'05 CDI injector "Black Death" adventure - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

400Eric · #1 03-29-2018, 11:39 PM

OK, thanks again.

I just committed myself a few minutes ago to a 133,000 mile 06 CDI with a new SBC unit and new pads all around (with receipts of course), and a beautiful looking valve cover/injectors (confirmed) for $6,200. I think I'm in love. I can't wait to pick it up. I just hope it's not one of the lemons. Fingers crossed.

ROLLGUY · #2 03-30-2018, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 400Eric

OK, thanks again.

I just committed myself a few minutes ago to a 133,000 mile 06 CDI with a new SBC unit and new pads all around (with receipts of course), and a beautiful looking valve cover/injectors (confirmed) for $6,200. I think I'm in love. I can't wait to pick it up. I just hope it's not one of the lemons. Fingers crossed.

That sounds like a good deal. Hope it turns out to be a good one!

400Eric · #3 09-06-2018, 02:25 PM

I'm looking at another CDI but the seller won't let me have a peak under the shrouding. He says the other buyers calling him about the car aren't requiering this of him. So I have to factor in what the cost of having an indy shop do a black death repair would be. The reason being that this repair demands more time than I can spare right now. In an earlier post Rollguy stated that he figures that this repair would cost about $1,500 at a stealership. Does anybody have a more concrete idea what this would cost to repair at an indy shop? I've called around to a few shops to try to get a number but none of them knows anything about "black death" in the 05-06 CDIs. Could it be because this isn't that common? Does anybody know about what percentage of 05-06 CDIs are affected by this syndrom? Any help is appreciated! I don't have much time. I believe his claim that there is a lot of interest in this car!

ROLLGUY · #4 09-06-2018, 09:28 PM

I would tell the seller that you will pay the price that you negotiate, as long as when you are able to inspect it, it is found free of black death. Or maybe hold back a certain amount of $ until it is inspected. If no BD, give the held back $.. I find it unreasonable that the seller will not let you remove eight #T-30 screws to make an inspection. You would also need to have a look at the fuel filter, which requires three screws to be removed. Leaks in this area are common. I would also use a quality scan tool, and check for stored codes. These things should be allowed, and would even benefit the seller, should you not purchase the vehicle.

jay_bob · #5 09-07-2018, 07:56 AM

I agree the guy is hiding something here if he won’t let you pull the cover.

I’ve not ever driven the first gen W211 with the OM648 (“CDI”) but I have a second gen (2008) with the OM642 (“Bluetec”) and can tell you the thing is a total rocket. I have the same engine/transmission combo in the 2008 ML320 which is no slouch either but does weigh almost a thousand pounds more and it has 4Matic.

My thoughts on the vehicle:
For a 10 year old car it does not look like a 10 year old Mercedes. The body style changed radically between the W211 and W212, when they went to the W213 (2016+) they went back to the rounded style and so at first glance the W211 and W213 look like first cousins.

The interior is still holding up great even though the car has 184k. The only thing wrong with my interior is some wear on the drivers side door rubber seal from someone constantly entering and exiting the car. I think the prior owner was in outside sales/manufacturers rep/some kind of entrepreneur who drove about 20k/yr on average. But I had most of the paper records with the sale, and Xentry confirmed that it had been serviced like clockwork.

I took my Xentry with me when I bought the car from a private seller last March. He had bought the car in fall of 2017, from the first owner, to keep at his winter home in SC (he was a snowbird from Chicago). However his wife passed away after last Christmas so he decided to move permanently back with his kids in Chicago so he was selling.

Records show that the oil cooler seals were replaced, but having done that job once before, and lived to tell about it, I wasn’t going to be thrown off by having to do it again.

Pulled up codes and found an intermittent transmission sensor problem. I was able to get him to take $1500 off the price because of this. Well a few months ago the problem started getting worse to the point it affected driveablilty and then finally hit limp mode.

