Here's a picture taken this weekend after a short trip in the wife's 1999 E320 - engine started getting noisy as we pulled into the garage at home and guess what I saw.

The car is still under Starmark warranty and the harmonic balancer is specifically referenced as a covered part, so we will see if MB pays up.

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An guess what I found lying in the engine compartment? This despite careful quarterly visual checks. The car has 39k on the clock, and is driven conservatively.

I told the wife to get a real car next time - a W126.

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Dr. Diesel, How refreshing to hear such an honest appraisal of the situation. Wished i lived in Washington State. Doesn't sound to pleasant for you guys either.

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1999 C280 Sport, 1967 911s Porsche

Hello,
The ML320 in question is a 2000 with 44,000 miles on it supplied new by this dealer. When I moved to Raleigh in 1996, this dealer had a *reputation* and I did have a few issues with them regarding a 1989 260E supplied new by them as well. I politely pointed out to them that I am not a first time Mercedes owner, so it will take more than their *average* expertise to impress me.

Showing a picture of my dad's 1954 170DS and discussing the work they do on the cars at *their* level made the right impression. And I do know my way around the pre-1990s cars. I guess the bit that really caught their attention was when I repaired the inoperative odometer on the 260E and it actually worked !

Since then, they always:
1. Do not repair or replace anything without my permission
2. They discuss the issues at a , how should I say, *technical* level.

The ML has not been without it's problems, at 4,500 miles I had them
1. Replace noisy sunroof
2. Wheel alignment
3. Replace the front center console cover
4. Replace the fuel pump and harness
5. And of course the upgraded electric fans etc. etc.

I always make it a point not to behave in a boorish manner but I have seen it where customers scream, shout and generally behave like Attila the Hun, but it serves no purpose. If they do a reasonable job for a reasonable outlay, I have no problem, just do not try to bull**** me. Have been driving Mercedes and BMWs for almost 30 years now, so try it with someone else!

Not related to Mercedes, but the Mitsubishi dealer in Raleigh, NC refused to replace a cracked head on a 99 Eclipse(one year old at the time). The engine was losing coolant and oil at an alarming rate. They said that the oil consumption was within Mitsubishi's published limits and would not budge, even telling me that I was not a *Mitsubishi trained tech* so I had no business doing any diagnostics. I finally had an oil sample analysis done that showed 100% coolant contamination of the oil and only then they relented, but they replaced only the BARE head and cylinder head gasket, everything else was reused and even on the day the car was traded in, the timing belt cover was still rubbing on the cam sprockets. So, if you think Mercedes dealers are the pits, think again.

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Nachi11744

Another dealership that deserves an honorable mention is M-B of Houston North. When the balancer on my '98 ML failed, I attempted the repair myself. Charlie Johnson, the shop foreman, thought MB should help with the repair, since the balancers are known to be defective. He thought at least M-B could pay for the repair if I pay the towing bill, which would have exceeded the cost of the repair. The ML had 77K miles at the time. When M-B refused, he explained the job in detail, and was always helpful back when we lived in Texas. Likewise, the parts department staff were knowledgable and helpful.

We like our new home in Michigan better, but I think Houston has a better dealership than my nearest dealer now.

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Lenny

There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games. --Ernest Hemingway

'10 GL550/'04 BMW 545/'99 BMW 323/'98 ML320/'87 VW GTI (race)

DR.DIESEL- Mercedes should have more people like you. I can feel your delima here, bro. I agree that we should direct our energy and anger at the source of the problem, MBUSA.

Greetings to Forum Members from Beijing: After reading horror stories on this site and others, I decided to have the dealer in Beijing inspect my harmonic balancer. No evidence of wear or problems. The dealer made some inquiries and said that they would replace at no cost, even though my car has been out of warranty for 3 years ever since I moved from the U.S. to China.

