m156_amg

Back in the fall I bought my first MB- a CPO 2008 E63 AMG with around 40k miles. I didn't really do much highway driving on the test drive (only a quick jaunt from one exit to the next), but after getting it home I discovered sulphur fumes entering the cabin whenever it was driven spiritedly (say accelerating hard up an on-ramp).

The fumes entering the cabin were so bad I would have to drop all the windows and hold my breath until they cleared out. After taking it in to be examined at both the dealership where I bought it and the dealership where my fiancée bought her GLK I was told it was normal and that nothing could be done. A call to MB USA in NJ met a similar dead end with the official response being that they had to side with the dealerships.

Not knowing what else to do I took it to a third dealership in the area where the shop foreman seemed willing to try and help. He took a ride with me and said there was definitely a problem and would replace the catalytic converters. This fixed the problem for about a month. The only thing you could smell during that time was a faint smell a bit like you'd smell in a machine shop, which I assumed was the assembly lube or cosmoline burning off- then no odors at all. Life was good!

About a month later the sulphur smell came back with a vengeance. I returned to the helpful dealership, but this time they said there was nothing else they could do and told me to try different gasoline. After trying all the various brands of gas in my area and failing to find one that didn't cause the smell I am once again back where I started.

Making some calls to performance shops like Renntech and Kleemann, I was told that this behavior was indeed abnormal and that I should keep complaining until MB fixes the problem. However I'm tired of making phone calls and just can't believe that a car company of MB's reputation would allow things to come to this.

So if this was your car, what would you do?

Thanks for any advice!!!

KENNY94945

I can add that sulfur smell is typically related to a lack of catalytic converters.
(from experience removing cats on modded vehicles)

Now the smell returning......

1) Change gas brands was good advice...I assume you are using top tier gasoline and not gas from a race track or aviation store.
2) Are you running some type of additive?
3) Are there 4 cats in you car and they only changed 2?
4) Rest of exhaust system is stock?
5) Fuel tabs/ computer is not modified for performance?
6) This issue occurred from the day you purchased the car? (or a few months after?) Seems you owned the car for 6 months only?

So an opinion would be that something is causing your cats to fail.
1) Lean or rich fuel injection condition.
2) Fuel, coolant or something leaking into the cats.

Since it is a used car....can you find out if the answer to # 5 above?
Can you get the cats that were removed and cut them open to inspect for traces of failure?
Remove a spark plug...does it have a normal looking condition?

That's what I can add...good hunting!