Got this surprise today, windshield washer fluid leak

 

So is this a result of a broken windshield washer reservoir, or is this just excess wiper fluid runoff?

 

definitely not excess drain, Leak somewhere in the winshield washer fluid tank/pipes some where,

My car got fixed for excessive gas smell in and around the car after the fill up, the local dealer fixed it free of cost under MB extended warranty,

but at the time of pick up i was told the following issues need immediate attention:

- Valve cover gasket + front cover leaking (this was done by previous owner at a different MB dealership on 1/24/2019)
- Rear Main Seal leak
- Wind shield washer fluid leak.

I called the MB USA to state my case that i understand that the car is 13 years old, but the valvecover gasket was replaced less than a year ago should not leak.
they said they, i will get a call from some one from MBUSA to discuss and see if this can be done as a good faith job.

lets see.

 

Mercedes is supposed to warranty their work/parts done at any of their dealerships. The windshield washer reservoir is an easy swap, unbolt it, and unplug a hose.
I think that someone might have added water instead of wiper fluid. As wiper fluid is alcohol based to help melt ice on the windshield. If someone did add water, then that would explain the leak as water expands as it freezes causing it to crack and leak.
It could also be a busted hose that has ruptured from the expanding ice. Anyway, that will have to come out to take a look. There is an addictive you can buy to help stop rear main seal leaks. As pulling out the transmission to replace it isn't cheap.
I just had my valve cover gaskets replaced last year, that's pretty inexpensive, mainly labor. The front engine cover on the other hand will not be cheap to fix, as all the accessory drive components will have to be removed to gain excess, oh and the radiator to gain clearance.
A lot of labor hours to boot to replace.

 

Yes, hope so. someone on MBworld suggested to replace the Cam Adjuster gaskets while i am doing the valve covers. so i will definitely do that.

Regarding the washer reservoir, this car has spent all her life in the Southern United States, LA and TX, this is her first winter experience in the Northeastern US, and the temps. have been Frigid in Northern NJ. so it does make sense that some one might have put water in the resistor.

The rear main seal estimate is $1700. how effective is the additive method to seal the leak? i am thinking about keeping this car (E63) long term and i have seen transmission failing left and right on this forum with sub 100K miles, so i rather do a proper fix.

Is there a rhyme and reason for the transmissions to fail on W211 E63s? like abusive use, not changing the transmission fluid on time etc compare to proper driving and keeping up with the preventative maintenance?

 

I have owned (2) E63's and (1) C63 and never heard of the transmission failing. If your modifying the engine to produce several hundred more horsepower and torque then what the transmission is rated for, then yes it could fail.
But unmodified E63's should not see any failures. I have Kleeman headers and UPD Underdrive crank pulley, Carbonio Carbon Fiber intakes boxes pushing a conservative 525 hp, that shouldn't even effect the transmission.
Now if I was pushing 700 hp, then that is something all the way different, then I would expect maybe some slippage. I've never used this stop leak additive, but others have sworn that it works as advertised.
But is available at most auto parts stores. I think that the transmission failures are attributed to abuse and not changing their fluid/filter every 4 yrs.
Here is my preventative maintenance schedule.
At least every 6 months to a year, replace engine oil.
Every 2 yrs, flush brake fluid and power steering fluids.
Every 4 years, Flush engine coolant, transmission fluid and rear differential fluid.

I follow this regimen to the letter, and never had any drive train issues with my 07 E63. Only small oil leaks, bad o-ring seals etc.

 

Thank you for your detailed response, as a relatively new MB owner (never owned a MB product, to 2 in span of 6 months) i wanted to gauge what level of care do these MBs need.

My 07 E63 is 100% stock and thats why i bought it and thats how i intend to keep it.

" Here is my preventative maintenance schedule.
At least every 6 months to a year, replace engine oil. ----> same here
Every 2 yrs, flush brake fluid and power steering fluids. -----> just did that at 2 year interval
Every 4 years, Flush engine coolant, transmission fluid and rear differential fluid. -----> engine coolant i did after 2 years recently, got spooked by all the tranny failer posts here. Transmission and rear diff in next year.

this is exactly what i was looking for, do you have any other details regarding the maintaince you can share? i would really appreciate it.

 

Your vehicle should have come with a maintenance booklet, that has some maintenance requirements as per mileage intervals.
I also change out the engine and cabin filters when I change my oil. Also every two years I check the serpentine belt for wear.
If your spark plugs have never been changed, I recommend changing those out, definitely before 90,000 miles.
Some owners have experienced issues with removing old plugs after 90,000. Worse case scenario causing the plugs to break when trying to remove them.
Check idler and tensioner pulleys for bearing noise or play. The cheapest place to buy those big 2 piece front rotors is off of ebay.
I can't think of anything else at the moment. But I can provide you answers to most of your questions though. Just ask.....