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Hey. Just got an "A" service done and they (independent shop) told me that my SL's engine timing cover is leaking oil. Said it's pretty common. Quoted me at $1488 to do the work. I have a 2015 SL550 w/ 45K miles. Haven't heard much about this in the forum so wanted to run it by everyone. Anyone else have this issue? Apparently they use a chemical sealant? No gaskets?
Do you see any oil leaking on the front under car shield or garage floor? I would typically tell my friends & family to have them show you where the leak is originating...
Get pics if you can. I've seen plenty of front timing cover "leaks' caused by sloppy oil and filter changes (or an easy to replace sending unit/seal ).
You'd be surprised how oil travels after taking out an oil soaked filter or missing the oil filler tube/opening.
Typically in diagnosing a leak, I'll (steam) clean the area first, and see if/where the leak develops from there.
Originally Posted by KeithS
Apparently they use a chemical sealant? No gaskets?
Make sure if they do the reseal, they’re using the Mercedes (loctite 5970) RTV sealant - 003989982010
Good Luck.
Last edited by crconsulting; Mar 31, 2022 at 12:43 PM.
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
What's the downside? A dirty engine?
My 2004 SL500 had leaky valve covers and I did the work myself. I got the car from a co-worker who had always had the car dealer serviced and they were leaky when I got the car. (One of the reasons she sold it was because the dealership had $10,000 of "recommendations" after her last service. Stuff like $300 to replace the trunk lift struts; $3500 to replace a stuck CD changer behind the driver's seat (fixed for free by smacking it with a hammer); $700 to replace 100k spark plugs with only 50k on them; $500 to replace a perfectly fine water pump as a "preventative" measure; and the list goes on. She was their favorite customer.)
But, the valve covers on the M113 engine were easy to get to so I did the work myself. Yes, you need to clean the surfaces of the old sealant, but it wasn't hard. Not sure how hard the it is on the SL550. Honestly, that sounds a bit pricey to me. But, if you hold a screwdriver by the pointy metal end, then maybe get the shop to do it.
Oooff that could be a huge job depending on where it's leaking from. That timing cover is quite involved. See the picture of that part below, also the video link showing the removal of the upper covers. My favorite parts of the video are
1) The engines out of the car
2) Where he mentions not dropping anything in the engine
I probably wouldn't do it for that price....
(but I'm in Cali. and I think I just paid that much for my last tank of gas )
There's no oil on the ground with my issue either. He gave it a "5" out of 10 severity rating so might get a second opinion before pulling the trigger.
There's no oil on the ground with my issue either. He gave it a "5" out of 10 severity rating so might get a second opinion before pulling the trigger.
Get that area cleaned up, and then make the call.
Since its not severe, you have plenty of time to make an "informed" decision.
Yeah- it's anywhere between $115 and $130/hr here I'm finding. I just moved up here to Raleigh, NC so still don't really have a shop I know and like yet. Just going off ratings and reviews.
Mine had the leak, but I was able to have it repaired under my ex warranty. If you like the shop I would do it.
Originally Posted by KeithS
Hey. Just got an "A" service done and they (independent shop) told me that my SL's engine timing cover is leaking oil. Said it's pretty common. Quoted me at $1488 to do the work. I have a 2015 SL550 w/ 45K miles. Haven't heard much about this in the forum so wanted to run it by everyone. Anyone else have this issue? Apparently they use a chemical sealant? No gaskets?
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
Originally Posted by crconsulting
Oooff that could be a huge job depending on where it's leaking from. That timing cover is quite involved. See the picture of that part below, also the video link showing the removal of the upper covers. My favorite parts of the video are...
Crap! I read it wrong. I thought he was talking about the valve covers (also where oil leaks). Then the price is probably reasonable. The question is, is it necessary?
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