MB M276 Spark Plugs at 55K miles

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2016 MB E350 with 130K. Spark plugs have 55K miles. OE interval is 50K.

Replaced with plugs from the dealer. Added a copious amount of electrical connector grease to each coil boot and torqued the plug to 17 ft-lbs for proper indexing.

List is $24.50/plug. No manifold removal is required- just remove a portion of the ME bracket. Job took about 1 hr.
 

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What's the ME bracket? Did you pay list price at the dealer? Looks like you can get them for $18.85 from an online dealer, but then there's shipping.


Looks like they cross reference to a Bosch ZR6SII3320 which rockauto sells for $6.73 a plug. Amazon also carries them but there's some reviews that say they're fake. FCPeuro has them too at $8.33 a plug, might be cheapest there with their lifetime warranty.

Wow 50K interval I always do 100K on my stuff. Those needed to be replaced though.
Mercedes uses a multispark system where the plugs fire up to 4 or 5 times per cycle so they'd wear out quicker than a plug that just fires once or twice per cycle.
 
What's the ME bracket? Did you pay list price at the dealer? Looks like you can get them for $18.85 from an online dealer, but then there's shipping.


Looks like they cross reference to a Bosch ZR6SII3320 which rockauto sells for $6.73 a plug. Amazon also carries them but there's some reviews that say they're fake. FCPeuro has them too at $8.33 a plug, might be cheapest there with their lifetime warranty.


Mercedes uses a multispark system where the plugs fire up to 4 or 5 times per cycle so they'd wear out quicker than a plug that just fires once or twice per cycle.
I paid $16.33/plug from the dealer thru a repairlink/MB promotion. ME Bracket is the ECU bracket.
The Bosch plugs do not always index correctly as discussed in a few European Tech groups. Due to the sensitivity of this engine, it is best to just stick with OE.
 
I paid $16.33/plug from the dealer thru a repairlink/MB promotion. ME Bracket is the ECU bracket.
The Bosch plugs do not always index correctly as discussed in a few European Tech groups. Due to the sensitivity of this engine, it is best to just stick with OE.
That's a good price. I wonder if those other plugs are fakes, seems like it's a problem now. I think a few have used the Bosch plugs on the Mercedes forums. What did you end up charging? The dealers like to charge around $600 because their procedure calls for the intake manifold to come off and I guess the plugs are about $150 of that.
 
That's a good price. I wonder if those other plugs are fakes, seems like it's a problem now. I think a few have used the Bosch plugs on the Mercedes forums. What did you end up charging? The dealers like to charge around $600 because their procedure calls for the intake manifold to come off and I guess the plugs are about $150 of that.
Book time is 2.9-3.3 hours depending on the model; I think this one is 2.9. $600 would just pay for the labor out here, I think the dealers out here are quoting in the $750-$800 range for spark plugs.

Wow 50K interval I always do 100K on my stuff. Those needed to be replaced though.
It did idle noticeably smoother after spark plug replacement.
 
Well they must lose their shirt when someone shows up with a pre-paid maintenance package. I think they used to be in the $1100-$1200 range for a 3 pack. The spark plugs and transmission fluid is included if the service calls for it. Can't get it after 80k so too late for your customer. But it's a good deal for someone facing the 50k service with spark plugs and then at 60k for the transmission fluid.

I just got another email from MB offering their $150 off $300 service from Dec 1 - Jan 31st. They always do this a couple times a year though.
 
Well they must lose their shirt when someone shows up with a pre-paid maintenance package. I think they used to be in the $1100-$1200 range for a 3 pack. The spark plugs and transmission fluid is included if the service calls for it. Can't get it after 80k so too late for your customer. But it's a good deal for someone facing the 50k service with spark plugs and then at 60k for the transmission fluid.

I just got another email from MB offering their $150 off $300 service from Dec 1 - Jan 31st. They always do this a couple times a year though.
Warranty time is usually a 1/4-1/3 off the customer pay time, they still do okay. If it only took me an hour on my first try, I'm sure someone who has done this multiple times can get it done in 30-45 minutes.
 
