Feel like a complete mug :(

[kito]

kito

Hi I Am also new to this Forums

I Am not sure about the SLK but most cars now has a electric fuel pump normally at the rear there's a good chance you will hear it running try just turning on the key to the on but don't try to start it just for a min or so if you can hear pump it may stop once it has built up pressure in the lines then after the min turn the key off then on again and try starting????

Also try filling the fuel tank to the neck the night before if the fuel is running back with a full tank the pump will be lower so should stop it???

 

[andypyke]

Indeed it is doing the same for me.

Please start a new thread in the general section asking for an good indie where you live

I think I have found one (fingers crossed) in Maidstone. They have the ex senior technician from Mercedes maidstone working there and also have the star diagnostics. I told them about this forum and they agree they should get involved

They are called Red Oak garage....I'll let you know more when I catch up with them tomorrow post diagnosis.

Thanks again everyone,

Andy

 

[andypyke]

Andy. If you need dropping back home from either indie in chatham or rochester, let me know and i can organise giving you a lift home. Either me or the wife will be happy to help out, having gone through last year what you are now, we both know how a little help can make a huge difference. We are only in Rochester, and wife always happy for excuse to go Maidstone shopping

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

That is an incredibly generous offer, thankyou! As it stands I think I have found a decent garage in Maidstone that specialises in Mercs so its fingers crossed tomorrow that they will come up with a fix for me.

Thankyou again!

Andy

 

[andypyke]

That's normal and not something to worry about. Mine seems to raise error codes when I need to buy oil or tyres, even for her car!

Sounds like you have a good chance of getting this fixed fairly easily. As said, cars bought used are rarely trouble-free, but after sorting out a few issues will give years of good service. My car needed various minor things sorting out which I couldn't be bothered to raise with the selling non-MB dealer as I knew it'd get nowhere, but is excellent now.



Definitely turning into a bloke, I'd say. It's only my sense of social responsibility and awareness of setting an example for the kids that stops me mowing people down with the trolley when I'm unlucky enough to find myself in control of one in a supermarket.

Do Star diagnostics work on the wife too? Do I dare show her these messages!!

 

[andypyke]

As well as the pipes and O rings check that you don't have a leaking injector seal, not an expensive fix...but a very smelly fault.

Take off the engine cover...if there is a black tar like substance anywhere around an injector then there is a leak. The tar like substance (sometimes referred to as "black death") is solid when cold and treacle like when hot.

Wow, OK. I'll add that to the list of things to ask the garage. I'm 45 (I think) and this is the first time I've ever been to a garage with an inkling of what I should be asking for!

Thanks

Andy

 

[andypyke]

Change the plastic clear fuel pipes... Buy them from mercedes, all 4 of them and ask your garage to change them...
£60 or so for the set + the labour of fitting..

Guaranteed to be your problem! Then you can have a lovely christmas and a Happy New Year!

p.s. it will eventually get going, ou will need to crank it for a while to get the air out of the system... Let the starter have breaks after each 10-15 secs of cranking..

Hey, I did this this morning and it worked. I also did what someone else said and parked it on a hill facing downhill and guess what? That worked too!

 

[Troon]

Wow, OK. I'll add that to the list of things to ask the garage.

No, look yourself first. It's really easy to do, and ensures you're informed when it comes to the garage discussion. If you can show them it and say "look, my injector seal is leaking", they'll realize you have an idea what you're talking about and you'll be less susceptible to overcharging is you're unfortunate enough to choose a less scrupulous garage.

Open the bonnet and remove any plastic engine covers. You should be able to see a long metal pipe running the length of the engine with six smaller pipes joining to it. This is the "common rail" - the C in CDI. One of the smaller pipes feeds in diesel at high pressure; the other five go to the injectors. Take a look in the "wells" where the injectors disappear into the block - if there's any black gunge around them, you have a leak. I've attached a picture of serious black death on a different engine, but if caught early it's an easy fix. I sorted one on my car myself in under an hour.

Definitely go to a recognized Mercedes independent with STAR, not any old garage.

