Urgent notice. 03-06 E55's that were involved in the fuel sender recall are bombs.

[Eurohorses]

Originally Posted by 03RSTT You also noted in the other thread that you only fill the car 3/4. If you wait till you see the gas on the garage floor its too late. Can you perform the procedure above and check under the seat after filling the car up? Filled my car up yesterday and popped the back seat out to only realize my worst fear.... i can actually see the fuel actively leaking out and forming the pool around the unit.... I soaked about 3 towels of gas before hitting the road to drive in order to burn some gas. I has the seals replaced on both the pump and filter module about 3 months ago but this obviously didnt help. The gas is leaking out from under the black plastic ring that screws down on top of the unit. Is there a way i could use some type of seal between here? Im really frustrated with this problem. All help is much appreciated. Thanks,

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[03RSTT]

PM sent. Call me asap

MB USA.....can you hear us yet?

Houston, we have a problem.

Wake up people.

Originally Posted by Eurohorses

Filled my car up yesterday and popped the back seat out to only realize my worst fear.... i can actually see the fuel actively leaking out and forming the pool around the unit.... I soaked about 3 towels of gas before hitting the road to drive in order to burn some gas. I has the seals replaced on both the pump and filter module about 3 months ago but this obviously didnt help. The gas is leaking out from under the black plastic ring that screws down on top of the unit. Is there a way i could use some type of seal between here? Im really frustrated with this problem. All help is much appreciated.

Thanks,

[03RSTT]

Send me a PM. We can talk offline. You have the problem.

Originally Posted by Forrest Gump 9

And then what's the next step?

Like I said previously, I have the gas smell only when I try to overfill the car. If I stop when the pump stop, no smell. And the smell is only from the outside. You cannot smell the gas inside the car.

I did take the seat out and inspected the areas. Driver side do have a darken plastic symptom but not on the passenger side. So I guess my car do have a problem. I will try not to fill the car all the way up and see what happen. Hopefully we will have a solution soon. I also re-tighten the basket and it did have a little more room to go.

[komp55]

Originally Posted by 03RSTT

My RS6 is way faster than the E55.

Not to sidetrack your campaign to save us from ourselves (actually, our cars), but when Motor Trend magazine did a comparo between the performance of the RS6 and the E55, their results don't support your statement:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ecs_price.html

[03RSTT]

I wondered how long before someone noticed.

This is my wifes car and I normally dont drive it but this situation left me in the driver seat for a few days. I posted up on another thread that our E55 may have the IC pump failure and that could account for the lack of straight line performance. So, I'm now looking into the situation on our E55 and logging some IAT readings. Will report the results.

Both cars are great cars and I love to drive the E55 from time to time. But, the RS6 runs circles around the E in almost every class of performance driving feel around a road course. That fact remains, the RS6 is a road course driving monster for such a large vehicle. Check the nurburgring lap times.

I have seen RS6 lap times of 8:17sec and E55 lap times of 8:50sec. So I can stop at the finish line and pop a cold one and just about have it finished by the time the E gets there. j/k

Originally Posted by komp55

Not to sidetrack your campaign to save us from ourselves (actually, our cars), but when Motor Trend magazine did a comparo between the performance of the RS6 and the E55, their results don't support your statement:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ecs_price.html

[MB_Forever]

You may want to post this info in the W211 E-Class section as well. If I recall correctly, I remember reading a couple of posts about a couple of E350/550 having similar problems.

[220S]

Originally Posted by MB_Forever

You may want to post this info in the W211 E-Class section as well. If I recall correctly, I remember reading a couple of posts about a couple of E350/550 having similar problems.

That's right, it's not just AMGs. The issue has appeared in E320s, E350s, and E500s, etc.. http://www.mercedesforum.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=42126
(in the last post, there's mention of replacing the entire tank as the only real solution(?)

I have a BMW E46 and this very same issue was a problem in the E36s.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1145545

http://edu.cqdx.gov.cn/bmw/134427.html

It's also happened in Nissans, Subarus, and some Fords. Strange. Sending units seem to be an issue for some cars. And all of these are located at the top of the tank in the back seat. Gas puddling, smells in the rear of the cabin under the seat.

I don't want to downplay this at all, but if there is any consolation no car (BMW or Mercedes or any other other) has caught fire yet. Again, I'm not saying that to imply it's not a safety issue and not to "reassure" anybody.

I hate to say it, but it's kind of too bad because if they were burning up, then this would have been resolved pretty quickly by all manufacturers, that's for sure.

