Hi Folks,

My brother-in-law has a 6 week old E 320 CDi, 2 weeks ago coming home
from work, using the phone kit, the phone cut out?, thinking that there
is a problem, the sat-nav went out and then flames & smoke started to
come out the top of the dash, he stopped on the hardsholder very quickly,
and switched off the ignition, there was no lights on at all, and the flames
& smoke stopped.

The tow truck that came out for him, said that this was the 6th. one that
he had been to. A friend of mine is a RAC patrolman also went to one on
monday.

MB have put a new dash in saying that they couldn't find a fault?, he don't
want the car back, and is now trying to get it sorted.

Has anyone heard about this problem??.

Gazza

 

Are these all tied to the CDI diesel or could it be something else like a phone kit or the Nav system? If it was a problem with the CDI, it appears strange that the problem stopped when the ignition was turned off.

BTW, where are you located? England?

 

My 05 E320 CDI has had a diesel odor when I park it in the garage. This goes away in several hours. I have had it at the dealer three times and they have found no leaks. Is it possible that there is a microscopic leak in the high pressure fuel system that creares a very fine vapor that never appears as a leak? If this vapor is at the right concentration, is it possible that it could ingite as in your case and suddenly you have a fire. Also, you said they didn't find any problem that should have caused the fire.
Have you noticed any diesel fumes when you park your car in the garage? If so, that could be the source of the problem and if so, I could have a potential fire as well.

 

Hi Jim,
If I were you (and we both know I'm not) I would NOT be happy about the vehicle smelling. In a nutshell, it should not.

Diesel is oil based and will not readily evaporate, if there is a leak, no matter how small, it will show itself. It might not be easy to locate, especially as we have all the plastic covering but it will not evaporate. Is the smell disappearing, or are you getting used to it?

If it is disappearing then it sounds more like diesel fumes coming out of a breather somewhere??

I hope this smell does not enter your residence??

Take care,
John

 

The only well-known fires on an E class, that I know of, are in Germany. It sounds, however, nothing like you described.

The first generation of SBC brakes in Germany had a possibility of catching fire because the SBC stop was activating at high speeds. Every time people were just letting go of the gas pedal, the brakes were being put on by a software error. Some Es even caught fire, but it was only in the wheels and it went out on its own. So far, I have not heard anything about this at all, and I keep my ear to the ground about these things.

Again. . . where and what models is this happening to? I find it hard to believe that the same tow-truck driver picked up 6! There must be a disproportionately high percentage of CDIs in that particular area that burn only when he is on duty. This (at least what the tow truck driver said) sound fishy. Think about it. . .

Can you scan the dealer invoice? I am very curious to see what was written and how it was worded.

Steve A.

 

Hi Steve,
I have not heard anything about this SBC-Hold issue and would be very grateful for any documented information that you might have.

Rgards,
John

A very sunny cool morning in Torquay

 

Not sure if they are all CDi's, he went to get some personal bits out of it on tuesday,
and when the service manager opened the boot the radio came on??, he still had the
keys in his hand?, and the reply was `didn't come in with that fault'?????..

Me thinks that somthing is not very well..

Gazza

 

thats miserable

 

I don't believe it.

 

I have 'tactfully' not commented

How's your car going, and I suppose the summer weather must be very pleasant by now?

Take care,
John

 

The car is going very nicely, just past 15kms and still feels like new.

The weather is improving and the garden is blooming (roses etc). I have been listening to the NZ cricket team self destructing against the Aussies in Adelaide (37C in the shade!!!!).

I enjoyed the rugby at the weekend :-)

 

I will try and get something for all of us to see. I only found out about this when I spoke with a friend of mine in Germany who's mother bought a used 2002 220CDI with an automatic trans. (it must be a dog in performance )

When my friend test drove it, he noticed that even at 100KM/h, when he let go of the throttle, the car was decelerating way too fast. Then he put it in neutral and it still did it. He got in an argument with his mother because he was convinced that there was something wrong with the car. He called me and I told him that my car does decelerate quite a bit if I have it set on S mode, but that if I had it in neutral it coasted just fine.

After his mother got offended, she called the MB dealer in Aachen and spoke to my old service writer who informed her that her car had a recall. She also got new brake pads, rotors and fluid along with a software update. My friend just told me this last weekend that there were some documented cases of fires in the wheels on some of these Es. I am assuming that he meant the SBC's automatic stop functions was the issue, not the SBC-Hold.

As soon as I find something, I'll post it on a new thread.

Steve A.

 

6 E's? Even if there was a 1% chance of this happening, it would mean that the guys has 600 driving around his area.

There is some logic and technical justification for getting concerned about the high pressure injection system leaking. It is EXTREMELY difficult to seal eeverything down at 23,000 psi and there is a leak, it would turn the fuel into droplets so fine that there would be no direct evidence of it. In fact, if there was sufficient air flow, you would NEVER find it. The droplets would be so fine and the amount so small that you would only be able to smell it.

