SBC sorted!! well nearly

[ALFIEBEARD]

Well today I was checking the underbonnet area of my E270 CDI W211, if you have already read my other posts regarding the failure of the SBC pump etc and the problems with our local Stealership (Carlisle), you will understand why I am constantly keeping a check on the area this dealer worked on ie the SBC pump,

Well one checking it today I was dismayed to find that hydraulic fluid was leaking from the top of the SBC pump and on closer inspection, what do I find yes you've guessed it one of the hydraulic pipe nuts has been cross threaded in the pump and are leaking fluid, I have attached some photo,s of the pump and the damage the plonker who worked on it has done to the alloy casing, probably with an open ended spanner instead of a correct brake spanner, If you remember when I had collected the car after the 1st attempt of repair I had to take it back because fluid was pouring from these unions, so its pretty obvious the so called mechanic has either over tightened the unions and stopped on the point of stripping the threads, or he has started tightening the nuts when the threads were crossed.

As most of you are aware I have contacted Mercedes UK with a complaint regarding the SBC failure and I am awaiting their reply, what should I do at this point should I again contact the dealer who done this shoddy work or should I get an independant report ?, the main problem about returning it to the dealership is that they dont respect the vehicle or myself and their work is as you can see, done to a very poor standard. as this work is on the braking system I feel uneasy with them touching this car again.

Regards
Alfie B

 

[television]

Well that SBC pump is now scrap, that pipe above the red label is really cross threaded

 

[ALFIEBEARD]

Well that SBC pump is now scrap, that pipe above the red label is really cross threaded

Hi Malcolm,
Yes you are right I tried to get the camera in a better position to show the nut better, its at an acute angle if you look across the pump, and whats as bad is the alloy is chewed up round two other nuts, I hate bad workmanship.the union you mention is the one thats leaking although you cant see much fluid in the pics the pump was soaked down the front and underneath it.
I love this car and it really pi$$es me off when it is slowly being ruined by crap staff.
Alfie B

 

[Cole@MBS]

How the hell did that pass the brake fuild air test, that has to be sucking air, that joint can not be air tight! that pipe and pump is now scrap!!

 

[ALFIEBEARD]

Hi SAM-UNIT,
What would you do in my situation ?? I really dont want this company to touch my car again,
for a so called mechanic to cross thread a brake pipe union to this extent then let the car out AFTER being told that I was unhappy at the way he originally left the engine bay ie leaking fluid everywhere beggars belief.

Regards
Alfie B

 

[Cole@MBS]

Well for a start it wouldnt have pasted the sbc bleed test, thats a test merc have to have prove off, take it to another dealer, it all gets reported back to mbuk!!

 

[television]

Indies will win all the work in the end, the post from unhappy MB customers is filling the forum

 

[ALFIEBEARD]

Very true Malcolm, and so they should, after all they have to prove their worth the dealers have a captive audience, until customers read this forum
Its unfortunate that the only other Mercedes Dealers near me are all over 60mls away, I have however found a good independant but its a little late for this fault.
I can assure you I will not let this situation be swept under the carpet I think this sort of botched work should published, especially after forking out nearly £2000

Alfie B

 

[television]

When working with brake parts and unions etc, I always wriggle the pipe and only use my fingers to screw them in.

As it stands now the union on the end of the pipe will be damaged as well, as a small dent has been put into the tapered face, so that means a new pipe now as well

 

[Number_Cruncher]

>>I always wriggle the pipe and only use my fingers to screw them in.

Yes, that's definitely best practice - which used to be drummed in during apprenticeships and at college on day release.

 

[ALFIEBEARD]

When working with brake parts and unions etc, I always wriggle the pipe and only use my fingers to screw them in.

As it stands now the union on the end of the pipe will be damaged as well, as a small dent has been put into the tapered face, so that means a new pipe now as well

Hi Malcolm yes I agree that its common practice to hand tighten any nut/bolt into alloy threads then nip it up with the correct tool, I fitted the full braking system and hydraulic clutch system to my Cobra replica and did,nt cross thread one union, I started my working life as a plumber and whenever we tightened brass compression fittings we always turned the nut backwards until it clicked into the starter thread then tightened them by hand and finally nipped it up with a spanner,but I suppose we were tought the old way, and if you damaged anything by crap workmanship you got your ar$e kicked.:lol:

Alfie B

 

[television]

Hi Malcolm yes I agree that its common practice to hand tighten any nut/bolt into alloy threads then nip it up with the correct tool, I fitted the full braking system and hydraulic clutch system to my Cobra replica and did,nt cross thread one union, I started my working life as a plumber and whenever we tightened brass compression fittings we always turned the nut backwards until it clicked into the starter thread then tightened them by hand and finally nipped it up with a spanner,but I suppose we were tought the old way, and if you damaged anything by crap workmanship you got your ar$e kicked.:lol:





Alfie B

I do not know what is offered in the motor trade in the way of an apprenticeship these days.

