christian655321

i went to lunch today, i noticed a burning oil smell for a couple days now, but only in brief and i thought i twas just the car in front of me. i opened the hood up today because i saw smoke comming from under my hood. to my dis-belief oil was everywhere, on the fire shiled on the underside of the hood, dripping down, all over he oil cap and block, on the air intake hose, on the belts, needless to say i was a little pissed off. the engine was still running oil was spurting out of the oil cap which was snug. i guess the seal on the cap blew or something.

I took my car for servece A last week (about 4 days ago), this had to be when something went terribly wrong. i just finished dropping the car off at the dealer. i told them i was very upset, and i didnt want to smell or see any oil on the car or engine when they gave it back to me, they assured me that it would be fixed. frankly i dont see how they could clean the engine to the point where oil wasnt all over the place, the fire retardant shiled on the underside of the hood was soaked in it.

i need help here a little, what should i ask of them? how can i get this fixed and not feel like my car is a lemon or that i have greatly deprecciated the re-sell vaule of the car by their being burnt on engine oil everywhere under the hood, and possibley on the enitre underbody of the car?

i dont know how much oil leaked out, the oil light did not come on, but i did notice a tapping sound when i had the hood up and engine was running, when i called them they said it was okay for me to drive it to the dealership. so far the service writer has been apologetic and friendly about getting everything right, however i would like your opinon as to what you would ask of your MB dealership in order to rectify a sititation like this.

my general concerns are
the smell on the inside of the car and the air comming in smells like oil
how are they going to clean up a mess like that in the engine compartment?
what about cleaning the underbody from oil that dripped from the engine
how do i know that this hasnt screwed up my engine life long term
the fire shiled thing on the underside of the hood looks completely trashed with oil, i want a new one put on
is it possible to clean burnt on engine oil from the motor?

just want your input thanks.

trench

Don't worry. Steam cleaning will work wonders - you shouldn't even be able to tell that any oil was spilt. I also don't think that you lost that much oil, a little can make a big mess - so your motor is probably OK.

- BT

christian655321

i hope you are right. that would put my mind at ease.

MB-BOB

Someone else posted with a similar problem several months ago, and it turned out to be a defective filter seal from the factory... he drove it home from the dealer and back the next day, I recall.

All was put right by the dealer. So I agree you shouldn't worry. Do make sure they clean up every drop, though.

Lynn

trench is correct. Just a little oil can make a very big mess. Steam cleaning should get all the oil out the the engine compartment and the bottom of the car.

davezaristo

However, the drawback of steam cleaning is it can potentially mess up some electrical and short something...

avlis

Here's my story: I decided to do my car a favor at 3000 miles and top off the oil. I added 1/2 quart and dumped the other half in my wife's car. I was in a bit of a rush, had two hoods open, rags, funnels, oil caps, etc. I put everything away and went inside.

Next morning got up and drove, with my wife, to work in my car. I went about 20 higway miles and stopped in traffic. I started to smell oil an assumed it was the car in front. That is until blue smoke started pouring in through the vents. When I say pouring, I mean filled the cabin within 5 seconds! I actually thought the car was on fire, pulled over, wife called 911. I got out and started to realize that the smoke was from oil buring and then remembered I topped off the oil the night before. I carefully opened the hood and, sure enough, the oil cap was where I left it- upside down next to the valve cover. There was no low oil messege. I put the cap back on, got back in traffic, drove with the windows open to the do-it-yourself carwash. Oil was everywhere. The engine was soaked. I lost between 1/2 and 1 quart. I gave it a good 3 minute cleaning and went off to work.

That weekend I replaced the oil soaked cabin filter, took off the belly pans (there was about 1/4 quart on top of the pans) and wiped everything down.

In the end, I smelled the residue burn off for about a week. The engine is as clean as it was when it was new. No worrys mate. Just make sure they change the cabin filter becuase the smell of the oil trapped in there will not go away and it'll seem like the oil is still leaking eveywhere.

christian655321

they just called me, they are telling me that they got most of it, but there is still some oil on the exhaust and manifold and that it will burn off. they mentioned nothing about replacing a cabin filter, is this the same as the air filter? do the c230 coupes have a cabin filter?

frankly i am not satisfied, the engine was pristine when i gave the car to them, now i have oil still on the manifold and exhaust that they say will burn off. I am pretty sure it is going to turn black and not burn off. not to mention I know they didnt wipe down engine parts that looked clean already, they probably just went over the in view parts. I am about to place a call to the manager. how should i go about making sure they do more than they have?

