ESP Malfunction...Visit Workshop?
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From: Houston
C55
ESP Malfunction...Visit Workshop?
Just got it on my mom's E500, car wouldnt start for her. I tried it as well same thing, no crank. tow truck driver comes and it works.. 
tow took it to dealer, hopefully we will figure whats wrong with it tomorrow. Thank God i just bought the extended warranty like 3 months ago.
tow took it to dealer, hopefully we will figure whats wrong with it tomorrow. Thank God i just bought the extended warranty like 3 months ago.
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From: Houston
C55
Dealer (Mercedes Greenway of Houston) told me that its caused by the starter sticking to the flywheel. Stated that since the car was not driven too much the lubrication was gone (2004 w/ 18k miles) 
Easycare Extended Warranty does not want to pay for it saying its a lubricated device. Any ideas anyone?
I just read through the contract that I signed and the adjuster says my claim is negated through this clause:
7. Maintenence/ Parts:
b. Unless required as part of a covered repair; adjustments, lubricants, coolants and fluids.
The car would not start, I would like to think its a mechanical failure. Is the starter/crankcase self lubricating? Last time I checked lubricating those parts are not inclusive of the standard maintenance program of Mercedes Benz Vehicles.....I'd like to think that since the car would NOT start or crank, that there was an inherent mechanical failure.
To add insult to injury, they want to deny my claim for a new homelink on the grounds that it was broken prior to purchasing the warranty. I recently purchased a C55 and was able to program the homelink without issue. I looked in the user manual for both cars and realized that the instructions were identical, then concluded the homelink in the E500 was broken after trying to program it. Since I told them this, they want to deny the claim? What did I pay $3300 for?????
F*CK EASYCARE....
Anybody have any experience? HELP!
Easycare Extended Warranty does not want to pay for it saying its a lubricated device. Any ideas anyone?I just read through the contract that I signed and the adjuster says my claim is negated through this clause:
7. Maintenence/ Parts:
b. Unless required as part of a covered repair; adjustments, lubricants, coolants and fluids.
The car would not start, I would like to think its a mechanical failure. Is the starter/crankcase self lubricating? Last time I checked lubricating those parts are not inclusive of the standard maintenance program of Mercedes Benz Vehicles.....I'd like to think that since the car would NOT start or crank, that there was an inherent mechanical failure.
To add insult to injury, they want to deny my claim for a new homelink on the grounds that it was broken prior to purchasing the warranty. I recently purchased a C55 and was able to program the homelink without issue. I looked in the user manual for both cars and realized that the instructions were identical, then concluded the homelink in the E500 was broken after trying to program it. Since I told them this, they want to deny the claim? What did I pay $3300 for?????
F*CK EASYCARE....
Anybody have any experience?
HELP!
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Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Philadelphia area
2010 ML550, 2010 E350 4M, 1966 Corvette Convt C2
Dealer (Mercedes Greenway of Houston) told me that its caused by the starter sticking to the flywheel. Stated that since the car was not driven too much the lubrication was gone (2004 w/ 18k miles) Easycare Extended Warranty does not want to pay for it saying its a lubricated device. Any ideas anyone?
I just read through the contract that I signed and the adjuster says my claim is negated through this clause:
7. Maintenence/ Parts:
b. Unless required as part of a covered repair; adjustments, lubricants, coolants and fluids.
The car would not start, I would like to think its a mechanical failure. Is the starter/crankcase self lubricating? Last time I checked lubricating those parts are not inclusive of the standard maintenance program of Mercedes Benz Vehicles.....I'd like to think that since the car would NOT start or crank, that there was an inherent mechanical failure.
To add insult to injury, they want to deny my claim for a new homelink on the grounds that it was broken prior to purchasing the warranty. I recently purchased a C55 and was able to program the homelink without issue. I looked in the user manual for both cars and realized that the instructions were identical, then concluded the homelink in the E500 was broken after trying to program it. Since I told them this, they want to deny the claim? What did I pay $3300 for?????
F*CK EASYCARE....
Anybody have any experience? HELP!
Easycare Extended Warranty does not want to pay for it saying its a lubricated device. Any ideas anyone?I just read through the contract that I signed and the adjuster says my claim is negated through this clause:
7. Maintenence/ Parts:
b. Unless required as part of a covered repair; adjustments, lubricants, coolants and fluids.
The car would not start, I would like to think its a mechanical failure. Is the starter/crankcase self lubricating? Last time I checked lubricating those parts are not inclusive of the standard maintenance program of Mercedes Benz Vehicles.....I'd like to think that since the car would NOT start or crank, that there was an inherent mechanical failure.
To add insult to injury, they want to deny my claim for a new homelink on the grounds that it was broken prior to purchasing the warranty. I recently purchased a C55 and was able to program the homelink without issue. I looked in the user manual for both cars and realized that the instructions were identical, then concluded the homelink in the E500 was broken after trying to program it. Since I told them this, they want to deny the claim? What did I pay $3300 for?????
