Johnny Rad

Thanks for the laugh.
That was a good one.

mikemargolis

I don't think you're going to get any sympathy here, friend.

That car should have had an oil change in 2012, in 2013, in 2014, and in 2015.

Depending on the in-service date, maybe in 2011 as well.

And for sure, YOU should have done maintenance when you bought it.

Your recourse needs to be to the dealer you bought it from, and to the warranty company you have.

I think M-B is going to tell you exactly what I just did.

busted benz

Hey guys, so I did some digging and uncovered a few things. First off, the reason I didn't change the oil when I bought the car was because the dealer told me it had just been serviced and the carfax verified by showing "serviced" at 20015 miles. I called the shop the dealer hired and it turns out they did not change the oil and only replaced the adblue heater. I also uncovered that the vehicle was a 20k mile lease from Mercedes. I assume Mercedes charged the lease holder for not servicing the car properly. Then it was auctioned off to the dealer I bought it from. Something else interesting I noticed is it appears the car had been in an accident which wasn't reported to carfax. I can tell because the hood doesn't sit right and the headlights are drastically out of adjustment, also the side emblem is missing. I didn't notice when I bought the car because I had been looking at the one I intended to buy, with the nice arctic white interior. When I came later that day to buy it after looking it over they told me that while I was gone someone had put a down payment on it and it wasn't for sale. They showed me the one I ended up buying with 9k less miles for the same price. I inspected it and did a test drive. Everything looked good so I purchased it. I was under the impression it had a service in 2012 and sat for a long time then serviced again when this car dealer bought it. I bought the warrant expecting any mechanical issues to be covered. The warranty I bought specifically states that it does not cover sludge. Also my insurance company has no Mechanical Break Down coverage on the car. My only recourse can possibly be from the place I bought the car or with a small probability, MBUSA. i'm looking and the engines for this car are very rare and the best deal I can find is an engine from LKQ with 18k miles for $8700 shipped.
Also I would never put gas in the car, even to the extent that would not allow my girlfriend to refuel the car.

Raymond Lee

You maybe off the hook. I believe you can get somewhere with Carfax. It is supposed to stand by their report. Get an attorney fast!

Arrie

Seems like you got hosed. They got you hooked on a Benz with a nice car on their lot but then suddenly it is not available when you want to get it and offer you another one that probably no one wants to buy and get you do it.


You keep saying the dealer says the car was serviced just before you bought it. Is that stated somewhere in the paperwork?


If oil really turned into sludge then the oil was more than 14000 milers old so did MB itself skip the oil change while it was under lease?


I think you have a case here.

KEY08

Even though an accident really has no bearing on your frozen engine, CarFax reports are only as good as what is reported to them. Lots of accidents get fixed out of pocket to avoid any ding on the CarFax. This is quite common and not a crime. CarFax is an unreliable source for a lot of things. The car must be checked via a PPI and then all fluids should be changed as a precaution upon purchase.

busted benz

Mercedes confirmed that they changed the oil at 10901 miles in December of 2012. The car was driven 10k miles over 3 years. Probably was wrecked in somewhere in that point and sat for a while. Then I drove it on the highway for 4000 miles in 3 months. I guess if all of the 10k miles over the 3 years were comprised of very short trips it could explain the sludge. I don't know, I just find it hard to believe that oil can turn that bad after driven in that situation. Maybe the cheap diesel was a part of the problem. When the new engine goes in it will be filled up only with shell gas and oil will be changed every 8k miles on the dot.

YYZ-E55

You seem to be taking this well. Any help from the selling dealer?

busted benz

Well I bought the car so regardless of what happens it will get a new engine. Even if I stopped making payments the bank would tow it away and auction it for beans and rice. Then harass me for all eternity for probably exactly what I owe on the loan. I mentioned bankruptcy earlier because I'm 23 and down own a house, unfortunately I would like to buy one here soon. I realllllly wish I had enough credit established in my LLC at the time. I would have pulled a Donald Trump (no offense to anyone). I am presenting everything I have to an attorney tomorrow. My plan is to gather everything and have a binding agreement drafted and go into the dealership. Explaining the situation and any legal standing I have. Present them with the quote from Mercedes for a new engine and work from there. I would be satisfied if I can just get the car back on the road with a used engine. If the lawyers don't think its worth spending the money then I guess I'll have to cut some big checks $13k won't kill me but that money took a lot of work for me to earn. That amount of money is my cushion right now and i'm not very thrilled about burning it. I may be able to get a loan for the repairs if i'm lucky. If the engine blew again when I preform perfect maintenance, I will light the damn thing on fire.

jahquan3

Or have it end up in a really bad neighborhood and be totaled Just a thought and you can save your 8k Wink Wink. I mean things do happen right?

