I wouldn't own one of these cars out of warranty.

I was hoping this statement would not come true. It seems we are onto the next stage of leakers in the E63s.

The gas tank fix mentioned above may play a role in long term seal but only time will tell. If the cars with replaced gas tanks hold tight for a couple years then we may have a solution.

Ughh... i found this thread about two days ago. Got in my car yesterday and am smelling gas. Not sure if it was my mind playing tricks on me so I had my buddy sit in my car and he smelled the same. So how do I remove the rear seat and cover and check myself? Please help.

Seat cushion comes out and you will see two coverplates with 7-8 10mm screws holding them in place. you want to inspect the one behind the driver, but check the passenger side as well.
The seat can be tricky but it comes out.

You will see gas puddling up at the base of the sending unit.

Yep...pulled the seat out then the inspection units. The drivers side was ok but the passenger side had some fuel pooled at the bottom. I purchased a warranty for this a week ago so I am lucky. taking it down to my indy dealer and having him do the fix on it on Monday. Will keep you updated. Thanks to the forum for this info. I would have never even guessed what it was or where to look.

Update- Took it to the indy dealer yesterday, he looked at it ordered a gasket for it. Took it in this morning, picked it up this afternoon, all fixed, no gas smell. Total cost under $84.00. All-in-all not a total train smash:y

Unfortunately the "gasket fix" will not resolve the issue, so be prepared for it to return.

btw, does the VMI for your car state that the fuel sending unit recall was already done previously?

This guy is correct. Also you probably haven't filled your tank up full. Be careful when you fill up. I would remove the covers above the senders on driver and passensger side and watch them as you fill the tank. I think you will find the gas smell comes back. Inevitable unless you replace the senders. Be prepared for $300+ part cost (each side) + install. Don't mean to be a pessimist but many of us have been down this road!

*update* missed the bit on warranty ... I decided to get warranty after this incident ... well worth it! :)

Would either of you be so kind as to PM me where you got the warrany and how much it cost?
I want to get this pre-existing condition fixed

Well I am going to stay positive and hope that I dont see any issues.

Gauge off ?
 

Has anyone also had a problem with their gauge not reading full ? The top two lines of mine never come on. The VMI for my 04 E55 shows that the recall was performed.

Mine always reads full

Alright, I have just joined the gas leaking E55 group. Filled it up and after getting home, dad informed that the garage smells like gas and I just had a quick flash of this thread in front my eyes.

I will be taking the car to the dealer tomorrow to see what they say. I am out of the factory warranty period (84k miles) but I do have aftermarket warranty. I have filled a complaint with NHTSA.

I'll be using my E55 tonight and prob have to fill it up tomorrow. I noticed when I first got it that after filling it up and parking it in my driveway that has a slight incline I smelt some gas after getting out. I backed out of the driveway and noticed what appeared to be 2 small drops. The driveway was wet and it smelt like gas.

Does anyone have any pics of how to remove everything and where those inspections plates are ? Pics of the gas on top of the sender and the seals would be a plus too.

Like I said I'm going to fill it up tomorrow and then try to have a look at it. I know that when I took it to the dealer to have the SBC changed out the tech said that the recall was performed. I mentioned that I smelt the gas before and he did a leak test on it for me. I have the print out at home still. I'm wondering if it is intermident with heat or a warm tank from the exhaust.

Honestly its pretty self explanatory here in my Post #254.
Just take out your rear seat as you would out of any other car.
No pictures needed.

The cover plates are in plain sight

Actually, there is some black padding underneath the seat that you will have to lift up.:)

I just checked mine yesterday and yes, it is pretty easy. Takes about 2-3 minutes.

So I called the MB dealer today and was told that there is no such recall for this...!!! Anybody has any recall number? I will be checking out my VMI in detail later today to see if I find anything.

Thanks. I haven't take the back seat out yet. Once the inspection plates are off is it possible to take the sender out of the tank ?

When they replaced the seal, they probably bent the sender arm a little. It's a bit of a pain to get that thing in and out.

See attached pdf with my post here:https://mbworld.org/forums/4452371-post11.html

SPVFD47: do a search here and/or on Google. There are several posts/threads with pics of pulling the units and various DIYs. I know there are some here and on Benzworld. (btw, Smelt is a small silvery fish and also a way to extract ore. But if you're a Brit or an Aussie, then you get a free pass to use "smelt" instead of "smelled.". :D)

btw, this is not only on E55s. It's happening on all W211s. The answer (according to some MBCA members) is a fuel tank replacement along with the new senders and gaskets, etc.. That seems to be solving it permanently. It appears that MBUSA doesn't want to go that route because of the expense, so they are doing quick temporary fixes that range from gaskets to sending units only. But it all depends on the knowledge and willingness of each individual dealer.

well, it seems it was done on my car and the problem has returned again..

Partial extract from the VMI for my car. Notice the 3rd line, it matches the number in your PDF.
http://i52.tinypic.com/10n6mxf.jpg

Now I am getting pissed! My car is smelling of gas again. Neither of the senders is leaking. Is there a particular area on the fuel tank that leaks? Looks like I am going to have to replace the tank too! Grrr!

03 e55 amg leak
 

I guess im joing this post that you guys have alot. I have a 03 e55 amg and its leaking also from sending unit. But my pump side on passenger is melting the cap. Now my car doesnt start at all Do i need to change out the sending unit to get the car to pump fuel to fuel pump? Can somone tell me if they have a similar prob?

Add me to the group of leakers....:eek:, I tried to fix it myself and the tip broke off...LOL. I called MBUSA since it states that fletcher Jones closed the recal but really did not do any replacement of part. Dealer said to come in they will check on saturday, if they dont replace it I will have to pay for it myself out of pocket.

I have not seen it cause non-starting. The only non-starting issue I had was after putting the fuel pumps back into the tank ... I did not seat the feed lines properly inside the tank from the fuel pump and it was leaking. A leaking SENDER should not affect starting. Leaks on the fuel pump side would.

LOL which part did you break off? The nipple at the top? I imagine that is common since it is a plastic piece. I recommend slicing off the fuel line and replacing it with new hose.