Help please! Contaminated Fuel 2021 E300 Coupe

[mioba]

As mentioned I would get to an inda, get the tank totally drained, fresh filters, new fuel and take it from there. Diesel in a petrol is not worser that the other way round.

 

[Bellow]

This is the best explanation of what will happen if it was misfueled, I would have thought 20% wouldn’t have caused that much damage though unless it was more than 20% initially and diluted again with more petrol. I think someone maybe has misfueled and the engine called quits.
hopefully not the case.

I suspect there's a point between not enough to cause damage and enough to stop it starting that can inflict maximum damage. Around 20%?

 

[Bellow]

For those unable or unwilling to understand and accept the forces involved consider cycling up a steep gradient in too high a gear, with the pedal near the top of it's stroke and barely moving. Now imagine it with an elephant not a human on the pedal and not only is the elephant pressing on the pedal it is stamping on it.

20% of the fuel charge (the diesel) spontaneously combusting is a massive force - the more so in an engine not designed for it. To put it in perspective, HCCI technology (which harnesses spontaneous combustion) is limited at a 30% fuel charge and that in an engine designed for it.

 

[geoffus]

I suspect there's a point between not enough to cause damage and enough to stop it starting that can inflict maximum damage. Around 20%?

I think you have hit the nail on the head. I’ve just watched a video on YouTube where this chap purposely put diesel in a petrol to see the reaction. The result appears to be the same as the OP described it, serious knocking and power loss.
Question remains, who put it in prior to the drive up the motorway?

 

[m80]

Do these have a saddle tank?
Could diesel have been sitting in the 'reserve' part of the tank until the fuel level dropped?

Is it possible it ran on part diesel previously w/o obvious adverse effects at that time? From reading these posts that sounds feasible.
So is it possible from the initial introduction of diesel that this was a catastrophe in the waiting?

I wouldn't have expected diesel in a petrol to cause a catastrophic engine failure, but Bellow describes well how it might.

Back to the saddle tank theory, it was known on the 203 that a car could fail when fuel dropped to approx 30%, if the fuel transfer pump failed. Is it possible that an MB tech added some fuel to raise the fuel level so to eliminate that as a possible cause.? That introduces a possibility that the engine failed for whatever reason, as yet not identified, and the diesel content has now become the blame.

 

[Tuercas viejas]

I will post a few comments on this based upon past experiences with attorney's clients and MB USA.
For many years I was engaged as an expert witness for an attorney acting as the plaintiff council on two engine failures (OM642) with MB USA, & several other brands & High St Quick Lube shops as well.

Its hard to be specific on what has occurred to cause a catastrophic failure without careful INDEPENDENT EXPERT analysis and the dealers statements, & in any case, frequently, really don't add up to a hill of beans in most cases !
Many dealer know sweet "FA" anyway from my factory engineering experiences , & always remember they have are fiduciary responsibility to the manufacturer being a franchise dealership.
In one MB dealer incident following a bottom end failure of a 2010 OM642 engine with 1100 miles from new, the dealer in question went to some extraordinary lengths to extract just about every drop of oil from the damaged engine , but I got enough to determine the root cause ,and by careful engine unit disassembly I found the "smoking gun". Busted !

But it doesn't end there, , because MB have an army of litigation experts & attorneys that will question every aspect of the expert witness' statements, and even accuse he or she of adverse brand biased in the process of chicanery in law suits. In my first case I was grilled all afternoon by three MB appointed attorneys at their offices on Blake St, Denver for a technical deposition as a pre-trial requisite .
You will also find many potential expert material & oil experts very reluctant or won't even testify under oath or emit anything in writing against big corporations like MB .

So strategies have to be put together as careful supporting evidence to convince judge & jury with no of possibility of "exculpatory avenues" within depositions of the plaintiffs lawsuits.
Eventually in both cases MB USA settled out of court and they always follow a carefully chosen path in defense.
If the OP wants some guidance I can give you a jingle if you send me your phone number/call details etc. to [email protected] .

What I will state in closing that Factories & dealerships act differently as their brand insignia.
In similar instances Leyland Truck & Bus Div, where I worked for 14 years, the policy was in most cases simply install a new engine without quibble to keep the customer happy.
Really the base cost of an engine is "peanuts or chump change" when stacked up against an army of attorneys in retention and their professional fees plus new E Classes every year AND one for the missus as well!
I suppose it begs the question who is the chump here, because business is business and forget emotion !
All the best.
Tuercas Viejas

 

[Bellow]

Do these have a saddle tank?
Could diesel have been sitting in the 'reserve' part of the tank until the fuel level dropped?

Is it possible it ran on part diesel previously w/o obvious adverse effects at that time? From reading these posts that sounds feasible.
So is it possible from the initial introduction of diesel that this was a catastrophe in the waiting?

