Hi All,

I just joined this forum a min ago after reading many posts regarding the rear fuel smell on w211's. I have read the bulletin some of you have posted that Mercedes sent out on Feb 3, 2015 which states

"In our continuing efforts to enhance the satisfaction of our customers, Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) has decided to extend the warranty for certain fuel tank components in certain MercedesBenz vehicles. Which Vehicles:  gasoline-fueled, non-PZEV certified Model Year 2003 – 2009 E-Class  Model Year 2006 – 2011 CLS-Class Which Parts are Covered: The warranty covers the fuel tank, fuel filter/sender, fuel pump, and gaskets (collectively the “Covered Fuel Tank Components”) What are the Terms of the Extended Warranty: Warranty on the “Covered Fuel Tank Components” will be extended from the original 4 years / 50,000 miles (whichever occurs first) to 15 years, regardless of mileage. This warranty extension applies to covered vehicles regardless of ownership. If during this period the vehicle experiences a leakage from any of the “Covered Fuel Tank Components” listed above and it is determined that it is due to a warrantable condition that would have been covered had it occurred during the original warranty period, this warranty extension will cover the necessary part(s) and labor to repair or replace the component(s). The Extended Warranty coverage varies by model and model year. VMI will display information regarding this warranty extension in the “Service Packages” section for all affected vehicles and is detailed below. The effective date of this warranty extension is January 9, 2015"

I'm pretty sure I have this problem with my car--I noticed it about two weeks ago and all the symptoms are the same as other posters. But when I called Mercedes corporate and gave them my VIN for my 2008 E350 they said my car wasnt covered--to begin with, they didnt even discuss the letter they put out, all they asked for was my vin and then they said my car has no extended warranty...I JUST dropped off my car at the dealership to see whats going on--if they say its the fuel tank or components or both, then they say I'm not covered what should I do? How could some w211's be covered from a period ranging from 2003-2009 and some not? Do you think the rep I called was wrong?

 

What question did you ask specifically? The car itself may have no extended warranty, but there's an extended warranty on the fuel tank. Also is your car a Pzev? The extended warranty doesn't apply to Pzev because Pzev already has a 15 year/150k warranty. The extended warranty is better for non Pzev cars because it's just 15 years and unlimited miles. You'd have to go to the dealer and tell them you smell gas inside the car. It's possible it could be something else like the fuel filler and then it wouldn't be covered.

 

According to the bulletin put out on June 10, 2015(sorry, I think I put Feb in the last post) the fuel filter would/should be covered. As I mentioned above MBENZ USA states in the bulletin "The warranty covers the fuel tank, fuel filter/sender, fuel pump, and gaskets (collectively the “Covered Fuel Tank Components”) and further the warranty "will be extended from the original 4 years / 50,000 miles (whichever occurs first) to 15 years, regardless of mileage. This warranty extension applies to covered vehicles regardless of ownership. "

The way I read that is it wouldnt matter what state you are in, or if you have a pzev or not?

Ok, so I dont know if my car is pzev or not..how do I know? It is a CA car with 110,000 miles on it.

I just know they dealership is going to say nothing is covered as they will not be up to date on the pzev warranty or the bulletin that was put out in June of 2015...I just want to go in with as much info/ammo as possible because if they are supposed to replace these parts for free I want them to.

 

Go in and tell them you smell gas when the tank is full. I had that issue and there was a bit of gas pooling on the top of the tank by the pumps, which was confirmed by my indy.

They replaced it no questions asked.

 

Use a vin decoder like this one:

https://www.datamb.com/

If you have option code 917, then you have a Pzev and it's covered under the regular Pzev warranty. It's not part of the extended warranty. They replace the entire tank if there's a leak from the tank.

CA is a Pzev state so your car might have been a Pzev which may be why MB told you there was no extended warranty. My guess is that you will probably be fine, others report that the tank gets replaced all the time and I think most dealers know about it by now unless you go to a low volume one.

 

 

thank you for supplying the vin search datamb....I put in my vin and scrolled down to find I do have option 917...Below is what the codes look like around it

915FUEL TANK WITH LARGER CAPACITY

917PZEV EMISSION USA

919AIRCON COOLING POWER PACKAGE

So what does this mean? the post above looks like it has the answer but Im not sure how to read it(forgive me)...My car is an 08, E350, 110,000 miles, has option code 917, car is in CA...What parts are supposed to be covered by benz? In other words, if the problem is components beyond the tank (fuel sender, filter), am I covered? Im now reading that the bulletin put out in is for non-certified pzev models--does that mean Im screwed ?

