[Mike35]

I'm driving VW Passat for the last 7 years. It has a 2.0, 170HP diesel engine. I'm happy with performance and consumption, but i'm really not happy with poor quality of this car and loads of engine related problems. Almost all engine problems have "diesel" related issues, such as EGR valve replacement, DPF filter problem, smoking, etc. I really don't like diesel anymore. Now diesel is getting hammered in press for all world polution problems, manufacturers are claiming the development of diesel units will stop and so on.

So after all that i decided to buy a Mercedes GLC 250d. I know i know...a diesel. I really didn't like consumption numbers of 250 or 300 benz models and 350e isn't what it should be yet. So i went for the "safe" and "trusted" 250d (2.1l, 204HP). I'm still waiting for this car but my doubts are getting bigger and bigger. How will 250d perform in GLC? What kind of problems does this engine have on the long run? Does it also suffer from EFR valve problems, DPF filter problems, hates short stops, etc. ,etc.? Can anyone tell me how 250d engine drives and what is this engines service history?

Basically i'm looking for reassurance that i made a good decision and 250d is not as bad as VAG 2.0 diesel engine.

 

[Toobad]

Hi Mike and welcome to the forum.
Here in the UK we only had the option of the 2 diesel engines at launch with the V6 petrol arriving later with the 43. I have the 220d engine which is exactly the same engine as used in the 250d but with less turbo boost dialled in. There have been no generally reported problems with exhaust gas recirculation valves or diesel particulate filters that I am aware of. This particular 2.1 litre engine is now quite long in the tooth. The main complaint is that it sounds very clackety when started from cold but quietens down relatively quickly. I dare say Mercedes will start installing the new 2.0 litre unit at the mid-lifecycle refresh or perhaps even in the 2018 models which should be announced over the summer months. That unit is already being installed in the new E-Class and receiving critical acclaim from the Press. The latest incarnation of diesel engines are nothing like the ones of old and I think they will continue to have a place in all the manufacturers' ranges. They easily meet the very stringent Euro 6 emissions requirements and Mercedes uses the AdBlue solution to convert the dangerous nitrogen oxides produced by diesel engines into harmless nitrogen and water. It will be the owners of much earlier and primitive diesel-engined cars that will find themselves excluded from specific areas for pollution reasons or at least incur punitive charges for entering them.

 

[Philamg]

Welcome Mike, I have a 43 but last week drove a GLC with a 220d engine and it was fine, the 250d is more powerful.

I came from a 2 year old discovery sport with a 190hp 2.2 engine and the 220d was just as powerful and a LOT quieter especially on start up.

 

[CRNCYX]

Welcome Mike, I have a 43 but last week drove a GLC with a 220d engine and it was fine, the 250d is more powerful.

I came from a 2 year old discovery sport with a 190hp 2.2 engine and the 220d was just as powerful and a LOT quieter especially on start up.

Did you by any chance find the 220d to make more noise since it is a smaller engine and lower output power plant?
That is one thing that always concerns me.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Philamg]

The 43 makes a lot more noise than the 220d as it is a different beast, I can't comment on noise levels between the 220 and 250 diesels but the 220 is quieter than the new Ingenium engine in the Discovery sport.

 

[NeedForSpeed]

Can't really tell you what to do as it is your car but it sounds like you're worried about future mechanical problems? Maybe extended warranty would help?

 

[Teckno]

I'm driving VW Passat for the last 7 years. It has a 2.0, 170HP diesel engine. I'm happy with performance and consumption, but i'm really not happy with poor quality of this car and loads of engine related problems. Almost all engine problems have "diesel" related issues, such as EGR valve replacement, DPF filter problem, smoking, etc. I really don't like diesel anymore. Now diesel is getting hammered in press for all world polution problems, manufacturers are claiming the development of diesel units will stop and so on.

