vrtymfg

This weekend my wife and I were driving in our 2007 ML 350 with about 8,000mi on the clock, and had to stop to get gas. I put some gas in, started going down the road about 1 mi, and the check engine light comes on and the car starts idling rough. Then the car would start but then stall right away.

I had the car towed to my MB dealership and the service rep told me that he thought that it had to do with the software needing reprogrammed for the winter ethanol mix that that particular station had. My service rep is out of the office today, but he said that he'd have another rep take car of it.

I call the dealership today and the new service rep tells me that there was 90% water in the tank and that it will need two fuel pumps replaced....NOT under warranty!!!!!

I'm not sure of what to do, but i'm just going to wait till tomorrow to talk to my original Service rep and see what he says.

Just two weeks ago our ML was in the shop because the heat resistor blew, and we had intermittant heat in our MB. They relaced that under warranty, and said that it overheated. I think that the electrical connector on the fuel pump also overheated, and they are trying to screw me.

BTW- there is no way it could have 90% water in the tank. The gas light had just come on, and I only put 7 gal in the tank at the station, so that means that all of the gas I put in had to be water because when the gas light comes on i'm sure you still have 3 gal in the tank.

Please help me with this issue

Thanks!

sosh

Very well could have been water that you put in. Did they save you a sample?? If that was the case then MB is not responsible and you should go back to the station where you purchased the fuel. Hope you have a receipt. Why did you only put 7 gal in if the low fuel light was on?? In any case be certain that the water thing is noted on the work order. I would tend to believe that there was water in the tank as it happened right after you fueled. Remember the dealer gets paid from MB if it was warranty and from you if not so it means very little to them if it was warranty.

vrtymfg

[QUOTE=sosh;2726167]Very well could have been water that you put in. Did they save you a sample?? If that was the case then MB is not responsible and you should go back to the station where you purchased the fuel. Hope you have a receipt. Why did you only put 7 gal in if the low fuel light was on?? In any case be certain that the water thing is noted on the work order. I would tend to believe that there was water in the tank as it happened right after you fueled. Remember the dealer gets paid from MB if it was warranty and from you if not so it means very little to them if it was warranty.[/QUOTaE]

I'll have to ask my SR tomorrow if they have a sample for me, but they could literally give me a cup of bottled water and say that's what was in the tank.
I was in a hurry and just put $30 in.
I understand that water could infact get into the gas, but not 90%...there is no way that everything that came out of the pump was water!

chilledbenz

Honestly I would say that it should be covered under warranty. You put gas in, how did you know there was water in it? If you get anymore run around from your dealer call up MB and log a complaint, its amazing how fast things get worked out when you call MB themselves.

vrtymfg

That's what I plan to do tomorrow if they give me any grief. Two electrical issues in less than a month sounds like it's the car's fault.

Thanks for the replies.

sosh

Yes it is possible that it was loaded with water. There is no way to tell unless you have a sample. Why not nose around the gas station and find out if they have a problem. Also to the other poster, can you tell me why MB should be responsible for the gas station if in fact the fuel was loaded with water. When purchasing a car you do not receive a blanket liability policy holding them responsible for everything else in your life. Again, what would the dealer's people gain by disclaiming warranty. The electronic failure in your heater control is not related to the fuel pump.

vrtymfg

If there is an issue with the electrical system that is causing overheating then they are related.

sosh

Based upon your reply I do not think that you have even a basic understanding of electrics. Heat is not an issue, The fuel pumps are on a different circut than the heater. The only common problem would be a severe overvoltage but thats so unlikely as every item on your car would have failed by now. How do you know the fuel pump failed electrically?? Perhaps it was a mechanical failure caused by the water which it was not designed to pump. Seems as if you are not going to believe anything told you here or by your dealer unless its in line with your uneducated thinking.

ML550

Well said Sosh-Some people ask for help, and only accept or acknowledge help IF it is in line with their beliefs-

lkchris

Or only if it's what they want to hear.

There is no incentive on the dealer's part to try to make a customer unhappy.

OTOH, Mercedes will not pay a dealer for a fuel pump that's been rendered defective by anything except manufacturing defect.

A warranty is NOT protection against bad luck, it's a replacment guarantee related to manufacturing defect. It's not an insurance policy.

The gasoline put in this car would have destroyed the fuel pump of ANY make vehicle.

sosh

Well said, right on!!

roughyear

so.... what's the verdict on the water in the fuel tank???