mat2hu

Hey guys, so my car recently has been giving off a VERY bad smell, like oil leaking. Then a couple days later as I pull out of my driveway i see oil has been leaking from the bottom of my car. (it was a black fluid; looked exactly like soy sauce. I'm not sure if oil is black or clear?) I also have HID's installed on my car, is there any way that my HID's could have caused my oil to leak? Im afraid to take it in for service and they not cover it AND void my warranty :/. Help plz!!!

sagar350z

Hey I doubt that the HIDS being part of the electrical can have any effect on the oil, however i could be wrong. Also they cannot void your warranty unless they prove that the HIDS caused the oil to leak.

noka

Unless your oil has not been changed in a long while, I doubt it is such a dark color. The synthetic in my car is much more clear. Maybe it's some other fluid (e.g. brake)? I would take it in to get checked out before you have some real trouble.

dadangman

i doubt that man.. HID got nothing to do with ur oil.... check ur dip stick see if it's low... and see if any warning signs comes up for low oil. if the smell continues take it to the dealer to check it out man.

goodluck but installing HID would not void ur warranties

mat2hu

Im afraid that it might be some sort of heating or cooling(A/C) fluid. Do our cars even have fluids for those? Becuz one of my HID's as I see is sitting right next to one of those lines thats supposed to be for the heaters. I dunno. But ya no warning signs, just a bad smell from the outside of the car and sometimes it comes inside too.

IGB

Heating/cooling fluid (i.e. antifreeze) is colored and it smells... As for the AC, it does not have any "fluids" in it. I think you're getting close though. My guess is that it is condensation on the AC unit/coils and when the car is turned off, it drips on the plastic engine cover, collect some dust/grime and seeps on the ground... I've had the same issue, had it checked by the dealer and they said its nothing to worry about.

For your on peace of mind you should have them look at it just to be on the safe side.

Carsy

Cars have a habit of communicating with their owners .

When thay are not feeling too well or are tired they make noises, smells, vibrations, drop puddles or steer strangely.

Owners should take action as soon as they notice this information.

I would guess you have an engine oil leak that is contacting your combustion or exhaust system .

Opening the bonnet ( hood) might reveal the problem.

Check your oil level also before driving to the mechanic.

Good luck & let us know the outcome.

mat2hu

I realized last night it has something to do with my horn!!! My horn has gone from a deep noise to a high pitched clown sounding one.. WTF! I'm gonna take it in for service tommorow and see what happens...

mat2hu

So i took it in for service and apparently oil was leaking in the back of my engine... they fixed it up and I think that means I got a free oil change. And something with the relay in my horn was messed up and not related to the oil at all. Oil leak at 30k miles? how realiable are our cars??

tehc300

Do you have the paperwork from the dealership about what caused the leak in the first place?
It should state in their report what the cause was (leaking gasket, oil filter replacement, ect..) If they didn't provide the info you should contact them to find the source. I bring it up because 30k miles is nearing your warranty end. If you have it on paper about the problem you can bring it up before warranty expires and get a free full inspection.
I always ask for the source before any repairs are done to my car.

EASYDOES1T

Have you had an oil change recently? I only ask bc three weeks ago I brought it into MB for a service and they did my oil but they ended up spilling oil all over the place. They didn't tell me -_- and as I was driving home I smelt burning oil and there was oil leaking from under my car. Sounds like the same thing was happening to you. May not have been an actual leak but just someone else's mistake.

mat2hu

Noo I got my oil changed about 9 months ago so no way that was the case, and this is what they wrote on my report: "Expansion plug CK for oil leak found expansion plug leaking. Replace plugs //" They also put that they put in a new air cleanier "Air cleaner, R &R" what is this? Is this my cabin filter or my air fliter for my engine??

dadangman

i agree with Tech.. U should go talk to ur service manager and hopefully he's not an azzhole like my previous one... but talk to him and ask if he can do anything to fix all the problems before your warranty ends

tanktube67

I had the same problem and I believe is an O-ring seal the get dry and fails.

Yuille36

Next time, put your finger in it and smell it, oil and tranny fluid both have a distinct smell to them. Your car has oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid and it could be either on them. If you can narrow it down, it would help. But the best thing, would be to take it to Mercedes.
Unless you have a lift.

mat2hu

I still have about 1 year left before my warranty ends... so I should be in the clear for now.

JoeVal

Funny thing with the leak: bottom plug! Could it be that oil was changed by removing it through the drain plug in the carter, and then the plug and washer were not driven and torqued correctly? There is no need to go that route with Mercedes (see all literature with MB recommended procedures), the oil is pumped up and the whole change is done cleanly under the hood. From a warranty standpoint, there are no other options to change motor oil.

Also, in the 9 months since your last oil change: what oil and filter had you had installed? From color and odor, it seems you put a lot of miles and/or was not extended use 100% synthetic oil to spec 229.5 (e.g. Mobil 1 0W40). Also, filter had also to be polyester, not paper.

mat2hu

I just used factory oil and filter... and I never changed anything myself, it was all from dealerships... My lease is up in about 6 months, has any1 had this car and put about 70 or 80k miles to see what the reliability is like on W204's??

MBnewby

I just had the very same thing, MB shop said that they replaced three cam or extension plugs. Covered under warranty of course but parts are only $3.90/plug. They also have R&R air cleaner...ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS? Did they have to remove the air cleaner to fix this problem or did they give me a new air cleaner? Is this the cabin or engine filter?

tanktube67

They had to remove and reinstalled the air cleaner housing to have access to repair the leak.

MBnewby

Thanks tank, just my wishful thinking that maybe they replaced the air cleaner while they were at it.

BreezyMB

you know horn has two parts, high pitch and low pitch components. So if one fails, then you'd hear a completely different and ugly sound