My question to forum members is should I have this work done even though there are no problems with the balancer. I have 40k on the car. I have had quite a bit of work done at Beijing Star Mercedes and am generally satisfied with their work. They are good but not quite up to U.S. standards. The service manager is telling me it is an all day job - something about having to remove the radiator, and securing the crankshaft. Is this a difficult job? I hate to mess with things when everything is OK now, but also do not want an unexpected problem to develop later. I would appreciate any advice on this matter. Thanks. charles

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Charles G. Krips
99ML320
Beijing

I am not sure of the speed at which your Mercedes techs work in Beijing, but I can tell you that in Raleigh, NC they replaced my harmonic balancer in less than two hours after I dropped it off. This included writing the service order, replacing the harmonic balancer and getting a free wash before the ML 320 was ready to pick up. The radiator does not need to be removed to perform this work.

ChinaML320,

I would not hesitate for a second. Have them replace it now while they're offering to replace it for free. If it fails 1 year from now who is to say they'll still honor this offer? If it takes out the oil pan, etc., will they pay for all repairs? Even if they put it in writing, there's always a way they could later wiggle out of their commitment.

There is no way to visually inspect the balancer and be assured that it won't fail. Both my dealer and independent mechanic looked at mine at offered no assurance that it wouldn't fail, although my balancer had only very minor rubber detioration. The dealer admitted to the many balancers they've had to replace.

My mechanic told me of a Mercedes (I think ML) that came in for a balancer visual inspection. The mechanic told her it looked fine. Three weeks later the car was towed to the mechanic because the balancer failed. Repairs were about $2000.

I had mine replaced as preventative maintenance at 69K miles. My mechanic charged me less than $200. Even though I had to pay for it, I consider it a bargain.

I suggest you read this entire thread to get a true picture of what is going with this issue.

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Dave

1998 E320
2001 SLK320
2000 Lexus RX300

As of November the 08 and 09 part numbers are no longer showing up. Only the 13 part number is being delivered regardless of what part number is ordered.

Again, not to say any design is better than another, but it does appear that the 13 part number is what Mercedes is going with currently.

Nevermind

Just check mine. It is a 00.

I will be calling MB of El Dorado Hills, CA in the morning to see what they have to say about this.

I don't mind paying to fix the problem. Stuff happens. Designs are not perfect.

May God have mercy on their souls if they lie to me about this not being a known problem, however.

Thanks to everyone on this board for the information. Once I find out how much the repair will cost me, I am going to donate a portion of the money I saved by not have a failure. Probably to an organization that supports our troops overseas as this is Veteran's Day.

Warmest regards

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" I feel much better ever since I gave up
hope."

I have a '99 E320 with 55k miles. I have the 00 00 balancer, with some very minor hairline cracks. No noticeable wobble at idle, nor engine sounds/performance. The vehicle has been driven in PA and MD .
I called Mercedes Customer Assistance and they stated that the "rumors I'd heard were false. They stated that when my warranty runs out (it did 5k ago), that's it. They told me to take the car to my local dealership to have them diagnose the state of the balancer. No suggestion of a goodwill repair.

In the event I'm unsuccesful in obtaining a goodwill repair, can anyone suggest a good independent shop in the Frederick, MD area to take on the replacement?

MY EXPERIENCE...99 ML430...67,000 MILES

I told them I wanted to replace the harmonic balancer, and asked if there was any goodwill available.

My service advisor said, "Yeah, wev'e had a few of those come in."

I asked how much it would be to replace it.

He said, "Well, you spent a lot of money last time you were here....how about if we just take care of it...they redisigned the part, so that would be the fair thing to do."

Here is how he wrote it up:

Customer states front crank pulley "wobbles"

Cause: 00

031280 Crankshaft pulley with damper, R&R / REPL

7553 WG

1 112-035-08-00 VIBRATION AB STARR N/C
1 006-990-70-04 SCREW N/C
1 112-200-09-70 TENSION ROLL N/C
1 011-997-97-92 V-BELT N/C

100% GOOD WILL WARRANTY INSPECT CRANK PULLY FOUND PULLY IS WOBBLING REMOVE COOLING FAN REMOVE BELT AND CRANK PULLY REMOVE BELT TENSIONER AND INSTALL NEW TENSIONER INSTALL NEW CRANK PULLY AND BELT INSTALL ALL REMOVED PARTS

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" I feel much better ever since I gave up
hope."

Just a note. When I examined my HB for the part number, it looked as though it was a 00 00. However, on closer examination, it is an 08 00. It is hard to distinguish the 8 as opposed to a 0.