Author Topic: I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. (Read 348964 times)

CatsEye68 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 31, 2011, 09:52:18 am »

Quote from: sailor723 on July 30, 2011, 06:29:43 pm

Quote from: CatsEye68 on July 30, 2011, 05:39:22 pm
Quote from: airbalancer on July 30, 2011, 02:46:35 pm
I still think you should of gotten a pimped out escalade With some gold chains
Since it just really a truck it should be pretty bullet proof

Now you're talkin'...

With gold at $1600+/oz I'm not sure I could afford the "Mr. T starter kit" and I think they're mandatory with a s'lade. ..............and even if I could I don't own any white shoes or white belts.

The shoes and belts are complimentary with purchase. You're on your own for the gold though...

Vanstar · « **Reply #21 on:** August 01, 2011, 01:16:52 pm »

I hope everything works out OK for you.

I have had to MB products and my experience with them, anyway, was that this happened more than I would like. Wonderful cars between traumas, though.

One of my associates has an S550. He seems to be at the dealer more often than I would expect for a car of that price.

I hate dealers and tend to purchase cars that keep me away from them. The last two have been pretty good for that. Hope it continues!

johngenx · « **Reply #22 on:** August 01, 2011, 03:17:53 pm »

Quote from: Vanstar on August 01, 2011, 01:16:52 pm

One of my associates has an S550. He seems to be at the dealer more often than I would expect for a car of that price.

With all luxury marques, save perhaps Lexus, the more expensive the model, the less reliable it is. MB tends to pile features on their S-Class models and they tend to be awfully complex and failure-prone. Price and reliability are NOT positively correlated, not anywhere in the car market. Cars like the Yaris tend to be the most reliable sold.

sailor723 · « **Reply #23 on:** August 02, 2011, 01:59:02 pm »

Well, They checked the car out this morning and said the belt broke due to contamination from a small oil leak from a bad seal (didn't say which one). Belt is coming in air for tomorrow. Strangely they said they've never sold one. So, I'm driving the V8 ML for another day.

wing · « **Reply #24 on:** August 02, 2011, 02:05:40 pm »

Did they fix the leak too?

johngenx · « **Reply #25 on:** August 02, 2011, 02:19:48 pm »

Interesting. If it's the front main seal, have them recheck the oil level carefully before giving you the car back. Mercedes dealers are notorious for overfilling the crankcase (I have no idea why) and this causes oil cavitation on the main seal, slowly (or quickly) destroying it.

The engine has no dipstick

but the dealer has one.

I finally stopped taking my car to any dealer after a series of main seal replacements thanks to overfilling. Three different dealers, all of them overfilled the crankcase. On the MB forum, I found out this behaviour is widespread. No one has a clue of why, as it actually costs them money in additional oil.

sailor723 · « **Reply #26 on:** August 02, 2011, 02:54:50 pm »

Quote from: johngenx on August 02, 2011, 02:19:48 pm

Interesting. If it's the front main seal, have them recheck the oil level carefully before giving you the car back. Mercedes dealers are notorious for overfilling the crankcase (I have no idea why) and this causes oil cavitation on the main seal, slowly (or quickly) destroying it.

The engine has no dipstick but the dealer has one.

I finally stopped taking my car to any dealer after a series of main seal replacements thanks to overfilling. Three different dealers, all of them overfilled the crankcase. On the MB forum, I found out this behaviour is widespread. No one has a clue of why, as it actually costs them money in additional oil.

Thanks for the heads up...I'll check that when I get the car back. The diesel actually has a dipstick.

CatsEye68 · « **Reply #27 on:** August 02, 2011, 05:54:22 pm »

Quote from: johngenx on August 02, 2011, 02:19:48 pm

Interesting. If it's the front main seal, have them recheck the oil level carefully before giving you the car back. Mercedes dealers are notorious for overfilling the crankcase (I have no idea why) and this causes oil cavitation on the main seal, slowly (or quickly) destroying it.

The engine has no dipstick but the dealer has one.

I finally stopped taking my car to any dealer after a series of main seal replacements thanks to overfilling. Three different dealers, all of them overfilled the crankcase. On the MB forum, I found out this behaviour is widespread. No one has a clue of why, as it actually costs them money in additional oil.

Maybe the reason why is that the engine doesn't have a dipstick?

Even if the service dept has one, I can just imagine the tech not wanting to hunt it down and use it when doing an oil change.

sailor723 · « **Reply #28 on:** August 04, 2011, 08:50:11 pm »

Just to update....I got the car back yesterday around noon. It was a small oil leak in a seal (something to do with an air tube on the turbo?) The service was very good but hopefully I won't see them again until the 1st service.

While I'm not pleased it happened both Benz roadside and the dealer were as fast and effective a possible in taking care of the problem. (and driving even a used ML500 for a few days was a whole lot better than being stuck in a rental Impala like I kept getting whenever the SRX went down)

Julie · « **Reply #29 on:** August 04, 2011, 09:34:10 pm »

Quote from: sailor723 on August 04, 2011, 08:50:11 pm

Just to update....I got the car back yesterday around noon. It was a small oil leak in a seal (something to do with an air tube on the turbo?) The service was very good but hopefully I won't see them again until the 1st service.

