Leaking fuel hose on my 2014 E200 - not good!

[remonannetti]

I recently noticed a strong smell of petrol in the cabin when starting from cold, occurring on frosty days where the air temperature was freezing. I did some research online and discovered that the problem was most likely the fuel hose to high-pressure pump (part A2740700181, now replaced by new part A2740703500; see attached diagram). This appears to be a well-known issue (as demonstrated in many YouTube videos such as the one at

) and is due to the pipe becoming slightly porous with age and starting to weep a small amount of petrol. I then found out that has been the subject of a lawsuit raised against Mercedes-Benz by several owners in the USA (Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division, plaintiffs Nicholas Rosen, Tamer Nassar, and Reginald St. Jean). The fact that the original part has been updated would seem to indicate that the fault has now been rectified on more recent vehicles with the M274 petrol engine. I then booked my car into my usual Mercedes-Benz specialist independent garage where the fault was confirmed and the hose replaced at a total cost of £182.46.

This was a repair that I was not expecting to have. I believe the component should not have failed so soon and at such a low mileage - for a Mercedes-Benz, this is unreasonable (my second car is a Volvo 740GLT which I purchased new in 1990; it still has its original fuel hose to high-pressure pump). I know that my car is now almost eight years old and is no longer in warranty, but in my opinion the hose should have lasted a lot longer.

After my car was repaired I then requested a contribution towards the cost from Mercedes-Benz UK Customer Service who replied that (I quote) "we require that the problem is fully diagnosed by a Mercedes-Benz technician. From there, our Retailers can apply to Mercedes-Benz for a goodwill contribution towards the cost of repair." They did not seem to understand that the repair had already been carried out and that I used my usual independent garage because of the fire risk involved; I was anxious about my personal safety and decided to get the car repaired at the earliest opportunity, even though this was not at a main dealer. Why does Mercedes-Benz UK permit independent specialist garages to access the electronic logbook if they are not going to trust the work they do?

I have now complained to Stuttgart and am awaiting a reply. I'm posting this as you may have had similar problems yourself and this might save you a bit of time in figuring out what the problem is.

 

[LostKiwi]

Complain to the motor ombudsman as fuel leaks are a safety issue. If enough people do it Mercedes may be forced to offer a recall.

 

[remonannetti]

Thanks for your reply. Have already done this and the Motor Ombudsman have rejected my case. This is part of what they said:

"Having looked through your complaint, it looks like you have complained to the manufacturer of your vehicle but the vehicle is no longer within its manufacturer's warranty period. Under the New Car Code, accredited manufacturers must ensure that they keep to the terms of the warranty provided with the vehicle - however, as soon as the warranty period is over, the manufacturer has no obligation towards your vehicle and doesn't have to pay towards repairs, even if you think the problem is a manufacturing defect or you experienced the same issue during the warranty period. As such, this isn't something we can consider further for you as the manufacturer doesn't have to contribute and the New Car Code does not apply."

Not much use! They obviously don't think fuel leaks are a safety hazard like we do.

 

[remonannetti]

Update to above: learnt today that Stuttgart sent my complaint back to MB Customer Services who phoned me to say that they were still refusing to accommodate me. Not giving up; have just reported what I believe to be a serious safety defect to DVLA via the Vehicle Recalls and Faults section of the www.gov.uk website. Will keep you posted as to outcome.

​

 

[star]

You can just replace the hose clip. Works just fine and not worth the hassle of all the paperwork. Good luck tho.

 

[remonannetti]

Thanks for this.

 

[star]

Ps I know there’s a principle involved but life’s too short.