A reader wrote to us last week with a fair complaint: our database had one entry for the Mercedes M271, and he owns the other one. He was right. Mercedes used the M271 name for two engines that share a block casting and almost nothing else that matters to a used-car buyer. One is supercharged and has a timing chain that stretches before 100,000 km. The other is turbocharged, fixed the chain, and then found a new way to empty your wallet.
This article is the correction. It is written the way a workshop would brief you at the counter: what you have, what will break, what it costs, and what to check before money changes hands.
Quick answer: If the boot lid says Kompressor, you have the 2002–2011 supercharged engine: 35/100 (AVOID). Its simplex timing chain stretches early, the supercharger clutch wears, and a full chain job is 15 hours of labour. If it says CGI or BlueEFFICIENCY on a 2009–2015 C-, E- or SLK-Class, you have the turbo M271 EVO: 58/100 (CAUTION). The chain is better; the camshaft adjusters and tensioner are the problem, and Mercedes USA extended their warranty to 10 years for a reason. Neither is a buy without a cold-start test and the timing-job invoice.
First, which one is in your car?
| M271 Kompressor | M271 EVO | |
|---|---|---|
| Badge | Kompressor | CGI / BlueEFFICIENCY (no badge on later cars) |
| Years | 2002–2011 | Sep 2009–2015 |
| Charging | Eaton supercharger, belt-driven | IHI turbocharger |
| Fuelling | Port injection (a 170 hp DE18 ML direct-injection version existed 2003–05) | Direct injection (CGI) |
| Engine number prefix | 271.9xx | 271.8xx (271.820 / 271.860) |
| Power | 129–184 hp | 156 / 184 / 204 hp |
| Timing chain | Simplex roller chain | Toothed chain, reinforced tensioner from 2010 |
The overlap year is 2009–2010. A W204 C 200 built in early 2009 is a Kompressor; one built in late 2009 is a CGI. Check the engine number on the registration document or the plate on the block, not the model year.
M271 Kompressor — 35/100 (AVOID)
Found in: C 180 Kompressor and C 200 Kompressor (W203 2002–2007, W204 2007–2009), CLK 200 Kompressor (W209), E 200 Kompressor (W211), SLK 200 Kompressor (R171).
The supercharged M271 is the engine that gave the name its reputation. Three independent German specialist sources and one workshop case study agree on the failure sequence: the single-row chain elongates, the variable cam timing hides it for a while, and then either the engine light comes on or the chain skips a tooth with no fault stored at all.
The documented case we leaned on hardest is a 2008 W204 C 200 Kompressor at 142,000 km: cold-start rattle for four to eight seconds, codes P0017 and P0011, camshaft adaptation at +4.2° and +5.8° against a limit of 3°, chain tensioner at 81% of travel against 18–25% for a new part. The fix was the full original set: chain, guide rails, tensioner rail, both cam sprockets, the reinforced tensioner Mercedes introduced in 2010, a front cover gasket and new stretch bolts. Fifteen hours of labour at an independent, a mid four-digit euro total, and the workshop's note that a dealer would have been 30–40% more.
| Problem | Severity | Typical cost (EUR) | Onset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-row timing chain stretch, can skip | Critical | €1,500–4,000 | 60,000–150,000 km |
| Supercharger clutch / belt failure | High | €600–1,500 | 80,000–150,000 km |
| Balance-shaft plastic sprocket wear (pre-2010) | High | not costed in sources | — |
| Camshaft sensor magnets leak oil into harness / ECU | Moderate | €150–800 | — |
| Valve cover gasket oil leak | Moderate | €200–500 | 80,000–150,000 km |
| Part-load crankcase breather hoses crack | Minor | parts a few euros, labour heavy | — |
The breather hoses deserve a line of their own: one German source says "practically every M271" gets them, the parts cost almost nothing, and the labour to reach the three hoses behind the supercharger is, in their word, immense. Do it while the front of the engine is open for the chain.
M271 EVO (CGI turbo) — 58/100 (CAUTION)
Found in: C 180 CGI, C 200 CGI, C 250 CGI (W204 2009–2014), E 200 CGI and E 250 CGI (W212 and C207 2009–2013), SLK 200 and SLK 250 (R172 2011–2015).
In September 2009 Mercedes replaced the supercharger with a turbo, moved to direct injection, swapped the roller chain for a toothed one, and from 2010 fitted a reinforced tensioner with an oil reservoir. On paper the chain problem was solved. In practice the weak point moved one component along.
The camshaft adjusters, the geared units on the end of each camshaft, wear their teeth against the chain, and the hydraulic tensioner loses pressure. UK owners on the Mercedes club forum report adjuster failures at 39,700 miles (64,000 km) and 46,000 miles, tensioner leaks from around 30,000 miles, and a British independent quoting £1,500 as the minimum for adjusters, chain and tensioner. In the US, CarComplaints logs five 2013 C 250 owners at an average of 70,100 miles paying $3,300–5,900 for both adjusters, with one engine replacement at $13,000.
