Damage After Service to This…

[xrm88]

Or did they spot the loose hose ??? Maybe they are trying to deflect blame ?
When they serviced a car they would have checked the power steering fluid level and changed the oil filter . Are the garage saying that the “mechanic “ did not spot the REALLY obvious damage when he completed the service ?
If they are saying that , maybe attend the garage on your day off in a clown suit to greet and explain the situation to other customers .

Think it’s just something they picked up on but my cynical mind thinks they’ll try worm out if it

 

[chic0821]

they’re now wondering if the damage was caused when we had water pump replaced (start of March by another garage).

Wow, funny that who would have guessed it was the other garage's fault. So they never noticed the hole or thought it was OEM. Aye right, & my head zips up from the back

 

[StMarks]

Just taken car into the in and out centre for them to see. They’ve spotted a hose that clips onto the side of the PS expansion tank loose and not attached to the water pump (see pic) and I think they’re now wondering if the damage was caused when we had water pump replaced (start of March by another garage).
Could this be the case? Does the oil filter cap need to be unscrewed to replace water pump? And is that loose hose vital to the WP?

Cheers!

Fwiw I can see no reason why a previous garage would have felt it necessary to remove the oil filter housing when replacing a water pump.
Besides which, if the damage had been done at the beginning of March you would have noticed the puddle of spilt power steering fluid then & not straight after this servicing.
The plastic oil filter housing has clearly been chewed up by someone trying to use the type of tool that is generally used on metal cartridge filters. Those tools do not grip the plastic housings, and it is easy to envisage someone attempting to remove your plastic housing with the wrong tool and slipping whilst applying considerable force in an attempt to make that wrong tool grip. Your power steering header tank lies precisely where you may expect the slipped tool to impact.
Imho they owe you a filter housing as well as the power steering tank.

Fyi the correct type of tool for removing your type of filter housing is like this.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FVN7X2V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As a guess, based on the damage, they probably tried to use something like this.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-77592-Filter-Wrench-130mm/dp/B0001KA1YO/ref=sr_1_15?crid=13UKYFM0BYUM7&keywords=oil+filter+removal+tool&qid=1683737480&s=diy&sprefix=oil+filter+removal+tool,diy,574&sr=1-15

Hth

 

[xrm88]

Fwiw I can see no reason why a previous garage would have felt it necessary to remove the oil filter housing when replacing a water pump.
Besides which, if the damage had been done at the beginning of March you would have noticed the puddle of spilt power steering fluid then & not straight after this servicing.
The plastic oil filter housing has clearly been chewed up by someone trying to use the type of tool that is generally used on metal cartridge filters. Those tools do not grip the plastic housings, and it is easy to envisage someone attempting to remove your plastic housing with the wrong tool and slipping whilst applying considerable force in an attempt to make that wrong tool grip. Your power steering header tank lies precisely where you may expect the slipped tool to impact.
Imho they owe you a filter housing as well as the power steering tank.

Fyi the correct type of tool for removing your type of filter housing is like this.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FVN7X2V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As a guess, based on the damage, they probably tried to use something like this.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-77592-Filter-Wrench-130mm/dp/B0001KA1YO/ref=sr_1_15?crid=13UKYFM0BYUM7&keywords=oil+filter+removal+tool&qid=1683737480&s=diy&sprefix=oil+filter+removal+tool,diy,574&sr=1-15

Hth

Cheers mate!
Does any know if that hose should be on the water pump or not?!

 

[StMarks]

Cheers mate!
Does any know if that hose should be on the water pump or not?!

Not sure what hose you are referring to @xrm88 , but fwiw I am unaware* of any connection between the coolant system and the power steering if that helps.?
Are we talking about a hose support that may have been left unclipped after the water pump replacement.? -That sort of thing can often happen, and is not necessarily of much consequence (except to my "inner OCD mechanic").

BTTT

* Others on here may be more knowledgeable about the Coolant to Power Steering connection ?????

 

[xrm88]

Not sure what hose you are referring to @xrm88 , but fwiw I am unaware* of any connection between the coolant system and the power steering if that helps.?
Are we talking about a hose support that may have been left unclipped after the water pump replacement.? -That sort of thing can often happen, and is not necessarily of much consequence (except to my "inner OCD mechanic").

BTTT

* Others on here may be more knowledgeable about the Coolant to Power Steering connection ?????

Hi mate,

I was referring to the hose that’s loose and the part on the water pump with no hose on it?
I’ve circled the areas I mean in the pic below.
This is totally unrelated I THINK to the damaged PS tank.
Cheers

 

[StMarks]

Sorry, I'm afraid I don't recognise that & as my Merc' has a different engine to yours I can't simply go and take a look to work it out for you.
Hopefully someone else on here will be better informed..

Bttt

Fwiw that looks very much as though the pipe should be on there, but the lack of any sign that it has resulted in any loss suggests that maybe it is some sort of vent pipe, perhaps to take any weeping loss from a bearing seal away from the engine bay.? Not however this is total conjecture, so do not hold any sway by it.

 

[xrm88]

Evening all,

So we got the car back today with new PS tank and pump fitted along with the new oil filter cap.
Garage manager thinks the damage was caused by someone pressing down too hard on the engine cover?! When I said “what about the chewed oil filter cap”? He said that’s just wear and tear…
We agreed to disagree.

