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MB Dealer FUBAR

5K views 24 replies 8 participants last post by  jbanks15 
#1 ·
In the spring of 2012, I drove my SLK55 from CA to Washington, D.C.. Shortly after, I went to a DC area MB dealer for a routine "Service A." When I got the car back, I noticed it was leaking oil. I checked the invoice and they used Penzoil instead of Mobil1. I then checked the instrument cluster display and it say "reduce oil level."

I had a HUGE FIT. The dealer towed the car back, changed to the proper oil and oil level, and apologized. I drove the car home and noticed oil smoke. Dealer towed car back again. I saw oil all over the front of the engine. Dealer told me that the oil filler cap seal failed and they replaced the oil filler cap.

They told me to come back for an oil change after 500 miles. Did that. All was fine.

Now... today... some 6500 miles later, I see "add 1 quart at next refuel."

Should I be very worried at this point? Don't get me wrong.. I'm very worried, but should I be furiously worried?

It's a 2007 and it only has 37,266 miles. I normally have to change the oil annually because I don't drive it enough in a year. But this year, I put on 9k miles since April. I didn't have any consumption issues during the drive from CA to VA. But now that I'm driving the car more often, is this kind of consumption normal? Or did the dealer really **** me over?

If I'm ****ed, what should I have the dealer do?
 
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#3 ·
please update your profile...Thanks

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#6 ·
nope! maybe on the 2005 model. any leaks around the gaskets? that was and is still a known issue on amg
 
#10 ·
i had a leak at the rear main seal and it was replaced under warranty. issue with that is that a nice mb mechanic whispered it to me during a regular scheduled maintenance and mb was not supposed to tell owners so they could get past the warranty period. he told me to come back next week and say i saw an oil leak center of car, rear of engine.
 
#11 ·
The car is no longer under warranty. Regardless, I think that if it's consuming oil, it's because of the oil overfill.

I called the dealership and they are going to take a look at it and give me a loaner car. They are very sincere about the mistake. My main concern is long-term damage.
 
#12 · (Edited)
:)In2dwww, Hi, I met you along with Doug from Salisbury, NC in Roanoke, VA back in June 2007. I'd like to relate a similar "engine oil over fill" on my former 2005 SLK 55, Nov 2007. Here's the LINK. Definitely worth the read. Dan, "DansSLK" was adamant not to drive the car with the oil "over filled" during dealer service. I didn't realize it was overfilled until I drove nearly 40 miles home, and then had to return back to the dealer to remove the excessive oil. I received Dan's reply only after returning from the dealer the second time. Once Dan was aware my SLK 55 that was driven nearly 100 miles overfilled, his suggestion was to note any leaks, change in performance, etc., over the next several years. I had my SLK 55 from March 2007 until March 2011, recording only 4,000 miles use. During that time I had zero problems with the car including oil leaks, oil consumption, or any other issues. I was assured by the MB service manager and general manager that no damage would result from driving the short 100 mile distance with the oil over filled. That was in sharp contrast to Dan's reply not to drive the vehicle, period. As a member of this forum since 2006, I've never heard of a SLK 55 with a oil consumption issue until your post. Never heard of any SLK with a oil cap seal "failure". I would assume your oil filler cap wasn't properly tightened or worse not installed? Paying top dollar for MB dealer should ensure the proper oil is used and filled to the proper level. There have been other similar post here from other members with the same problem. Good luck on getting the right answers and resolution to your SLKs oil leak and consumption problem.
 
