I heard that the Secondary Air Pump is very specific to the C32 and can only be bought direct from MB. I have found two companies that list the part but do not want to go through the hassle of purchasing and shipping to the UK only to find it is the wrong fitment. I would be grateful if anyone could shed a little light on the likelihood of this being the right part.

Thanks,

Jon

 

I seem to remember a forum member ordering a replacement secondary air pump from Autohauz and it being the wrong part.

Are you sure the problem lies with your pump and not the corresponding relay?
There was a service campaign for this issue some time ago with most C32 AMGs. (service campaign 2006-030011). It has to do with the relay that controls the secondary air pump.

Part number for the air pump was: 000-140-42-85

Part number for the relay is: 002-542-26-19.

You are in the UK, right? If so, don't y'all have very stringent emissions laws? I would make sure with MBZ (in your area) to make sure that MBZ isn't liable for it (before spending the $$ on a new one).

Here, in the US, C32 AMGs affected by the recall were:
2002-2004 Mercedes Benz C32 AMG (VIN Range 131482-535283)

 

As BooHoo says, the relay is the first port of call. I had no joy getting mine fixed by MB here in the UK, so did it myself. The relay tends to overheat and stick on, and the pump continues to run. Mine practically melted before it was noticed. I replaced the pump and relay, but ended up with an intermittant CEL, and sec air fault code. On some further examination, (and I believe RHD differs from LHD in this), there is a clear electrical connector with about 6 wires each side looped in the top of the fusebox, under the hood in front of the driver. Mine had melted slightly as the feed for the pump runs through this connector, and was dropping out intermittantly. Easy fix when you know where to look! Let us know how you get on.

 

Hey,

Thanks for the responses. Both the relay and the pump have failed unfortunately- Friend who works for MB tested the pump.

Emissions laws are pretty tight over here. Not sure if the car would fail a test though. I just want to sort the problem out as it may be causing the car to over fuel on start up. In addition to that the light on the dash is annoying to look at.

I tried to go down the route of getting MB to pay for it but had no joy. Even though, according to the warranty repair log, this is the fourth pump to fail in as many years. Many e-mails ensued but I guess MB warranty are tightening their belts to ride out the credit crunch. E-mails went like this;


"Thank you for your letter dated 9th October 2008 regarding the numerous repairs to the secondary air pump on the above-mentioned vehicle and the attached invoices.

We have investigated the invoices with Mercedes-Benz of Worcester and they have confirmed that the secondary air pump was not replaced in August 2006, but was replaced in February 2005.

There was no part booked out on the 2006 invoice, and the price shown also reflects this. Therefore, as the part was last replaced in February 2005, the parts and labour warranty expired in February 2007.

Of course we understand that as a Mercedes-Benz owner you have invested a great deal of time and money when making the decision to purchase your vehicle. With this in mind, we would like to reassure you that we do recognise the importance that your Mercedes-Benz C 32 AMG provides to you at a personal level.

Due to the stringent controls that are carried out throughout our production process, we always endeavour to guarantee that the superior build quality that is associated with Mercedes-Benz remains. However, even after ensuring the highest levels of reliability, dependability and longevity, anything mechanical does have the potential to fail.

Having said this we do offer our apologies that you have had to suffer so many failures to do with the secondary air pump, and we completely understand the doubts this may have raised in your mind regarding the build quality of a vehicle which has been constructed under the prestige Mercedes-Benz marque.

Although we would like to be able to establish a general rule with regards to the life expectancy of a vehicle’s components, there are too many contributing factors, which affect the operation and durability of the various components, over which, we as a manufacturer, have no control or influence.

Please accept our apologies for any disappointment and inconvenience that you have experienced, but we trust that you will appreciate that repairs may be required on any vehicle throughout its service life.

We understand that this is not the answer you were hoping to receive and that you will be disappointed by this response, but unfortunately we do not have any further avenues to explore in regards to this matter.

We apologise a more favourable outcome will not be forthcoming. Thank you for writing to us and providing us the opportunity to address your concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further enquiries.

Yours sincerely"

This was the final response after several exchanges.

 

They were a little blunter with me. Their answer was - "er... No."

I do have a good working relationship with my local dealer, which often results in them dispensing with the pleasantries, and rarely gets me preferential treatment.

Oh, OK then, sometimes they help me out a little...