marc hanna

Too bad we don't have more info on the exact nature of the failures. So far it appears to be oil related, presumably because of sludging. This would suggest wrong grade of oil or too long of oil change interval, regardless of whether or not it was the fault of the dealer.

dave2001auto

Is the an inexpensive way to tell what oil was put into the engine? 229.5 is much less costly than 229.51 and 229.52 oils. is there and cheap and easy SAPS test? Preferably a home garage test.
Or to check for high detergent in deo.

marc hanna

Not that I know of.

Carsy

Spooning black jelly out of a sump maybe one

dave2001auto

That would be a very expensive way if the engine seized.
I was thinking that with paper chromatography or spot blotting, the detergent may be UV absorbing or florescent.
I don't have soot contaminated 229.5 oil and 229.51 oil for testing it out.

May just changing the filter at 5,000 miles might be good insurance.

Glyn M Ruck

The quickest & easiest check is an IR scan. Not DIY. BTW 229.5 costs more to formulate!

dave2001auto

At WalMart in the USA, M1 for 229.5 can go as low as $13 for 5 qt jug with the rebate coupon. $23 typical full price.
229.51 oil goes for $40 to $55 at auto stores (not sold at WalMart nor coupons available).
How they set the price has always puzzled me.

At the MBZ dealer, the 229.5 oil & filter change is about $110 (sales readily available), while the 229.51 oil change is $160 to $180 (no sales). Urea is extra.

I may have access to in IR scanner. How is it done?

marc hanna

I thought it was the other way around on account of the expensive additives that are put blended in to compensate for the low SAPS.

krd2023

I appreciate how this thread has developed since I started it in May of 2015, as information posted herein is evidently helping others in similar situations (or providing guidance on how to avoid similar occurrences). I obviously agree with many of you who have indicated that it's unfathomable that MBUSA has failed to acknowledge that a problem exists among, or at least with, MB's OM642 diesel engine and/or oil specification and/or the recommended (at the time) oil change interval of 10K miles. For me, all MBUSA had to do in 2015 was to make a reasonable effort to help make things right with me. Instead, MBUSA issued me a cease-and-desist order to stop communications with them, thus losing me as an MB customer for life.

2016 has fared much better for me with automobiles. I've never been happier with cars (costs, maintenance, and reliability) than I am now with my family's fleet of Mazdas, a Toyota, and a Chevrolet (and I no longer feel obligated to tip more than 20% at the coffee kiosk because of what I'm driving . When I'm ready to embrace a luxury car again, it will most likely be a Tesla or the like without a diesel engine.

All things considered, I really believe the book Driven to Delight (released in December 2015) serves more as a public relations ploy to redeem MBUSA's customer service and product image. For more details on this, see my other thread here (hopefully there are more readers of Driven to Delight than the following thread currently represents):
https://mbworld.org/forums/collectib...rated-yet.html

I'll continue to monitor this thread from time to time to see how things evolve for you MB drivers. May you have a better MBUSA experience than my learning experience was.

DubVBenz

Are you now here to sell us a book?

walpole

i to hd a c350 diesel engine seize after 25000 miles from new without warning mercedes told me it was one of the main bearing bolts had come out.was replaced under warranty but not impressed by mercedes at all

arto_wa

Could you be more specific please.

If they repaired it under warranty (at no cost?) - what is wrong with that?

Carsy

1. Should not happen, poor quality control.
2. Large inconvenience.

walpole

all mercedes told me was a main bearing bolt had come out and had caused the engine to seize i was 400 miles from home on a bank holiday sunday.had to spend two days in a hotel untill a hire car was given to me.i also had a engine management light come on which caused us to cancell a trip prior to this.give mercedes credit for replacing everything under warranty but is this what you pay £40000 for.i will not buy another one.

krd2023

Additionally, if you're still quick to defend MBUSA this year, do consider the several occurrences in this thread, and those surfacing in many other sources (via quick Google searches) like reliable ones as follows:

http://repairpal.com/mercedes-benz/ml350/car_reviews

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/auto...es.html?page=2

And here's a recent and very notable MB engine failure: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/126527
The MB fix? Yet another oil specification revision.

Many former Mercedes owners, like me, have had commonly poor experiences with product and service quality, and have abandoned the MB brand due to dissatisfaction.

It is clear to me that MBUSA still has much to improve upon in the client retention arena.

Helogunner82

Question, does anyone have a copy of the historical spec sheets for Mobil 1 ESP Formula 5w40 I am curious if it was MB 229.51 or MB-Approval 229.51.

My engine in my 09 GL blew up at 88k after only dealer service and as I was going through my receipts I only noticed that the proper spec 229.52 0w30 MB oil started to be used late 2014 despite the mentioning of the new spec in the documents I was able to read on this site that that standard was promulgated in 2013 for my 164.825.

dave2001auto

Yes much to be improved on CS and quality control.
Are the oxygen sensors covered under the warranty? Could not get an answer from the local dealer who referred to mbusa. Of course mbusa after 20 minutes on hold referred me back to the local dealer. Local dealer said being it in for a $150 diagnosis and then we can tell.

So far, glow plug module, swirl motor, turbo and two oxygen sensors replaced plus the normal maintainance at 50,000 to 100,000 miles. CD no longer worked at 60,000 miles.