Got 2 mins from home and had “check engine oil at next refuelling” message come up

This car is cursed I swear!

 

[Smiley]

Evening all,

So we got the car back today with new PS tank and pump fitted along with the new oil filter cap.
Garage manager thinks the damage was caused by someone pressing down too hard on the engine cover?! When I said “what about the chewed oil filter cap”? He said that’s just wear and tear…
We agreed to disagree.

Got 2 mins from home and had “check engine oil at next refuelling” message come up

This car is cursed I swear!

My guess is that the car is OK; the "curse" is caused by the halfwits you choose to work on it. You would be better off at a local specialist than an in-out or whatever you called it type place - it will save you money and hassle.

 

[StMarks]

Fwiw I agree. If the boss at that place was prepared to spin you face to face such implausible clap-trap then that speaks volumes imho.
Everyone can make mistakes, accidents happen so any place could conceivably mess up.
How a business deals with their errors is the real tell.:
If they pretend it never happened, charge you for their work & send you on your way, they do not deserve your custom.
If they lie to you & try to blame others for what is manifestly their responsibility, that only reinforces the point.

 

[xrm88]

Totally agree guys.
Without sounding like I’m passing the buck, ‘‘twas the Mrs that took it in. It’s essentially her car until something goes wrong with it

 

[Smiley]

You are definitely onto a loser with that arrangement. Your wife takes her car to the cheapest crappiest place in town, presumably because it is cheap or it is convenient for her shopping/hair appointment/whatever and then it is your problem when it goes wrong.
Get a grip man

 

[Spider10]

It's called marriage

 

[Bayleaf]

If the garage is going to say it wasn’t them that caused the damage . There is no way they wouldn’t have noticed it and suggested they repair it .

Absolutely.

 

[Bayleaf]

Looking at the damage to the oil filter cap it looks like someone has used a chain wrench around it and that has slipped into the PS reservoir housing. You will get away this time relatively lightly; the idiot who did this could have done something much more catastrophic - if I were you I would take it as lesson learned. I am guessing it was a Kwik Fit type operation that you went to. By all means take it back to show them the damage that they have 100% definitely caused. But I would also explain to them that this sort of butchery (and not admitting to it) means that you do not consider that they have the right level of skill and you will be taking it elsewhere for repair and sending them the bill - I would not even ask them if they will pay - just tell them and pursue them if they don't pay.
Find yourself a decent MB independent for your servicing - you will probably pay a bit more but you will avoid this sort of problem. Get the independent to fix this mess and ask them to email you a report of how the damage occurred to help with your claim. Btw if this is the sort of f*** up that they are capable of I would have less than zero confidence that they have even used the correct spec of engine oil - have they told you or does the receipt just say oil change?
You should be OK to drive the car but keep an eye on the PS reservoir and if you can clean up the area around it and put some strong tape over it that would help. Go to your nearest main dealer and get a litre of the correct fluid; the last thing you need now is the wrong spec of fluid in there.

I totaly agree with your post there smiley, but any good mechanic worth his salt ( not a fitter as you allude to ) would be able to undo the filter without doing that damage. However it's finding one, there are plenty still around though, so as you suggest the op would be better off taking the car to an Indy.

 

[xrm88]

Afternoon guys!
Update on this mechanical a*rsehole of a car…

Noticed yet more fluid on the drive way so rang the cowboys back and they said it could be the sponge in undertray that is leaking oil from before but took it in for them to have a look anyway.
Picked it up this morning after they said it WAS as they thought and just residue oil.
Drove home to be called by the cowboys asking for me to bring car back in!!?? They said as I drove off they saw a trail of oil leaving their premises!
Back I went and it now turns out they THINK the car has a leak from the oil filter housing, where the unit meets the engine itself?
They have said that it’s a specialist job and they’ve done as much as they can with it and so sent me on my way.
I have the car booked in with a specialist for Tuesday and see what he says.
It all just seems like too much of a coincidence that this leak has started after they fixed their original f*ck up
I’m hoping the guy on Tuesday says it’s damage rather than wear and tear on a gasket or something.

Cheers guys

 

[Spider10]

I bet you wish you never saw that place
I take it that you left them a 5 star feedback it'll get sorted in the end

 

[StMarks]

I have the car booked in with a specialist for Tuesday and see what he says.

(I don't expect I am the only one),,, 'Will be interested to hear what they report back to you.
When you say "specialist" ?????

Anyway, best of luck.

 

[xrm88]

Morning guys,

Just a quick update.
So the Merc specialist has said it’s the oil cooler that’s leaking!
We had this replaced along with water pump a couple of months back (along with countless other fixes/repairs that this b*state of a car has gone in for).
So I’ve rang the garage that did the work and am taking it in tomorrow

 

[geoffus]

So it may have been the first garage after all that did the damage, they would have had to change the oil and filter after replacing the oil cooler and water pump ?
That’s why the second garage (still following ?) washed their hands of this car.
And if it is the oil cooler still leaking after replacement, then they are the guilty party.
Did they replace it or just try the fix it ?
Plot thickens.