michail71

I'm not sure if this is something to be concerned about just yet but I've had a couple startup issues.

The first is a rough idle for about the fist 20 seconds. This seems to happen more on a warm or hot start. The car will feel like it is rocking around slightly. Cold starts are fine as the engine runs fast until it gets warmed up. Giving it some throttle usually clears up the roughness. Some searching indicated this could be normal but seemed to be more common on cold starts.

This morning my car cranked for a sold 3 seconds before starting. It was a fast crank too. Then once the engine started it sounded like the starter got stuck and spun up with the engine, making one hell of a racket. Once running though it seemed fine.

Most of the time the engine cranks and fires up right away and idles smooth.

michail71

Here are two files. The dealer is having me make recordings. It hasn't been as bad as it was this morning but I caught one startup that had a slightly longer delay with the odd sound. The other recording is a good startup.

In the bad recording I had released the key already and it still chugged a couple times before kicking over.

michail71

I just had a couple more long starts. This time I got a better recording. The start after this one was worse and caused a check engine light.

The longer the start takes the more it sounds like a diesel motor. Off to the dealer again tomorrow.

I love this car but I've had more problems than I ever had before with any other car. I put nearly 150,000 miles on my VW and it never let me down.

MB Marko

I'm just curious what your dealer thinks bout you constantly going in for service... Sell the car get something else. your cars seems to be the only one with a hundred issues. you fix one, another one comes up... its awful.

did you buy the car CPO?

thankfully you still have warranty.

michail71

I figured you'd say that, lol. I'm not sure yet but that could be a good idea. I just don't want to pass issues on to anyone else. They pulled the carfax to see if there had been any accidents. Nothing reported and just normal service and I checked that before I got the car. Otherwise it's a pristine, beautiful car.

The first problem was an issue with the navigation. They tore the car down diagnosing it only to just replace the Comand HU. Then a whole bunch of issues came from just having taken the interior apart. Parts were broken, scratched and rattled. Then the dealers just seem to randomly replace things without actually fixing the problems. As a software engineer it reminds me of developers that keep haphazardly writing code until they get the desired results.

I'm getting the feeling the service departments have to follow repair scripts and aren't allowed to actually think. Had I been paying a good indy mechanic all would probably be ok.

michail71

A bit of searching around indicates it could be a belt/tensioner issue. Which is something the dealer replaced recently. Although the CEL is concerning.

MB Marko

I just feel bad seeing you post bad things daily about your car but i can tell you love it when its working right. I'm all for DIY and indy but if the problems are stacking up, I would consider trading it in for something else let the dealer deal with it since they like it there so much hahaha. I mean its a 2013 it still has good value its something to think about.

Have you call MB corporate to see what they could do for you? A friend of mine got a full refund on his 2015 ML because it shut off numerous times on the highway. There was no questions asked once corporate got involved.

do you have an OBD tool it would probably be a good investment for you hahaha. I carry one with me when ever i go on long distance trips so i can just scan the car and see if I'm ok to drive with what ever light comes on hahaha.

michail71

I used to have Ross Tech cable for my VW and Audi cars. I should have kept it since it made a nice ODB reader on the Benz. But I may go for a BT dongle to use with Torque.

I'm still under warranty now so if the car self destructs on the way in to the dealer tomorrow I'll be good.

I don't mean to be such a downer. I figure I can get help or provide some help for someone. But yeah, it's been a bit crazy with the issues. What remains to be seen is how much of it has been caused or misdiagnosed by dealer service.

michail71

It's back at the dealer today. They think it's the timing chain or tensioner. I'm not sure if I managed to keep the car for a full two weeks this time.

MB Marko

well hopefully they fix it right this time. did they at lest give you a better loaner car? I know how much you loved the CLA last time hahaha.

Is there another MB dealership you can go to for service? maybe you'll have better luck elsewhere. When my dealership missed the TC and i had to go though all the hassle of calling corporate. I called the next closest dealer, they took my vin and confirmed the TC must be drained. Now i feel like going to them for all my service because if they find that info so easily, why did mine make me fight for it.

michail71

I have a nice C300 now. This one has working Sirius and blind spot warning but still lacks the premium audio. Out of all the vehicles I've had for a loaner this one has been the best. The worst was a GLA 250, IMHO a vehicle that should not have been made.

This is the second dealer I have been to. I feel like I can trust these guys. They are a little less volume than the other dealer and are sympathetic to my history. I've been feeling like I may be a pita customer but the issues have all been real.