hi, first time posting here.



i have a 2014 e250 bluetec with 48k miles. while i was driving yesterday, the diesel fuel splashed out from the bottom middle part of the car that made my full tank of fuel nearly emptied in 5 minutes! the check engine light was on and the acceleration couldn't pass 30 mph!



i had done the AEM recall in june 2021, and in august 2021, i accidentally put unleaded gas in this diesel tank, and the dealership had to drop the tank and cleaned everything out (suspension components and blow out all the lines, etc...).



would this fuel splashing be caused by any jobs that were done by the dealership? thanks!



Situation: when i accidentally put unleaded gas into the diesel tank less than a month ago, i didn't turn on the engine, and immediately had it towed to the dealership for repair. however, the towing guy did accidentally turn on the engine for one second and immediately shut it down when he was trying to put the car to neutral for towing...



Update 1: got the diagnosis from the dealership. "Found 2 failing fuel lines going from fuel tank to high pressure pump leaking!" with the unleaded gas be immediately removed and all system cleaned, is it possible for these plastic lines to be damaged like this?



Update 2: the dealership that my car is currently at says they found no causal factor or responsibility on the dealership, who did the repair, for the needed repair!



Update 3: reported to mercedes usa headquarter but the "highest" person i can go replied that since there is nothing hq can do! so it's ok for two fuel lines to break at the same time and possibly caused deadly accident! i told that person that if no one is at fault, then it might be a bigger problem, because it might be a bad design that needs to be recalled to prevent any accidents. but that rep just ignored me! i guess mb owners life don't matter!



Update 4: got the car fixed, hopefully, and the shop foreman stated that there is no sign of damage visually or in the locking function of the plastic lines. there is no sign of damage to the internal seals of the lines and the steel fuel lines. however, the plastic fuel line disconnects within a minute when running the engine! due to there are no visible damages to the plastic line, the shop foreman suspected the incorrect fuel has jeopardized the integrity of the plastic material of the fuel line, causing it to be unable to withstand the operating fuel pressure. does it make any sense at all?! at least it doesn't make sense to me. every time when i asked if there is any possibility that this could be a human error, by previous repair shop, they never gave me an answer and just jump straight to the incorrect fuel. i strongly felt that dealerships are trying to cover for each other... i kept both "failed" plastic fuel lines with me hoping i will be able to investigate further.

 

You keep saying "gas", I assume you mean diesel.

Yep - the obvious mistake would be that they didn't tighten up the connections to the tank when they re-installed it.

/

 

It is unlikely the gas damaged the fuel lines. More likely they were damaged during the work, or left loose.

 

guess what, the dealership who did the repair said it's not their fault, and the dealership which my car is currently are saying they found no causal factor or responsibility on that dealership for the needed repair!!! what should i do?

 

Ask them why they didn't point it out when they dropped the tank?

 

Without pictures we can guess a lot, but all cars I had/have had steel tubings for fuel delivery/return and only small pieces of hose on the end to make connection.
Any dealer draining tank after gasoline fill should have them replaced.
Judging from AEM, you are in USA, (good idea to fill up profile).
Call 1 800 FOR MERC and report the case.
The dealer dropping the tank should guarantee the job for at least 1 year.

 

thank you for your input! the dealership who drained the tank said they would take the responsibility if it's their fault. however, the current dealership said no evidence showing it's the previous dealership's responsibility... per my conversation with the previous dealership's manager, both dealerships have good relationship, and they had discussed about this incident, and said they at no fault! i am getting double teamed... maybe i have to contact a lawyer.

 

contact headquarters as I suggested above.
They should assign Regional Representative to review the case.
Still not knowing what exactly failed, we can only guess.

 

You could do that, but, do they have an explanation of how they dropped the tank and put it back correctly, and then this happened? If it was caused by the gas, they should have corrected it then. If it was pre-existing, they should have pointed it out then. Otherwise, it's pretty logical to assume it had something to do with the work they did.

Have you seen the problem? Maybe they're trying to get you to pay a lot of money for them to tighten a few connections...

 

thank you for your suggestion! just contacted the headquarter! the rep said i will receive a call from an executive within 24 hours for my options. will report back. 👍

 

the previous dealership didn't get to that technical explaining what area and parts they did. they just simply said that faulty areas weren't their fault, and even the current dealership is saying that not the previous dealership's responsibility! how can two fuel lines failed within 3 weeks after they dropped the tank, remove all suspension components, blow out all the lines, and etc... and then telling me that the work they have done has no affects with those two "fuel" lines when they were cleaning the wrong fuel from the system! those two fuel lines just magically break by themselves?!

 

received call back from the "highest" person who replied that there is nothing hq can do! so it's ok for two fuel lines to break at the same time and possibly caused deadly accident! i told that person that if no one is at fault, then it might be a bigger problem, because it might be a bad design that needs to be recalled to prevent any accidents. but that rep just ignored me! i guess mb owners life don't matter!

 

Did you ever find what exactly happen?
You are making deep conclusion, without knowledge of basic facts.

 

i actually don't know what exactly happened. all i know was there are two failure fuel lines that would splash the fuel out like crazy when the ignition or engine is on. and the previous dealership did a fuel tank drop and all fuel lines cleaned less than a month ago.

 

if you are responsible for the cost of repair I would make them put it on a lift and show you where the lines broke, and show you the old broken lines and bring a flashlight with you and clear safety goggles and camera so the do have any reason to not let you in the shop.