Mercedes emissions recall - mandatory or not - affected my Mpg.

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MSG2004

Active Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2005
Messages
702
Car
GLE, AMG Line
I've read a few threads here but all were started earlier in the year and fizzled out but some good info and confusing info.

My car, a 250d GLE purchased brand new in 2016, just under 16k miles on the clock and FSH by MB. Driven carefully, gently and
always serviced within MB recommendations.

I got the emissions recall letter a long while back and ignored it. Got away with not having
the update first time around but this time in August the dealer said I had to have it do
to meet regulations and it was mandatory.

Hardly driven the car this year as we were away for 6 weeks came back first week of March then lockdown/etc.
I took early retirement about 3+ yrs ago.

Car was serviced on a B service in Aug 2020 - hardly driven but recent two weeks several round trips to hospitals
meant driving for about 16 mile round trips insome mixed driving ie start stop and a bit of open road at steady
50 mph. I felt the fuel gage going down a lot quicker so I checked my mpg for the round trips, at best it was 24mpg.
Climate control is turned off but as you know its cold, therefore expected a bit lower mpg but not this.

The best I've got out of the car is 44mpg on long runs to Leeds and Brum, but usually 42 but this was before the
recall work. I'm not sure but I think I did mange easily about 33 mpg around town, short trips.

The phone convo with the dealer was a while ago as I'd booked the car in June I think but no slots were avialble for a car pick
up and return at cost of another 30 quid. So I'm not 100% cert what was said re the recall being mandatory other than I'm
101% certain I would not have had it done as I'd read too many negatives on this and other forums about the recall work.

I think I can do naff all about it but just wanted to mention it here. The gears are not behaving as they were, ie taking longer to
change and keep dropping back to drive.

I don't have it in me to waste my time with the dealers or the clowns at HQ as they appear to have scripts to read off to fob off
people like me.

Btw, the other reason I caved in when dealer stated it was mandatory or meaning that is the fact I have have an extended warranty
with Motoreasy and in the back of mind was I did not want to give them an excuse should the car went wrong.

Bottom line, the car is costing more to and I try to down 8 mile round trips on the dual carriageway to keep dpf in order
and it does not feel like the car I bought, EG lower mpg, 9 speed auto box not as it was and seems to be making a more, slightly more rattly sound.

NB - the car does run ok, no warning lights etc other than the intermittent blowing out of grey/bluish, whitesish smoke from the exhaust
that has been happening for over two years.

My tip to anyone still not had recall work done on their car - don't bother.
 
I believe it's mandatory for MB to install it - but it's not mandatory for you as the car owner to have it installed..... which leaves a grey area.
 
Is the software/coding in our cars under an EULA and as such aren't owned by us or under our control?
 
Is the software/coding in our cars under an EULA and as such aren't owned by us or under our control?
Possibly, but then does the EULA grants MB the right to update the software at will? Someone will have to read it and check....
 
My parents had a similar experience with their 1.6TDi Golf.

The gears not behaving as they were, holding onto gears will I think be because it's not running as much boost low down any more, so has to use a lower gear and higher revs in the same situation. This then causes the slightly lower mpg. High boost = high temp = high NOx I guess.

I think the rattliness is due to less pre-injection pulses of fuel, which they used to use to reduce diesel rattle but perhaps contributes to high temps and high NOx.


In terms of mandatory, it's not. You own the car outright and Mercedes have no power to force you to take the changes. The government could decree that cars that haven't been recalled are no longer road legal, by withdrawing their type approval, but that's never actually happened for any of these dieselgate cars. Mercedes have agreed to recall the cars and will be judged on how high a proportion they get to 'fix', but that obligation doesn't extend to the owners, at least not yet.


If I were you I'd probably be looking for an aftermarket remap, not that expensive and should end up better than even when you bought it. But I can understand that may not appeal.
 
a 250d GLE purchased brand new in 2016, just under 16k miles on the clock

are you sure a diesel is right for you?


given the very short distances you drive, you engine won't be getting warm enough to operate at its best - inevitably mpg will suffer, and will get worse as the weather gets colder
 
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how have you checked mpg and calculated 24mpg

Are you taking that from the dash readout, where the calculations are flawed or have you to a brimmed tank to brimmed tank calculation?
 