#13 ·
:)In2dwww, Hi, I met you along with Doug from Salisbury, NC in Roanoke, VA back in June 2007. I'd like to relate a similar "engine oil over fill" on my former 2005 SLK 55, Nov 2007. Here's the LINK. Definitely worth the read. Dan, "DansSLK" was adamant not to drive the car with the oil "over filled" during dealer service. I didn't realize it was overfilled until I drove nearly 40 miles home, and then had to return back to the dealer to remove the excessive oil. I received Dan's reply only after returning from the dealer the second time. Once Dan was aware my SLK 55 that was driven nearly 100 miles overfilled, his suggestion was to note any leaks, change in performance, etc., over the next several years. I had my SLK 55 from March 2007 until March 2011, recording only 4,000 miles use. During that time I had zero problems with the car including oil leaks, oil consumption, or any other issues. I was assured by the MB service manager and general manager that no damage would result from driving the short 100 mile distance with the oil over filled. That was in sharp contract to Dan's reply not to drive the vehicle, period. As a member of this forum since 2006, I've never heard of a SLK 55 with a oil consumption issue until your post. Never heard of any SLK with a oil cap seal "failure". I would assume your oil filler cap wasn't properly tightened or worse not installed? Paying top dollar for MB dealer should ensure the proper oil is used and filled to the proper level. There have been other similar post here from other members with the same problem. Good luck on getting the right answers and resolution to your SLKs oil leak and consumption problem.
Hi Don! Long time, no see.

I gather from what I have been able to assess of the situation is that the dealer mechanic may have done a topside oil change. Then, if the mechanic added the incorrect oil (Mobil1 is an AMG spec), it would have been near 1.5q overfilled.

I didn't go too far between the dealership and my home - maybe 6 miles. But it was enough to notice oil leaks in my garage the next day. That's when I checked the oil level and saw the "reduce oil" message. The dealer flatbed towed it that morning and corrected the overfill issue.

The second time I took it home, I noticed oil smoke from under the hood at the stoplight near my home (about 5m from the dealer). In my garage, I looked under the hood and there was oil all over the place. The first thought running through my head was "Who is this asshole mechanic and why did he pour oil all over the engine?" I took photos and called the dealer - they sent another tow truck. They informed me that the oil cap failed, which explained why so much oil was all over the place. I told them what I first thought... and they said the mechanic actually had the look of death on his face when they said the car was coming back again. So the overfill was a mistake, the oil cap was a part failure.

But since the wrong oil was used, and because it was extremely overfilled, I think all the gaskets and seals should be replaced. Also, I sure hope my cats don't go bad.

The dealership is aware that a mistake was made and they are sincere and attentive to this situation. They are also aware that I have no plans to depart from this car.

I guess I will just have to continue driving it to find out if there are any issues. But it really kills me to put miles on this car.

As far as performance - there is no downgrade in that department. In fact, I think that 3k mile road trip really helped this car reach its sweet spot.
 
#15 ·
UPDATE:

It turns out I have a leak on the right valve cover. Of course, both should be replaced. Also, because my car is 5 1/2 years old, it's time to replace the spark plugs. The dealer quoted me $1100 to do all this.

Now, I've had the valve cover gaskets replaced under warranty at ~16k miles several years ago. I know these are common on this car. Does anyone think that another failure might be normal? Or could this have been caused by an oil overfill?

The good news: it's not consuming oil.

Should I pressure the dealer to pay for the repair? Has anyone had to replace valve cover gaskets more than once?
 
#16 ·
i have had my valve covers replaced twice (under warranty) in the 5 years i have owned my 09 55 amg.
 
#19 ·
yes. bought May 08 so May 13 will be 5 years.
 
#21 ·
so really 4.6 years old.
 
#23 ·
and me subtracting one. btw, you only have 13 shopping days until my birthday
 
#24 ·
The first valve cover leak on my 2007 was @11k miles in 2009. That was covered under warranty.

The current valve cover leak is 2.5 years later @ 37k miles (26k miles since last fix).

So do these valve covers leak about every 2 years regardless of mileage? Any similar experiences out there?

I was quoted $620 to fix the valve cover leak on both left and right banks. The quote for replacing the 16 spark plugs was $895!!! But doing both the valve covers and plugs brings the cost down to $1100.
 
#25 ·
my valve cover leaks were also 2 years apart

I was quoted for 16 plugs $950
$500 parts, $450 labor..sparks are $31 each
 
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