E420 oil tubes gone at 78k
 

My recently purchased 1997 E420 just spent some time in the shop having its oil tubes replaced. This car has LOW mileage -- 78k -- (that's why I bought it). I am discovering this is a problem with the M119 engine but at what kind of mileage does it normally occur? Is this possibly hiding some other problem? Thanks for your help.

The tubes are plastic and mileage plays no factor.
I have replaced them twice on several cars under 100k.
Cost of ownership I guess.
Don't drive the car when they are failed thought,(loud ticking!)
or else it will mean real engine damage from a massive loss
of oil pressure.
DR.D

Internal engine plastic parts aren't as much subject to mileage but TIME & heat cycles...When those engines were under warranty we replaced many oil tubes with leakage or failure... Too heavy of OIL viscosity will compound the problem.

Does anyone know why Mercedes changed to plastic tubes from the metal tubes used in the earlier years? Cost reasons? Also, why do they have the plugs in them that blow out causing the problem? Wouldn't it save a lot of expensive repairs if we could find oil tubes that were one solid piece so as to avoid the blow out problems?

There's a perfectly logical explaination for this - that my decrepit old mind can't call up but is nicely detailed in the archives. But here's another clue - the 113 V8 that came after the 119 motor cost 40 percent less to produce.

WHAT "BOB I" meant was why did the 1990-92 M119 engines come with metal tubes & all the later M119 and replacements use plastic.....Economics>>>$$$$$