Re the rounded off nut, they can only be done up with an open ended or split ring spanner, the first thing you do is to find a spanner that is a good fit and not thinner than the head of the nut.

So if this was done by a lad, as S-A-M how come it was not checked out. The engine would have been running, and the first thing you do is to check for leaks, its all beyond me

 

[teddycatkin]

NOT just shoddy work Alfie--its dangerous--I would not drive that vehicle now-get the dealer to collect it and replace ALL the damaged parts with new and inform you when its ready to collect.--I would also tell them that you have lost all faith in any work they do and will be bringing an independant engineer (RAC or similar)to test the car when you collect it and sending the bill to MB UK?

 

[jberks]

afaik the dealer did the work so they have to fix it. Take it back and give the service manager a stern talking to. Also explain that you are considering taking this to trading standards as they have released an unsafe car back to the customer. All damaged parts replaced please plus a free service for the inconvenience as a minimum.

 

[robertjrt]

Very true Malcolm, and so they should, after all they have to prove their worth the dealers have a captive audience, until customers read this forum
Its unfortunate that the only other Mercedes Dealers near me are all over 60mls away, I have however found a good independant but its a little late for this fault.
I can assure you I will not let this situation be swept under the carpet I think this sort of botched work should published, especially after forking out nearly £2000

Alfie B

How on earth do you allow anybody near a motor car who cannot thread an nut and bolt!

It is the most basic skill needed, words fail me.

Where is the Duty of Care to the customer?

If there was a catastrophic fail due to work of this sort and an accident occurred, the driver is responsible.

The Small Claims Court is where this should go, keep the damaged parts, photograph the damage in situ with a £1 coin, use a standard non-digital, film. The Fee should only be £75.

Do you have any MB paperwork, invoice etc showing the work; what was done, where, by whom and when?

Having been involved with litigation for the past three years with MB and with a Court action behind me I think I know how the beast thinks.

My Law Diploma course is also helping to understand how I have managed to spend £40,000 on legal Costs.

Please do not confuse Justice with the Law, MB lied in Court, under Oath!

 

[ALFIEBEARD]

NOT just shoddy work Alfie--its dangerous--I would not drive that vehicle now-get the dealer to collect it and replace ALL the damaged parts with new and inform you when its ready to collect.--I would also tell them that you have lost all faith in any work they do and will be bringing an independant engineer (RAC or similar)to test the car when you collect it and sending the bill to MB UK?

Hi again teddycatkin
I agree that this situation is not good and is potentially dangerous, I am contemplating awaiting the reply from MB regarding the full sorry tale, and when they bluff me off which no doubt they will, I will hit them with the current situation and ask them to send an MB technical liason officer to overlook the work, in the meantime I will use my old Cobra replica coz the weather is lovely today.
as always thanks for the input.

 

[ALFIEBEARD]

afaik the dealer did the work so they have to fix it. Take it back and give the service manager a stern talking to. Also explain that you are considering taking this to trading standards as they have released an unsafe car back to the customer. All damaged parts replaced please plus a free service for the inconvenience as a minimum.

Hi Jberks,
You are correct in saying the car should go back to the dealer who worked on it, but I feel that all the work done so far to my car is not only defective but also shoddy in the extreme, I think I will not use the car and await the response from MB with regards to my previous complaints about this dealer,and when they fob me off I will hit them with this situation and leave the ball in their court.
thanks for your input.
Alfie B

 

[ALFIEBEARD]

How on earth do you allow anybody near a motor car who cannot thread an nut and bolt!

It is the most basic skill needed, words fail me.

Where is the Duty of Care to the customer?

If there was a catastrophic fail due to work of this sort and an accident occurred, the driver is responsible.

The Small Claims Court is where this should go, keep the damaged parts, photograph the damage in situ with a £1 coin, use a standard non-digital, film. The Fee should only be £75.

Do you have any MB paperwork, invoice etc showing the work; what was done, where, by whom and when?

Having been involved with litigation for the past three years with MB and with a Court action behind me I think I know how the beast thinks.

My Law Diploma course is also helping to understand how I have managed to spend £40,000 on legal Costs.

Please do not confuse Justice with the Law, MB lied in Court, under Oath!

Hi Robert,
Yes I have all the paperwork concerning the fitment of this part and I will post all replies from MB in this instance on this forum, thank you for your input.
Alfie B

 

[teddycatkin]

Alfie---Good Luck --
P/S You would find me in the Cobra every day if I had one I bet its an awesome drive ???

 

[ALFIEBEARD]

Alfie---Good Luck --
P/S You would find me in the Cobra every day if I had one I bet its an awesome drive ???

Ha Ha ,yes it does go well but it's a bit of a pig in stop start traffic, but on the motorway its very quick, the only thing thats drives me mad is when I pull up at the lights there is always a boy racer wanting to have a go(not that I would bite he he), I took it too work today 17ml each way and it was good fun, but the Merc is a far more relaxing drive. also the Cobra only does 18mpg.

Take Care
Alfie B