Jonathon Heap
Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2022
- Messages
- 24
- Reaction score
- 17
- Your Mercedes
- 2019 E400D All Terrain
Good news !, hope you can enjoy the car again soon. Apparently mine is now going back together too, fingers crossed.
Hi MoI thought i had better write up my current situation with my 2020 E400d. (December 2019 build date)
Bought the car in June, 1 year old.
Apart from the boot lid opening itself once in a while and a very occasional issue with the gear stalk not selecting properly (and the 20" wheels getting damaged too easily but that's another story) its been good.
However, mid-November, the car went into limp mode shortly before J15 on the M1 - engine sounded 'wrong' and, a minute or so later as i was getting off the junction, (this stretch is, still, being converted into a "smart" lol motorway, so absolutely no places to stop on the motorway itself) i lost servo assisted brakes quite suddenly, the engine then bogged down to a stall as i stopped at the traffic lights.
MB couldn't arrange recovery for SIX hours, so i was directed, as the car was still 'running', (it did restart after a while cranking) to drive the 7 or so miles home carefully . And believe me it was careful with effectively no brakes.
Car was inspected and recovered in the morning to Mercedes Northampton - after a few days and challenge to get a suitable courtesy car, the dealer called to inform me that the tandem oil and vacuum pump had failed. This at a minimum requires engine out to replace, along with all the associated vacuum components. I was aware of a few instances of this problem in Germany from german forum reports - but with the car under warranty i was less concerned.
No repair took place for the rest of November I kept being told this is due to lack of parts availability and employee sickness (believable) however, i also discussed with them that i expected the engine to be checked for mechanical damage caused by any potential loss of oil pressure.
Two months later the car is still sat in the same parking space behind the dealer, no work having been yet undertaken. Still being told that parts/labour are not available. I was told that i was 'lucky' the car is in warranty as this is 'going to cost at least £12k to fix'.
I do have an E220d estate though now as a courtesy car which is sufficient for the time being.
My issues are:
The loss of braking was certainly dangerous with an otherwise 'running' car, with the nature of the failure i experienced this could have been much more dangerous.
Two months in and no work has been started on the car. Has the dealer identified, i wonder, that the engine is also damaged and they are not telling me, hence the lack of correspondence and fact that the car hasn't moved in weeks? (It is visible from the access road to the retail park)
Can i reasonably expect to claim any compensation from MBUK? I'm paying Tax, finance and Insurance etc. on a car i have no use of.
How many other vehicles are affected by this pump issue? I note that another forum member 'Anko' is in the same situation, but just out of warranty and with a near £6k bill.
I have now reported this experience to VOSA as this absolutely is a safety recall trigger.
Thoughts welcome.
Car collected, what a joy to drive it again !. Only slight hiccup, someone had decided to steal my number plates. Mercedes Solihull soon made up new ones and fitted them.
Report it to the police, if stolen they will be used in crime. Police will put a marker on PNC so you might get stopped as well.Car collected, what a joy to drive it again !. Only slight hiccup, someone had decided to steal my number plates. Mercedes Solihull soon made up new ones and fitted them.
Thanks Jonathan. That’s good to know. I’ve had Mercedes for 10 years and I’ve always found them reliable but in last 6 months I’ve had a tail light replaced. A new master cylinder and then this. I do like driving the car and don’t particularly want to change it so I will look into the extended warranty.The warranty work has returned the car to as good as it was before. Few niggles, as in low coolant level, which should have been sorted after a road test and a rattle in the dash. Car works perfectly though and is again a joy to drive. My warranty is almost up now, so I will buy an extended warranty for 12 months to help the new owner , as I will be selling the car in a few months when my new one arrives
My E220 2019 was just out of warranty when engine warning light came a week ago. I immediately booked with Mercedes for a check which costs ca. £300. Yesterday, the diagnosis revealed that there is an oil and coolant leakage to the tandem oil/coolant and vacuum pumps. I was told that this may cause the vacuum brake servo to fail at any moment and thus the brakes. Preliminary estimate of the cost for the repair is in excess of £10k with two months waiting time (as they are fully booked). They explained that they will have to remove the engine to replace the damaged oil/coolant and vacuum pumps and associated components thus it is a 3 or more days job. I do not feel any performance or braking issue with the car but I am now afraid of driving it as I often have to drive on motorways. I have no possibility of paying this much for the repair as I just bought it from the first owner less than 2 months ago. The thing is the car is my livelihood as I drive it as a taxi and it has 300 000km in just 3 years which is normal for a taxi. I live in Sweden and here most taxi cars from other car makers reach 300 000km without problem but Mercedes or Volvo cars are preferred (despite their hefty prices compared to the other brands) as they are believed to go much further without major issues.
I just read a security alert by Mercedes which I believe is to be related to these issues. It is not a recall but I am wondering whether to contact them as this clearly is a 'design' and not a 'wear' issue. What do you think?
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