You may want to show your wife this thread to give her some confidence in your purchase: it depends on how you think she'll take a) the stereotypical sexist remarks about wives in general and b) you discussing her reactions on the public internet... :lol:

 

[andypyke]

No, look yourself first. It's really easy to do, and ensures you're informed when it comes to the garage discussion. If you can show them it and say "look, my injector seal is leaking", they'll realize you have an idea what you're talking about and you'll be less susceptible to overcharging is you're unfortunate enough to choose a less scrupulous garage.

Open the bonnet and remove any plastic engine covers. You should be able to see a long metal pipe running the length of the engine with six smaller pipes joining to it. This is the "common rail" - the C in CDI. One of the smaller pipes feeds in diesel at high pressure; the other five go to the injectors. Take a look in the "wells" where the injectors disappear into the block - if there's any black gunge around them, you have a leak. I've attached a picture of serious black death on a different engine, but if caught early it's an easy fix. I sorted one on my car myself in under an hour.

Definitely go to a recognized Mercedes independent with STAR, not any old garage.

You may want to show your wife this thread to give her some confidence in your purchase: it depends on how you think she'll take a) the stereotypical sexist remarks about wives in general and b) you discussing her reactions on the public internet... :lol:

OK, no evidence of leaks around the injector seals. Garage have suggested changing the pipes (where they identified the leak!) and O rings as well as the fuel filter because apparently this ought to be done at the same time at a total cost of £200 plus VAT. They've also identified that coil no.3 (I may have got that bit wrong) and the glow module need replacing as they are showing a fault. This is going to cost the same again (£200) which I just can't afford right now so will have to leave untill earning again some time in the New Year.

 

[BAZZER1]

That price sounds about right for a Good Indie to do the job and sure you will be pleased with your Merc after it has been done.
Good Luck, Happy Christmas and hope things work out for you in the New Year
Best regards
BAZZER1

 

[littlebrooklyn]

Wonder if anyone can offer a glimmer of hope as I'm feeling like a bit of a mug...

Having been made redundant for Christmas and had to hand in the company car, I bought a 2004 CLK 270CDI on autotrader from what was supposed to be a private seller. The car was in London and I went up by train (mistake, I know) and the seller picked me up from the train station (2nd mistake I agree).

The car looked and seemed to operate fine so I agreed to buy it even though it became clear the seller was a trade seller and not a private seller (which I'll take up with trading standards as a seperate issue but have already been told not to place too much hope in that process!).

Anyway, the car drove home fine but the next day wouldn't start. Called the RAC and they said a common fault for this car is the injectors or pre-heat. They managed to fire it up with "easy start" and recommended it goes for diagnostics.

Took the car for diagnostics at a good local garage. The diagnostics showed no faults and they were unable to replicate the fault more than once (which then passed by itslef) so I picked it up drove it home and told myself "just one fo those things, at least now its working".

This morning guess what? Car won't start

Now I've got a severely grumpy wife accusing me of wasting money on a car that doesn't work (I'd say she's about right this time ) and a car with a fault that a good local garage can't identify.

Can anyone suggest what I try next? I'm no mechanic so it will have to be a course of action I can take to a garage and ask them to do.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated. I've already had the severe telling off for not trusting my instincts about the seller, but do feel free to join my wife in general abuse on that front as well if you want to :Oops:

I hope you still don't feel like a mug.

It's easy with hindsight to realise the things you should or shouldn't have done.

My OH is a trained mechanic and he once went to look over a car for my son that seemed to be from a private seller. He spent ages checking for all the obvious things and it seemed fine so my son bought it. Never had a car with so many problems as that car had. Turned out the seller was a dealer who traded from home and although the car came with a "full service history" he was the one who had stamped the book and we did wonder if half the things that had apparently been done to the car had ever actually been done, but often it's not till you start to drive the car for a bit that you realise it's not actually quite right.

Then there was the A Class we bought from a dealer for top dollar that turned out to be a Cat D.

I could go on, but I won't :Oops:

 

[bigtwin]

Had this. Grubby fuel filter causing excess such and thus air ingress. All sorted for less than a tenner and 15 mins.