Seems like an unresolvable gray area.

What's strange is that they had the parts in stock to do the job whereas everyone who's brought the car in and twisted arms to get the work done has had to wait for parts.

Sixto
93 300SD

I still think they did you a favor and this is much to do about nothing. The SDL must have had its trap removed at least 10 years ago and all is still well. Honestly I wish it still had the trap so I could get an new free exhuast!

In the future spending $700 on one from Timevavle is going to suck.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

WE haven't stocked those parts for years...all special order!

I believe that once you have "signed" a RO that "our dealer (retail outlet)" would have the right to preform any recall OR warranty repairs w/out any FURTHER customer notification....read that small print on your RO if really think this is an injustice

__________________
MERCEDES Benz Master Guild Technician (6 TIMES)
ASE Master Technician
Mercedes Benz Star Technician (2 times)
44 years foreign automotive repair
27 Years M.B. Shop foreman (dealer)
MB technical information Specialist (15 years)
190E 2.3 16V ITS SCCA race car (sold)
1986 190E 2.3 16V 2.5 (sold)
Retired Moderator

I desperately need a new exhaust on my '85 California SD. I believe that the trap cat may be plugged. If I go to the dealer for a new one, under the service campaign, will they replace my exhaust too?

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Michael LaFleur

'05 E320 CDI - 86,000 miles
'86 300SDL - 360,000 miles
'85 300SD - 150,000 miles (sold)
'89 190D - 120,000 miles (sold)
'85 300SD - 317,000 miles (sold)
'98 ML320 - 270,000 miles (sold)
'75 300D - 170,000 miles (sold)
'83 Harley Davidson FLTC (Broken again) :-(
'61 Plymouth Valiant - 60k mikes
2004 Papillon (Oliver)
2005 Tzitzu (Griffon)
2009 Welsh Corgi (Buba)

My personal take is that you shouldn't be upset with what was done so much as how it was done.

Other guys have said it already so I won't beleaguer it: you now have a free, legal exhaust system. I haven't heard any stories of problems with MB's redesigned system ... mine has worked fine, and I've never heard a peep from anyone else about theirs (no news, good news ... you know the deal).

That said ... I like to hope when I take my car in to have something done, I won't find out it's had unsolicited work done on it. My mechanic would never do something like that ... unless it's some $5 switch that needs replacement, he calls me and asks (once he replaced a door check without telling me first ... Ooooo ). I can't imagine a dealer just spontaineously doing exhaust work. Even if they felt absolutely compeled to replace it, they should have called you first. It is your car and you have a right to know. It'd be as if, when I go in to have my tonsils removed next week, I come out of anesthesia to discover they've upgraded my molars to solid gold ones. You just don't do things like that without asking first. Even if it's free. Even if you ignore the morality breach, there's still the matter of competance. The fact that they didn't know what a trap oxidizer looks like would be a concern to me. If they can't figure that out, they probably don't know much about 603s. I know what a trap oxidizer is. It's not a hard part to identify. It's like distinguishing a hippopotomus from an antelope. Liscensed MB techs ought to know, too, if they are going to service my vehicle.

I don't think you should feel like your car's been destroyed. It has a reliable exhaust system that is street legal and better for the environment. But I would be concerned about the level of service you received -- and would receive in the future -- from this particular dealership. I would 1) Talk first to whomever is the head honcho at your dealership. Discuss what happened, who's "to blame," and what can be done to avoid such things in the future. It could have just been one or two techs and it might be a case where the dealership will go out of their way to make amends. Then 2), if you don't get any sympathy or help, file a complaint with MBUSA. I'm not talking lawsuit or major uproar. Just let them know that this particular dealership was not straightforward and did unauthorized work on your vehicle without first contacting you. Again, it's not what they did, it's how they did it.

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

well said!