So after all that i decided to buy a Mercedes GLC 250d. I know i know...a diesel. I really didn't like consumption numbers of 250 or 300 benz models and 350e isn't what it should be yet. So i went for the "safe" and "trusted" 250d (2.1l, 204HP). I'm still waiting for this car but my doubts are getting bigger and bigger. How will 250d perform in GLC? What kind of problems does this engine have on the long run? Does it also suffer from EFR valve problems, DPF filter problems, hates short stops, etc. ,etc.? Can anyone tell me how 250d engine drives and what is this engines service history?

Basically i'm looking for reassurance that i made a good decision and 250d is not as bad as VAG 2.0 diesel engine.

Hi , Message from Oz.
We have 250d wagon with 32000km and a 250d Coupe with close to 5,000km on each. Yes earlier comment re clatter at start up correct, but soon goes. our road system limited to 110km, but overtaking long semi trucks see short bursts well above that. Torque excellent. Economy at 110km with AC and cruise control around 1200km to tank, 66lt.
Overall very happy with engine, both economy, power and general running. Filter no issue, AdBlue ok. We did have a fuel pump failure on wagon, but quickly fixed, no detriment to engine or management system. Would buy diesel again.

 

[CRNCYX]

Hi , Message from Oz.
We have 250d wagon with 32000km and a 250d Coupe with close to 5,000km on each. Yes earlier comment re clatter at start up correct, but soon goes. our road system limited to 110km, but overtaking long semi trucks see short bursts well above that. Torque excellent. Economy at 110km with AC and cruise control around 1200km to tank, 66lt.
Overall very happy with engine, both economy, power and general running. Filter no issue, AdBlue ok. We did have a fuel pump failure on wagon, but quickly fixed, no detriment to engine or management system. Would buy diesel again.

Glad to hear that. From what I noticed is that Mercedes is often good at coming up with fixes, most of the issues are at a dealer level with how service is. Seems like in your case dealership experience was good... unless my assumption is wrong?

 

[2256Anthony]

Hi. I bought the 250d in march this year [ 2017] and very happy generally , apart from the fact that the start / stop never seems to come on , even in Eco or Comfort mode. Could this be because the car not used much and sits on the drive mostly [ its my wife's car ] . Since new, only 800 miles in 5 months ..... or is there a problem ? Any ideas does anyone know ? Apart from a faulty fuel gauge [!!] we love the car - plenty of power and super smooth delivery. I'd say you made a good choice !!

 

[Toobad]

Hi Anthony and welcome to the forum. Given your wife's particular usage of the 250d, it is not at all surprising you have hardly seen the Stop/Start facility operate. There is a very complicated and surprisingly obtuse set of criteria which has to be met before it is made available but the obvious one here is probably voltage level. There is an awful lot of monitoring that goes on when the car is parked up. You've probably heard random whirring, clicks and buzzes and all of this requires power. Even with Stop/Start running other systems can cause a drain, particularly in slow-moving traffic and it is not unusual for the car which had been sitting quietly and patiently in a queue to suddenly decide to start up of its own accord as the Stop/Start facility is withdrawn.

TBH, I find the facility a right royal PITA and hate the way it cannot be overridden so I am forced to manually switch it off every time. If you set the car to drive mode tailored to your preferred settings this will keep the Stop/Start from automatically reactivating for a maximum of 4 hours. This is great if you are making multiple stops during the course of a journey. I'm not convinced there is a significant real world fuel saving when in Stop/Start mode, I think it does more to aid the manufacturer in getting the engine into a lower emissions band and substantiating their nonsensical official fuel consumption figures.

 

[Teckno]

The Truth About Modern Diesel Particulate Filter Problems (DPF Problems).

Interesting read re other causes for DPF failure, such as not enough highway running, Air mass error measure, air leaks, etc.
https://autoexpert.com.au/posts/the-truth-about-diesel-particulate-filter-problems-dpf-problems

We have owned a number of diesels now and never had an issue; but I had not realised all the interlinking items that need to be checked before embarking on an expensive replacement.
39,000km on the GLC and so far excellent, with 7.1L/100km around town as an average.