The tank

So my car was disabled because mb blew my prefuse box when they tried to jump the car from the power point in the passenger footwell.

So when mb dealer picked up my car they sent a contracted tow company . When he pulled my car on the flat bed I head a super loud squeal from the car like a pressure cooker and my brakes emitted a strong burnt smell. I knew it wasn't good. The sounds or smell were not their prior to the tow.

1. Does anyone know when your prefuse box blows does it lock the parking brake. The car didn't look like when it was loaded that it rolled smoothly. It looked like it was being pulled by sheer force. I can't imagine anything going good dragging a car with a parking brake applied.

I think the car should have been moved on dollies to avoid this

2. Anyone know how this works when a dealer or tow company damages your vehicle? Who pays?

The brakes and car drove perfectly fine prior to them touching it. I have ample pad life. My brake pedal was normal. The car stopped normal without issue prior to this transport.

The dealer now expects me to believe that 4 brake lines just magically blew without even driving the car one block in their possession. Like this was all just purely coincidental. Now I have no brake pressure, and the pedal goes to the floor and a car that is inoperable. I have no signs or drips or leaks in my driveway of even if a minor leak. Now where the brake lines connect to the block in the rear of the car it's drenched . I believe the car was damaged in transport.

This seems like case where you bring one thing to the dealer to fix and they break something else.

tim687

The parking brake on these cars is fully mechanical. It does not apply the brakes like you would yourself. The parking brake pedal connects to a lever on the rear brake calipers and pulls the brake pads onto the discs. I'm sorry to say so, but leaving the parking brake on is not related to all 4 brake hoses bursting.


I haven't got any experience with this, but I'd say not you. They should both be insured for these cases and as for the dealer, how?!

Is their MB logo upside down on their front yard, indicating their in capabilities or so?
My gosh, a dealer who reverses battery connections...

The tank

I gave them a car with perfectly functioning brakes. My car was only taken to their dealership because it had a blown fuse not because 4 brake lines were blown and a pedal that sunk to the floor.

No matter how the parking brake was applied pulling a car with those brakes clamped down and not in the released position contributed torwards this.

wallyp

Pulling the car onto the transporter would either slide the rear tires or turn the wheels against the mechanical parking brake shoes. I can see no possible way that either of these results could "blow" the brake hoses. Nor can I think of any possible ways you could blow all four hoses if you wanted to. If you used some device to push the brake pedal hard enough to make the brake system fail, as soon as one hydraulic part (whatever that might be) failed, the pressure would be released.

The description of the situation seems totally implausible to me.

The tank

still no logical explanation for how you can give a dealer with a car with 4 perfectly functioning brakes with no prior issues to leaving the Mercedes dealer on a flat bed and the vehicle cant be driven

Towing a car with a parking brake applied CANT be the recommended tow method to safely transport a vehicle. That parking brake is applying pressure to both rear wheels. The car is then under immense pressure as it is being forced dragged on to the bed, Clearly the brakes were getting cooked with the burnt smell and the howling sound the car made as the car was dragged.

tusabes

Sorry but you are wrong .

the parking brake on the w220 is completely mechanical and does not use hydraulics or the brake hoses at all .

And yes you can Drive a car with the parking brake on, in fact many people do when they forget to release it when starting their car and driving away .

I doubt all 4 hoses blew , one hose probably blew and the rest are in poor condition so the dealer is recommending they all be replaced

the tow had nothing at all to do with this . It’s impossible : and if you try to make a claim with the tow or the dealer they will instantly know you are just one of those people trying to Blame unrelated problems on the tow or on a shop to get a free repair . That’s why many mb dealers refuse to service older cars

unfortunately with old cars it’s common for something unrelated to fail when the car is brought in for another problem , and the customer blamed the mechanic because the car didn’t have the problem on the way in . Just a bad coincidence .

The tank

not buying your so called theory. 4 bake lines don't magically blow in a car that ran drove and stopped just fine. just blew out of thin air. The only scam here is a dealer that refuses to own up to what they did wrong and that is severely damage a customers car. you sound like a dealer employee blaming the customer for your neglect !

tusabes

Nope I’m not a dealer I’m actually an attorney, and I’ve sued Mercedes dealers before. I know how scammy dealers are

I also know the problems you were trying to attribute to the dealer or the tow company, are simply not their fault. You simply don’t understand the parking brake does not have a hydraulic brake hose connection to the brakes, the parking brake is a totally separate small brake attached to the rear brakes, and it is operated by a cable and does not use the hydraulic fluid at all. Only the main foot brake is operated by hydraulic pressure.