This is not forum folklore. On 30 October 2020 Mercedes-Benz USA issued a bulletin, filed with the US safety regulator as TSB MC-10183259-9999, extending the camshaft adjuster warranty from 4 years/50,000 miles to 10 years/120,000 miles on 2012–2015 C 250, C 250 Coupé and SLK 250, with reimbursement of prior repairs. The listed fault codes read like a timing diagnosis sheet: P001477, P001600, P001762, P001662, P001177, P001700, P001192, P001492, P034062, P036662.
There is no equivalent in Europe. KBA and RAPEX list no engine recall for the M271; the only campaigns are airbag-related. German owners report 50% goodwill at best, paying around €1,000 of a €2,000 job.
| Problem | Severity | Typical cost (EUR) | Onset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camshaft adjuster and tensioner wear, timing drift, chain can jump | Critical | €1,500–4,000 | 50,000–160,000 km |
| Camshaft sensor magnets leak oil into harness / ECU | Moderate | €150–800 | — |
| Intake-valve carbon build-up (direct injection) | Moderate | €300–700 | 80,000–130,000 km |
The worst case is real: an owner of a 2011 C 180 CGI describes the tensioner letting go, all sixteen valves bent, and a second failure ten days after the rebuild when an aftermarket inlet adjuster slipped 30–40 degrees. Use original adjusters.
The carbon issue is the price of direct injection. Port-injected Kompressors wash their intake valves with fuel; CGI engines do not. Expect rough cold idle and a walnut-blast clean somewhere between 80,000 and 130,000 km, sooner on a city car.
Why 58 and not 70
An honest question, because the EVO is a better engine than the Kompressor and two specialist guides call it "considerably more reliable." We agree it is better. We do not agree it is good.
A critical timing-component failure that is documented from 64,000 km, acknowledged by the manufacturer with a decade-long warranty extension in one market and nothing in ours, costs a 23-point deduction in our rubric. Two moderate issues take another ten. Early onset takes five more. That lands at 58, in the same band as the M272 V6 with its balance-shaft sprocket, and comfortably below the M274 that replaced the EVO in 2012–2015, which scores 72 with a dual-row chain.
The pre-purchase routine
- Identify the engine from the 271.8xx or 271.9xx number, not the badge or the model year.
- Cold start, engine stone cold. Stand at the front. Two to eight seconds of rattle that fades is the chain or tensioner telling you the truth before the seller does.
- Ask for the invoice, not the story. On the Kompressor: chain, both sprockets, rails, reinforced tensioner. On the EVO: camshaft adjusters (kit A 271 050 21 00 80), chain, tensioner. "Chain done" without sprockets or adjusters is half a job.
- Read the codes with a Mercedes-capable tool. P0016, P0017, P0011, P0340 on either engine, or any of the ten TSB codes on an EVO, is a negotiation or a walk-away.
- Pull the camshaft magnet plugs and look for oil inside the connector. Cheap to fix now, expensive once it reaches the ECU.
- On a CGI, ask when the intake valves were last cleaned. If the answer is never and the car is past 100,000 km, budget for it.
What to buy instead
If you want a petrol four-cylinder W204 or W212 without this conversation, look at the M274 2.0 turbo that replaced the EVO from 2012 (C 180 and C 200 from the 2014 facelift, E 200 from 2013): 72/100, dual-row chain, with a thermostat as its main complaint. If you can stretch to six cylinders, the earlier M112 V6 in the W203 and W211 scores 92/100 and is the engine this whole era should have kept.
Frequently asked
Is the M271 EVO the same as the M271 Kompressor? No. They share the name and basic block. The Kompressor is supercharged with a roller chain; the EVO is turbocharged, direct-injected, with a toothed chain and a different failure profile.
Did Mercedes recall the M271 for the timing chain or adjusters? Not in Europe. In the US, Mercedes-Benz USA extended the camshaft adjuster warranty to 10 years/120,000 miles in October 2020 for 2012–2015 C 250 and SLK 250 models. No KBA or RAPEX engine recall exists.
How much is the chain or adjuster job in Europe? From about €1,500 at an independent for adjusters, chain and tensioner, to a mid four-digit total for the complete set with rails and sprockets. Dealers run 30–40% higher. German owners who received goodwill paid around €1,000.
Which M271 is in a 2009 C 200? Either. Kompressor production in the W204 ended in 2010 and the CGI started in September 2009. Check the engine number: 271.95x is a Kompressor, 271.820 is a CGI.
Is the M271 EVO a good engine to buy? With a documented adjuster-and-chain job, a clean cold start and a reasonable price, it is a usable engine. Without those, our rubric says caution for a reason.
Sources: NHTSA TSB MC-10183259-9999 (Mercedes-Benz USA, Oct 2020); Kfz-Meisterbetrieb Dietrich W204 M271 case study; Gebrauchtwagenberater.de; Der Pade; carwiki.de; Euro Premium Parts; Orbi Motors; MBClub UK owner threads; CarComplaints. Full source list on each engine page. Methodology →