Engine Seized on Low Mile 2010 ML350

[SubbyG00n]

Hi all. I've just joined here for some advice. I tend to give TMO so despite the fact that i've not wrote it yet here's your advanced warning that this will probably be a long read...

So my wife is pregnant with our first child(ren). Since we don't do anything by halves instead of just having one baby we ended up ordering 2, despite the fact that it was a natural conception and there are no twins in her enormous family at all.
My car is an impreza which is old and no isofix and just not a safe car. She had an Audi TT diesel which will not work for 2 babies in baby seats. I also had a beautiful low mileage sought after KTM SMR950 motorbike. In the past I've had lots of bad luck with cars, my friends even composed and performed a song about it as a surprise for our Wedding 2 years ago! What we thought was lets sell both my motorbike and her Audi and put the money together to get a good car that we can get both babies in with their seats and double buggy AND both of our dogs. We shopped around for months looking at BMWs, Volvos and Mercedes and eventually decided on this 2010 ML350 with just 50k on the clock. It cost all the money from her TT and my KTM combined. We bought it privately through eBay, and it was local so we actually viewed it and test drove it before we bought it and all seemed fine. After one month of driving it all of a sudden on the dual carriageway all the dash lights came on and it went into neutral on it's own and I couldn't get it started again. It have us the message on the dash to drive to a Mercedes specialist and not change gear (on the auto box???). Anyway, we got it recovered home as it was night time and I checked the codes with my OBD reader the next day. I got P06A "Potential" (Clutch Switch) and P1708 (the internet told me this is throttle). I turned the crankshaft 1/4 of a turn and since the oil looked lovely and clean i thought this meant the engine was fine and it's probably a sensor. At this point i'm out of my depth anyway so I asked Facebook for recommendations and got sent in the direction of Staithes Garage in Dunston (Gateshead - Newcastle) which is about 2 miles away luckily. We had the car dropped there last week and then today got the call to say the engine has seized. Obviously I didn't turn the crankshaft enough on my check - i figured if it moved at all it was ok, i didn't realise i had to keep turning it.

I usually buy cheap old cars that I can work on myself. I still have my good old reliable 1999 Subaru Impreza Wagon on the drive which we are currently using as our back up car after the Merc died. I've changed numerous engines myself, about half a dozen Nissan GA16 and SR20 engines, a few Renault Clios and have removed an Audi RS6 engine (but didn't refit it!) and I'm thinking these will be a tad too difficult for me to try and fit myself so it looks like I'll be getting Phil at Staithes to do it. He's quoted £2000 labour.
I've been looking online and calling breakers and I can source an engine from an ML350 for anywhere between £3200 and £4700. I've seen the ads for remanufactured supply and fit for £2700 on eBay but they seem to be too good to be true. Anyone used them and know better? But the cheapest I can find is from a CLS for about £2000 but it apparently has a different sump - can anyone verify if that's all i'd have to change as I don't want to get that and then lose out on labour costs?

All in all we bought this as a reliable family car and after this my wife has lost faith so is talking about getting it repaired and then selling and buying something brand new on PCP or even just writing off our £10k investment completely and just scrapping the car. I'd rather persist as i think if we've spent this sort of money on repairing a car we should keep it. We just need to decide what to do and if we get it repaired which engine we should go for. Does anyone have experience with the following breakers?:
Prestige Allparts (Oldham)
Prestige Auto Salvage (near Birmingham)
Westminister Keir Yard (Leeds)
MGL Parts (Shrewsbury)

I need to get my skates on too, as what I didn't mention is the twins are due in less than a week and cos of the isofix seats we'll have to get a hire car or something. Thought I had enough on my plate trying to sort the house out but apparently not!

Thanks if you've made reading this far and TIA if you can give any recommendations or experiences of any of the above breakers. Cheers!
Leon

 

[merc85]

MSL Birmingham maybe able to help you, I hear they Break Merc's so perhaps have a Engine for sale, Also they would be able fit it.

Worth a call.

Does the Car have any Dealer history out of interest?

 

[SubbyG00n]

Hi merc85, the car's had 2 owners since new before us but unfortunately the last owner owned the car for something like 6 years did every service themselves so no main dealer stamps. Why do you ask?
I'll look up MSL.
Cheers

 

[merc85]

If it had Full dealer history Mb may have helped,

I think on this engine there was a issue with Changing oil filters but i cant remember what the score was tbh will see if i can find the thread, something todo with a valve in the housing i think.....