Dealer charged $1850 to change the VGS (integrated conductor plate and transmission computer). This is a dealer only because the VGS requires version coding that can only be done with a properly connected Xentry that can phone home back to Germany.

Before they actually changed the VGS the dealer tech looked at the adaptation data. From the data they can tell the percent wear on the transmission. He reported back that I still had about 70% life left on the transmission so I told them to go ahead and replace the VGS.

The new VGS had updated firmware that really improved the shifting performance. So much so that I had the 2008 ML inspected and they did a firmware flash on it as well, which made a huge improvement. Anyone out there with a 722.9 go to the dealer and have them do the software updates, it makes a huge difference.

The only downside to these cars is the audio electronics. Absolutely do not buy one that does not have the MHI (mobile handy interface) installed in the center console. There should be a candy bar sized module plugged into it. The original intent was to sell an MB branded Motorola or Nokia phone with the car that you would plug into this cradle while driving and be able to talk handsfree and dial from the stereo and answer from the steering wheel. MB later released a dummy phone to plug into this connector that just has a Bluetooth receiver in it to pair with your phone. It is nearly impossible to retrofit this feature into the car.

The stereo itself performs great (Harmon/Kardon with lots of power, but you won’t win any bass competitions, if you’re into that sort of thing) but it only has the ability to play CDs, or CD-Rs filled with MP3s. There is an aux-in jack in the glove box. Of course now the latest Apple and Samsung phones don’t have an earphone jack so you have to get an adapter or a Bluetooth receiver for the audio.

I’ve looked into changing out the stereo to a double DIN with Apple Car Play. Will keep everyone posted if I end up doing this.

400Eric · #6 09-08-2018, 11:48 PM

Thanks for the posts guys.

I'm going to see the car in the morning. Wish me luck!

I'll report back here what happens. I will be putting a lot of weight in the stack of recepts that he claims to have. (A lot of weight on what they show.)

If I'm still on the fence about the car, I'll show him the cash (his full asking price) and then tell him bluntly: "You originally said that I could pull the shroud. Many of your other buyers are going to want to have a mechanic check this car out. The FIRST thing that dude is going to do is pull that cover. I have to see under that cover or I'm walking". And then I'll ask him: "How much is your time worth? You can be DONE with this here and now. Most of your other buyers are going to want to see under that cover too. The people who are into to these cars are a small community and we all know all about these cars and their issues. And that deployed airbag in the back seat area is a red flag for a lot of people. It's going to scare a lot of them away. You are going to have to fix that at a cost of $750."

Geez, after reading all of that I'm really wondering if I should bother. If I don't get the car I'll post the ad here so all of you can go see the car and demand to see under the cover.

I'm sorry I can't post the ad yet. I can't let a lurker scoop this out from under me.

Does anybody else here have a more concrete number on what this black death costs to have fixed at an indy shop? Or the stealership? All we have so far is Roller's guess of $1,500.

ROLLGUY · #7 09-09-2018, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 400Eric

Thanks for the posts guys.

I'm going to see the car in the morning. Wish me luck!

I'll report back here what happens. I will be putting a lot of weight in the stack of recepts that he claims to have. (A lot of weight on what they show.)

If I'm still on the fence about the car, I'll show him the cash (his full asking price) and then tell him bluntly: "You originally said that I could pull the shroud. Many of your other buyers are going to want to have a mechanic check this car out. The FIRST thing that dude is going to do is pull that cover. I have to see under that cover or I'm walking". And then I'll ask him: "How much is your time worth? You can be DONE with this here and now. Most of your other buyers are going to want to see under that cover too. The people who are into to these cars are a small community and we all know all about these cars and their issues. And that deployed airbag in the back seat area is a red flag for a lot of people. It's going to scare a lot of them away. You are going to have to fix that at a cost of $750."

Geez, after reading all of that I'm really wondering if I should bother. If I don't get the car I'll post the ad here so all of you can go see the car and demand to see under the cover.

I'm sorry I can't post the ad yet. I can't let a lurker scoop this out from under me.

