smokersteve

http://www.topclassactions.com/lawsu...e-class-action

This concerns me...

smokersteve

http://www.slkworld.com/slk-r171-gen...-problems.html

smokersteve

http://classactionlawsuitsinthenews....-m273-engines/

smokersteve

Should I worry? or is this the wrong engine?

VelociRaptor

Looks like you have the 2006 R350 which is a gas V6, the lawsuit list of vehicles are of R280(which is a Diesel V6) and the R350. The only thing that I wonder is if its the diesel(R320and the newer R350 CDI/Bluetec).

spacelev

You should be very, very, very concerned! You are driving a ticking time bomb....
My 2006 R360 with 48,500 just threw the codes. Mercedes wants $6,000 to fix the problem. They are telling me I am out of warranty by 6 months and since I did not buy the car new they will not cover it...

I will NEVER buy or recommend a Mercedes to anyone ever again!Service Buletin.pdf

spacelev

It is only a matter of time......

aggst1

This is a service bulletin. Do you have any numbers to backup your claim that it is only a matter of time? The service bulletin explains the repair procedure. Although this proves that it has been a problem for some units (that's why they issued the bulletin) it doesn't say anything about frequency.

The V6 motor is used in so many different MB models. Also, the V8 motor referenced in the bulletin is used in R500 as well as all V8s of the past decade. If it was "a matter of time" wouldn't MB be out of business by now?

I can understand your frustration given the problem you are having, but don't scare the living daylights out of so many readers that are happy with their cars. Did you follow recommended maintenance schedules? Did the original owner? Do you have records? Try to contact MBUSA, and make your case. They may meet you half way or something.

spacelev

Do a search on M272 balancer shaft. It is a cancer that affects many of the early M272 engines. Mercedes knows exactly how many, but they will not tell. They know the frequency and the extent of the problem but they will not publically admit anything! They know that they used gears that were too soft and will wear out and fail prematurely. Read the bulletin carefully and see how many units are affected. They keep ammending it (it is up to rev J already) and the list of affected models and serial numbers keeps growing. If you like playing Russian Roulette I guess you should ignore this... Ever wonder why there is a Facebook page dedicated to this and a class action law suit filed for this very issue...

Nope, there are too many of us out there that buy Mercedes hype. No matter how crappy their reliability and mechanical quaility gets there will always be sucker that wants to drive a "Mercedes". I know, I am a part of the soviet ex-pat community. You put a brand name lable on a piece of turd and people will drool over it. Mercedes does not make reliable automobiles or stand behind their product. They make very pretty toys. They are not alone. They sell a dubious image, an idea of prestige and exclusivity. That is all... I should have never fallen for it. How stupid of me! I guess there is a sucker born every minute.

Please be happy with your cars. I was when I bought mine. Now, two years and 15,000 mile later, after a $3,700 transmission repair and a $6,000 engine job looming on the horizon I am not happy at all! I changed oil every 9,000 miles with Mobil1 W0-40 and Mercedes genuine oil filters. I have all the records to show that maintenance was performed religiously since new with approved parts and fluids.
Mercedes spat in my face when I asked for help. They offered to pay $1,100 for parts if I paid a dealership $6,000 in labor (35 hours at $170 / hour).
My Mercedes "customer care" case manager told me that "because I did not buy the car new from Mercedes and I did not pay my dealer $450 for oil changes I was NOT A MERCEDES CUSTOMER!" You see, Mercedes did not get enough money out of me so they see no reason to pay for a faulty product they made...

Never again...

aggst1

I have owned three MBs so far in my lifetime. The first I bought new in 1991 and sold in 2006 and the other two are my current rides 2006 and 2008 models. I never had any major issues with any of them. It isn't a hype, it is way more than that. You cant get all you get in a MB in a Huyndai (as you stated in another thread) you get perceived reliability but not performance not refinement not SAFETY of the same levels. There are wannabes and then there are the real things. You can ridicule a Rolex watch all you want for being too expensive and just an idea, but you certainly can never say that a cheap knockoff is better.

You stated you got your oil changed, but not at the dealer. Did you have an Indy shop do it? Or did you do it yourself? What I am asking is did anyone check for error codes during the services? There is a reason service B costs $225 at my dealer. Not simply an oil change.

I understand MB for telling you pretty much they have no obligation to you because you are not their customer. Huyndai which you refer to in another thread has a 100K mile warranty that is not transferred, original owner only.

In short, maybe you got yourself a bad car, or maybe the car was abused or not maintained well but that doesn't mean it is the rule. Again if this was in huge numbers then MB would be out of business because the 350 V6 motor is in just about every class of vehicles they make sold worldwide.

spacelev

Lucky you! I am happy for you. I wish I were that lucky.



A defect is a defect is a defect! Doing oil changes, pulling codes, etc has no bearing on the simple fact that these balance shafts have a design, material, or process flaw! It is a bad part in the engine, period! I do not care if Gottlieb Daimler came back from the dead and did my oil changes himself, the bad part will fail regardless!

You are right, Hyundai's 100K mile warranty is not transferable. When you buy a used Hyundai from a used car lot you get 5 year 60K mile warranty... Still better than the coverage you get when you buy a brand new Mercedes.

Again, no amount of maintenance will prevent a faulty gear from failing. Also, my other $3,700 transmission repair was caused by a faulty electronic control module. Are you going to blame that on lack of maintenance too?

Bottom line: Nobody is perfect, I understand. People make cars and people make mistakes. Mercedes needs to admit they put a bad part into my motor and fix it, not come up with lame excuses and hide behind the fine print. In no way have I caused the defect or had any way of preventing it from occurring. It is not a legal matter, it is an ethical issue.
But in our world today ethics have taken a back seat to corporate profits and greed...

a930rocket

Where does it say in the maintenance booklet or owners manual to check for codes during a service? It doesn't and I can't believe MB does it on their own, as it costs money and time. Neither of which they are going to spend, especially when they don't cover crap that goes wrong and should be covered under warranty.

aggst1

I don't know if reading error codes is mentioned in the maintenance booklet. I know my invoice states that they performed that step and it lists any codes there. Next to that step the price is $0.00 indicating that it is part of the overall service charge. No, it doesn't really cost too much money. They hookup a laptop with the STAR system to the car and they read error codes. It takes less than 5 minutes. As far as "they don't cover crap" is concerned, it isn't the dealer's obligation to cover anything as he is an independent contractor for MBUSA. If my dealer is alone performing this step (highly doubt it) just to please me, then I am happy.

a930rocket

You must have a good dealer. Sure it only takes a minute, but I don't recall the dealer doing that for us and they were just awarded a 5th or 6th gold star or what ever it is for being so great. I wouldn't **** on Baker MB in Charleston if they were on fire. They've denied a few things that should have been covered under warranty for me (broken exhaust pipe, blower motor from air intake leaking).

spacelev

Woo-hoo!
I am now officially a FORMER Mercedes owner!
No more $450 Service B!

Just dumped my lemon of an R350, check engine light and all! At last I can breathe a sigh of releef.

I guess for me the two best days in a life of a Mercedes owner are the day I bought it and the day I sold it!

Good luck with yours, everybody!

shobbs666

To bad you didn't purchase the extended warranty. Some people think they are saving money by not getting one when they buy a previously owned MB. Anyone out there that doesn't have one I would get one NOW!

a930rocket

On most things, I never buy the extended warranty, but on cars, I always buy it. It's saved our bacon plenty of times. Is this a reflection of auto mfgs quality for the past 30-40 years?