F*CK EASYCARE....
Anybody have any experience?
HELP!Thats life with an aftermarket warranty company. Guess you have to live with it. As far as the starter sticking that could very well be the case as it happened to me in an 02 ML500 that I had. Next time spring for the more expensive MB warranty.
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From: Houston
C55
The MB extended warranty was not available to purchase for the 2004s. I believe it started with the 05s or 06s. Believe me, thats what I wanted. I purchased the 'best' Easycare one available.
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Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 4,260
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From: Philadelphia area
2010 ML550, 2010 E350 4M, 1966 Corvette Convt C2
To the best of my knowledge MB extended warranties have been available for all models for many, many years.
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From: Houston
C55
http://www.mbusa.com/care/warranty.do
"Extended Limited Warranty
At any time during the original vehicle warranty period for Model Year 2005 and newer models, you can extend your peace of mind by purchasing an additional 12, 24, or 36 months of coverage, or up to 100,000 total accrued miles, whichever occurs first.1 Your Mercedes-Benz Dealer can help you tailor an Extended Limited Warranty that delivers the coverage you need to put your mind at ease.?
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From: Louisiana
03 E500 and Corvette
Ok,, here it is,, IMO,,
Lubrication dryed out is an excuse not to pay
. The starter should operate with NO lubricant until the parts wear out. I have had starters underwater and still have them work. Only after rust formed from being underwater would it fail.
This sounds like a defective starter with a gear mesh issue and high resistance on the electrical contacts to activate the motor, but the dealer wants to blame it on something else, dried out lubricant. And the warranty co is buying it to save $$. Why not pour some lube (grease or oil) in a bowl, give it to the dealer and ask them to watch and see how long it takes to dry out.
The starter drive in most modern cars has a spring to pull the drive out of the gear and it is electromagnetic activated which closes the contacts to entergize the motor after the gears engage. My guess is the contacts are high resistance which prevents the motor from starting after the gears engage. Once the starter motor is running and gears engaged, the engine starting puts enough energy out to operate with no lubricant in the starter and have the starter drive disengage using only spring force. If your contact is high resistance and there is some resistance for gear mesh it would be possible for the gears not to retract. But it isn't lubricant causing this.
Lubrication dryed out is an excuse not to pay
. The starter should operate with NO lubricant until the parts wear out. I have had starters underwater and still have them work. Only after rust formed from being underwater would it fail.This sounds like a defective starter with a gear mesh issue and high resistance on the electrical contacts to activate the motor, but the dealer wants to blame it on something else, dried out lubricant. And the warranty co is buying it to save $$. Why not pour some lube (grease or oil) in a bowl, give it to the dealer and ask them to watch and see how long it takes to dry out.
The starter drive in most modern cars has a spring to pull the drive out of the gear and it is electromagnetic activated which closes the contacts to entergize the motor after the gears engage. My guess is the contacts are high resistance which prevents the motor from starting after the gears engage. Once the starter motor is running and gears engaged, the engine starting puts enough energy out to operate with no lubricant in the starter and have the starter drive disengage using only spring force. If your contact is high resistance and there is some resistance for gear mesh it would be possible for the gears not to retract. But it isn't lubricant causing this.
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From: Ft. Lauderdale Area, USA
2015 ML 350
I don't know if the MB warranty was a worthwhile "investment" due to all of its exclusions at the time, but it probably would have covered this repair, much like the original warranty would have. If your warranty covers the items specifically excluded by my warranty, you're better off with the coverage you have. The electronics are expensive and they fail.
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Thread Starter
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Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Houston
C55
Ok,, here it is,, IMO,,
Lubrication dryed out is an excuse not to pay. The starter should operate with NO lubricant until the parts wear out. I have had starters underwater and still have them work. Only after rust formed from being underwater would it fail.
This sounds like a defective starter with a gear mesh issue and high resistance on the electrical contacts to activate the motor, but the dealer wants to blame it on something else, dried out lubricant. And the warranty co is buying it to save $$. Why not pour some lube (grease or oil) in a bowl, give it to the dealer and ask them to watch and see how long it takes to dry out.
The starter drive in most modern cars has a spring to pull the drive out of the gear and it is electromagnetic activated which closes the contacts to entergize the motor after the gears engage. My guess is the contacts are high resistance which prevents the motor from starting after the gears engage. Once the starter motor is running and gears engaged, the engine starting puts enough energy out to operate with no lubricant in the starter and have the starter drive disengage using only spring force. If your contact is high resistance and there is some resistance for gear mesh it would be possible for the gears not to retract. But it isn't lubricant causing this.
Lubrication dryed out is an excuse not to pay
. The starter should operate with NO lubricant until the parts wear out. I have had starters underwater and still have them work. Only after rust formed from being underwater would it fail.This sounds like a defective starter with a gear mesh issue and high resistance on the electrical contacts to activate the motor, but the dealer wants to blame it on something else, dried out lubricant. And the warranty co is buying it to save $$. Why not pour some lube (grease or oil) in a bowl, give it to the dealer and ask them to watch and see how long it takes to dry out.
