KrustyKustom

Say what you want and drive what you want. If I wanted to drive a plastic feeling rental car like a Toyota Sequoia I would, would have saved money purchasing it. For me I like the Diesel, and have had three MB diesels with this one only having any issues. I will take my chances and enjoy what I drive.


You say your Toyota was in the shop twice in 46k miles, for two oil changes? Maybe that has been your problem, two oil changes in 46k cant be good for even a Toyota...


Enjoy your "quality"....

N_Jay

You quoted that wrong post.

jasonjeross

Funny guy you are. Read my thread back a bit. I traded the GL in for a Sequoia. Best move I ever made, not to mention with the money I "saved" NOT paying for a new timing chain/etc (on a 50,000 mile diesel engine) I can have a factory warrantied and installed supercharger on the Sequoia.

Once again....never again.

jasonjeross

Are you mentally challenged? The truck came with 2 free oil changes (every 10,000 miles). I took it in twice for the free oil changes. The other two I did myself of course.

Caught me, I don't change oil.....or not.

All you got is "plastic" this and "plastic" that? Here's what I got:

No breakdown this, faster car that, better towing this, less expensive that. Really got me feeling bad about my "cheap" truck now.

Honestly, I'm just sick of GL owners defending the garbage MB is producing. Show them what's up with you wallet and stop defending your bad purchases.

johny75

Here is my philosophy on used cars and problems. You sometimes see a used vehicle advertisement, let’s say 60k on it, and the owner says: replaced transmission, rear differential, new starter, etc…. There are two thoughts on this: 1st – wow.., what a great buy, this guy replaced a lot of things, I guess I don’t have to worry about stuff breaking now, all is now changed. 2nd – , which is my thought, no-no-no steer away from this car, it is a one off bad production vehicle, who knows why, maybe parts came from a bad badge, no one really knows but I would never buy that car… why would you have any major problems before 60k or even 100k.

Anyway …., my point is that you had a lot of unusual early mile problems, just bad luck in general. Don’t get me wrong, German cars can’t compete with Japanese when it comes to reliability, I always have mix of Japanese and German cars and I know for sure, but you just had a lemon too. Your Tundra will be trouble free for a long time…, and Yes, that dealer you worked with is a crook!

mavrick77

So has anyone come up with a solution to this infamous stretched timing chain?


Me: 2008 ML550, 51k miles. Misfire on cylinder 7 and 2. Changed out plugs and coil packs, still getting a "cam Misfire" code. They can not figure out what could be causing it except a stretched timing chain. REALLY?


could a valve seal leak, burn small amount of oil on startup cause a "cam misfire code"? I know it can foul a plug, but not sure if it would cause that code.


mechanics advice--"sell the car before it gets worse"..


I love that damn car, hopefully someone has come up with a reason or solution.

N_Jay

I would chase down the exact code and do some research.

Cam timing codes are one thing and misfires are another.

BlownV8

The 550 engine is pretty stout. It's probably a cam sensor or a bad magnetic pickup. It's also possible they connected the plug wires incorrectly. Check the plug wires and that they are hooked up to the right plug. Yes, it will run if not correct but will throw some codes. Your 550 has 16 plugs and plug wires. It's easy to get one or more of of the plug wires on the wrong way. Take to a good mechanic if it is not the spark plug wires.

mavrick77

just got back from mechanic, (second shop)....after I was able to go over with him, in person, that it burns a bit of oil on startup due to valve seals getting dried out because it sat so long I think he has reassessed his opinion. Thinks maybe the fouled plug caused a multitude of errors all at once, so he replaced it (I will do the others this weekend). So far no more codes thrown in 20 miles, we will see what happens in the next couple weeks. He was even saying how good the car sounded and you would think you would hear a "rattle" if the timing chain was stretched.


BTW....How do you like the SL600? Thinking of getting my wife a sl63 for her next car.

willykent

I saw this thread after searching for "timing chain stretch" on google. My 2011 GL350 (51,000 miles, has never towed anything) was slow to crank and experienced slight hesitation in acceleration a few times. I took it to the dealership and, after they drove it around for a few days, I just received a quote of $4,000 to remove and replace a stretched timing chain and replace drive belt tensioner. I am 99% certain that the dealership is hoping this is the problem and didn't actually figure out what if anything was really wrong with the car. I understand that big expensive rigs come with big expensive fixes, but I do not want to pay for an experiment. Has anyone determined if a stretched timing chain is an actual problem with these GL diesels? Thanks.

SndsoftheSbrbs

Does it hesitate at start-up?

willykent

it hesitates slightly at first start of the day. A slow crank. It takes maybe 3 seconds to start instead of immediately turning over.