[03RSTT]

Guys,

I appreciate the concern for the other models. However, I wish to keep this thread directed to the 2003-2006 E55 vehicles involved in campaign #2008-020001. Please keep the responses directed to this topic and focus. The thread is in the right section and needs to focus on specifics and details. I can understand if E500s are having the exact same problem but I dont know if all of them had the recall or if the level sensor assm is the same part number. If a Subaru xyzabc has abc problem and whatever else comes up...it takes away from the attention here and now.

We are talking about approx 4200 E55 vehicles total. MB USA needs to pay attention to these owners reporting the exact same repeat failure.

If any of you wish to cross post this thread into Eclass forums that is fine. E320, 500 ect owners can start their own research into the matter. I dont know if the part numbers are the same, I dont know if the problems are the same. I dont know or have one of the vehicles to verify. They may very well have the same problem. If any of you have the time or interest then take our info over there in new threads. Actually, this may be a good idea and we should offer a lending hand to those folks.

I do have a E55 sitting out in our garage that is a lethal bomb. I can verify as can several other E55 owners. Past those facts lie the mine ridden fields of supposition. I dont have the evidence to solve all the worlds issues but the E55 issue is real and I have proof.

[Yacht Master]

Originally Posted by Yacht Master

How many have caught fire or blown up?

Searched for the last few days, could not find one E55 that caught fire or blew up.

We do have the potential for fuel leaks, yes they can present a hazardous condition. If you smell gas inside your car, it would be advisable to not start or drive it until you or a qualified person check it out. One other thing I would like to say, never top off the fuel tank in any Mercedes Benz, first time it clicks off, call it good.

It is my understanding the "up date" / "recall" was nothing more than a steel insert in the fuel barb to prevent the barb from cracking, due to the pressure of the crimped hose clamp on the fuel line.

FWIW my sender was not replaced during the recall.

[03RSTT]

The repeat failures and swimming pools of gas are a clear concern of a problem. Not just one...two....three...we are talking several.

You may or may not smell gas in the car. Has little to do with any true diagnosis. IMHO

I never top off any fuel tank. I doubt many E55 owners sit there and dribble every last drop of fuel in their tanks either.

The only real way to ensure the safety of each and every one of you is to perform my fuel level sender assembly check outlined in this thread. And, that will only say the sender is not leaking today. It could let loose tomorrow and have gas flooding out under the car.

What happens to the owner that fills up on the hwy on his/her way from a trip? What if it starts leaking while driving down the hwy?

I will let you all answer that question.

4200 E55 AMGs. Not one has burned down yet but we are early in the game.

Originally Posted by Yacht Master

Searched for the last few days, could not find one E55 that caught fire or blew up.

We do have the potential for fuel leaks, yes they can present a hazardous condition. If you smell gas inside your car, it would be advisable to not start or drive it until you or a qualified person check it out. One other thing I would like to say, never top off the fuel tank in any Mercedes Benz, first time it clicks off, call it good.

It is my understanding the "up date" / "recall" was nothing more than a steel insert in the fuel barb to prevent the barb from cracking, due to the pressure of the crimped hose clamp on the fuel line.

FWIW my sender was not replaced during the recall.

[MB_Forever]

Originally Posted by 03RSTT

Guys,

I appreciate the concern for the other models. However, I wish to keep this thread directed to the 2003-2006 E55 vehicles involved in campaign #2008-020001. Please keep the responses directed to this topic and focus. The thread is in the right section and needs to focus on specifics and details. I can understand if E500s are having the exact same problem but I dont know if all of them had the recall or if the level sensor assm is the same part number. If a Subaru xyzabc has abc problem and whatever else comes up...it takes away from the attention here and now.

We are talking about approx 4200 E55 vehicles total. MB USA needs to pay attention to these owners reporting the exact same repeat failure.

If any of you wish to cross post this thread into Eclass forums that is fine. E320, 500 ect owners can start their own research into the matter. I dont know if the part numbers are the same, I dont know if the problems are the same. I dont know or have one of the vehicles to verify. They may very well have the same problem. If any of you have the time or interest then take our info over there in new threads. Actually, this may be a good idea and we should offer a lending hand to those folks.

I do have a E55 sitting out in our garage that is a lethal bomb. I can verify as can several other E55 owners. Past those facts lie the mine ridden fields of supposition. I dont have the evidence to solve all the worlds issues but the E55 issue is real and I have proof.