Quadcammer

Since no one else will say it, I will.

You can't afford this car.

Get it fixed, sell it for whatever you can, and buy a cheap, reliable used car like a toyota corolla.

samaritrey

^ I was wondering if someone would say that... If you want to buy a house soon then I would have to agree
Which dealer did you take it to Chantilly? I would get your quote and send it to American Service Center in Arlington as they have beat Tyson's and Chantilly pricing for me many times. Also if you are just going to swap in a used engine check out a few euro specialists around as they might be cheaper.

thefisch

Legalities asides, the problem with that plan is that no one could drive it off. You need a torch job.

thefisch

Good luck with the legal pursuits. I am no expert, but 3 years without changing the oil (sitting or not) is bad news for any car. Hopefully can pressure the seller into working with you.

If you're bringing up fixing and selling, it's worth seeing if anyone may be interesting is buying as is. Perhaps an independent mechanic in your area. I'd have to know the difference before potentially putting good money after bad.

jahquan3

You could technically leave the car running as you enter a store for a quick soda and a person can get in and drive right off. Remember it'll say no key detected but you can drive until you shut it off. I leave my car running to warm up in the morning and I'm always scared that might happen.

thefisch

The OP's engine is seized so no one can drive it off.

jahquan3

Ooppss I'm going on a different logic and forgot the only one that matters. Lol you're right Sir

Abrown3mtg

I'm so sorry to hear about your luck. I disagree with the sentiments of "he can't afford the car."

The OP bought a car with 20k miles on it, what seemed like a solid maintenence history, an aftermarket warranty, and still has 1/3-1/2 of the cars purchase price liquid in the bank.... This was hardly a forseeable happening. The fact he is able to fix it an intends to is a pretty damn good sign he CAN afford this car. Bottom line is that he should not have to afford it in the manner he is so early on.

I really hope you can get it sorted out.

Swoosht04

If you have to take a loan out for 7 years on a 30k car and did not even think of doing service on the car as soon as you bought it then yes "You can't afford the car".

Quadcammer

A 7 year loan on a car is such a horrific idea I don't even know what to say. Much less a used mercedes.

Yes, $10k to $15k in repairs in the first year is unheard of, but if this would leave you at $0 and you're going to be paying for the car for seven years, you can't afford it.

The thought of a car leaving me with $0 in savings is simply frightening. Think about all the other things that may require you to have savings, especially if you're intending to buy a house.


This car, imho, was the OP's attempt to "fake it till he makes it", and unfortunately its turned out badly.

Shadow5501

I will refrain from offering an opinion whether the OP can afford the car or not. As the owner of an om642, I will say that he can reasonably expect to spend something in the range of $5K-$10K on repairs to the oil cooler, swirl motor, and various other things before he finishes paying off the loan.

KEY08

Replacing the broken engine will be just the start to the line of ongoing repairs and bank account drain for this car. Selling it after repaired will be difficult, as no one trusts a car with a new powerplant. It will take a big value hit. There is no easy solution here that doesn't involve big money being lost in cash or value.

Abrown3mtg

It would be such a "shame" if it ended up on a flooded street.... water past the floor boards would result in an unfortunate total loss

beejAMG

What the heck happened to this thread?

OP was asking for advice about his problem and some of yous belittle him by saying he cant afford the car, that may be, but, does that comment help in any way?

Now some are telling him how to be a con artist and commit insurance fraud which is punishable with fine and imprisonment.

cetialpha5

Yeah, it's a little crazy advocating insurance fraud. That would probably mean that all our premiums would go up. We should be working to reduce insurance fraud, not increase it.