A150 died, won't start - "internal engine fault"

[calum]

hi all, bit of a disaster today...

On Sat, our A150 (W169) conked out, a mile or so down the road, and would not restart. Turned over fine, just wouldn't start. Mobilo (who were excellent) recovered it to Robinsons, the local MB dealer here (whence it was bought, and where it's always been serviced).

Today we've heard from them: their computer says "internal engine fault" - no further details - so they're recommending £5,000 for a recon engine... or £6k for a new one.

This on a 5-year old car with only 45K miles, and with full MBFSH.

The other alternative was for them to strip the engine down to try and find the problem; that will cost me 12 hours, so £1,200. And then presumably to be told I need a recon engine anyway.

Am in shock.

It's not in warranty, of course (2005), but from a legal perspective, shouldn't I be expecting rather better?

thanks much for any advice...

 

[Mad4Coupes]

pm sent.

 

[thebandit]

Any more info on the cause of this??

We have a similar W169 and this post has alarmed me !!

 

[219]

I'm astounded that a garage , with all their allegedly high-tech diagnostic equipment have effectively come back with 'It's broken' : I think I could have worked out at least that much for myself .

Were there any unusual noises ( bangs , pops , screeches , grating etc ) either when it came to a halt or when you were trying to restart ? Since you say it 'turned over fine' , I'd presume not ?

Assuming no nasty noises , I'd not be looking for any major mechanical catastrophies ( broken timing chain , dropped valves etc ) .

Was oil pressure , temp OK beforehand ? No abnormal smoke/steam from exhaust when it broke down ? Fluids OK after breakdown ? Did they bother to carry out a compression test - which might indicate problems with valvegear/ CHG / piston rings ?

There are quite a lot of checks that can be carried out by a proper mechanic to narrow down what might be wrong - although , to be fair , a complete stripdown sometimes IS the only way to be 100% sure - rather than having a spotty-faced youth plug in his laptop to tell you 'It's broken' - which you already knew .

If - worst case - the engine IS knackered - try the 'Goodwill' avenue first , since you are presumably the original owner , with FMBSH and still dealing with the supplying dealer - an engine should not expire at this mileage . If they can't/won't help with the cost , then your most cost effective option would be to hunt around the breakers' yards for an accident-damaged write off with the same engine as yours ( as long as you can either see the engine running or get some sort of guarantee ) .

Alternatively , get a quote from a reputable engine rebuilder to repair your existing engine ( Crewe Engines are one of the UK's leading engine remanufacturers specialising in Mercedes-Benz of all ages - one of the guys over on the 190 forum had his 190 Cosworth engine fully rebuilt at a cost of about £2500 - that included rebore , new pistons/bearings/ head overhaul ) it has to be worth at least phoning them , telling them the problem and asking for a 'worst case scenario' cost for repairing your engine . Their website is http://www.creweengines.com/

Getting a repair of this nature done at the dealership is never going to be a cheap option .

I'd also consider removing the car to a reputable 'Indy' for a second opinion - somebody on here should be able to recommend one in your part of the country .

This chap is in Suffolk , not a million miles from you , and enjoys a good reputation on the forum - again got to be worth at least a phone call http://alexcrow.moonfruit.com/ There may even be another specialist closer to you ?

 

[Ted]

That is an outrageous diagnosis.
As Derek says - you should get a second opinion. Who knows what is wrong with the engine.

And as a sarcastic comment, if it were a Hyundai, it would presumably be still under warranty.

This is a Mercedes for crysake!

Edit: And yes. You should expect better than this.

I await the outcome of this with interest.

 

[crisc204]

I've taken to not really posting much but this takes the biscuit, follow this steps

1.Remove from Mercedes
2.Send to a local specialist who actually has tools and a brain.

This way at least the mechanic will actually check the engine and whilst doing so it will presumabley not be £100 an hour...

Absolutuley shocking failure by Mercedes both of the car and the vendor.
I hope it works out for you somewhere along the way!


p.s now the rants over, on reflection maybe they want you to take the car.... More research on A150 Engine failures is needed but where do you start with that??

I know of a fault on the Porsche Cayenne V8 GTS motors which you would not believe, Porsche themselves and a leading diagnostic firm have documented it!

 

[BlackC55]

What failed is the question I would be asking.

Was the oil level checked recently? Did it run out of oil?

 

[calum]

Apologies - just noticed I failed to update this thread, sorry; and thanks for the replies.

It's a long time ago now, but some ranting produced "goodwill" results - MBUK and/or Robinsons funded most of the cost of a recon engine, which ended up costing me "only" £1k.

The final diagnosis on the failure was a thrown valve, enormous damage done.

No indication at all as to why it might have happened - it had been recently serviced, at Robinsons, indeed all its services were done there, and they supplied it, so they could not quibble at its maintenance.

Fortunately, it's been fine ever since.

Although Robinsons are no better; recently they charged my £500 to diagnose and fix a whine, by changing the poly V belt. Of course, this did not actually fix the problem.

An independent told me within an hour that it was the alternator, which I will replace if/when it gets worse.

 

[moakesr]

Although Robinsons are no better; recently they charged my £500 to diagnose and fix a whine, by changing the poly V belt. Of course, this did not actually fix the problem.

An independent told me within an hour that it was the alternator, which I will replace if/when it gets worse.

Ironic isn't it, the dealers have all the tech info, all the diagnostic gear, but when it comes down to good old fashioned listen, look and think diagnostics, they can't do it any more

 

[calum]

Ironic isn't it, the dealers have all the tech info, all the diagnostic gear, but when it comes down to good old fashioned listen, look and think diagnostics, they can't do it any more

Yup, rather than jump to conclusions, my excellent local independent spent some time with a stethoscope etc and tracked down the noise itself, by listening, as you say.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

An independent told me within an hour that it was the alternator, which I will replace if/when it gets worse.

200 Yards down the road from Robinsons towards Mill Road is AUTOKARE (behind the Pet shop) the indy I have used for over 10 years. one of their employees is an ex Merc mechanic, try them out if you get any other issues.

 

[calum]

200 Yards down the road from Robinsons towards Mill Road is AUTOKARE (behind the Pet shop) the indy I have used for over 10 years. one of their employees is an ex Merc mechanic, try them out if you get any other issues.

thanks, I'll keep them in mind.

For many years I've used Barr-Tech, opposite the Science Park - absolutely faultless service.

thanks...

 

[Rory]

Although Robinsons are no better; recently they charged my £500 to diagnose and fix a whine, by changing the poly V belt. Of course, this did not actually fix the problem.

How did that come to £500? I think I'd ask for it back and try and make a charge-back on my credit card if that happened to me.

200 Yards down the road from Robinsons towards Mill Road is AUTOKARE (behind the Pet shop) the indy I have used for over 10 years. one of their employees is an ex Merc mechanic, try them out if you get any other issues.

It's great for the Indies and for those who use them, but Mercedes should be embarrassed that the way they works creates this opportunity in the first place.

 

[calum]

How did that come to £500? I think I'd ask for it back and try and make a charge-back on my credit card if that happened to me.

It's great for the Indies and for those who use them, but Mercedes should be embarrassed that the way they works creates this opportunity in the first place.

yup, I dunno myself, my wife dealt with it, and it seemed easier not to make a fuss. But now, I wish I had.

Instead, I just won't go there again.