I take care of my car better than most take care of thier own children, it was a huge investment for me and i like to keep it perfect. all i ask is that they return the car to me the same way i gave it tuo them, with zero oil, whatever that takes that is what i want them to do.

comments or suggestions as to how my conversation should go with the manager that i am about to call would be appreciated.

thanks.

Lynn

Yes, the coupe does have a cabin air filter. Before calling anyone, inspect the car with your service advisor, and point out any conserns to him. Let him have a chance to get things done to your satisfaction before going over his head. And if you are not statisfied, mention that it will reflect in your answers on the questionaire.

Matt230K

I wouldn't worry about the oil on the exhaust. But you should probably check the car out first before you go asking for more. They may surprise you and it may be very clean. Make sure they replace that filter and check the hood padding. If it is oil soaked still, have them replace that.

If you call before seeing it, don't be argumentative with the manager. Just explain the situation and ask if he can personally make sure that everything has been done correctly. If he is a good manager, he should do this. But my service manager is horrible. He would tell you that he will check it out and then do nothing. I'd be willing to bet you have someone better though.

christian655321

ok, for now i think i will hold my calls, i will give them a chance and point out any concerns when i pick the car up. thanks.

however i think i will call my service writer and point out that i want the cabin filter replaced along with the hood matting.

christian655321

just got off the phone with service writer guy, he said ok to replace the cabin filter, but he said the matting does not soak up oil and was wiped off. so that it should be fine.


i told him that i would like to go over the car with him today when i pick it up. steam cleaning was not done, he said they where able to get the oil off with cleaner.

so well see i guess at 530pm est. ill repost when i find out more.

thanks for all of your input.

avlis

They are right. The mat does not absorb oil.

Like you, I take meticulous care of my car. I was horrified with the mess under the hood of my brand shiney new car. I know exactly how you feel. I never thought I could get it back to the way it was. The thought of selling the car and replacing with a new one crossed my mind as I was hosing it off in the car wash. The worst part is: I had nobody to blame but my-stupid-self...

The mess, in my case, really wasn't as bad as it looked. Most of it was on the valve cover, engine cover, and belly pans. All of which are easily removed and/or cleaned.

I did not steam clean my engine. I first used the regular soap and pressure wand (standing at a distance) at the car wash. Of course, I removed the engine covers but only a small amount dripped past those pieces. I mainly did this rush job so that I wouldn't be followed around by a blue cloud until I had more time to clean it right.

The ideal way to clean this mess is to remove the pans, spray everything top and bottom with a degreaser like Simple Green and rinse off. Then go over as much as you can reach with a rag. I assure you that you will get 99.9% of the residue off there.

I was worried that any residue that I didn't remove would attract dirt and turn to black sludge. This hasn't happened. You can go over my engine with a white glove.

Removing the pans also give you access to wipe off the crossmember and steering rack which, undoubtedly, got dripped on.

The oil on the exhaust manifold will burn-off after a few days and it will go back to it's original rusted iron color.

Ask them if they removed and cleaned the belly pans. If there is still oil trapped on those- it will surely turn to sludge.

To put things in perspective, the truck I drove before I got the MB was as clean in 2000 as it was when I bought it in 1995. It literally looked showroom fresh top to bottom, engine to rearend. It worked hard to keep it that way for 5 years. One rainy day I took a shortcut to work that involved some back country roads. Long story short- one of the roads had been tarred and sanded. Little did I know that the rain had washed the sand off leaving wet tar as the road surface. Because it was raining, the road just looked wet with water- not tar. The truck was literally drenched with tar/sand mix. I filled two 5 gallon buckets with chunks I pulled out from the wheel wells and behind the bumpers alone. After getting it detailed the body was finally clean, but I never got all the stuff off of the underside. I'd take this oil mess over the tar any day.

christian655321

okay i will ask them that, (belly pans) how do i know where these are located on the car? when i go to pick it up i want to be able to check this area to see if it is clean or not. thanks.

tommy

Not to be a smartass, but bellypans are on the belly of the car. Basically a set of plastic trays underneath the car that make it a real PITA to do any work.