I cross-posted the thread in the W211 E-Class as well. I'm pretty sure they share those components with our cars. Hopefully some of them will chime in and confirm. If the problem does affect the regular E-Classes as well, then Mercedes may face a much bigger problem because they've sold over one million W211 E-Classes since 2003

[03RSTT]

MB USA has denied any assistance in looking into the fuel leak matter.

MB USA has denied any further claim on fuel level sending units that have repeat failures.

MB USA has denied to even consider paying a 50 dollar deductable and 164 dollar tow charge to a CPO AMG owner with repeat failures and gas leaks.

Yet MB USA spends millions on the ad campaign to tout the safety of the E class.

Brilliant. See you in court.

[03RSTT]

Now,

How many of you would like to go down and buy another MB AMG product?

[SamE55]

I had the recall done in 2008 as well and a year and a half later I started smelling gas inside my car each time I filled up the tank. I ignored it in the beginning but after a while I got the check engine light on. I was sure it was related to the gas smell so I took my car to the dealer for inspection, and they said the fuel sending unit had needed to be replaced completely for a cost of 1200 plus labor (unfortunately I did not buy the extended warranty).
I know a car mechanic in my neighborhood who deals with quite a lot of high end cars and charges less than a third of what the stealer does, so right away i picked up my car, bought an O-ring for fuel sending unit from the dealer's parts store (thanks to the research I did in this forum), and had it replaced by the local mechanic I know for $50. Ever since, no more leaks for now, but I do think this is a temporary solution and it may start leaking again after the fuel cap or its O-ring starts melting again from overheating like one other member mentioned here. This must be a design flaw with the car and definitely needs to be taken seriously before someone ends up loosing his/her life.

[03RSTT]

I find it funny how some on this forum call my thread and detailed information a "blind paranoid rant".

I will counter with my own quote. "be careful with blind suppositions, you could end up holding the bomb"

SamE55....I will send you a PM. MB will regret the day they refused to help E55 owners.

Originally Posted by SamE55

I had the recall done in 2008 as well and a year and a half later I started smelling gas inside my car each time I filled up the tank. I ignored it in the beginning but after a while I got the check engine light on. I was sure it was related to the gas smell so I took my car to the dealer for inspection, and they said the fuel sending unit had needed to be replaced completely for a cost of 1200 plus labor (unfortunately I did not buy the extended warranty).
I know a car mechanic in my neighborhood who deals with quite a lot of high end cars and charges less than a third of what the stealer does, so right away i picked up my car, bought an O-ring for fuel sending unit from the dealer's parts store (thanks to the research I did in this forum), and had it replaced by the local mechanic I know for $50. Ever since, no more leaks for now, but I do think this is a temporary solution and it may start leaking again after the fuel cap or its O-ring starts melting again from overheating like one other member mentioned here. This must be a design flaw with the car and definitely needs to be taken seriously before someone ends up loosing his/her life.

[03RSTT]

A couple of ideas.

I inspected the hornets nest of lines, hoses and wires in the fuel pump/sending/fuel pressure regulator/fuel level and fuel filter assembly. What a rats nest of a cobble job. Thanks EPA for the mandate to eliminate the fuel return line. That is why this design was developed and its a POS.

BTW, my 2003 Audi RS6 has none of this crap. The standard fuel design was retained and the fuel pressure regulator is up on the fuel rail as it should be.

The EPA mandate was for 2005 but MB put this design in early. Any wonder why the design changed in 07?

Originally Posted by 03RSTT

BTW

I do have a theory as to why this is happening. I will inspect my old parts and work on that theory. Lets just say a design change to the fuel system that was mandated by the EPA is behind the problem. Not saying the EPA caused the leak but the EPA mandate caused a design change in the fuel delivery on these engines. And the result was and is a **** poor design.

[03RSTT]

Ok,

There is some hope for the E55. I had the chance to data log the IATs tonight.

Bingo. 175 degrees just driving down the road at 40mph(outside temp 82)

A single run from 40-65 and the IAT jumps to 195 degrees.

Intercooler pump is dead.

That is the reason the car is a pooch. I will get this fixed next week.

Originally Posted by 03RSTT

I wondered how long before someone noticed.

This is my wifes car and I normally dont drive it but this situation left me in the driver seat for a few days. I posted up on another thread that our E55 may have the IC pump failure and that could account for the lack of straight line performance. So, I'm now looking into the situation on our E55 and logging some IAT readings. Will report the results.

Both cars are great cars and I love to drive the E55 from time to time. But, the RS6 runs circles around the E in almost every class of performance driving feel around a road course. That fact remains, the RS6 is a road course driving monster for such a large vehicle. Check the nurburgring lap times.