The tank

Ok but the brake is still applying pressure to the rotors so the car can't move. Mb said the recommended procedure is to use dollies in this instance. I agree. This is to prevent damage like this. There is a reason they have this policy in place. The driver disregarded it and this is the end result. Severe brake damage This is no coincidence . What caused the burnt smell and incredibly loud howling sound coming from the system..? Something sure looked like it went wrong. Don't see how it's safe to forcibly drag a car with a parking brake engaged creating all that resistance in the system.

wallyp

While it is possible that you were unlucky enough to get a tow driver who was terminally ignorant of his job, that isn't likely.

If the driver pulled the car onto a roll-back with the parking brakes locked, and the car still in PARK, the wheels would slide and make noise. That WOULD NOT and CAN NOT damage the brake lines. I don't think that there will be anyone on this forum who will support your incredible claim.

Give it a rest.

The tank

Still no logical explanation as to why a car with no brake issues, no leaks. No low brake pedal the morning of the pick up. To just hours later while at the dealer brake fluid is shooting out of the lines and the brake pedal goes to the floor In their possession , yet not one drop in my driveway or symptom when I had it.

So clearly they did something . This is no coincidence. The brake lines didn't decide to all get together on the same day and decide to fail. It's a long process .

Yeah right I believe that as much as i believe that people can fly like superman. It's preposterous .

wallyp

I have no reason to doubt that the brakes failed. It is unbelievable that pulling the car with the brakes on blew the brake lines.

Perhaps a knife was involved...

The tank

Now that's is possible! Good old dealer vandalism or just being a you know what.

I was thinking the same thing. The shady dealers reputation is in line with it. Nothing like drumming up 6k in brake work

chassis

Given the advanced age of this ancient car and the well-known phenomenon of MB rusted brake lines, the explanation is clear that corroded brake lines allowed fluid to escape the system.

If this explanation doesn’t satisfy, initiate a claim with your auto insurance. Report back with their answer to you.

The tank

i've ben poking around some forums and surprise surprise other MB owners have gone to MB dealerships with zero brake issues for simple oil changes and what do you know, the dealer calls them and lets them know they have no brakes and need thousands in brake repair work. They trap the customer as they now have a car they were using to one that is inoperable. They gotta pay the bills somehow. Just like the auto glass companies that take bb guns and blow out everyone's window overnight in the neighborhood so they get new business for the next week. it a slimy thing to do but its done.

4 brake lines don't all magically fail simultaneously within hours of given it to a dealer. its a gradual process. there would have been leaks even small started at home.

but it is fun listening to the arrogant punks that work their explain their illogical non sense as if your a consumer that born last night. They give confirmation that most mechanics are lying pieces of you know what.


Bunch of low life sleezeballs in this repair world for sure.

chassis

Given the dearth of facts you have provided, it's time to start earning your keep as an Original Poster.

Photos please. Lots of them. Please provide 3 photos of each point where brake fluid is escaping the system. Be sure the photos are sharply focused and well lit, and don't suffer from camera movement from shaking hands or otherwise being in a hurry.

Until photos are provided, and after three non-OP site members have assessed them thoroughly, the BS flag will remain flapping strongly in the wind at the top of the flagpole.

The tank

since your idea please show us how its all done and do it with your car first! especially the lighting part. I bet that can be tricky but someone as smart as you can show the forum all the techniques. it be informative for all of us to learn how to document damage created by a dealers fraud and negligent care.

Please post by the end of today so we can make a weekend project out of this! thank you

chassis

Let's see photos of the old and run down car with leaky brake lines. And puddles of brake fluid that have shot out. You took photos to document for your dealer, lawyer and insurance company, right?

This car is eating your wallet alive, isn't it?

tusabes

Tank, coming to this forum, and arguing with senior members is not the way to get helpful advice. If you were just here to rant against the dealer, or tow company, it’s not gonna do any good, because number one you haven’t even named the dealer. And number two no one is going to change their habits based on what you post here. If you’re just trying to rant against dealers, who present you with large bills, we have all experienced that, it’s not new news. Both from this thread, and your other thread on your dead battery situation, I noticed one thing, your lack of personal responsibility. It is your fault that you let your car is battery drain to the point where it needed a tow. And you change the facts in both your posts .

in this post, you first started blaming the tow company, then changed to blaming the dealership, for causing your brake problems.

