[zeagan]

Picked up a 2020 A35 with 35k km on it a few weeks ago and this forum had me paranoid, but noticed the previous owner's mercedes me login was still active when I got the car, searched his name on the A35 FB group and now I at least know the car got a new head at 25k km.

Question though, is it only the valves that have a revised part number? I had heard the issue was related to the valve guides so hopefully the guides/head had some design revisions as well. Also, any reports of head replacements failing again?

 

[Forrester]

Hi, I now have this same problem. Did you get anywhere with this? Would very much appreciate a reply.

Unfortunately, he hasn't posted since February 2023 so you may not receive a response.

 

[Knocker f4]

Hi, I now have this same problem. Did you get anywhere with this? Would very much appreciate a reply.

Hi, I now have this same problem. Did you get anywhere with this? Would very much appreciate a reply.

Not sure if it's any use to you, but I had a similar problem with an A220, which was 6 months out of warranty
Contacted Mercedes UK CEO and they agreed to pay 49% of parts and labour as a goodwill contribution.

 

[minkailic3108]

Hi!! The same issue has happened with my a250 from 2016. Had a car for about a year with 45k miles on it and was pretty reliable. Got a bad missfire after putting my fuel in, car shaking, loss of power, check engine light, white smoke from exhaust etc… Ended up that the inlet valve from cylinder 3 has lost compression, althouht there appear to not be any damage to the valve itself… Did not go to MB dealers as they put the prices up to the sky for everything… Im considering replacing the head, but I am afraid this could happen again with the new had as well… Does anyone have any experience after replacing the head? Would the car be reliable and worthy to do so? Of course I’m out of warranty and everything is from my own pocket, which is quite annoying as this seems to be a very common fault… Would just like to be sure I will get a reliable car after all of these expenses! Hope some of you have better luck with these cars!

 

[Forrester]

Hi!! The same issue has happened with my a250 from 2016. Had a car for about a year with 45k miles on it and was pretty reliable. Got a bad missfire after putting my fuel in, car shaking, loss of power, check engine light, white smoke from exhaust etc… Ended up that the inlet valve from cylinder 3 has lost compression, althouht there appear to not be any damage to the valve itself… Did not go to MB dealers as they put the prices up to the sky for everything… Im considering replacing the head, but I am afraid this could happen again with the new had as well… Does anyone have any experience after replacing the head? Would the car be reliable and worthy to do so? Of course I’m out of warranty and everything is from my own pocket, which is quite annoying as this seems to be a very common fault… Would just like to be sure I will get a reliable car after all of these expenses! Hope some of you have better luck with these cars!

I cannot recall a second failure being posted on here. I would also check FB.

 

[Tiziano]

I just had the same problem on my 69 registration A35, I have 15k miles on the clock, the warranty is now expired but this is clearly a common fault of the engine and so all A35 should have been recalled. I should talk to some senior person at Mercedes today with the hope they will offer the repair as it should be.
Still this is very annoying I am not sure I want to keep the car.

 

[Forrester]

The parts used to do the repair are different to the original so you should be alright in it not reoccurring. But be prepared for MB turning you down.

 

[LEW-p]

Hi, I have virtually the same problem with my car, trying to get Merc to pay toward the £4100 repair as it is just out of warranty. Merc are claiming it is not a known issue, so I am trying g to gather evidence from other owners - would really appreciate any info you could give me.

If it’s not to late I have had this cylinder head problem and if u still need evidence of this problem please let me know

 

[Debbiej]

I just had the same problem on my 69 registration A35, I have 15k miles on the clock, the warranty is now expired but this is clearly a common fault of the engine and so all A35 should have been recalled. I should talk to some senior person at Mercedes today with the hope they will offer the repair as it should be.
Still this is very annoying I am not sure I want to keep the car.

Hi I’m having the same issue and am going to contact MB today … can I ask if you had any luck getting them to cover cost … Thankyou

 

[A35 Saloon]

Add another one to the list..... A35 Saloon 70 plate with 20k Miles on. Orange light came on and miss firing took it to the dealer and the cylinder head has gone. Wanted £5.5k to repair as it's 6 months out out warranty. The dealer has contacted Mercedes to see if there is anything they can do, but they're not interested. Bought it new from the dealer and had it serviced there and they were willing to help with the cost.

 

[Forrester]

Add another one to the list..... A35 Saloon 70 plate with 20k Miles on. Orange light came on and miss firing took it to the dealer and the cylinder head has gone. Wanted £5.5k to repair as it's 6 months out out warranty. The dealer has contacted Mercedes to see if there is anything they can do, but they're not interested. Bought it new from the dealer and had it serviced there and they were willing to help with the cost.

Sorry to hear.

