VW has solved the fuel guage problem. VW claims the sulfur deposits on the contacts of the fuel sending unit, thus they lead to inaccurate reading.

The new fuel sending units are now made in Gold, Silver, and a small amount of nickel to prevent chemical reaction with sulfur. Does anyone know if MB has the same remedy? I suspect these fuel sending unit are either made by Bosch or Hella.



http://www.safetyalerts.com/recall/a/014/v1092.htm


Car Nut
99 E430 Sport

Yes, Mercedes has addressed this problem and thier 90th generation fuel sender is supposed to fix the problem.

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Benzmac:
Donnie Drummonds
ASE CERTIFIED MASTER AUTO TECHNICIAN
MERCEDES SPECIALIST 11 YRS

Thanks for the info!

I had my second fuel level sensor replacement on my 2000 E430 last week. My first replacement was 3 months after I purchased the car.

I just got off the phone an hour ago with a MB corporate rep. in N.J. I basically wanted to know for sure that they are putting in the newer sensor and that MB will stand behind their product even after the 4-year warranty period. Unfortunately, the MB rep is denying there is anything wrong with the fuel level sensor and is unwilling to offer any type of warranty on the fuel level sensor past the 4 year period. I would have been satisfied if MB just acknowledges the problem.

Is there any official service bulletin on the fuel level sensor problem from MB? What is the part number for the new sensor? Is there anyway I can tell if the new sensor was put in my car?

Thanks!

Well, this is getting interesting. After MB corporate rejected my complaint about the fuel level sensor, I talked with my local dealer’s service manager. His first comment was also that there is no problem with the E-class fuel level sensor. He claims that the problem is limited to the C-class. However, he was nice enough to do some research.

He called back a few hours later and said that the fuel level sensor he put in last week is an updated sensor. He did more research and found that MB is recommending the entire instrument cluster be updated to work with the new sensor. He is going to order a new instrument cluster and replace that.

Does this make any sense?

CC1000/Anyone who has the same problem:

You can send a formal complaint to NHTSA regarding the fuel sending unit. If NHTSA receives enough complaints, it might open an inquiry to determine if there is a real safety issue.

Also, I don't think there is a need to replace instrument cluster. If MB has a solution, it should be the most cost effective solution. The newly developed part should be well integrated into an "existing" component. However, your 2000 E430 is under warranty, I guess you don't really care what part the dealer changes.

Make sure you record the actual mileage on the odometer before the dealer replaces with a new one.

Car Nut
99 E430 Sport

Thanks for letting me know about NHTSA. I will definitely look into sending in my complaint.

I was confused about the service manager coming back and wanting to replace my instrument cluster. I tried to call him and get a copy of the service bulletin that suggested the fix. He said they are not able to print anything from the computer. Anyway, they will replace the cluster under warranty. (However, every time they fix something, something else goes wrong.)

They ordered the instrument cluster with an estimated 20,000 miles on it. I will just need to make sure my actual mileage is more than 20,000 when I bring my car in.

I want to keep the car for longer than the 4-year warranty period. That was the main reason for me to call MB and try to get to the bottom of the problem. Well, they basically ignored me and said there is no problem with the fuel sending unit. Did you have the same problem with your car? Is it an E-class?

CC1000:

If you plan to keep it over 4 years, you might want to consider the MB extended warranty. I bought it for $2000, so it provides 8 years/100000 miles coverage from date of delivery. I figure one or two "major" repairs (ESP, A/C, ABS...) will recover the cost.

Car Nuts
99 E430 Sport

Um.. can I still buy the extended warranty 2 years later?

The dealer called and said the new instrument cluster is in and to come in for a replacement. I also saw other postings on the message boards about people having their instrument cluster replaced for the fuel sending unit problem.

I am just curious if anyone have access to the service bulletins on this matter. What changes did they make on the new instrument cluster that fix the fuel sending unit? MB corporate denies there is anything wrong with their fuel sending unit ("I am the only one complaining".) My dealer says the service bulletin is confidential and is for internal use only.

Hi all, I did a search and learned that, in general, the c-class and in fact all late model mb fuel level senders are considered to be poorly made -- that the only real fix is to replace these senders with the later senders, designed with gold plated electrical connections.

At 92K miles, two months and 8K miles left on my warranty, my gas gauage is begining to act up. I need to convince the stealer to replace my gas level sending units under warranty. Because they have been unwilling to do so, I need some help with this problem.

The Symptoms:
On a few occasions the reserve light started flashing even though the tank was full and the gas cap was tight (I check this religiously); and on one occasion, the gauge read empty and the reserve light came on when the tank was half full.

The Alleged "Fix":
Earlier, when I complained about this, the dealer replaced the gas "shut off valve" but didn't want to replace the senders. The problem was solved for about one week and now the symptoms came back. I have been using the same high quality gas from the same station for the last two years.

How do I convince the Stealership to replace the fuel level senders under warranty? Any tricks or suggestions would be appreciated. My warranty (that I have thoroughly used, much to the dealer's chagrin) expires this January.

Thanks,

__________________
Marc
C55: Evosport headers & UDP's; AMS crank; TVT thermo; phenolic spacers; Denso IK16's; EuroTech ECU; RennTech cf airbox w/ Green filters; Z06 catch can; Sprintbooster; Optima RedTop; Quaife LSD; AMG: shift paddles, 030 rear calipers & rotors; Rotera brake lines; Euroteck CF lip; "C63" rear diffuser; 18" SLK AMG Turbines (summer); 18" OZ Superleggera's (winter); K40 dual f&r radar w/ laser jammers; MB: digital climate control, iPod kit & mp3 CD changer; iTronic B/T for MOST.

Trump:

Once, I had a car (not a MB) that had a problem that manifest itself before warranty expiration. The dealer did a poor fix, that fixed nothing. When I got back with the dealer about this, my car was out of warranty, so guess what their excuse was? Well, I had the work done, and then sued the dealer and the manufacturer on the grounds that I had reported the defect before warranty expiration and the dealer had failed to correct. Guess what? I won what I paid for the fix, plus some consequential damages and attorney's fees.

IMO, if you report the problem to the dealer during warranty, allow the car to be examined, and the problem is not fixed but turns up again shortly after warranty expiration, I think a court would find you are still covered.

Hope this helps,
Richard

Fuel gauge issues are fairly common. W202 and W163 are the most common with corrosion on the senders. new senders are gold coated to help prevent the corrosion.

Instrument clusters usually get their coding changed to direct readin from the sender instead or a averaged out reading.

The only instrument clusters I've ever had to change for fuel gauge faults is in the 170 due to the guage reading too high (going about 45degrees past the full mark)

Unless your dealer can show you the bullten or service info on replacing the instrument cluster then I think they're having you on. I haven't heard about ording a instrument cluster with a preset milage either........It's programmed in after the new cluster is installed.

As a side note, I bought a 1998 w202 C240 yesterday........first thing I did was go and fill the tank, sure enough the gauge sat on empty after refuling . Doesn't bother me though, I've got 2 yrs warranty and I'll make sure I fix everything that's covered. It's nice knowing that I'll get paid to work on my own car for a change

__________________
Alex.

MB Tech
Sydney, Australia
Volvo 122S
W201 190D 2.5 manual
W202 C240
W203 C32