And in your other thread on your dead battery, at first, you admitted you changed the battery with a Costco battery, then changed your story to say Mercedes roadside service jump Started your car and blew your pre-fuse box. I bet in reality you are the one who blew the pre-fuse box . You also mentioned that your brake pedal felt different at that time, before the car was even towed to the dealer, in your other thread. You should read it closely. And don’t try to edit it now. So something was amiss with your brakes before it even got towed. while it was in your sole custody, and while you were playing with the battery. So yes, you have caused all these problems, Not the tow company and not the dealer.

The tank

Bunch of baseless attacks, assumptions and key board warriors with horrible attitudes.

But zero logical explanations . No worries I'll find out from more reliable qualified sources

wallyp

Wow.

e350forme

where did the leak spring. its possible the line just went out, maybe the pressed the brake pedal way harder than you ever had with their boots

bbirdwell

Show us the photos. The shops to which I take my cars send me videos, photos, and even invite me into the service bay to show me the issues.
Like others, I find it difficult to believe a tow resulted in all blown brake lines. I do believe in coincidence from experience. Took one of my cars to the dealership for work on a hydraulic master cylinder. The service advisor called and said the clutch was blown. I was pissed as I had driven the car there. Arrived to pick the car up and it wouldn't move. I had it towed home, dropped the transmission, and found the friction disc had shredded all material off of it. Literally failed after I dropped the car off. I went back, apologized to the service advisor and lead mechanic, and left two dozen donuts. Stuff happens.
And before you throw the baby out with the bathwater, there are some very, very knowledgeable folks on this forum. Pull in your horns, listen, research, and learn, and one day you too might be one of the "graybeards"..
Wishing you the best to get your car back on the road.

tim687

I'm wondering, who is giving a baseless attack now.

Anyways,
You are assuming that the tow truck blew your brakes, all four brakes.

We've already told you that the parking brake is mechanical and does not have anything to do with any of the 4 brake lines.

So I'm not really understanding why you are pointing towards us, despite the towtrucker having damaged your car on multiple locations

ChrisHimself

Tow company would pay in this situation. A mechanic would need to prove damages. Even better if he was a handsome asian 5'10 business owner who were to receive a certain envelope in a newspaper. I'm totally kidding. Sounds awful, something doesn't line up, but you saw what you saw and the end result is ultimately what it is. What happened in-between I have no clue if what you're saying is true. Nobody with a background on these vehicles will tell you that a foot-operated hydraulic pump somehow got actuated to-death and exploded all 4 brake lines, probably your brake hydraulics, and your fusebox was exploded while performing a routine jump from a rather benign part of the car. To anybody who doesn't own a W220 reading this, the footwell padding has a power junction when you can't get into the trunk after the battery dies, you jump it with the positive and a ground to chassis point which is conveniently right there.

Cars getting old, the crimps start failing on the hoses. The hydraulic system doesn't clamp, it's a mechanical cable or electrical driven system in these cars because the extended pressure on the lines over time wouldn't be great for them when parked. I'd rather just pay for the new brake hoses than go down the litigation route honestly, the filing fee alone would pay for your hoses and most of the installation with 4 Raybestos or Centric hoses which are $11 apiece.

I am a shop, I used to work for a certain car brand we know as a service advisor. I have to come here to learn things beyond what I'm told at the dealer which is hook Xentry up and charge $185 for a diagnostic PER ISSUE, instead of use my eyes, ears, and nose to diagnose things. I'm pretty much fairly qualified to tell you something was wrong with your car that day beyond anybody's understanding until it actually gets looked at. Replace the battery, four brake hoses, use 1L of DOT4. Don't use the dealer if you don't want to do business with them. I do however recommend an MB Genuine battery for the quality and extended service life that they typically offer. That prefuse box is gonna be expensive if they blew it up.
https://www.yourmechanic.com/book

They will come out to you, with parts in hand.

Lastly, buy Amsoil products. Doesn't pertain to your situation but just do it, I might as well try for a sale out of this mess. My contact info is in that link if you want to get in touch about any W220 related service issues.
https://alphaeuropean.myamsoil.com/