This photo is being taken from the passenger side, but it illustrates the angle at which the plugs sit. The MB SST socket is a perfect length to be flush against the top edge of the valve cover....which is important for the driver side since the clearance is so tight. Plus it swivels 90 degrees, which is important given the angle of the plugs. This socket is definitely worth the investment if you plan to do a lot of these engines without removing the intake.
 

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Nice pictures :)

Who is the OE supplier? Rock Auto has Bosch for under $7 each, and they look just like OE. They also have NGK for $10, and NGK uses a regular hex. NGK also notes the special indexing requirement.

Bosch looks just the plugs you pulled out but without the peace sign, which is apparently worth $20 :p
 
Nice pictures :)

Who is the OE supplier? Rock Auto has Bosch for under $7 each, and they look just like OE. They also have NGK for $10, and NGK uses a regular hex. NGK also notes the special indexing requirement.

Bosch looks just the plugs you pulled out but without the peace sign, which is apparently worth $20 :p
Read what I wrote in post #7.
 
The plugs are made by Bosch to MBs specification. The plugs Bosch sells are not the same as the plug MB sells. They do not index the same. This has been widely discussed in various professional euro car technician groups and the bosch plugs have been proven to cause misfires on these cars as well as newer BMW vehicles for the same reason
 
The plugs are made by Bosch to MBs specification. The plugs Bosch sells are not the same as the plug MB sells. They do not index the same. This has been widely discussed in various professional euro car technician groups and the bosch plugs have been proven to cause misfires on these cars as well as newer BMW vehicles for the same reason

Do you know anything about the plugs NGK makes for these MB cars?
 
Wow... That sucks and is crazy. About the Bosch plugs being different.

One would like to think it would be consistent either way. Obviously it is not.
 
Do you know anything about the plugs NGK makes for these MB cars?
I personally have no experience. A good friend of mine is a euro specialist and also works for a company that provides technical support and diagnostic assistance to independent shops on MB and BMW/MINI. He says the vast majority of random misfires are on later model BMW and MB are fixed by replacing the NGK or Bosch plugs with OE Genuine plugs. These engines are gasoline direct injection and plug indexing is critical the way these OEMs have designed their combustion chambers and pistons. He had the heads off of a 276 for repairs so for grins he took 3 used plugs from that engine put them in one of the heads on the bench and torqued them to spec. All 3 electrodes pointed in the same direction. He took 3 brand new dealer plugs, installed and torqued to spec. All 3 electrodes pointed in the same spot like the factory service info said. He did 3 Bosch plugs and they didnt index properly
 
This photo is being taken from the passenger side, but it illustrates the angle at which the plugs sit. The MB SST socket is a perfect length to be flush against the top edge of the valve cover....which is important for the driver side since the clearance is so tight. Plus it swivels 90 degrees, which is important given the angle of the plugs. This socket is definitely worth the investment if you plan to do a lot of these engines without removing the intake.
Would you share more about the MB SST socket.

I changed the plugs about a year ago on the M276 in my E350. It wasn't a terrible job. Definitely easier than changing 4 plugs in my wife's FB2.5 Outback. But it did take some patience putting the socket on the spark plug, and then assembling the extension and wrench. Particularly on the rear LH plugs. The RH plugs weren't quite as bad.

If the right socket makes it easier, I would sure like to have it in the toolbox for next time.
 
Would you share more about the MB SST socket.

I changed the plugs about a year ago on the M276 in my E350. It wasn't a terrible job. Definitely easier than changing 4 plugs in my wife's FB2.5 Outback. But it did take some patience putting the socket on the spark plug, and then assembling the extension and wrench. Particularly on the rear LH plugs. The RH plugs weren't quite as bad.

If the right socket makes it easier, I would sure like to have it in the toolbox for next time.
 
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