The starter drive in most modern cars has a spring to pull the drive out of the gear and it is electromagnetic activated which closes the contacts to entergize the motor after the gears engage. My guess is the contacts are high resistance which prevents the motor from starting after the gears engage. Once the starter motor is running and gears engaged, the engine starting puts enough energy out to operate with no lubricant in the starter and have the starter drive disengage using only spring force. If your contact is high resistance and there is some resistance for gear mesh it would be possible for the gears not to retract. But it isn't lubricant causing this.
The car was purchased new in March 2004. The dealer did not upsell the Mercedes warranty at the time or mention it, otherwise I would have bought it at the time.
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Posts: 3,254
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From: Louisiana
03 E500 and Corvette
How the hell can i fight it though? I have to pay them $600 some odd dollars today for towing and that lubrication bull****. I have a feeling something else is going bad but they don't want to talk about it.
The car was purchased new in March 2004. The dealer did not upsell the Mercedes warranty at the time or mention it, otherwise I would have bought it at the time.
The car was purchased new in March 2004. The dealer did not upsell the Mercedes warranty at the time or mention it, otherwise I would have bought it at the time.
Since you have to pay the bill, keep the starter,, take it to an independant shop ask the to dissassemble and give you the reason for failure in a written estimate to repair form. If it doesn't state lubrication then you might have a start point. Otherwise, If it were my car I would tow it to my home and replace it myself. Then get the repair estimate.
You might be stuck on this repair and have to pay for it. But remember
1) Fool me once shame on you
2) Fool me twice shame on me.
If you have to pay as a result of lubrication !#@@#$,, I would make it known to the dealer they just lost a customer and buy a replacement car from another dealer later, and no longer use that shop for repairs. The down side with MB is sometimes that is the only dealer. If this happened to me there are many car mfg's out there that want to do right and they aren't made in Germany. But remember this is only if your local dealer can't help. It is unfortunate the dealer has such a reflection on the sales of the car.
The real issue here is with aftermarket warranty not wanting to pay for a starter failure. It is unfortunate the dealer is stating lubrication. There is no owner lubrication or maintenance for a starter. I would point this out to the warranty company. The lubrication that is in the starter is sealed at the factory and there had to be a failure of the starter for it to loose lubricant. At least this argument is worth a shot with the warranty co. You might want to mention what after market warranty you are using. Might help others to avoid this situation.
When I bought aftermarket warranty I used Warranty Direct. Unfortuantely my dealer took a position they would honor NO after market warranties. This was on my Lincoln. I learned on my MB I bought a MB Warranty.
Last edited by vettdvr; May 9, 2008 at 03:08 PM.
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From: Jacksonville Florida
209/W210 Estate /W211 modded by MBENZNL
I Would Contact the Shop Foreman at the MB Dealer and ask how can a sealed starter require ANY type of maintence
I Worked for Mb for several years and have NEVER heard the BS
Use another shop
Sunil at motorworks Just opened a shop in Houston ..I Would use him!
Re The ESP message it will show up with a dead battery
and will go away ...ahhh without a starter replacement
I Worked for Mb for several years and have NEVER heard the BS
Use another shop
Sunil at motorworks Just opened a shop in Houston ..I Would use him!
Re The ESP message it will show up with a dead battery
and will go away ...ahhh without a starter replacement
Last edited by MARK CUMMINS; May 9, 2008 at 03:55 PM.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 731
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From: Houston
C55
I Would Contact the Shop Foreman at the MB Dealer and ask how can a sealed starter require ANY type of maintence
I Worked for Mb for several years and have NEVER heard the BS
Use another shop
Sunil at motorworks Just opened a shop in Houston ..I Would use him!
Re The ESP message it will show up with a dead battery
and will go away ...ahhh without a starter replacement
I Worked for Mb for several years and have NEVER heard the BS
Use another shop
Sunil at motorworks Just opened a shop in Houston ..I Would use him!
Re The ESP message it will show up with a dead battery
and will go away ...ahhh without a starter replacement
had he opened sooner, I wouldnt have even bought the extended warranty. Since Greenway already started the repair, I told them to finish the job. In other news, after fighting for a couple hours; they finally conceded repair the homelink for the car. 
Member
Joined: Mar 2008
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From: DC
03 E320/ 11 E550 Cab/ 18 E400 Cab
I has the same ESP error on my car, but it turns out that it was being caused by some interference from the HIDs I had installed aftermarket.
The would get the error sometimes when I turned on the lights.
After I had the HIDs removed; problem went away.
The would get the error sometimes when I turned on the lights.
After I had the HIDs removed; problem went away.
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2008 CLS 550
What you could do is run down to A-Rod and get them to diagnose it. If you are lucky and they say its something else (which they likely should given that there is no way the so-called lubricant could have escaped) then you can take that back to Greenway and stick it in their face. Bottom line, they are looking for reasons to not pay your claim.
That is my point exactly.