 

[merc85]

Found this on the USA forum,

As a follow-up to my engine failure issue, here's an interesting source regarding other MB owners stating "as part of a regular service, Mercedes is fitting free of charge an enlarged 14l oil sump and amended crankshaft bearings on my car. The issue was mentioned by Pistonhead last June in the thread: “News! basically, a forum filler” and appears to be specific to 2010/ 2011 G350 Bluetecs which were delivered with a oil sump capacity of 9l. The oil caused by the Bluetec technology can thicken leading to insufficient oil supply for the crankshaft which might damage the crankshaft and in extreme cases the engine." This thread goes on to reveal "This issue may be more than just a sump and bearings replaced. I am aware of 3 AGOA members now that have had the entire engine replaced. There is also modification to the steering links for RHD's to accommodate the larger sump. One member had the Service Measure completed and then a couple of months later 'lost' number 5 piston and had to have the entire engine replaced.
If I were buying second hand I would be making sure that I bought from a dealer and negotiated an extended warranty. There is plenty on this issue on the AGOA forum or the SA Forum" : Please see these original posts here:
http://www.gwoa.co.uk/content/purcha...-engine-issues

And on here,

OM642 Seizing Issues Commonality

Doesn't really help you but a interesting read.

 

[a111r]

That's some bad luck, chap..
I agree with you. If the engine had seized, you wouldn't be able to turn it over by any 'rotational amount'.
'Stiffness in part' could be valve / cam related?
Not great, but less doom-laden than that worst case diagnosis.

 

[Smiley]

Sorry to hear of your problems. My advice would be to sell the ML as it is if you can not do the work yourself. You might be surprised how much it will fetch on ebay from someone who can do the work themselves. You would be very lucky to buy a SH engine and have it fitted without some further problems along the way. What happens if the "new" engine rattles or does not start - the seller is going to blame the installer....and you will get both bills to pay. Then buy something else; if you buy privately again then buy something with a proper service history - not having a pop at you but there is no way that your ML has a proper service history if the guy did it himself - you have no idea what corners he cut; used cheap parts etc etc. Or buy something cheaper and less complex to fix - there are plenty of cheaper easier cars with Isofix.

 

[SubbyG00n]

Selling it may be an option if we can get a few grand for it.
After reading those links listing various failures of this engine my wife now thinks we've bought the worst car ever made. We may have to just put it on ebay for a week as spares or repair with a reserve and that will decide if we get it fixed or let it go

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

 

[merc85]

Just to add Your more likely to hear of bad things on a Forum because usually thats where people ask questions when something go's wrong with there car.

It's the same whatever brand of vehicle you have.

 

[E55BOF]

You said that after the car broke down, the engine wouldn't start. Would it turn over normally on the starter but not fire, or would it not turn at all?

 

[SubbyG00n]

E55BOF, it wouldn't turn over at all.
As it stands me and the wife had a discussion and decided if we could get £4k for the car as salvage spares or repair we'd accept our loss and at least then have some money to buy another car. We did a WeBuyAnyCar.com type of thing and there's someone coming on Friday to theoretically pay the £4k and I guess they'll just break it for parts or repair and sell since it does only have a genuine 51k on the clock.
I've had no suggestion from Staithes garage (local Mercedes specialist) what has caused the engine failure but a mechanic friend of mine has been kept up to date since day one and him and his colleagues at the Volvo garage reckon it was either oil starvation or a snapped timing chain or one causing the other. Guess I'll never know. Gutted as it's like a month of our household income gone poof just as I've started unpaid paternity leave since i'm self employed.

 

[Smiley]

£4k sounds cheap if the car really has only done 50k. Rather than just accept the first offer of 4k why not stick it on ebay with a good description and a 4k reserve.....you may be very pleasantly surprised what it might sell for. If someone has an engine and is able to do the work then it is going to look cheap at 6k.

 

[markjay]

A gap in garage servicing could also mean that the correct oil (229.51) has not been used.

 

[SubbyG00n]

Markjay, the car only had 2 previous owners. The guy we bought it off was a hands on bloke, it could have been me in 25 years. He lived in a massive house and clearly had money but was building his own wall when we went to view the car and told us that he serviced the car himself for the last 6 years or so. He had some spare service parts that he let us have with the car as he'd bought in bulk but it was all genuine Mercedes stuff. There was no oil there but I can't imagine he was skimping in the oil but buying Merc filters. Maybe he was and he'd lied through his teeth, I really don't know as I tend to trust people too much.

Smiley, these guys will collect Friday then we have the cash to buy another car. My wife is due to go into hospital for induction next week and we really need to be sorted with transport for the babies by then. Usually I would try to get every penny I could but time is against us. Phil, the owner at Staithes garage reckoned £4k was a great price despite the car not having a mark on it inside or out. Although I don't know if he knew the mileage.

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

 

[markjay]

I wasn't suggesting the chap was tight... just that he may have been ignorant about the correct oil spec.

I.e. he may have purchased expensive oil just not to MB Spec.

But it's speculation, and I suppose we'll never know for sure... good luck with getting it sorted one way or the other.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

These things have a tendency to happen when you need them the most - hope you have better luck with whatever you go for next and I hope the birth goes without a hitch!