 

The post above is basically the printout from the warranty booklet. It basically says that the fuel tank is covered. You're all set. If the dealer gives you a hard time, you just tell that it should all be covered under the Pzev warranty and don't refer to any extended warranty. The Pzev warranty is 15 years or 150,000 miles so your warranty is still in effect. They pretty much replace the whole tank and it should all be covered under warranty. People say that they even get the free rental.

 

Ok, thank you but there is something I still do not understand because I dont know enough about cars and this whole pzev warranty situation...Is the tank the only part covered under the pzev warranty? What about the fuel filter/sender, gaskets, pump? Is it a situation where if the tank has to be replaced, everything else gets replaced? Also, what if they say its NOT the tank but some other fuel component? Sorry ahead of time if my questions are causing a headache or are just downright redundant...

 

I believe all those components you mentioned, fuel filter, sender, gaskets, pumps are part of the tank that gets replaced. And it's all covered by warranty. Pretty much everyone who mentions getting it replaced under warranty have all the parts covered by warranty so they end up paying nothing out of pocket. Pzev seems to cover even more components in addition to the tank like the filler neck which wasn't covered under the extended warranty for non Pzev cars.

 

All that **** is part of the tank. Go in, tell them you smell gas, get all the things replaced. This is a common issue with these cars so they should know about it. Don't worry about it so much. Worrying solves nothing, just go talk to them.

FWIW, the dealer that did mine gave me a loaner while the tank was being swapped. I dropped it off on a Monday morning, they sourced a tank from another local dealer that day and had it that night. They replaced it Tuesday morning and I picked the car up after work Tuesday afternoon. Zero cost out of pocket other than putting a bit of gas back in the loaner.

 

There is no reason they should not cover the warranty, as long as the car is under 15 years old and under 150k miles the fuel system should be covered under the PZEV warranty.

 

I have a 2012 E350 and I can smell gas in the car can someone please tell me if this is cover under the pzev warranty

 

Pull out your warranty manual. It will state clearly if the fuel system is covered.

 

Should be covered, CA 15 years/150,000 miles. BTW should be posting here: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w212-109/

 

I went to my local MB dealership today and talked to them about this, firstly they wanted $180 "analyze the problem" I mean, when I top the car up and until I've used 10% of the gas it smells strongly in and around the rear of the car, secondly, they wouldn't give me a loaner car and they said they would need my car for 2 days.

Not happy.

 

That's kind of a standard response. But it's probably covered under warranty unless it's something else leaking. For a loaner car, you normally have to make the appointment in advance and tell them you want a loaner so that they have one reserved for you. If it's covered under warranty the loaner should be free.

 

Had this happen to me two years ago with a 2006 E350. Our car is a summer car that sits in the garage for basically the whole year. minus summer. Brought the car to Mercedes of Rocklin, after smelling strong fumes of gas in my garage after filling up the tank. After paying the diagnostic fee, the fee will be wavied if it is covered by the recall. sure enough they replaced it free of charge.

 

Just remember to call it an extended warranty, not a recall. An extended warranty just means they fix it if it's bad. A recall means they have to fix it regardless of whether it's bad or not. There's a difference.

They pretty much say the same thing to everyone, you have to risk paying the diagnostic fee to get it fixed under warranty. There was a case where someone had the problem and it turned out to be the fuel filler which wasn't under warranty so they had to pay out of pocket for that item. There are videos out there that show you how to take off the rear seat to check the fuel tank. If it's leaking, there will be gas pooling on top of the fuel tank.

 

I never paid any diagnostic fee. That sounds like ****ty dealer BS. I told the service advisor I smelled gas and they ordered the fuel tank on the spot. It's a well known issue by now and the dealer has replaced dozens of these fuel tanks.

 

Yeah mine is being replaced right now. I took it in, mentioned I smelled fuel. They handed me the keys to a 2019 loaner on the spot lol You just need to find the right service advisor

 

They said same thing to me. Pull off the rear seat it’s easy to do and you can easily see if gas is pooling. If it is just say sure whatever and it’ll be covered once they see it’s the tank