chassis

I have two oil leaks on a 2017 GLE350 4MATIC with M276 naturally aspirated engine. One leak is at the front chain cover on the left (driver's side) cylinder head, the other is at the rear of the engine/front of the transmission, which I believe to be the rear main crankshaft seal. I have over 30 years of motoring experience, have worked for a carmaker and have rebuilt an engine myself. I know a rear main oil seal leak when I see one.

The dealer told me "we didn't find an oil leak". When pressed further they said, "Mercedes calls it discoloration and vapors."

In my mind, this is strike one in the lemon process. Is it? I live in Indiana, if that helps.

If a dealer denies a problem exists, is the lemon process - 3 strikes and you're out - started?

ygmn

interesting...

but does car drip oil? leave a puddle on floor? that is leak.

WN1X

Have you cleaned the areas and checked for additional leakage at a later date?

chassis

No dripping. No puddle on the floor. I posted photos here: https://mbworld.org/forums/gle-class...-report-2.html

WN1X: I have not cleaned the area, I want to avoid interfering so as to remove any potential dealer claim that I caused the leak, or made it worse with an attempted repair. What do you think of that approach?

ygmn

sure it is not from careless oil changes or similar by dealer service?
I mean not to be jerk but that is pretty minor and well does not really effect anything other then views.

If it dripped and left puddles overnight then you could say engine could end up low on oil while driving.
I dunno....
TO fix means taking apart and more harm then good possibly.

Heck I would make them clean it and lets check back in next service.

Tough one for both sides...

expect better from MB but this is normal for toyota, chevy and ford...etc.

chassis

Thanks ygmn. I say the leaks are not from careless oil changes, or by dealer service. The photos and first hand visual inspection indicate this to me.

Fixing the chain cover leak means disassembly of several parts to create access, then removing the cover and resealing. There is no gasket to my knowledge, only liquid "RTV" sealant.

Fixing the rear engine leak means removing the oil pan and separating the engine from the transmission.

This type of oil leak is not normal in any vehicle I have owned, at the 33,000 mile point, in particular Ford and Toyota. I have owned several examples of those two brands, and none leaked oil after 33,000 miles.

E55Greasemonkey

When I worked for Ferrari the Italians used to call that "sweating" and was considered normal. MB offers no technical or official guidance on what is considered a leak, but generally if it's not dripping then it's not leaking.

Your state laws may vary, but a lemon law case is based on a certain number of (failed) repair attempts and/or number of days of lost usage. There may be other parameters but I'm not a lawyer.

chassis

Thanks E55. In this case the dealer made no attempt to repair. They denied a problem exists. Does that count as the first strike in a lemon process?

JALLEN4

All you need to do is google Indiana Lemon Law and you will find all the information you will need. The first problem you might have is the age of the unit. In several states the law expires as the car ages.

whitewagon

lemon laws are rather specific but generally easy to navigate...I lemon law-ed an ML with Mercedes... it was a clear issue within the time frame... generally you have a specific time (within a year or two) on a new vehicle, for several attempts to fix a problem... in my instance, Mercedes have me a new vehicle with more options... after 9 months of use, it was in the shop over 60 days...

get a lawyer for some guidance, but start the process with a letter written to Mercedes in NJ... don't expect dealer to help much because it's not a dealer decision.