B200CDI engine problems

[bobbejaan]

New to the forum so greetings to all.
Last month I bought a 2008 B200CDI from the local Land Rover dealer (a traded-in car) and all seemed well at first. The car has 62 000k's and drives really well with ample power. It has a full service history, from new at same dealer, and still 18 months remain on Mobilo motor plan although due to the mileage I have to contribute 30%.
Anyway, I am away from home at the moment and Wife recently checked the oil and had to put in about 800ml and the coolant was also very low so she topped that up with MB coolant. A little while after doing this she noticed a strong smell and "smoke" coming from the engine. Car is now in workshop with apparently leaking injector/s, although I can't see how this can cause a "strong chemical smell" and wiffs of smoke from "down at the bottom of the engine" !.
So, I am starting to smell a bit of a rat here and am thinking I've been done over by Land Rover, who of course ignore my queries about liability.
My questions are - Is there any possibility that car has been clocked as mileage is pretty low for it's year although the service book seems to show low annual mileage ?
What reason could there be for high oil consumption ?
What could cause a strong smell and wiffs of smoke ?
I was hoping that maybe there was a coolant leak onto the exhaust but seems that it's not at simple/cheap as that !
Appreciate any tips or suggestions. Thanks

 

[Rory]

It's fairly unusual to have to top up the oil in these engines and the coolant should never need topping up. Are you confident your wife knows what she is doing?

Which country are you in? In the UK if a car develops a fault with 6mths of purchase then it's assumed it was present at purchase and the garage has to fix it. Of course this doesn't apply if the fault was caused by something the owner did.

 

[flango]

Which country are you in? In the UK if a car develops a fault with 6mths of purchase then it's assumed it was present at purchase and the garage has to fix it. Of course this doesn't apply if the fault was caused by something the owner did.

The above is not correct.

Under the sale of goods act its just the burden of proof that shifts, so if any fault develops within the first 6 months if challenged a dealer has to prove the vehicle was correct and roadworthy when it left his premises . He does not have to nor is he under any obligation to fix the fault. That's why most dealers sell with a new MOT this is proof the vehicle is road worthy and has been inspected. It would then be up to the owner to sue the garage if he felt they were at fault but there is no automatic right to a repair.

That said if you cared about your trading reputation you would work through the issue with the customer

 

[Rory]

...there is no automatic right to a repair.

Well, OK - I'm well aware that the SoGA is a can of worms. I didn't go into huge detail as I suspect the OP isn't from the UK.

 

[bobbejaan]

I'm in South Africa Rory, and it seems that the motor industry here is pretty heavily tilted in favour of the dealers. When I asked about warranty on buying the car I was assured that it was covered by the Mobilo motor plan so no need for Land Rover to supply one. More the fool me for not insisting on something but I assumed that everything was fine with the car because it's in very good condition .
My wife is pretty cautious with engine things although the oil may have been a bit low when we got the car. Same with the coolant. The car was last serviced 6000k's prior so the levels should have been fine.

 

[bobbejaan]

Update - still no idea on the oil consumption so hopefully was a bit low when we took delivery. fingers crossed.

However, two weeks on and dozens of phone calls and the cause of the strong smell and smoke is not leaking injectors (fuel) as I understood, but leaking injector seals, which makes sense. Seems they have have been leaking for some time. How many were leaking is still a mystery as the dealer very vague with the details .
Have been presented with an invoice for R 40 000 (GBP 2500) ! Needed is a new wiring harness (plausible) endless seals and gaskets (sounds about right) and..............4 new injectors !
A 5 year old car with full service history and 63 000kms and it needs all injectors replaced. Coincidentally 3 000 kms into where my contribution is now 30% !

Asked the Service Advisor, through clenched jaw, why the need to replace the injectors "oh the mechanic said they all need to be replaced" ..... rang off before I lost it completely !
Apparently repairs will take three weeks as parts need to be ordered from Germany. That will mean total down time of 5 weeks.

Methinks the injector, or perhaps two were carboned in pretty badly and were damaged removing them so hey, lets charge the sucker for a full set !
Have complained directly to head office MBSA so lets see their response as this is their local MB workshop I'm dealing with.

Not a good introduction to Mercedes.

 

[bobbejaan]

Further developments on this engine/injector problem - advice appreciated !


Recently noticed a strong exhaust/fumes smell when bonnet open while engine running. Did a bit of investigating with the air filter box off and noticed smoke/fumes coming up out of the top opening of the injector cover plate. Took the car to Mercedes agents who, after two days, declared that there was nothing leaking although they did find an "exhaust clamp" loose which was tightened. Fortunately I wasn't charged for this tightening !
Got the car home and had a bit of a look around and fumes/smoke still coming up from under air filter box, between the box and the bulkhead.
Could the smoke/fumes be coming from anywhere other then the injector seals as there doesn't seem to be a noticeable "chuffing" sound ?
Is there a disconnected oil breather line, under the injector cover, which might be the culprit.
Absolutely gob-smacked at the attitude of the local MB dealer. Totally disinterested and takes no liability whatsoever. Recently had the r/h drive shaft boot replaced as was split. Took 4 days and after that still had to take car back because of vibration at 80-90 kms. Took another day to rectify and was then told that one of the balls in the cv joint had been "misplaced" during reassembly of drive shaft.

 

[louwdj]

Go to another dealer. Or take it to Mecspec in Midrand (indy) for an opinion. Tel 011 805 3640.The M2 dealership, which I have dealt with on and off since 1982, has problems too. I bought a E240 which ahd been serviced by them. In 8 years they have never changed the brake fluid. A safety item that per MB should be changed every two years.
The same W210 had a gearchange issue when overtaking on the open road. They could not find anything wrong. Mechspecc correctly diagnosed blocked catalisators.