mou450

Car has 49,000 miles, own for 5 years. Oil leak for past few days, had to add a quart.

Dealer inspected and had this report:

CLEAN ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION AFTER REPAIRS ON LINE B, RE CHECK FOR OIL LEAKS AND CORRECT FLUID LEVEL.
$608.06

CLIENT STATES OWNER STATES CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT IS ON.

Included
PERFORMED GUIDED TEST, FOUND NO VACUM AT TURBO WAST GATE. VACUM LINE IS DRIPPING OIL. TURBO VACUM LINES AND SWITCH OVER VALVE CONTAMINATED WITH OIL. REPLACE VACUUM PUMP, VACUUM LINE TO SWITC OVER VALVE AND TO BOTH TURBO WASTE GATE AND SWITCH OVER VA
$1,935.35

Is it normal to have these leaks with this mileage? car was regularly serviced at the same MB dealer for past 5 years,

Thank you,

chassis

Not sure if it's normal at 49k miles, but vacuum and oil residue (contamination) are not uncommon on Mercedes engines. Try searching this site to get more detail.

What I am seeing in your post is $1935 for a new vacuum pump and lines. On mercedesbenzstarparts.com the vacuum pump 276-230-03-65 is $185. The lines can't be too much more.

As usual, it appears that the vast majority of the cost is for dealer labor. If you DIY, this could be a job for you. If not, either pay the money or find an independent shop that might charge less.

mou450

That's what I thought, seems overly priced,

Thanks

chassis

The cost, my guess, comes from gaining access to the vacuum pump. Generally it seems M-B puts the vacuum pump at the rear of the driver's side (North America) cylinder head. This is the case on a C-Class on YouTube, and appears to be the case on my W166 GLE350. On the GLE it seems like the intake manifold might need to be removed. Not a terribly difficult job, just time consuming. And a few replacement gaskets might be needed in the process of accessing the vacuum pump.

So while the pump itself and the hoses are not expensive, the repair seems time intensive.

captivabenz

Another reason to always purchase an Extended Mercedes Warranty on these vehicles.

steh-fan

How involved is it to replace the vacuum pump on the M278? Is it fairly easily accessible?

arsupisemnet

Vacuum pump located at the back of the engine on driver side. It is relatively easy if you can unscrew bolts holding it - tight space.