While I'm not pleased it happened both Benz roadside and the dealer were as fast and effective a possible in taking care of the problem. (and driving even a used ML500 for a few days was a whole lot better than being stuck in a rental Impala like I kept getting whenever the SRX went down)

Good to hear.

Mistakes happen. It's what people do in response that can make the difference.

sailor723 · « **Reply #30 on:** July 20, 2012, 04:12:42 am »

Just an update. Aside from a recall for a potentially faulty fuel filter gasket the ML has been mostly trouble free in the past year. However,I have had signs of some gremlins in the last month or so that give me pause in terms of longer term ownership.

I was driving last month when I got a chime and a message in the dash saying "ESP inoperative, Tire pressure inoperative." It staying on for a few stop start sequences and then disappeared before the service appointment I had booked. About a week later it did the same thing intermittently over a weekend (was gone by the time I could have called the dealership)

I got a check engine light last week that showed bad O2 sensor (part ordered) but the light hasn't come back since they cleared the code.

Driving yesterday when the dash chimed and showed "Ad Blue empty...16 starts remaining" Message disappeared when I stopped and restarted the car. Dealer checked yesterday PM and nothing found (Ad Blue tank still 90% full from the last service) This last one worries me a little. The computer will prevent the car from starting if it thinks the Ad Blue is empty after allowing you 20 "empty" starts to get to the dealer. Could be a major PITA if it was to happen on a road trip. The service manager also thought it was weird that it said "16 starts remaining" ...it should start counting down from 20 if it thinks the tank is empty.

These kind of false positives or intermittent sensor failures are giving me pause when I think about this vehicle in the longer terms. Regardless or warranty coverage having to spend time running to the dealer is a nuisance.

tpl · « **Reply #31 on:** July 20, 2012, 05:57:55 am »

The whole,thing sounds like a loose plug & socket connection somewhere in the wiring harness.

As for the Ad-blue. Do you need to go to the dealer to refill it? Doesn't Ford now sell "Diesel Exhaust Fluid" for the diesel F series at its dealers?

Ex-airbalancer · « **Reply #32 on:** July 20, 2012, 07:25:41 am »

It starting to sound like your srx, and you got that one use
What will the ml be like after 4 years

sailor723 · « **Reply #33 on:** July 20, 2012, 09:11:42 am »

Quote from: tpl on July 20, 2012, 05:57:55 am

The whole,thing sounds like a loose plug & socket connection somewhere in the wiring harness.

As for the Ad-blue. Do you need to go to the dealer to refill it? Doesn't Ford now sell "Diesel Exhaust Fluid" for the diesel F series at its dealers?

No,you can get Ad Blue lots of places now. The problem was even though the tank was nearly full the car "thought" it was empty.

sailor723 · « **Reply #34 on:** July 20, 2012, 09:13:14 am »

Quote from: airbalancer on July 20, 2012, 07:25:41 am

It starting to sound like your srx, and you got that one use
What will the ml be like after 4 years

The good news may end up being that it's a 36 month lease on a vehicle with 4/80 warranty......

Sir Osis of Liver · « **Reply #35 on:** July 20, 2012, 07:07:53 pm »

I've just picked up a fault in the AdBlue unit. It's going to go 100% failure in 72 hours.

It can only be attributable to human error.

sailor723 · « **Reply #36 on:** August 01, 2012, 05:57:12 am »

Had the bad sensor replaced yesterday...turned out to be a NOx sensor. The service manager checked further into the Adblue warning coming on issue and it turned out to be a software glitch. They loaded an update that should prevent the problem from reoccurring. We'll see..... $:-\$

Julie · « **Reply #37 on:** August 01, 2012, 09:24:35 pm »

Quote from: sailor723 on August 01, 2012, 05:57:12 am

Had the bad sensor replaced yesterday...turned out to be a NOx sensor. The service manager checked further into the Adblue warning coming on issue and it turned out to be a software glitch. They loaded an update that should prevent the problem from reoccurring. We'll see..... $:-\$

Okay, crossing my fingers for you....

sailor723 · « **Reply #38 on:** September 08, 2012, 08:07:51 am »

Quote from: sailor723 on August 01, 2012, 05:57:12 am

Had the bad sensor replaced yesterday...turned out to be a NOx sensor. The service manager checked further into the Adblue warning coming on issue and it turned out to be a software glitch. They loaded an update that should prevent the problem from reoccurring. We'll see..... $:-\$

Driving to Nova Scotia last weekend when the "Adblue Emprty...16 starts remaining" message came back. I guess the software update didn't cure it.

When I checked with the dealer this week he found that there had been a second TSP and another "newer" software update in August. Cleared itself so I'll wait and get the update the next time I'm in. Still, a PITA to have to leave the car for the day rather than wait for a quick service.

johngenx · « **Reply #39 on:** September 10, 2012, 12:07:05 am »

Our E-Class was a wonderful car to drive, and under warranty, none of the problems costs us a dollar. The dealer was lightning fast to accommodate us with loaners and so on, but it was the frustration of not knowing what was about to go wrong that finally had the missus (it was her car) throw up her hands and say "it has to go!"

Mercedes needs to learn from some "other" makes and work very hard to eliminate these types of glitches. Even minor problems mean dealer visits, and it's the visits that cause the customer to lose faith in the brand, not the type of problem.