobby mechanic having done engine conversions on my campervan, replaced turbos, usual servicing, suspension parts, VagCOM Opcom usage etc. However it seems that there is very little servicing I could do on a E350Cdi. Even air filter changes seem to need to use some STAR system to update the ECU.

Does anyone manage to maintain their own car? Mine will be about 70 - 100k miles when I find the right one for my budget and so starting to be less service history essential.

How do people here go about self servicing their vehicles?

 

[W1ghty]

Oil and filter change
Fuel filter change
Pollen filter
Brake fluid
Brake discs and pads
Gearbox ATF and filter
Glow plugs
Air filters , I believe can be changed diy without Star (I do) , apparently the car will “ learn” and adapt over time that it has a new filter .
The above list should keep you busy as a diy mechanic

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

I created a thread on this recently, and you're certainly more advanced than I, you'll be fine! Here's my thread: Who services their own car? (W212 E350 CDI here) | Parts, Maintenance & Servicing

The only things from @W1ghty's list above that is something I wouldn't do myself is brake fluid and gearbox service (£50 and £200 at an indie, respectively). Brake fluid is every two years, gearbox depends on specific model. Air filters definitely don't need STAR.

I would make sure that you have an icarsoft MB 2.0 code reader - you don't need it to reset the service indicator, but you it's invaluable for finding errors etc

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Air filters may need adapting if you leave them to 50 thousand miles service change, or let them get black hacky . Nothing I've ever done has needed star to adapt anything. Maybe mercedes isn't for you .. ?

 

[MrGundam]

Air filters may need adapting if you leave them to 50 thousand miles service change, or let them get black hacky . Nothing I've ever done has needed star to adapt anything. Maybe mercedes isn't for you .. ?

Reason I mentioned STAR is I read it is needed to even do the air filter. I wasn't sure if this is for the service reminder or if engine behaved differently when it thought it may be old and not changed.

 

[MrGundam]

Oil and filter change
Fuel filter change
Pollen filter
Brake fluid
Brake discs and pads
Gearbox ATF and filter
Glow plugs
Air filters , I believe can be changed diy without Star (I do) , apparently the car will “ learn” and adapt over time that it has a new filter .
The above list should keep you busy as a diy mechanic

That's what I like to hear

I couldn't look myself in the mirror if I couldn't even do the oil change myself lol

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

It really isn't needed to change the air filters

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Reason I mentioned STAR is I read it is needed to even do the air filter. I wasn't sure if this is for the service reminder or if engine behaved differently when it thought it may be old and not changed.

as the air filters become clogged , the maf is telling the ecu how to go about fuelling the car , so when you change the air filters you should therefore let the car know and reset the values for maximum fuel efficiency . if you dont over a few hundred miles the car reteaches itself anyways, only if you let the filters get absolutely sodden may you run into problems and need a reset doing . dont let all this fancy talk put you off, mercs are just like any other car, diy all you want i say !! as mentioned invest in an icarsoft mb2 v2 scanner though - invaluable with mb ownership . £168 for 2 hours at mb fault code reading .....

 

[MrGreedy]

Air filters may need adapting if you leave them to 50 thousand miles service change, or let them get black hacky . Nothing I've ever done has needed star to adapt anything. Maybe mercedes isn't for you .. ?

This is valid because the Merc interval is something stupid like 48k miles for air filters.
If you are DIY, just do them every 1 or 2 years, and they won't get to the clogged state whereby a STAR reset would be needed after a filter change.

 

[MrGundam]

Hi guys,

I am looking to hopefully get a E350 Cdi in the near future and great to know there are people DIY servicing them. I am no stranger to a spanner and so good to know there are some things we can do without a computer!

Great thread.

 

[W1ghty]

This is valid because the Merc interval is something stupid like 48k miles for air filters.
If you are DIY, just do them every 1 or 2 years, and they won't get to the clogged state whereby a STAR reset would be needed after a filter change.

That’s how I roll buddy

 

[MrGundam]

Quick question, why do people delete the swirl flap motor?

 

[MrGreedy]

On the dieseasles, it's because the EGR dumps soot and oil from the crankcase into the intake manifold, I.e. where the swirlflaps are, which clogs the swirlflaps that then break or get stuck. Swirlflaps motor damage results, then EML comes on.


My personal view is the swirlflaps combined with an EGR are a seriously flawed design that does way more harm than good, because the swirl flaps are designed to induce, er, air swirl at low rpm, but this only works effectively when the engine (intakes) are very young. After that when everything is getting clogged it's diminishing returns plus ongoing repairs .

 

[MrGundam]

On the dieseasles, it's because the EGR dumps soot and oil from the crankcase into the intake manifold, I.e. where the swirlflaps are, which clogs the swirlflaps that then break or get stuck. Swirlflaps motor damage results, then EML comes on.


My personal view is the swirlflaps combined with an EGR are a seriously flawed design that does way more harm than good, because the swirl flaps are designed to induce, er, air swirl at low rpm, but this only works effectively when the engine (intakes) are very young. After that when everything is getting clogged it's diminishing returns plus ongoing repairs .

When people remove the swirl motor but not the flaps how do they ensure they remain open?

 

[ellmo]

id like to know this as well

 

[W1ghty]

Well.....as a treat for my car at around 100k on the E320cdi I put the swirl flap resistor modification on the car . It is simply a 4.7k ohm resistor plugged into the electrical supply to the swirl flap motor . (The motor isn’t removed )
If the motor is working and the swirl flaps themselves aren’t jammed or sticking in the inlet manifolds because of gunge and the rods that connect the individual swirl flaps are all connected .
The idea is that the flaps just remain open and the “mod” tricks the car into thinking the swirl flap motor is connected and working .
It makes no difference to fuel consumption or drive ability of the car

 

[MrGreedy]

When people remove the swirl motor but not the flaps how do they ensure they remain open?

If the motor/flaps are not in the open position, then you disconnect the motor from the arms, and wire the arms in the opon position.
There are pictures on this forum and on Youtube showing this.
Others have removed the manfolds, smashed out the flaps (because the flap is bench-welded on to the shaft during assemble), removed the swirl flap dowels, and used threaded bolts to block the flap shaft mechanism holes.

 

[such01]

Is it worth doing the swirl flap motor mod as preventative maintenance? I'm assuming my flaps will be open if there are no issues prior to doing this mod?
How would I confirm this is the case?

 

[AndrewOl]

If the swirl flap isn’t stuck then they are open when the motor is not operating. The motor usually fails open circuit which causes limp mode. Easily rectified with the resistor to fool the ecu if you don’t have the later version with position sensors too. Mine failed short circuit which blew the fuse killing the car stone dead. I ended up coding the swirl flap motor out. They are easy to service especially if you suck the oil out of the dip stick. Filters all easy to get to although it pays to get a genuine cabin filter as the pattern ones have a habit of not fitting that well. Gearbox service is too involved for me, I use indie for that.

 

[such01]

If the swirl flap isn’t stuck then they are open when the motor is not operating. The motor usually fails open circuit which causes limp mode. Easily rectified with the resistor to fool the ecu if you don’t have the later version with position sensors too. Mine failed short circuit which blew the fuse killing the car stone dead. I ended up coding the swirl flap motor out. They are easy to service especially if you suck the oil out of the dip stick. Filters all easy to get to although it pays to get a genuine cabin filter as the pattern ones have a habit of not fitting that well. Gearbox service is too involved for me, I use indie for that.

How do i check to see if I have the later version- mine is a 2012 W212023.
I do my own oil / filters servicing now and had an ATF service done in March 22