Is the software/coding in our cars under an EULA and as such aren't owned by us or under our control?

Thinking about it, even if MB do own the software, it's on your property (the car), and they would have no right to access your property without your permission.

What MB could potentially do (assuming the EULA permits it - e.g. that the EULA stipulates that the car owner must allow MB access to the software if requested to do so), is withdraw their permission to use the old software and essentially revoke the license unless you allow them access to the car to carry-out the software update.

But I am not aware that they have actually done than, and I think that given that most second hand cars are privately-owned by consumers (and not businesses), there may be legal issues for MB to go down this path due to consumer protection laws - e.g., if they revoked a car owner's right to use the software, thus rendering the car useless, then the car owner may be eligible for compensation because this potential eventually has not been explained to him by the dealer when buying the car etc, not to mention that finance providers may find themselves in a pickle over this as they will likely have to foot the bill in the event that MB stick to their guns.
 
24 MPG !! That can't be right :eek: My ancient V8 5.4 litre AMG has been averaging 21 MPG over the last few years. And although I am no boy racer I do not drive it worrying about fuel consumption.

OP , check again.
 
My recall notice is staying in the drawer, they aren't making my car run worse!
Use a merc specialist, they won't touch anything you don't want working on.
 
I had two E classes needing replacement NoX sensors after a recall last year, so it could be worse.
 
I believe it's mandatory for MB to install it - but it's not mandatory for you as the car owner to have it installed..... which leaves a grey area.
It’s mandatory for the dealer to make owners aware of the recall and to offer it, but there is no obligation for it to be done and an explanation about MPG potentially changing should be given before a decision is made.
 
Makes me wonder, given JBD's comments above, if there isn't some incentive or target for some dealers to achieve for the numbers of recalls done.
 
oldguy57 . Damn right there is an incentive for MB to 'play' with the software. It's called 'not getting fined billions of Dollars and potentially losing massive market share al la VW 'Dieselgate' '

It would not surprise me if top bod's from Mercedes all over the world have been hauled in and on 'pain of death' been ordered to get this done to as many cars as possible at any cost.
 
It’s mandatory for the dealer to make owners aware of the recall and to offer it, but there is no obligation for it to be done and an explanation about MPG potentially changing should be given before a decision is made.

Thanks JBD, and your dealership seems to be one of the good ones.

Sadly, from the many posts on this forum, it seems that quite a few dealers do not 'offer' it but just get it done, and explain nothing before or after. I guess they worked-out that it's easier for them to keep shtum and only have an argument with those few customer who actually complain, than potentially have an argument with each and every customer... and what would they have said to them anyway? "We are offering a free software update to improve emissions, at the cost of poorer mpg. Would Sir like to have it done?" - how many software updates would they have managed to 'sell' in this way?

If MB bosses in Stuttgart really wanted it done, they should have put their hands in their pockets and offer owners some sort of incentive - a free service, a cash voucher to use in the accessories shop, a fuel voucher, I don't know... but it would seem that they decided to get done as many cars as they could for as little cost as possible, and not worry about the rest.

On a related note.... EVs or no EVs, the Dieselgate scandal proves that Diesel engines reached the end of the road long before Tesla became mainstream. The complex and relatively inefficient AdBlue engines, costing ££££ in repairs, weren't the future of motoring, this much should have been evident to anyone who manufactured engines in the past ten years.
 
They do let you know, but they word it so you don't.
I had a recall to look at the seat back locking mechanism, the letter said ".........and other software upgrades...." in amongst a load of other gumph, I telephoned and said I don't want the emissions upgrade.....no problem sir, I've put a note on the account. When I went in they mentioned I'd said no to the emissions software upgrade. No problems.
 
My E250 cdi had the software updated during a service and I wasn’t consulted was told on picking it up. I’ve noticed that the MPG is now nowhere near as good. Too late to do anything now.
 

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