Purchased a new to me (2017 GLE 4Matic) with 65k miles, from an independent dealership, in July 2021, purchased 3rd party extended warranty, because car was sold AS IS

Car’s CarFax report from the one previous owner, had immaculate service records, on time, at same MB Dealership in the Bay Area.

After purchase, drove down to California and by end of August, the car CEL turned on, sputtering and rough idling.

Took it to local MB dealership,
- needed replacement of 2 fuel injectors and spark plugs

Within 2 miles after picking up the car, same problem, back to dealership.
-told injector leaked and damaged Catalytic Converter- had it replaced

Again, less than 2 miles after pick up, same issue-
​​​​​​—needed 02 sensor

And yet again, less than two miles, same issue/ been at dealer for almost 2 weeks.

Now, mid November and dealer says that the issues were caused due to Bad Gas, (from supposedly previous owner- since I only filled it up 4 times in the entire time I’ve owned the vehicle, and have the receipts to prove that I put the manufactured recommended fuel type)

So now it need 4 injectors replaced and fuel pump, and warranty won’t cover the 7k now needed in repairs because dealer informed them issues were a result of bad gas.

So many questions, first, why wasn’t all this taken care of with the initial complaint, if it is clearly all related.

second, is BAD Gas just a catch all because they can’t identify the true issue, and this has now jeopardize my warranty coverage? How can the dealer confirm it was bad gas?

third, can bad gas really cause that much damage?

I am stuck with a car that I’ve only driven for maybe a month, have more than 3 years left of payments, and now needs 7k in repairs.

what recourse do I have?? Original selling dealership is washing their hands saying car ran when sold.

thanks!

 

Bad gas is a myth. In my lifetime of motoring I have not experienced bad gas. Diesel gelling on the other hand...

If you bought the vehicle as-is, unfortunately you are on your own. The trial-and-error approach from the dealer is not good. I would take it to another dealer or a trusted independent repair shop.

 

Thanks Chassis, so if it’s not bad gas, in your experience what else could have jacked up all the fuel injectors and a fuel pump on an impeccable maintained 4 year old GLE with 65k miles on it. What is the MB trained tech missing?

 

Not sure. Sand or sugar in the gas tank (vandalism)? Is that a possibility in your view?

What you are experiencing is unusual for that vehicle/engine at any mileage.

 

What CEL codes were thrown? That should help you diagnosis problems... you will need to become an expert on these issues unless you want to just pay someone.

 

I would ask the dealership that said that specifically what allows them to diagnose that and for the results of the tests they did to come to that conclusion. I'm no expert and someone with far more knowledge is likely to chime in. My understanding is that after 30 days gas ages so you will lose the original octane rating. But your car has computers to take that into account and adjust accordingly. So what made the gas bad? Contaminated with something? I would let the dealership know that their diagnosis has caused the warranty company to say it's your responsibility and that if they wanted to confirm that on their own dime that you would allow that. Otherwise yeah go to a different shop/dealer and if able I would contact the Bay Area dealer that worked on it as well.

 

Bad gas is a catch-all diagnosis similar to warped rotors. Neither one really exists in reality. However, fuel injectors can go bad. Most commonly they can get clogged, or the O-ring can fail. In both cases the engine heat plays a role. When the engine is turned off, the fuel remaining in the injectors evaporates leaving behind deposits that over time clog them. Similar for the O-ring, it can get hard and brittle from the heat of the engine. Only mechanical failures of the injectors are covered under warranty. Clogging or O-rings going bad is wear and tear. Your other issues were essentially secondary. Because of the leaking injectors, unburnt fuel got forced into the exhaust where it ignited and melted the catalytic converter and damaged your O2 sensor. If your injectors got clogged then "Bad gas" is about as much as it can be described. Who knows what clogged them. Maybe the fuel the original owner was using did have an unusual amount of contamination that then ended up as deposits in the injectors, or as said above, somebody put something in the tank. Maybe the previous owner was putting in some questionable additives.

 

Just to add one more point on the topic of "Bad gas". Not all fuel is the same. MB and most premium brands require so-called top tier gas. Those blends have more detergent additives that help keep the fuel system clean and keep the injectors from clogging. The list of top tier brands is getting longer, but not all brands are top tier. Also, the current supply chain issues have put a strain on the fuel supplies and the detergents required and some top tier brands have been unable to supply gas with the approved detergents and dosage.

https://www.toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/

 

I installed a Fixd Reader and it threw out
PO300
PO304
PO305
P2190

yet dealer service tech is saying their reader threw six codes (didn’t specify which) so all other 5 injectors need replacing and a fuel
pump is also needed.

so on top of fixing all 6 injectors, catalytic converter, spark plugs, an 02 sensor and a fuel pump, what else would I be looking at, component wise they can say I need, due to “bad gas”

 

According to AASA There is such a thing called bad gas....

https://www.knowyourparts.com/techni...ct-or-fiction/

Interesting thing is that BP paid for the repairs. This might be worth looking into if one has fuel related issues.

Also I might add is if you have fuel contamination issues and have a sample of the fuel tested and say it contains sugar, would you be able to file an insurance claim? I would think so.

 

My mother old Honda Accord (4 cylinder). She filled up at a Shell gas station and after she filled up it was causing fuel related issues. Brought it in to the mechanic they found water in the gas tank. They have to flush the entire system out and drain the gas tank. They also replace the Fuel Filter and some other components but can't remember if it was the charcoal canister, fuel pump, etc. since this happen like over 15 years ago. If I remember correctly it costed her about $1,600usd in parts and labor.

 

Yes, it can.

'Bad' gas perhaps is a myth, in that gas that is somehow off, old or not from the brand of your choice, largely won't impact your engine, etc.

But that is not true of 'contaminated' gas. 'Bad' gas that is actually contaminated can and does cause huge damage to the fuel system. This might mean replacing fuel injectors, catalytic converters, fuel pumps, etc. None of which are cheap on any car, but more so on a MB.

Here are two current (its Nov 2021 as of this post) that caused damage to customer cars

Water in fueling station tanks:
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/lo...motorist-says/

Diesel mistakenly put in a gasoline storage tank:
https://www.thedrive.com/news/43108/...s-tainted-fuel

 

Agree. Gas does not "go bad" on its own. This is a myth perpetuated on motoring sites, often boating related.

Gas contamination can and does occur.

 

I had bad gasOLINE about 30 years ago. At the time gas stations had single-wall tanks and some of them were black steel, so when I opened tank on my VW, I fond about 1l of rusty water at the bottom.
But in the mean time all gas tanks in USA were replaced with double wall tanks and it never happen again, even I usually seek the cheapest fuel in the area.
Even if somebody would put something funny in the fuel - it would show immediately , or after short time, not 4 fill up later.
Additionally mechanic fixing the same issue 4 times before coming with conclusion is not making good impression.
It wouldn't be MB of Walnut Creek, would it?