Have a look at this thread as well and what people are getting towards the repairs.

https://www.aclassclub.co.uk/threads/a35-engine-cylinder-head-problem-poll.20811/page-5?post_id=219036#post-219036

 

[LoadmasterNLD]

Add another one to the list..... A35 Saloon 70 plate with 20k Miles on. Orange light came on and miss firing took it to the dealer and the cylinder head has gone. Wanted £5.5k to repair as it's 6 months out out warranty. The dealer has contacted Mercedes to see if there is anything they can do, but they're not interested. Bought it new from the dealer and had it serviced there and they were willing to help with the cost.

Mercedes should be ashamed of itself. The cylinder head on my A220 has luckily been replaced under warranty, but I still have some serious issues with my gearbox. Car has been at the dealer two times and all they say is “we can’t find any faults, so It’s fine”.

Never had such a bad experience with a car manufacturer and their customer support.

Good luck with it, I wish you all the best and I hope they cover at least half of the costs. 🙏🏻

 

[rksnoozer]

Hi, I am experiencing the same issues with my A250. Dealership is being difficult - which dealership were you dealing with that admitted it was a common fault (be grateful for any info as it may help me with my claim)

Hi,

How did it go getting mercedes to good will your engine rebuild? I'm currently in contact with a garage now

 

[rksnoozer]

Hi I’m having the same issue and am going to contact MB today … can I ask if you had any luck getting them to cover cost … Thankyou

Hi,

How did it go getting mercedes to good will your engine rebuild? I'm currently in contact with a garage now

 

[veeeight]

@rksnoozer This is a friendly request - Do not spam the forum. You’ve asked 4 similar/identical questions/posts in 2 threads on this forum now, do not continue in this vein.

 

[Rob fron the Netherlands]

Goodday to you all ,
I had the same issue with mij 2021 cla35 amg , running on 3 cilinders after investigation we found
a burned exhoust valve and a run in cameshaft … only 60.000 km on the clock.
So we send the head to be done , added a new camshaft , new valves at the exhaust side And ll othe stuff
that must be replaced at such an action. Costs €.6500,00…

 

[veeeight]

Goodday to you all ,
I had the same issue with mij 2021 cla35 amg , running on 3 cilinders after investigation we found
a burned exhoust valve and a run in cameshaft … only 60.000 km on the clock.
So we send the head to be done , added a new camshaft , new valves at the exhaust side And ll othe stuff
that must be replaced at such an action. Costs €.6500,00…

That camshaft damage is not pretty

 

[Rocketboy]

Hi all,

I have a W177 a250, 2019 model, 60k miles. I received an engine warning light, fault codes relating to misfire in cylinder two. Upon further investigation the MB garage have confirmed pressure in cylinder two in low via a compression test and that the fault is not related to spark plug, coil packs or alike since they have been switched around and the issue still persists in cylinder two.

After reading various forms, it seems this is leading to a cylinder head replacement which is of course an expensive job, and annoyingly a very common fault with the M260 engine. From what I have read, people have been quoted in the region of £4,000 - £5,000 to fix the issue. However, the MB garage have quoted me £4,100 just to strip the engine and investigate further, not even fix the issue. Is this common or does this seem outrageous? They have stated that I will have to pay for the full cost of repair following the strip, presumably totalling somewhere in the region of £9,000 - £10,000 adding two and two together. Furthermore, has anyone in the UK had any luck getting the issue fixed whilst being out of warranty, I have seen MB in Canada and the US have extended the warranty for this particular engine part, but not in the UK seemingly so…

 

[george.momo78]

My 2018, A250 had similar cylinder misfiring issues, in September 2024, after covering 45k miles. Initially, the engine management light came on, but it went out by itself. Then the car became sluggish to drive and eventually the engine started vibrating and almost stalled. So, it was taken the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Stratford Upon Avon, England. I bought the car from them brand new in 2018 and has full dealership service history. So, they agreed to split the repair costs with the manufacturer on a 60:40%. I paid 60% of the repair costs which came down to ~£2700. I had to fight hard to get a 10% labour cost discount, otherwise the costs would've been a lot higher. It's clearly a manufacturer's defect issurle and I personally believe all A250 and A35 should be recalled.

Best of luck!

 

[Rocketboy]

My 2018, A250 had similar cylinder misfiring issues, in September 2024, after covering 45k miles. Initially, the engine management light came on, but it went out by itself. Then the car became sluggish to drive and eventually the engine started vibrating and almost stalled. So, it was taken the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Stratford Upon Avon, England. I bought the car from them brand new in 2018 and has full dealership service history. So, they agreed to split the repair costs with the manufacturer on a 60:40%. I paid 60% of the repair costs which came down to ~£2700. I had to fight hard to get a 10% labour cost discount, otherwise the costs would've been a lot higher. It's clearly a manufacturer's defect issurle and I personally believe all A250 and A35 should be recalled.

Best of luck!

Cheers for this, much appreciated. Was you quoted circa £4,000 just to dismantle the engine and then another lump sum to resolve the issue once found?