2012 ML 350 Dipstick Issue? - MBWorld.org Forums

09-23-2019, 09:45 PM

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MikeL2012

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2012 ML 350 Dipstick Issue?

OK - I needed to redo my earlier post to better explain my question. My question is whether or not there's any validity to the statement that a Mercedes service manager made to me: dipsticks on ML350s are highly inaccurate, showing no oil in the car when the car does in fact have oil in it. Background: I brought my 2012 ML350 to the dealership for Service B (the more extensive service). It has about 118K miles on it. The day after I picked it up I did a number of errands and maybe put 75 miles on the car. I was enroute to my house when the car suddenly began making a loud grinding noise and the engine slowed. The check engine light came on and then the car began to shake. I was on the highway, doing about 70 mph so did my best to get to the breakdown lane as quickly as possible (maybe 2-3 minutes). It was not a safe area as the lane was fairly narrow and it was nighttime with heavy, speeding traffic. I turned off the car but a few minutes later turned it back on in an attempt to get as far "into" the breakdown lane as possible. The car "groaned" as badly as before and was very sluggish so I moved it just a few feet before I turned the car off again. The noise sounded like grinding to my husband so we popped the hood and checked the oil. The dipstick was completely empty. We put it back in and checked it again about 5 minutes late - the dipstick came out clean. Even when my husband wiped it off with his fingers nothing came off. We had the car towed to the dealership and I went to see the service dept the next morning (7:45 am). I told them what happened and because i needed to get to work I left the car & the key with them. They said they would get right on it and let me know what they found. After a long day and four phone calls put into the service department the rep assigned to me called back to tell me that the car was totally full of oil and that what I had experienced as a misfire caused by a spark plug in chamber 3 that needed to be replaced. I went to the dealership and that's when the service manager told me that they have seen dipsticks "not measure oil" in the car when in fact said car has been full of oil. I was flabbergasted. Asked them to pop the hood and use the dipstick to look at the oil level. It was, of course, full. He checked it 2 more times and again, the oil level was perfect. We took the car for a test drive ... it idled smoothly, it responded quickly to accelerate. It didn't shake or grind or slow down. After a few minutes of driving there was a roughness to the idle which sounded like a misfire .... but sounded nothing like the noise the night before. At any rate - is this service manager to be believed? Has anyone ever heard about a dipstick giving a "false reading" one day and an accurate reading the next?

Last edited by MikeL2012; 09-23-2019 at 11:50 PM. Reason: Needed context

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