Compared to Toyota with the idle control valve, evap canister at under 100,000 miles and horn coil spring replaced ( was streering column that needed cleaning instead). Still going strong at 180,000 miles. Side window motor also failed.

Tobsicle

My wife purchased a 2012 Mercedes GL350 Blue Tec 4MATIC Diesel in December 2015 from ----- in West Chester, Pa. She also purchased an extended warranty for the vehicle from a 3rd party.

In March 2016 I noticed an oil leak and she took the vehicle to a dealer in Mechanicsburg, Pa on March 23rd 2016 to have it looked at. The service invoice shows that the oil cooler needed to be replaced, but the warranty was declined. We contacted the purchasing dealer and the warranty company, and of course no one wanted to pay...they did offer to pay half the cost if we took the vehicle to a their suggested mechanic since the fix would be cheaper than the dealership. Because of the month long battle with the dealership and warranty company, the oil cooler replacement was done May 4th, 2016 by the suggested mechanic. Notes on this invoice include “Found that the job had been done prior. Missing bolts, threads were pulled in various places. Sludge in oil pan PTS.” “Lube, Oil & Filter ( Up to 5 Qts w/ Semi-Synthetic).” I have read a lot about the Blue Tec engines since this happened and they are very specific about oil and Semi-Synthetic doesn’t sound right, not to mention, the vehicle holds almost 10 qts. Apparently the garage is currently in litigation over the practices of the person that performed our repair…not sure if he was a sub or an employee.

After the repair the vehicle had been taken to the dealer for engine light indicators in May and November 2016. Multi point inspections were done, but there was never a mention that the vehicle needed an oil change.

Christmas morning 2016 while we were visiting family in Joliet IL the vehicle stopped running. It was towed to a dealer in Naperville IL. They determined that the oil was so bad that the sludge destroyed the engine. The customer care manager gave me a quote for a new engine at $30,000 ($25,000 for the engine, $5,000 for labor) over the phone. He sent me pictures and asked me to send him my service records. He was able to determine that the oil had been changed by the original owner at Benz dealers at the required 10,000, 20,0000, 30,000, 40,000 and 50,000 mile intervals. My wife purchased the vehicle at roughly 51,000 miles and at 60,000 it was changed by the suggested mechanic…or at least oil was added and sludge was noticed at that time. The vehicle broke down at 76,000…roughly 5-6,000 miles past the recommended 10,000 mile interval, which obviously voids the extended warranty. The next day the CSM told me that he contacted MBUSA and they offered to reduce the cost of the engine by a third, from $25,000 to $17,000. Although he said the total cost, including the diagnosis (which was quoted at $950) would be $17,000 with whatever other discounts they were offering. The CSM said the Naperville dealership (who really has nothing in this) is also offering a discount…so they’re not charging for labor??? Seems suspicious.

After some research on the internet I found that there are many people that have experienced the same issues we have…most prevalently, the oil cooler but also the oil sludge and ruined engines. The CSM also told me that they tested the fuel in our vehicle and the ethanol content was 30%...the vehicle recommends 5%, but there are almost no gas stations that offer diesel fuel at 5%. In essence, the vehicle is designed to run on fuel that you can’t purchase. My concern is that according to the suggested mechanic, there was sludge at 60,000 miles…even after the vehicle was serviced timely by Mercedes Benz dealers. I’m pretty sure sludge just doesn’t disappear…so it seems the engine was a ticking time bomb as it was.

Tobsicle

nelbur

My that is some nasty oil. It doesn't look like it has ever been changed, which is likely why no one will stand behind the warranty. Oil changes and oil quality are so important that some of us will not let anyone else change our oil. You have our sympathy. As you can see from this thread, finding someone to take the blame for your problem is going to be difficult.

If I were in your situation I would find a junk yard engine and have it installed, once you have exhausted your efforts to get assistance. If you do, use 229.52 oil and change every 5000 miles. If you have someone do it, provide the oil, so they have no incentive to leave the old oil in.

Carsy

It is essential that owners of this engine make a large effort to take full control of their servicing to ensure the correct oil is added at the correct time. MB should put out a flyer to each owner advising that this engine is susceptible to sludging & catastrophic damage if the recommended or earlier service intervals is not carried out.

dave2001auto

The cooler invoice. Bolts missing and use of up to 5 qt semi synthetic oil sounds strange to me. 5 qt low should give low oil. Correct Dino oil to gas and back to oil process in USA is labeled as synthetic oil. It almost seems like pan needs to be inspected with bore scope during oil change via the drain hole. Car needs to be level!

fireman1073

never heard of ethanol in diesel fuel, is that a misprint do you mean bio diesel?
that is one sludged motor

rapidoxidation

I wondered the same thing. Leads to the question of if the car was incorrectly fueled? Putting gasoline in a diesel engine will (sometimes) still let the car start but could lead to real problems.

Tobsicle

I may have quoted the dealer incorrectly. But he did mention that they tested the fuel and there was a sulfur issue. Something about 30% vs the 5% that they are designed to run on.
The tank was still half full. We last filled up on Ohio on our way to IL...and drove it a day or two around town in IL.