I am not guessing here guys, in the winter I use 800 psi to convert water to a very fine mist (balance the moisture content) for my production plant and you do NOT find water droplets on the floor. Actually it looks more like a fog. Imagine what 23,000 will do? Also, I would assume, without much stretch of the imagination that diesel fuel as that fine a mist is explosive.

 

Hi Spartan,
I understand what you are saying and yes direct injection is pumped up to unbelievable pressure, but as soon as it 'escapes' that escaping mist will quickly loose this pressure and anything more than a drop of fuel will be seen. Unlike petrol the diesel fuel will not evaporate and the piping is always close to 'something'. Water will also dry very quickly especially under the conditions that you have kindly described, but surely oil is oil? Oh yes and I agree that a really very fine mist mixed with great big dollops of air is certainly very volatile (I am thinking of crashing air liners), but once back to a liquid it is quite 'stable'. You could certainly drop a lighted match into a bowl of diesel and that match will be extinguished.

I am very much of the opinion that the post is a red herring in regard to a '320CDI'. I have not read anything that associates this ""fire"" with the engine. I might have missed (mist ) something but the author continually mentions electrical gadgets??

If his observation were factually correct and that one driver had actually been called out to the number of vehicles he claims to have done, then Mercedes-Benz would without any doubt be taking emergency action???

I have no reason to disbelieve the author but... Why blame the CDI? Why not the 211?

Sorry for being a disbeliever, I will re-read the message and then try to locate the dealer.

Regards,
John
A sunny lunchtime in Torquay


pinman,
Could you possibly let me know the name of the dealer and where they are located please?

Thanks very much

 

I had the misfortune to watch both the Rugby League and Union Finals on Saturday, woe, woe and woe again. The Union recovery was at least 'face saving'. The Rugby League was embarassing.

37C is toooo Hot.

Do take care and don't get to sun burnt

Regards,
John

 

Glojo,

They may not be any physical evidence because the amount is so small that it could be carried away. In fact, if you smell it rather then see it, then it confirms the fine state that it is.

Diesel fuel does have an evaporation point, after all, that is how it is extracted. I think it's up in the 300 degree range. Don't forget something else, the components lie beside a fairly high heat source.....the cylinder head.

I am talking theoretically here. I have not done any test and I certainly have not started any diesel fires in my dash.

What strikes me about this story is the amount of "fires". In the US, you could be sued for saving a persons life so I seriously doubt that Mercedes has this serious a problem and no one has sued them or we have not heard about any recalls. I would think that Mercedes would recall every 211 in America and scrap them rather then be labeled a "Pinto" manufacturer.

Me thinks something fishy......

 

It is unfair of me just to highlight your last comment, but I am sure that when members READ the first message they will clearly see that there is absolutely no evidence of any fire in the engine compartment. The 'dash' or dashboard is the instrument cluster inside the car, and any electrical fire is going to cause communication to 'fly' between Great Britain and Germany, then no doubt World-wide????

I think that salt and pinch should be considered when reading this thread.

I will be the first to apologise and eat copious amounts of humble pie if I am proved wrong, and I do accept that this car MIGHT have had a problem perhaps caused by the installation of a privately sourced piece of electrical equipment. I am simply having trouble accepting that there were other E-class at that dealership with any similar problems.

Sorry,
Regards,
John

 

A pinch of salt (sodium), heat, diesel fuel and electricity.

Baaaaaaang..........

 

Ahhh but would you have to extract the sodium from the salt to get the booooom..... as opposed to the bang?

John

 

Ok, the latest is that he has got the car back, the dealer says that `there wasn't anything wrong with it'??, but they have changed the dash, sat-nav, phone, CD and some of the wiring loom.

They refuse to say that there was any problems with it. So he is now going to get shot of it, says he can't trust it, keeps looking at the dash waiting for somthing to happen.

Gazza

 

I don't believe this story either.

 

Well beleve it or not..

The latest is that the dealer has had the car more than he has, and has now decided to get a car of the same spec and change it, last time he drove it at christmas, he was in Norfolk and the sat-nav said he was in Kent??.

I wouldn't by a Merc after this..

Gazza

 

Mmmmm, I bet you'd buy a BMW though

 

I would very much suspect operator error. You are talking of being well over one hundred miles out? Are you saying that the GPS was that inaccurate?

Robinsons Mercedes-Benz
Heigham Street
Norwich
Norfolk

I am led to believe this is the only dealership in Norfolk. Is this where all the 320CDI's are taken that have caught fire?

Sorry to doubt you.
John

 

That's nuts. Smoke out of the blues...