In the latter part of December, I took my '92 500E (219K miles) in for a timing chain and rails, which eventually led to more work. The quote was a total of $3400, and my bill was $3900+, so I was not too happy at that time. Since then, I have a bad oil leak. I rationalized that the oil light coming on at almost 220K was due to my being due for an oil change, and my car probably should burn a little at that mileage. I topped it off at that time. Then, it seemed wet chen I changed my oil at 220K, but again, I rationalized that it could have been from some spillage from when I topped it off, or even the "seeping" power steering pump, which the dealer said to wait and change later. At just over 221K, my wife drove the car, and when she pulled out of the garage, I saw a large (30" in diameter) puddle of oil. I crawled under the car, and it was so wet I couldn't tell where the oil was coming from. I took it to my independent mechanic, who took off the distributor cap cover (maybe not the right part name), and cap, and showed me with a mirror that the leak was coming from behind the timing cover. At that time, my independent mechanic did not know that the dealer had done all that work just two months prior. The dealer said to bring it in Wednesday AM, which I did, and they didn't look at it until Thursday (today), and say they still don't know where the leak is coming from.

My post is for the purpose of getting some insight as to what the problem might be (I know you cannot see my car). I am suspicious that the tech at the dealer had never worked on a 500E before (they took twice as long as quoted, and supposedly a "senior tech" drove the car home for the weekend before delivering it to me - to make sure everything was OK), and may have had problems with the repair. I am afraid they are going to tell me it wasn't something they did, and they will want to charge me my other arm and leg for more work. The reason I am concerned is, when I went back to question why the bill was $3900+ on a $3400 quote, the response was no concern, and I was told the extra $$ was for "miscellaneous." Also, the service rep said his supervisor was out of town, and not available.

BTW, the car did not have an oil leak when I took it in originally.

Is there a common mistake made when timing chain work is done that would result in an oil leak like this?

Any ideas?

It has been a hot topic in the past. Do a search!
To answer your question: It should not be a common mistake for somebody who knows what he/she is doing!
Your car is a rare vehicle, find a good independant and stick with him. Use the dealer as a last resource unless...your car is newer and under warranty.

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J.H.
'86 300E

Mewing, the timing chain covers are prone to leak especially if the tech used the wrong sealant. It took 3 attempts by 2 different dealers to fix the timing chain cover leak on our 1992 300CE which is a straight 6 cylinder engine. Fortunately the Starmark Component Warranty covered the repair. The V8 engine timing chain covers may be even more difficult to seal properly. My indy uses a different sealant than MB recommends to avoid customer complaints about timing chain cover leaks.

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Fred Hoelzle

If this is an authorized MB dealer then ask to speak to the senior mechanic, and not the service rep. Tell him/her that you and your Mercedes buddies (us) have substanciated that your NEW problem is due an improper repair. Bone up on the repair and potential problems there in so you can speak the language. Ask to have it rectified at no cost to you. Go up the food chain until you get the answer you want to hear. Unless you had 30" puddles under your car prior to this repair, this IS related to the service.

Dealer is charging me 4.5 hours labor to find the leak. Took my independent 20 minutes. MB says that, even though they did timing chain, rails, tensioner, caps...these had nothing to do with the cam seals, and called it "one of those fluke things."

*&$#@!

mewing

Don't you dare put up with their BS, if your car didn't have a leak before I would FORCE them to fix it at their own expense. It's rediculous that they worked on the timing chain and all of a sudden you have this leak. I would also mention that a reputable INDY has already inspected the car and the leak was located. Point it out to them! You can't be shy around dealers, they'll walk all over you if you are.

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Afshin

Current:
02 C32 AMG

Previous:
92 500E
84 190E 2.3 5 Spd

I would agree with Placo1 and reiterate my previous post. If worse comes to worse, tell them you may have to seek legal council. Prepare a letter and hand deliver it to the owner of the dealership, with a copy sent to regional MB rep. You do have rights, stand up for them.

My MB dealer has a 1 year warranty on any job they do with MB original parts. They did the front seal on the transmission while it was out and it later leaked. I brought it back and pointed out the leak and they fixed it without argument. If you can prove/show that it leaks out of one of the gaskets they replaced, this should be covered by their warranty. I would talk to the shop manager and request politely that they live up to their warranty, otherwise you will take legal action. You spend already $3,900.00, it's up to them to live up to their side of the deal. I would also not pay 4.5 hours to find the leak unless you agreed to this before they started.
Good luck

I believe 4.5 hours to find an oil leak would require a long nap in the middle of the job.

Has anyone ever gotten a fair quote from a dealer? I think taking an old car to a dealer whatever the make is a bad idea. Dealers seem to over charge, MB, BMW, Toyota, Honda or whatever. Find a good indi. or do it yourself.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
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