I have seen RS6 lap times of 8:17sec and E55 lap times of 8:50sec. So I can stop at the finish line and pop a cold one and just about have it finished by the time the E gets there. j/k

[csumt76]

Does anybody know of a single vehicle that has suffered catastrophic damage from this small fuel leak?

The campaign on the E55 sending unit involved inspecting it for cracks, if a crack was present in the plastic a new sending unit was installed. If no crack was present, a modified metal sleeve was installed to reinforce it. Most of the time, the plastic broke when attempting to replace the sleeve so a new sender was installed.

The main sources of fuel gathering around that left sending unit bowl are. 1: leak at the fuel tank pressure sensor 2: leak where the vent line to charcoal canister is molded into the top of the fuel tank. This is why the car will smell of raw gasoline after completely filling it. The gas will run out of that vent and collect around the left sending unit. You can not see the vent unless the fuel tank is removed from the car.

I don't think the exhaust back there is hot enough to ignite it. And 99% of the gas will just sit in that bowl. Sending unit seals do not leak that often, and can even split when torqueing the caps down. Been there, done this.

[220S]

Originally Posted by csumt76

Does anybody know of a single vehicle that has suffered catastrophic damage from this small fuel leak?

The campaign on the E55 sending unit involved inspecting it for cracks, if a crack was present in the plastic a new sending unit was installed. If no crack was present, a modified metal sleeve was installed to reinforce it. Most of the time, the plastic broke when attempting to replace the sleeve so a new sender was installed.

The main sources of fuel gathering around that left sending unit bowl are. 1: leak at the fuel tank pressure sensor 2: leak where the vent line to charcoal canister is molded into the top of the fuel tank. This is why the car will smell of raw gasoline after completely filling it. The gas will run out of that vent and collect around the left sending unit. You can not see the vent unless the fuel tank is removed from the car.

I don't think the exhaust back there is hot enough to ignite it. And 99% of the gas will just sit in that bowl. Sending unit seals do not leak that often, and can even split when torqueing the caps down. Been there, done this.

That pretty much parallels the info I received from the MBCA and probably why the OP has had the responses he has had from MBUSA.
http://www.mbworld.org/forums/4218540-post19.html

The consensus seems to be that the issue is exacerbated by the dealer's approach/response to the problem, in addition to MBUSA's method of initiating and following through with the voluntary recall (i.e., not directing dealers how to effectively fix the issue.)

To answer your question, there has been no catastrophic damage reported. In addition the NHTSA has decided that this is not a safety hazard (right or wrong, that was their decision.)

It's quite possible that the OP's personal fuel leak issue has been aggravated by his specific dealer's handling of the fix. i.e., that his repair was not dealt with correctly by the dealer and even making it worse. I'd venture to guess that this is perhaps the bigger issue. Although the design and repair protocol is itself problematic, the dealers attempt to resolve the issue can compound the problem.

I'm not condoning MBUSA washing its hands of the issue and blaming the dealer, but that seems to be where it stands at the moment. And that's where MBUSA is in the wrong. The NHTSA has approved the voluntary recall and sees this as no safety issue. MBUSA should step up to the plate and recognize that the recall is not being fulfilled properly.

[03RSTT]

I have just about had it with your suppositions. No evidence to support your claims and quick to give the MB design a pass.

Why do you even care? You dont own one of these bombs?

How can you make the determination that the dealers are causing these repeated failures? You have no proof. None. Nada. Zero.

Originally Posted by 220S

That pretty much parallels the info I received from the MBCA and probably why the OP has had the responses he has had from MBUSA.
http://www.mbworld.org/forums/4218540-post19.html

The consensus seems to be that the issue is exacerbated by the dealer's approach/response to the problem, in addition to MBUSA's method of initiating and following through with the voluntary recall (i.e., not directing dealers how to effectively fix the issue.)

To answer your question, there has been no catastrophic damage reported. In addition the NHTSA has decided that this is not a safety hazard (right or wrong, that was their decision.)

It's quite possible that the OP's personal fuel leak issue has been aggravated by his specific dealer's handling of the fix. i.e., that his repair was not dealt with correctly by the dealer and even making it worse. I'd venture to guess that this is perhaps the bigger issue. This theory is complete crap. Although the design and repair protocol is itself problematic, the dealers attempt to resolve the issue can compound the problem.

I'm not condoning MBUSA washing its hands of the issue and blaming the dealer, but that seems to be where it stands at the moment. And that's where MBUSA is in the wrong. The NHTSA has approved the voluntary recall and sees this as no safety issue. MBUSA should step up to the plate and recognize that the recall is not being fulfilled properly.