Thank you you for responding. I'm lost here. I'm about to sell a diesel I planned to keep for 25 years. I'm not going through this expense every 50,000 miles - IF the expense is even necessary.

SndsoftheSbrbs

I am not an expert on this issue, but I am currently experiencing this issue with my 2011 R350 BlueTEC, which has the same engine. My vehicle first presented a problem at 78,000 miles. After the CEL came on, the car was diagnosed with faulty NOX sensors and a faulty camshaft position sensor. Those were replaced. My factory trained mechanic thinks the timing chain needs to be replaced because the car often hesitates at a cold startup. According to my mechanic, this is an unfortunately too frequent issue with the OM642 or "350 BlueTEC" engine. That does not mean it is exactly common. This is a widely used engine. Since 2005, it has been used in hundreds of thousands of units, across the Mercedes, Dodge, Chrysler, Freightliner, and Jeep brands. I have done a lot of reading about it and have read a lot of stories from others. Unfortunately, inadequate maintenance seems to be the common denominator. My advice is to first take a deep breath. This issue is usually not as critical as it might seem. We all want our cars to be in tip-top shape, but as long as the car runs normally, is startup noise really something to lose sleep over? A quote of $4,000 to replace the timing chain and tensioner is a bit high. I suggest finding a good independent factory-trained mechanic to do the job and to give you a second opinion. I am sorry that this happened to you at only 51,000 miles. According to Mercedes-Benz, the timing chains should last the life of the vehicle with proper maintenance. If you know, how well was your vehicle maintained since delivery?

N_Jay

My strong belief is these engine are not made for the start/stop of most suburban use. 51,000 miles in 8 years is below 50% of the normal use for any car.
I would not see how running loaded (towing, or not towing) is an issue, but 2 or 3 times the number of normal cold starts per 1000 miles is hard on any engine and much harder in diesels.
I used to drive buses in college (before the era of anti-idling laws) and when we changed from gas to diesel we were told that if we were not shutting down for more than 4 hours, just let them idle.

SndsoftheSbrbs

I think you and I see a lot of OM642 Sprinter vans driving around Chicagoland. They're probably running throughout the day, however.

N_Jay

Even in that stop and go work, the sprinters do mostly full hot/warm starts and are mostly run at operating temp.

Suburban grocery runs are usually a cold start, a not-full warm up (Less that 5 or 10 miles), a shut down for 30 to 45 min, and a "cool" start and another 5 or 10 minute drive home.
The oil never gets time to cook off the fuel blowby, and the owners run the full 10/13K mile change interval.

willykent

Regular maintenance as suggested (and performed) by the selling MB dealership. Maintenance should not be the issue. Thanks.


If you know, how well was your vehicle maintained since delivery?[/QUOTE]

N_Jay

I'm at about 140K miles and 9 1/2 years.
It spent the first 5 years commuting 45 miles each way a day (96K miles), all recommended maintenance (plus some) and not towing. (Owned by a diesel fanatic.)
It has spent the last 4 1/2 years (44K miles) with me doing my best to not start it unless I plan on going at least 20 miles, probably 80% of those miles were trips over 150 miles, up to 800 miles a day, and about 1/3 of those trips towing. It gets recommended (10K mile) maintenance.

N_Jay

Describe what you mean by hesitates slightly at first start and a slow crank?

willykent

The delay is almost like a weak battery, in that it takes 2-3 seconds for the engine to turn over / get the requisite rpms to get going (battery is new so that's not it). It doesn't sound like an electric failure (clicking) but rather a delay in the engine turning over. That's probably a bad description but it's the best I can muster. Thanks.

N_Jay

The ECU and glow plug controller decide how long the glow plugs need to be on before the engine even stars to crank.
The delay on a cold star is noticeable, but perfectly normal.

You hit the start button (or switch) and a fraction to a full second or more later the engine will start turning.

Then count the chugs. Mine starts form cold on in normal temps in about 3 chugs, but with a low battery from sitting or in cold weather it can take 2 to 3 times longer.

It definitely turns slower than a gas engine. (even in normal weather with a fully charged battery.)

If that delay is the symptom you need to find a new dealer for service.

sak335

Timing chain is not a slow crank symptom. Timing chain issue will present itself with a very distinct metallic rattle at startup. You will hear it, because even my wife heard it, and she doesn't hear anything.

sak335

Oh, and also, $4000? That's hilarious; no freaking way is this a $4k job. I did it myself. If I need to do it again, I could do it in easily 1/2 the time.

https://mbworld.org/forums/diesel-fo...0-blutech.html

smiledr996s

starter. I just had mine changed at 150k. It def spins much faster

N_Jay

What were your symptoms? Just a slow crank (speed), or something else also?