I have an SLK230, 2001, black on black, 51K miles ...my dealer is located approx 3.5 hours from me ... i had a scheduled appt with the dealer as the top would not retract ... 2 days prior to going to the dealer, my check engine light came on ... i was concerned about driving that long distance not knowning what the light indicated, so i went to a local repair shop ... mechanic ran diagnostics and told me it was an emissions problem (Code P0410) and that the car would be fine to drive to the dealer ... i drove to the dealer ... they had my car for 24 hours ... although i have not been able to locate an error code on the invoice ... this is taken ver batim from the invoice: "client states check engine light is on - engine seems to run normal; cause: oil is entering into the engine harness & M.E. CTRL module. 25 drivability". Parts replacement list: control unit, sender unit, adapter cable, sender unit (diff part #), plug.

The invoice for this repair (less $334.11 for the top being fixed) was $3,830.32. I picked up the car and returned home ... 1.5 days later ... you guessed it ... the check engine light reappeared ... i then took the car to a 3rd mechanic (intentionally as i wanted an independent assessment) who ran diagnostics and that same code, P0410, came up ... obviously, i am concerned that i was taken advantage of given the diagnostics just prior to, and just after, were identical and the car still has the check engine light on (no other symptoms either prior to or now). Primarily, my question is: does the engine harness have anything to do with the P0410 code and is there any way to obtain a false/positive regarding these two areas?

Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. You got it ... i am female and the most i know about cars is how to start them and make them purr so have some mercy on me lol ... thanks in advance!

Jezzie

That is a VERY expensive repair. I assume the dealer will warranty their most recent repair, so... If it were my car, I'd drive it back to the dealer and demand it be fixed under the shop warranty... And you should get a loaner car until it's fixed. They should repaint your house too, for good measure that's just a lot of money

-GH

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For Now:
1992 Mercedes Benz 500SL
1998 BMW 528i
2003 Honda Element
2002 CBR600F4i
1977 Coachmen Motor Home

I am surprised that the dealership did not report any codes....$3500.00 is a lot of money! I would expect some sort of justicationalism (yep, made that word up) for that kind of repair bill.

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1993 190E 2.6 135k
1989 Ford Thunderbird SC 5 Spd 79K

Yes you can get a false positive reading. In my experience on working with cars for the last 25 years that happens all the time.

Seems like they did not solve the original problem from what you are saying.

I would tell them that you took it to another mechanic before and after and that the trouble codes were the same P0410 and see what they say.

Engine oil entering the harness? sounds like a fire safety hazard to me-check for any recalls and maybe call TSB. If oil that is hot is getting on a wire affiliated with emission/fuel injection operations it can cause a signal to O2 sensor to get misconstrued and cause a light to come on.

Would probably need a little more info on exactly what hese parts are that they replaced.

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(1) '89 190E 2.6 Schwartze
(2) '89 190E 2.6 Schwartze

OH and make sure you go back in there with an ATTITUDE!

3880 is alot of $.

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(1) '89 190E 2.6 Schwartze
(2) '89 190E 2.6 Schwartze

MB stealerships are for cars under warranty only...

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J.H.
'86 300E

Further proof that car dealers are the lowest form of life on earth. Especially when female customers enter the premises.

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2008 E350 4matic / Black/Anthracite

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Gone but not Forgotten:
2001 E430 4matic, 206,xxx miles, Black/Charcoal
1995 E320, 252,xxx miles, Black/Grey
1989 260E, 223,00 miles, Black/Black

The oil creeping up the wires & damaging O 2 sensors, Engine Control modules, etc. is a VERY common problem on your particular engine.
It is caused by a leaking camshaft adjuster solenoid on the engine.
When a harness is replaced, ( along with a new camshaft adjuster ), there is a special adapter cable that has to be installed at the same time, to prevent the problem from happening again.
This is the part that MUST be used:
http://www.jomb.de/1.jpg
And this is where it's located:
http://www.jomb.de/neu.jpg
If they did not replace the oxygen sensor, that could well be your problem.

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2007 C 230 Sport.

Congratulations manny, yours is the first reply to this thread that makes any sense!!!

I'm sure that wendy enjoyed reading all the other replies, but manny's post hits the nail right on the head.

Sometimes even a blind bird finds a worm.
It helps when you spend a lot of times on the german M-B forums.
Btw., I really enjoy/appreciate all your insights.

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2007 C 230 Sport.

I should've mentioned in my previous post that wendy's MB dealer wasn't thorough enough when diagnosing her problem ( I posted during my very short lunch break).

It sounds as though they decided the oil contamination in the wiring harness would resolve the P0410 fault code (Air Injection). This is where things began to go wrong. I've found that the O2 sensor(s) are usually the first parts damaged by oil in the wiring harness. I wouldn't be surprised if wendy's car had one or more fault codes stored for the O2 sensors.

Concerning the P0410 code, the M111 Kompressor motor has a few known issues that can cause this problem. The in-line check valve would be the first place I would suggest checking. The upstream O2 sensor would be the next item to check (if it wasn't replaced already). In some cases, the Air Recirculation Valve is the problem. Whatever the case, the dealer still has some work to do, and maybe some explaining as well.

The first thing wendy should do, is find out what fault codes were stored when her dealer performed the SDS Short Test. If there were multiple codes stored, they were (for the most part) justified in taking the course of action they did. If the P0410 was the only stored fault code, then the dealer didn't fix the problem that she bought the car in for, they only prevented the "CHECK ENGINE" light from coming on in the near future. If this is the case, and if wendy wasn't told this before the work was done, the MB dealer has a problem.

many thank you's for all the information and insight fellas ... it's not a good feeling to be dealing with something i know nothing about (which i why i went to the "pros") ... you have no idea how much i appreciate it ... if you have any additional thoughts ... please continue ...

i will request the codes from the dealership and see where that takes us ...

you guys rock !!!

update: i am having a difficult time getting my "service advisor" to send me the diag results ... go figure ... i asked him exactly what led service to believe they needed to change out all those parts in the first place and his response was he needed to look it up in the computer and would call me back with info ... days later still no call ... ACK !!!

Sounds like he's ignoring your request. He could have accessed that info immediately while you were on the phone, that's what computers are for. Call the service manager directly and tell him you are disappointed/pissed about the service you received.

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Question Authority before it Questions you.

It's possible that your request is being ignored. It's also possible that he simply forgot. Believe it or not, MB service advisors are usually pretty busy. Call back and remind him that you're still waiting for an answer. If your request is ignored again, by all means, call the service manager directly. One of the most serious offenses a service advisor can commit, is failing to return a clients' call, and they know it.

Make sure to post all the information concerning your problem. After all the facts are known we'll be able to help you decide if you've got a beef with your dealer or not.