Oil change Nightmare !
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 11
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2003 E500
Oil change Nightmare !
Hi,
I would like to get an advice from you guys, yesterday I took my car to the Dealership to get an oil change and to see what was wrong with the malfunction message for the left turn singal ! they told me that they needed to replace a part inside of the headlight that costs $216 and the labor ended up $176 which I didn't mind but after I got my car back I noticed some shaking and figured it was do to low fuel , but once I filled up it was still shaking and short after I get a "CHECK ENGINE" light and a "REDUCE FUEL LEVEL" Malfunction so I go back to the Dealership they give me a rental and tell me they are going to call me, today I get a call and they tell me that the MAF is no good and that an oil sensor is out and he tells me $800 + tax is going to fix the problem, now my question is since the car was running fine before I took it to the dealership and started shaking after they over-filled it with oil.....can I do something about it...do I have to pay to get it fixed....Btw the car is a 2003 E500 with 46K miles on it
Any advice would be appreciated
I would like to get an advice from you guys, yesterday I took my car to the Dealership to get an oil change and to see what was wrong with the malfunction message for the left turn singal ! they told me that they needed to replace a part inside of the headlight that costs $216 and the labor ended up $176 which I didn't mind but after I got my car back I noticed some shaking and figured it was do to low fuel , but once I filled up it was still shaking and short after I get a "CHECK ENGINE" light and a "REDUCE FUEL LEVEL" Malfunction so I go back to the Dealership they give me a rental and tell me they are going to call me, today I get a call and they tell me that the MAF is no good and that an oil sensor is out and he tells me $800 + tax is going to fix the problem, now my question is since the car was running fine before I took it to the dealership and started shaking after they over-filled it with oil.....can I do something about it...do I have to pay to get it fixed....Btw the car is a 2003 E500 with 46K miles on it
Any advice would be appreciated
Last edited by BigE500; Sep 12, 2008 at 11:36 AM.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 508
Likes: 1
From: california high desert
2003 S500, 03 C240, 03 E320, 03 tahoe
so that was a typo?
your text states reduce "fuel level"was the message,ill assume you meant oil level.was the car over serviced with engine oil and did you verify it by looking at the dipstick?.if it wasnt actually over serviced and the message was displayed than that would explain why they are replacing a faulty oil level sensor.over servicing would not destroy/break the oil level sensor,it does all kinds of other havoc like blowing seals,forcing oil past oil control rings and taking out emission control components,foaming the oil and affecting its ability to lubricate all bearing surfaces.in order for any of this to happen you would have to be excessively overserviced by at least 2qts.the maf sensor is not related,mayby just murphys law.is this a MB dealer?
Last edited by AH1W-COBRA; Sep 12, 2008 at 03:33 PM. Reason: typo
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
2003 E500
your text states reduce "fuel level"was the message,ill assume you meant oil level.was the car over serviced with engine oil and did you verify it by looking at the dipstick?.if it wasnt actually over serviced and the message was displayed than that would explain why they are replacing a faulty oil level sensor.over servicing would not destroy/break the oil level sensor,it does all kinds of other havoc like blowing seals,forcing oil past oil control rings and taking out emission control components,foaming the oil and affecting its ability to lubricate all bearing surfaces.in order for any of this to happen you would have to be excessively overserviced by at least 2qts.the maf sensor is not related,mayby just murphys law.is this a MB dealer?
This is what happend; I went to the Dealership and they told me they could give some discount and save me the Tax money.....so I'd "only" pay $800....and I told them no, I asked for the Service Dep. Manager and finaly got to talk to him , he told me not to worry about anything that I wont have to pay a dime....so he gave me back the keys to the rental (2007 C230) and I took off...sure enough at 5:30pm I get a call from the Service tech. He told me that the car is fixed and I asked him did you end up replacing the Maf and the oil sensor...he told me "NO" it was something else he said they made a mistake .......
after trying to convince me that it was a bad MAF and Sensor........ I realy don't know who to trust anymore....I'm affraid to take my car for the next service.....
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 5,851
Likes: 196
From: Huntington Beach, Ca.
'17 Jaguar XF
You can start by not trusting that dealer. I find that most of the time SAs guess at fixes just like we/customers do. You can bet that if you are given a laundry list of 'parts that are needed' it's only one of them that actually fixes the problem....or they call you up to add one more after the fact and that's the part that does it. Unfortunately they are incented to over sell.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 508
Likes: 1
From: california high desert
2003 S500, 03 C240, 03 E320, 03 tahoe
you will never no
at least they repaired it at no charge to you.im a professional mechanic and yes occasionally i do throw parts at a problem in an attempt to have an "effect" on a mechanical/electrical problem.they are well educated and proven attempts at repairing/isolating a problem.if you dont feel that you were deliberately misled and overcharged for an issue that was completely made up than i would not throw the towell in on that dealer yet.these cars are complex and isolating the exact problem and changing the exact component with no other damage is what you pay for at a MB dealer.your end result was a success.free loaner,corrected their mistake,and you are back in your benz.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
2003 E500
at least they repaired it at no charge to you.im a professional mechanic and yes occasionally i do throw parts at a problem in an attempt to have an "effect" on a mechanical/electrical problem.they are well educated and proven attempts at repairing/isolating a problem.if you dont feel that you were deliberately misled and overcharged for an issue that was completely made up than i would not throw the towell in on that dealer yet.these cars are complex and isolating the exact problem and changing the exact component with no other damage is what you pay for at a MB dealer.your end result was a success.free loaner,corrected their mistake,and you are back in your benz.
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
From: Cal
Everything
Yes, I'm glad that they fixed the problem :-) but I was very disapointed do to the fact that they told me I needed a new maf and then in the end that was not the case....I will use a diferent dealer the next time just to see if my experience with MB dealers is going to change... (there are 4 of them in the area) the only thing that bothers me now is that that dealer (tech) told me that they do lower the cars there as well...I guess there is a guy there that can lower the car ..it takes them about 3-4 hours to do that but they can do it.....so I might go back to get that done
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