Does anybody else here have a more concrete number on what this black death costs to have fixed at an indy shop? Or the stealership? All we have so far is Roller's guess of $1,500.

It may be too late for this (you might have already bought/not bought the car). I would bring a photo of the "Black Death" with you to show the seller. Yes, mine may be the worst case that has been documented, but that photo could really help bring the price down if the potential car has the problem. The photo also might help getting an estimate for a similar repair at the dealer. This estimate can also add to the discount on a potential purchase. For me, I would rather find one that has this problem, knowing that it is not as big of a deal as one could make it out to be. However, if you find a car with a pile of repair receipts, chances are it will not have BD.

400Eric · #8 09-09-2018, 07:16 PM

Thanks Roller.

Here it is:
https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/d/mercedes-benz-320-cdi-turbo/6688536153.html

The carfax was good and clean, it's a Florida car, and the lower miles appear to be true.

The receipts weren't present, they were at the son's work, or something like that. Plus they only go back 4 years, not the entire life of the car like I thought. That SBC unit really looks like it has already been replaced though, and the buddy I had with me concurred on that. The "new tires" are only new on the back only, The battery was dead, and the tags expired last month. I really probably should have walked. One thing in this car's favor is it is super local to me. It sucks going to another state to buy a car that might turn out to be a POS. We had a nice, cordial but frank discussion. I did like I said I was gonna do (here last night), I showed him the money and then told him I had to see under that shroud. He let me. It looked good! The car drove well too! What to do? I gave him $4,800 and drove the car home. AS SOON as I pulled behind my house the "check engine" came on. Good times! And don't forget there is that $750-800 back seat air bag job that has to be done. Aren't used cars off of Craigslist a blast? But at least there was no black death (bringing the thread back on topic).

ROLLGUY · #9 09-09-2018, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 400Eric

Thanks Roller.

Here it is:
https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/d/mercedes-benz-320-cdi-turbo/6688536153.html

The carfax was good and clean, it's a Florida car, and the lower miles appear to be true.

The receipts weren't present, they were at the son's work, or something like that. Plus they only go back 4 years, not the entire life of the car like I thought. That SBC unit really looks like it has already been replaced though, and the buddy I had with me concurred on that. The "new tires" are only new on the back only, The battery was dead, and the tags expired last month. I really probably should have walked. One thing in this car's favor is it is super local to me. It sucks going to another state to buy a car that might turn out to be a POS. We had a nice, cordial but frank discussion. I did like I said I was gonna do (here last night), I showed him the money and then told him I had to see under that shroud. He let me. It looked good! The car drove well too! What to do? I gave him $4,800 and drove the car home. AS SOON as I pulled behind my house the "check engine" came on. Good times! And don't forget there is that $750-800 back seat air bag job that has to be done. Aren't used cars off of Craigslist a blast? But at least there was no black death (bringing the thread back on topic).

What is the back seat air bag job you speak of? I did not know there were airbags in the back seat. Do you mean the airbag in the front seat back? If you have any bags deployed, you need to have them replaced and the module reset. I have experience with this, and even a parts car. However, I have already used some of the airbags. Actually, there is a place in Riverside that sells airbags, and can reset the module. You can't buy bags from any wrecking yard. Either way, it sounds like you got a decent deal on the car, even with the issues it has. Keep us informed on your progress with the car. Thanks, Rich

400Eric · #10 09-09-2018, 08:21 PM

Rear seat driver side side airbag (the one in the D.S. rear door panel) has been deployed.

ROLLGUY · #11 09-10-2018, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 400Eric

Rear seat driver side side airbag (the one in the D.S. rear door panel) has been deployed.

Do you know why? That would mean you need the airbag and door panel. I have the airbag, but the interior of my parts car is light beige. I assume yours is either black or grey. There are three W211's in my local P-Y-P (Hesperia). All three are silver, one with grey interior, the other two black.