__________________
"If anyone knows other lessons I need to learn, please tell me. I'm tired of learning them the hard way".
by JerryBro

The Glow Plug Wait: This waiting period is a moment of silence to pay honor to Rudolph Diesel. The longer you own your diesel the more honor you will give him". by SD Blue

My normal daily life; either SNAFUed- Situation Normal... All Fouled Up, or FUBARed- Fouled Up Beyond All Repair

62 UNIMOG Camper w/617 Turbo, 85 300SD daily driver- both powered by blended UCO fuels

I've heard folks say that the dealer will replace the trap cat as often as necessary. I don't think the 617 recall includes anything downstream of the turbo so you probably won't get a new exhaust out of it.

Sixto
93 300SD

Had my trap changed 2 years ago.It was like pulling teeth to have my dealer just to do it . I got 1/2 of a free exhuast,no turbo. But they gave me back my old clamps.Yes they used the old ones. Broke one and left it on anyway.I did not s____ for free.

I think this gentleman is entitled to monetary compensation!!!

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http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Untitled-1.jpg

They did everything under the law. The Trap Ox "Service Campaign" was EPA mandated. If they had the parts on hand they had to put them on. The only other option they had was to not give the car back. Look at it this way, they could have snitched you out to the EPA and you could have had a $10,000 fine. Consider yourself lucky.

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green 85 300SD 200K miles "Das Schlepper Frog" With a OM603 TBO360 turbo ( To be intercooled someday )( Kalifornistani emissons )
white 79 300SD 200K'ish miles "Farfegnugen" (RIP - cracked crank)
desert storm primer 63 T-bird "The Undead" (long term hibernation)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig692a.png

Call your lawyer . . . NOT! They should have at least informed you before they started the work. Even the dealer can't get it right.

__________________
Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

How does the car run now?

__________________
'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

Correct. Any outstanding recall work/service campaigns can be performed by the dealer anytime you drop your car off, even if it's only for an oil change, per the itty bitty language on that nice 45 page repair order (which you technically don't have to sign for it to be valid). This is so people don't refuse recall work, and then turn around and sue when they are injured or the car is damaged later. Especially in a case like this, where it's an EPA mandated service campaign, they're in the right, at least in the eyes of the law. Even if they had done something that didn't comply with the law, as my Contracts professor used to say, "whaddaya damages here? Nuthin'. Farghettit. Go sue somboddy else." That being said, it *would* be interesting to see what they billed MB to do this work....

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Christopher
'06 Mercedes E350 station wagon (silver/black)
'85 Mercedes 300D (black pearl/palomino)
'85 Mercedes 300SD (smoke silver/burgundy)
'79 Cadillac Sedan DeVille

'05 Toyota Camry (because always running is nice)

'85 Mercedes 300D sold back to orig. owner 8-1-06
'84 Volvo 264GL Diesel, owned 2000-2013

Was Tony Soprano your Contracts prof?

There is, at present, no smog complience required where he lives.

http://www.dmv.org/la-louisiana/smog-check.php

However...being as this seems to be a free bee, I would look at it as an improvement to your engine. Mercedes would have replaced the turbo too, if the old trap had damaged the turbine in any way.

________________________________________

This, was posted by Mr Marshal Booth...known to many in the old timer Mercedes circle............

"The CAT in the pipe will result in NO measurable power loss. The boost limiting mechanism of the turbo and the overboost sensor are the power limiting factors. They can be overridden, but then the engine can melt without ANY warning after a minute or two at full power. THAT CAN RUIN YOUR DAY. While the CAT can become occluded (that rare in less than 100kmi and 200+kmi is more usual) and when that happens, it does resduce power (very noticably) and seriously reduce top speed. I suggest you leave the CAT alone as long as your 0-62 mph acceleration time is in the under 14 sec range....."

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On the plus side...the system must be warranteed for 50,000 miles. I think you got one ring ding of a deal ....and from a dealer too .



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[http://languageandgrammar.com/2008/01/14/youve-got-problems-not-issues/ ]

"A liberal is someone who feels they owe a great debt to their fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money."