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

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

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.

__________________
(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 $.

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

MB stealerships are for cars under warranty only...

__________________
J.H.
'86 300E

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

__________________
2008 E350 4matic / Black/Anthracite

------------------------------------
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

When you guys say "M.E." you are talking about the Control board? They are saying the computer doesn't work because oil got in it?

__________________
1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

Jezzie,

What happened? Did you get an answer from the advisor? Which dealship was this? If you could I would go back with the car and make them check the codes while you are watching them. Be sure that they just don't erase the code and say the problem is fixed.

Good luck!

__________________
"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad

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.

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

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.

__________________
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.

what is the name of the dealership and where is it located????

I just encountered the same problem and the San Antonio MB dealer quote me $3,250 to replace the sensor, ME, wiring harness and O2 sensor, almost sounds like they can a canned answer to this problem. I am really puzzled how oil can travel through a two wire harness back to the ME when it's up hill from the sensor, something does not seem right. I will go back to the dealer and get the fault code or codes and take it to a shop that has been repairing MB for years. I will definitely share your expertise and advice with him. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.