400Eric · #12 09-11-2018, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROLLGUY

Do you know why? That would mean you need the airbag and door panel. I have the airbag, but the interior of my parts car is light beige. I assume yours is either black or grey. There are three W211's in my local P-Y-P (Hesperia). All three are silver, one with grey interior, the other two black.

Roller! My interior is light beige! We need to talk more about this! Do I need to get an interior code to you to be sure if we have a match? Which tag should I pull the code from?

To answer your question, The story I got was that the driver cut a corner too sharp and hit a curb with enough force to deploy the side air bag. Like I said, I probably shouldn't have bought the car. (I spent a lot of time lying under the car scrutinizing that L.R. suspension I can assure you.) The ad said: "no issues". I'd hardly call a deployed airbag a non-issue. And now, upon closer scrutiny, it appears that the curtain airbag(s) on that side deployed as well. Can we please include that bag too in our discussions?

I didn't get to drive the car after all today so I have no news on the fuel pressure business.

ROLLGUY · #13 09-11-2018, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 400Eric

Roller! My interior is light beige! We need to talk more about this! Do I need to get an interior code to you to be sure if we have a match? Which tag should I pull the code from?

To answer your question, The story I got was that the driver cut a corner too sharp and hit a curb with enough force to deploy the side air bag. Like I said, I probably shouldn't have bought the car. (I spent a lot of time lying under the car scrutinizing that L.R. suspension I can assure you.) The ad said: "no issues". I'd hardly call a deployed airbag a non-issue. And now, upon closer scrutiny, it appears that the curtain airbag(s) on that side deployed as well. Can we please include that bag too in our discussions?

I didn't get to drive the car after all today so I have no news on the fuel pressure business.

There were only 3 standard interior colors for the '03-'06 W211 that I know of- Black (Charcoal?), Grey (Slate?), and Beige (I'm pretty sure it is called "Stone"). It is odd that a silver car would have anything but the black or grey interior. If your interior is not Grey or Black, chances are it is Beige (Stone). That is good news for you, as I have everything you need.

You might want to start another thread on the restoration of your car. It would be great to have photos and a play-by-play.

I too wondered about the "no issues" statement in the ad. If the SRS light is on, I would definitely call that an "issue". I have been in a collision where the airbag deployed, and I assure you, I would have been severely injured, or even killed, had it not been for the airbag. I would not want to drive around in a car equipped with airbags, and not have them deploy if needed. That is exactly what will happen if you get in a collision- NO airbags/s. This repair would be on the top of my list. I am surprised the seat bag (left seat bolster) did not deploy as well. It would be best to scan the airbag system for additional codes. In the case of my CDI, it was hit on the passenger side, and all three bags deployed (curtain, seat, and rear passenger [door panel]). This caused the front passenger seat frame to get tweaked, and now the seat frame needs to be replaced. It has the WSS (Weight Sensing System) for passenger occupancy sensing, NOT a weight sensing mat. The WSS consists of four weight sensors (one on each corner of the seat frame), and a module. All the other bags and module in the car are good to go now, but the SRS light is still on because of a WSS fault. I have a seat frame from a car from P-Y-P (Labor Day sale-40 percent off), but have not had the time to install it.
These are things that have to be dealt with whenever airbags are deployed, but I am learning that they are not as hard or costly as many think they are. Also, finding a somewhat local airbag system repair company (Airbag Master Tech) has been a great help.

400Eric · #14 09-10-2018, 12:36 AM

"P0087 fuel rail/system pressure too low"
I cleared it and drove the car one mile, it hasn't come back yet. I'll drive it some more tomorrow.
Anybody have any "first places" I should look?

ROLLGUY · #15 09-10-2018, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 400Eric

"P0087 fuel rail/system pressure too low"
I cleared it and drove the car one mile, it hasn't come back yet. I'll drive it some more tomorrow.
Anybody have any "first places" I should look?

Could be a clogged filter, or most likely the fuel pressure valve (quantity valve?). Not sure exactly what it is called. It may have just been an anomaly. If it comes back, use your scanner to collect the live data.