I wouldn't have expected diesel in a petrol to cause a catastrophic engine failure, but Bellow describes well how it might.

Back to the saddle tank theory, it was known on the 203 that a car could fail when fuel dropped to approx 30%, if the fuel transfer pump failed. Is it possible that an MB tech added some fuel to raise the fuel level so to eliminate that as a possible cause.? That introduces a possibility that the engine failed for whatever reason, as yet not identified, and the diesel content has now become the blame.

Similar thoughts have been mulling in my mind - but I was stuck on the notion of a reserve tank that doesn't exist. Mulling it to the point of almost asking how much fuel was in the tank when the engine went pop. Now's the time to ask.

 

[zipdip]

Just where do you go with this,car has two refills of petrol and then the engine blows up,recovered to a MB dealership and they say swarf everywhere the engine is finished and a sample of Petrol shows 19% diesel ,now it is clear from the filling station receipts that petrol was used both times,just how did a 1/5 th of a tank of petrol contain diesel,roughly 12 litres of diesel,nobody I know will fill a car with just 12 litres of diesel when going to a filling station,so did the delivery driver fill it at a services and then the owners then fill it up with petrol and that stopped the engine blowing and then they refilled again with petrol,but with the tank running down on the motorway the engine gave up,well after all that it is a mystery,I feel for the op,a brand new car,tell the finance and get the car inspected by a expert as has already been advised,I hope you get a result.

 

[anglaslt]

Hi , well other members have suggested that very thing. If you have a comprehensive motor policy vandalism should be covered.

The OP may find that when an Insurance company becomes involved the doors that were closed may be opened.

Not just vandalism, some insurers will cover any damage caused by misfuelling under accidental damage. It is worth checking with your particular insurer.

 

[dallman]

Similar thoughts have been mulling in my mind - but I was stuck on the notion of a reserve tank that doesn't exist. Mulling it to the point of almost asking how much fuel was in the tank when the engine went pop. Now's the time to ask.

According to mercedes me app 24% fuel in the tank

 

[m80]

According to mercedes me app 24% fuel in the tank

I've no experience of the app,
can it be interrogated historically?

A graph of fill levels / time could be useful.

 

[Bellow]

According to mercedes me app 24% fuel in the tank

How many miles (from car last used) into that last journey before the engine failed?

 

[dallman]

I've no experience of the app,
can it be interrogated historically?

A graph of fill levels / time could be useful.

I’m not sure you can, does anyone know if this is possible?

 

[Abcan]

Hi. You can on the Mercedes Me Adapter app so can’t imagine the info isn’t available on the newer system. Below are screen shots of what I can get. This would be useful for you as said. Really hope you get the outcome you want from this. Good luck!

 

[GeeJayW]

Hi. You can on the Mercedes Me Adapter app so can’t imagine the info isn’t available on the newer system. Below are screen shots of what I can get. This would be useful for you as said. Really hope you get the outcome you want from this. Good luck!

I can’t see fuelling history in the Mercedes Me app on iOS. Will have to see if more info is available via the web portal. Not used that before and don’t have my login details handy, so may be some time…

 

[Ted]

“ The car was last filled with petrol (full tank) 7 days prior to it breaking down at a Shell Garage. It was used daily on both A roads and Motorways between filling up and breaking down and had just under a half a tank when the car was recovered”

“ According to mercedes me app 24% fuel in the tank”

This looks a bit strange to me? I know they would have taken some out, but nearly 1/4 tank gone?
Nonetheless, I sincerely hope this gets sorted in your favour and quickly.
Good luck!

 

[geoffus]

Hi. You can on the Mercedes Me Adapter app so can’t imagine the info isn’t available on the newer system. Below are screen shots of what I can get. This would be useful for you as said. Really hope you get the outcome you want from this. Good luck!

Do you have to key in the price per litre and total amount spent ?

 

[Abcan]

Hi @geoffus. You have to enter the price per litre. It gets quite close with litres filled but I normally put the true number in too. It then calculates the total cost. I use the Shell Go app too so that logs everything accurately.

 

[geoffus]

Hi @geoffus. You have to enter the price per litre. It gets quite close with litres filled but I normally put the true number in too. It then calculates the total cost. I use the Shell Go app too so that logs everything accurately.

I see, so that wouldn’t help the OP then to see any fuel was added without him knowing.

 

[markjay]

I see, so that wouldn’t help the OP then to see any fuel was added without him knowing.

After fuel is added, the app automatically offers the added fuel quantity based on the fuel gauge. You can then do nothing and the automatically-detected quantity will remain, or you can amend the quantity manually.

You can manually amend any two of the following three parameters: added fuel quantity, price per litre, total cost. Once you have manually amended two parameters, the third will adjust accordingly.

On my app, it actually detects correctly the price per litre, I didn't quite figure-out where it's getting it from though. I think it might be getting it directly from the Shell Go app, but I don't know.