They can trap oil. Whay you can do is jack up the car and remove one to see if everything's clean, or just jiggle them a little and see if any oil drips out.

avlis

When I say belly pans I'm refering to the plastic panels that cover the underside of the entire car. If you crawl under your car and look up, you see nothing but plastic. Those are the belly pans. They also cover the underside of the engine compartment and will collect most of the oil that spilled.

While under the hood, look down past the engine and you should be able to see if there are any puddles of oil collected in the low spots of the pans. I don't know how the 1.8 looks so you may not be able to get a good view. It should only take a few minutes for the dealer to remove them so it may be worth asking them to take off the pans so you can see for yourself how clean they got things.

christian655321

thank you again alvis, very helpful much appreciate it.

MARK CUMMINS

Please make sure that The Paper work(Repair Order) States The oil mess! Just for the records!And That The Dealer corrected it
You Might want the service department to put the Car on a Lift for You To Inspect the Underside for any oil that was left from the mess..Because the oil leak could be Everywhere underneath !
A Little oil makes a BIG Mess !

christian655321

yes, i was trying to figure out how in a nice way i am going to do that. thank you all i will let you know how it goes.

christian655321

UPDATE:

got to the dealership this afternoon around 5pm, and told my service writer i would like to have him come out and do a look over before i accept the car, he agreed.

upon opening the engine hood, the first thing that caught my eye was the hood pad, it was bent up towards the windshiled and was no longer attached securley in several spots and missing clips to hold it on, i told him was not at all happy about that. he said no problem i will order you a new one.

next,
i requested a flashlight in order to inspect under the hood where it was dark, i found much oil on the suspension arm caught in the "U" shaped part, and my air intake hose looked "dirty" the car basically didnt look like it was cleaned very well. again i told him, i know i dont have the most expensive MB but i do keep what i have looking like new. this clean up job is not at all to my satisfaction. he was nice and said i could take it somewhere of my choosing and have it "cleaned" and they would foot the bill.

next,
i agreed under the condition that when i return to have the new hood pad put on they put the car on a lift , remove the panels, while i watch and then allow me to inspect the under carraige and panels to make sure everything was cleaned properly. (this probably wont be neccessary because i will request this of the detail shop i take it to)

next
i am currently looking for a detail shop that deals in steam cleaning engines and detailing under the hood, needless to say i will be very maticulous as to how it should look when they are finished.

ill keep you guys posted.

even though MB dealership failed in my opinon at cleaning the mess they created, i am pleased overall with the co-operation i am recieving in getting things fixed, although somewhat upset because if i had not gone behind them and checked to make sure everything was "ok" as they claimed i would have been out of luck.

comments are welcome.
thanks

Mercedes

Remember make sure they do everything you like. It is their faults anyways in the first place, so you should not have to kiss their Asses. It helps to be nice too, so you can get some extra goodies Wont hurt to ask for a car wax job on the outside of the car, just say they wasted lots of your valuable time

Buellwinkle

Same thing happened about a year ago on my coupe's first service. It didn't really make a mess and I only found out because I was installing a pulley and the belly pan had about a quart of oil. They cleaned it up pretty well and I know because as soon as I got the car back, off went the belly pan and pulley....

The best detailers are used by the used car department. They know exactly who can do that job correctly because they deal with it everyday, taking trade-ins and making them look brand new is their job. Don't just take it anywhere as the dealer broke the crank position sensor while steam cleaning my motor during a courtesy detail and the car wouldn't run. If a local detailer did this then I may have been stuck with the bill.

MBZman

Make sure you have in writing that they will actually pick up the bill for you, you don't want to get into a he said she said situation. Although I don't know the location of your dealer, don't they have a used car department? They should be able to fully clean your car for you.

christian655321

i asked them if they could take it for me, he said they dont deal with any shops that do that. i do have it in writing that they are picking up the bill. thanks.