[03RSTT]

[quote=csumt76;4224137]Does anybody know of a single vehicle that has suffered catastrophic damage from this small fuel leak? Your point is what?

The campaign on the E55 sending unit involved inspecting it for cracks, if a crack was present in the plastic a new sending unit was installed. If no crack was present, a modified metal sleeve was installed to reinforce it. Most of the time, the plastic broke when attempting to replace the sleeve so a new sender was installed.

The main sources of fuel gathering around that left sending unit bowl are. 1: leak at the fuel tank pressure sensor 2: leak where the vent line to charcoal canister is molded into the top of the fuel tank. Wrong and wrong. sorry try again. This is why the car will smell of raw gasoline after completely filling it. Wrong againThe gas will run out of that vent and collect around the left sending unit. You can not see the vent unless the fuel tank is removed from the car.

I don't think the exhaust back there is hot enough to ignite it. Your kidding right? 99% of the gas will sit there? Thats why I had gas puddles under the car. Thats why my lower splash shield was full of gas and gas was spilling over it and on the ground. You really think the exhaust pipes on a E55 dont get hot? Get a grip folks. And 99% of the gas will just sit in that bowl. Sending unit seals do not leak that often, and can even split when torqueing the caps down. Been there, done this. Hmmm, mine have leaked on both sides 2 times over the course of 2 years[/quote]

[220S]

I'm not sure why we can't have a dialogue about this instead of being shut down because it doesn't fit your world view.

And isn't that what you're angry at MBUSA about: allowing no dialogue and discussion about the matter?

Anyway, it's your thread. I hope something positive and constructive can come out of it all in the end, and you get the issue resolved.

Good luck.

[03RSTT]

You keep wanting to shift the blame to the dealer level. There is no evidence to support this claim. This is a MB design issue and the component has failed over and over and over again. The dealers all over the country cannot be making the same mistake over and over and over again. The new parts seal for a year or two but the cars in hot climates fail over and over and over again.

I'm trying to alert everyone to the potential of a hazard. Those that have found the exact same problem understand how serious this is.

I really dont care why the fuel level sensor was "supposed" to be changed. I have reality and so do many many other owners.

In the end our car is fixed for now and I hope MB gets the class action suit. The actions by MB have made it crystal clear we will never own a MB again.

Originally Posted by 220S

I'm not sure why we can't have a dialogue about this instead of being shut down because it doesn't fit your world view.

And isn't that what you're angry at MBUSA about: allowing no dialogue and discussion about the matter?

Anyway, it's your thread. I hope something positive and constructive can come out of it all in the end, and you get the issue resolved.

Good luck.

[Zod]

Originally Posted by 03RSTT

You keep wanting to shift the blame to the dealer level. There is no evidence to support this claim. This is a MB design issue and the component has failed over and over and over again. The dealers all over the country cannot be making the same mistake over and over and over again. The new parts seal for a year or two but the cars in hot climates fail over and over and over again.

I'm trying to alert everyone to the potential of a hazard. Those that have found the exact same problem understand how serious this is.

I really dont care why the fuel level sensor was "supposed" to be changed. I have reality and so do many many other owners. I have a gas leaking time bomb.

In the end our car is fixed for now and I hope MB gets the class action suit. There will be burning exploding E class cars very soon. The actions by MB have made it crystal clear we will never own a MB again.

What year is it again?
oh yes 2010...and pretty much getting into 2011, and yet I have not heard of ''The great E apocalypse of Exploding death''!!!
So what's that nearly 8 years?
Some of them have been in seriously hot countries and no kaboom!

Not that I do not feel for your issue & the others that are facing it & wish it to be resolved . I also do believe that the people who are getting the issue again after it getting fixed, did not get it done right

I will try and help with getting some info on what gets done here from this side of the globe

[lybones]

Originally Posted by 03RSTT

That is how ours started.

52k the recall was performed
61k the seals failed and leaks started again
65k the senders failed/cracked/warped and fuel was pouring out

If you wish to test here is the procedure.

1. Fill the car up.
2. Drive straight home.
3. Park in the driveway.
4. Take rear seat out(pull up on the leading edge of the lower cushion...there are 2 tabs to depress then the seat comes up)
5. 8mm socket and take the drivers side inspection cover off.
6. As you see in my picture there will be a fuel lake around that sender.

This has happened to me the last two fillups! my whole garage smelled like fuel. i thought i must have just over filled the tank too much at the station. now I'm freaked out.