I ended up talking to the service manager after getting the brush off by the service advisor. Ultimately I got a full refund on what it cost me to get it replaced. I also gave my feedback on the performance of the service advisor.....

Wow! Thank you all so much! I used to be active on the boards, but have not been for a long time. I was looking for something else and serendipitously came across this. Never got the letter. A call goes in tomorrow!

I'm happy for all of us!
 

:D Enjoy this, our mercedes owners day in the sun. It's kinda nice having a car that most of us love finally showing some love back.
Have a great day.
Earl J

Dr Diesel: I have a 99 C280 with the V6, I assume
 

that my car might be effected? Also, I read another post concerning VIN numbers, is there a list of VIN numbers that are affected anywhere? Thanks!

I am new to this forum, I am usually on the MBCA forum or the Mercedeforum.com. I have been reading the post on this forum for awhile and bought some parts and I find the information poste here very interested and helpful. Here is a picture of my car.

harmonic balancer campaign
 

It's real simple. Just call your local MB dealer and give them your info. If your vehicle is one of those affected, they will tell you to bring it in and fix it for you.Also read the other posts that reference the bad balancer part number. Lastly, do a visual insoection. A lot of times you can see the rubber cracking on the balancer itself.

Earl J

I assume that this STRICTLY affects A112 035 00 00 and 06 00 ?

I ask because mine is 09 00 .

Just a follow up to my issue.

My balancer failed 10 days after the initial recall was announced.

I had my car towed to the dealer, and they replaced the balancer free or charge, but pointed out that my oil pan and timing chain cover were damaged. They recommended replacing both items, but that they weren't covered under the recall.

I declined the work, and they told me to watch out for future oil leaks.

I finally got my notice in the mail, and I notice that the recall was updated to include the timing chain cover and the oil pan.

I took my car back to the dealer on Friday and explained the situation, i.e. if the balancer failed now, that they would have replaced the oil pan and timing chain cover.

They called me this morning and said that MBUSA would cover both items, free of charge, and I would only have to pay for the oil.

Picked my car up today.

They charged me nothing. I was warned by the service writer that I might have to pay for the oil change and anti-freeze, but they picked up the bill.

I was sure glad to turn in the C240 wagon. What a piece. No power, very buzzy engine, something in the rear tailgate area rattled over bumps. The average Toyota Corolla is quieter and has a nicer interior.

Paul, I am glad that Benz paid for everything--including the fluids. I had a similar problem with a Caddy, where GM wanted to cover the repair but not items related to the repair. After "screaming" for a while, they agreed that if a covered item caused related damages then everything has to be covered.

I am sorry that you did not like the C240 wagon. what year was it?

I just bought my daughter a 2002 Certified C320 wagon. WOW....it is like driving a sports car with a huge trunk. :sun_smile That V6 engine packs plenty of power, plus the car's suspension is just awesome. I am so tempted to trade my E320 for a C320 wagon!!!!

I believe it was a 2000 C240. I'm sure the 3.2 liter V6 is a big improvement.

It's still happening
 

I posted this before, but it didn't survive the recent data loss.

This was a 2002 E320, still under warranty, with 30K miles. There was some peeling on the face of the rubber bushing, it wasn't much but I could see it if I was really looking for it. I could also almost convince myself of a slight wobble in the bushing (not the pulley itself). The dealer said this car came with the updated balancer and was not covered under the service campaign, but they'd take a look at it. They did, and they replaced it.

So, even if you do have a newer replacement harmonic balancer, you still need to keep an eye on it.

Specs......
 

The peeling stuff is most likely just paint. All of these balancers are painted black, after a while the black paint flakes off the rubber ring due to normal vibrations.
The run-out or wobble is another matter. The MB spec for Permissible difference at vibration dampener is as follows.
112 V-6, 113.94_ , 113.96_ , and 113.98_ V-8's.
radial runout .5mm axial runout .3mm
113.992 V-8
radial runout .4mm axial runout .2mm
113.990, and 113.991 V-8's
radial runout .4mm axial runout .4mm

Dr.D

Hi- your car is affected-just call your dealer and tell him that you would like the balancer changed under the open campaign. I just had mine done yesterday in Hyannis. Good luck.

I have replaced mine 3 months before I got the letter
 

Hello:

My balancer was in a really bad shape - I called around but no dealership would agree to replace it for free (this was about 3 months before I got the letter of recall). So I ended up ordering a balancer from Phil and replaced it myself. Imagine how pissed I was when I got the recall notice...
Now they do not need to replace it and I am out of my time and money...


Greg

Balancer job is still covered after the fact
 

You can just send in the form that came with the letter, stating that you paid X dollars to do it yourself and MB will reimburse you......