Recall on GL, R, ML brake booster

[Craiglxviii]

Superb wagons. All the competition are jacked up off roader style. Soft spot for the R here.

Should be grateful really that Mercedes are prepared to recall cars of this age for safety concerns.

It’s regulatory, the last production is either within 10 years or parts are in current production…

 

[Uncle Benz]

It’s regulatory, the last production is either within 10 years or parts are in current production…

The cynic in me wonders if this might be why parts are becoming impossible to get for older cars. Increasingly I’m hearing “no longer available”

 

[mioba]

The cynic in me wonders if this might be why parts are becoming impossible to get for older cars. Increasingly I’m hearing “no longer available”

Thats definately true for relatively new cars. On the other hand the R class was a rare car from the off. so once off the shelf spare parts are gone from
MB they are gone - there are not many parts the W251 shares with other platforms.

 

[Craiglxviii]

The cynic in me wonders if this might be why parts are becoming impossible to get for older cars. Increasingly I’m hearing “no longer available”

No. What happens is, in the final year of production of a particular model the carmaker conducts a “one time buy” of parts unique to that model (or platform, if it’s a platform shift). That one time buy is based on predicted spares sales over the regulatory decade plus any further period, as defined by regional product managers who may wish to retain brand penetration in their local markets by maintaining older models in the used car chain for longer than usually assumed.

If the carmaker gets that one time buy volume wrong… no more parts. Usually (but not always) the production lines for those parts go away at that point.

 

[LostKiwi]

It used to be a Benz was for life....

 

[Uncle Benz]

It used to be a Benz was for life....

This was true. Parts for all cars were always available. They’d have them made for you if none were on hand. There’d be a delay, and the price was eye-watering, but you could get them. Not anymore.

 

[Craiglxviii]

It used to be a Benz was for life....

Now it’s interesting you say that. Yesterday the CEO announced that MB is to pare back the entry level lineup to focus more on sales of E, S & G Class, AMG variants and a potential new premium level (not just trim) to compete with Porsche’s Exclusiv Manufaktur.

 

[Craiglxviii]

This was true. Parts for all cars were always available. They’d have them made for you if none were on hand. There’d be a delay, and the price was eye-watering, but you could get them. Not anymore.

Well, give it a few years and you likely will do, just from China. I’m certain my AliBaba ABC struts were from an OEM production setup, they were too consistently good not to be…

 

[Richard Moakes]

Well, out of the blue, with a 10 minute warning, a Mobilo technician arrived, looked at the servo and said, that’s odd, no rubber band around the booster and just a tiny amount of surface corrosion. Declared the booster good, and we are clear to use the car again!

 

[Uncle Benz]

Tech coming Monday to look at mine. I’ve already had a gander myself. Peeled the rubber band back abit and it looks fine. I’m not removing it completely though. Let the expert look at it monday

 

[sweeper]

I got the letter yesterday and could have had it looked at today but opted for tomorrow for my convenience, I have the R Class, my understanding is that it is unlikely to fail, I recall they were checking S class vehicles for bottom ball joints because one had failed, yes one! and this was high mileage and used in harsh conditions, apart from a VW Golf Gti which was recalled for a potential problem with the heater matrix which could split if the cooling system saw a sudden increase in pressure (say for instance if the head gasket went) Mercedes are the only cars I've had that have been recalled, now being in a related industry I can almost guarantee it is because MB have a better system for monitoring and not because they are made any worse or have poorer quality parts.

 

[LostKiwi]

Tech coming Monday to look at mine. I’ve already had a gander myself. Peeled the rubber band back abit and it looks fine. I’m not removing it completely though. Let the expert look at it monday

The area for corrosion is at the bottom of the servo out of sight.

 

[Richard Moakes]

Well, out of the blue, with a 10 minute warning, a Mobilo technician arrived, looked at the servo and said, that’s odd, no rubber band around the booster and just a tiny amount of surface corrosion. Declared the booster good, and we are clear to use the car again!

Here is where it gets a little weird

The Mobilo tech rings again and says my combination of part number for the booster without a rubber band needs the full brake performance test. He came back and ran the full test using his Xentry/DAS tablet, which is a pretty strenuous test of the system, particularly the brake pedal travel and pressure tests which required him to press the pedal extremely hard. If any brake lines were weak, this would have found them for sure.

Thankfully, computer said YES, and we are good to go

 

[Uncle Benz]

The area for corrosion is at the bottom of the servo out of sight.

I know. I didn’t want to take it off before he came though.

 

[Uncle Benz]

It’s a known issue on other cars too. I’ve changed a couple on Corsas, one belonging to my wife’s aunt. The scuttle drains block and they sit in water at the bottom. Hers had a hole rusted right through. No recall from Vauxhall though…

 

[Richard Moakes]

I know. I didn’t want to take it off before he came though.

Good call, it will confuse them, apparently a few cars like mine, escaped the factory without the rubber band

 

[Uncle Benz]

I know. I didn’t want to take it off before he came though.

Apologies for the rubber innuendo. Completely unintentional

 

[sweeper]

Mine was checked today, rubber band was stuck at the bottom, stuck by corrosion and was still wet but apparently passed the test and the rust marks weren't big enough to need the functional test, but honestly there is no way of checking these propely on th R Class without removing them, he took pictures and left saying no further action was neccessary. So what is a failed visual check. I would say if it's obviously rusty and still wet there is some concern.

 

[LostKiwi]

Mine was checked today, rubber band was stuck at the bottom, stuck by corrosion and was still wet but apparently passed the test and the rust marks weren't big enough to need the functional test, but honestly there is no way of checking these propely on th R Class without removing them, he took pictures and left saying no further action was neccessary. So what is a failed visual check. I would say if it's obviously rusty and still wet there is some concern.

Any single area >15mm is a failed visual check.
The photo of mine uploaded earlier in the thread is a fail.

 

[Uncle Benz]

Mine was checked this morning and deemed to be ok. Tiniest bit of rust on the band, but I asked him to do the Star test too. No issues. Certificate issued, 2 years until next check.