Oil Leak!

[JimC007]

Evening all, Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Oil leak appeared with oil marks on drive recently, not too bad but I don't let these things go. So as I have a E350 2010 with OM 642 engine 95k miles( in showroom condition) My first thought was oil cooler seals. So off down the garage and after inspection was advised corrosion round the sump seemed to be the problem not cooler seals. Result ! I thought and the garage replaced the sump. Eh 3 0r 4 weeks later oil back on drive. Now as the engine under tray had been off and cleaned I'm thinking this is the same leak back again. So now the garage after further inspection is agreeing that oil cooler seals are the culprit. Now what is the current reasonable charge for this repair? Having discussed the prognosis the garage started at around £2000. I did point out that I was already £450 paid out for a new sump that did not clear the issue. Anyway, I do believe that they genuinely thought the sump was the source. So I'm now at a guarantee that the price will not exceed £1500 for a 3 day repair. So what to do? Repair the seals? Just top it up? Trade it in and spend thousands replacing it? Is this a reasonable price? I look forward to your response.
Cheers Jim.

 

[MrGreedy]

Around £1,000 at a good indy including new swirl flap motor and new oil cooler. Maybe a touch more.

£2k is a garage not to be trusted and trying to fleece you to high #+*"/÷*ry.

Find someone else and don't use them again would be my first reaction.

 

[MrGreedy]

Done in one day also.

 

[W1ghty]

£2k is extremely expensive !
Don’t trust this job to a garage that hasn’t done it before .

 

[JimC007]

Thanks for your response. Yes, as I suspected OTT. That is from a merc independent . Anyway there is another indy not too far away so I'll try them and compare.

 

[W1ghty]

Thanks for your response. Yes, as I suspected OTT. That is from a merc independent . Anyway there is another indy not too far away so I'll try them and compare.

I would be wary of the garage that said it was the sump , because when they took the underpanels off , the oil would be streaming down the back of the engine from the top . So how would a leaking sump explain that oil from above ?

 

[CarFan79]

There is a drain hole in the middle of the V that a leaking oil cooler would run down and drip onto the sump on the nearside of the engine.

 

[W1ghty]

There is a drain hole in the middle of the V that a leaking oil cooler would run down and drip onto the sump on the nearside of the engine.

Exactly , all coming from above . Also anyone going anywhere near an MB specialist with an older om642 engine has got to be considering oil cooler at the top of the list .

 

[JimC007]

When I went into the garage it was me who raised the oil cooler seal as probable culprit from the start and they agreed . After inspection the garage informed me that the leak did not appear to be from higher on the engine and that the sump was the suspect. With no reason to doubt what they were saying I thought that was a result in regard to cost of repair. So the sump was replaced. I also got the gearbox serviced at the same time. The oil leak was never severe and after the repair took a few weeks for dripping to again become apparent. Now this is an Indy with STAR etc. so at that stage I had no reason to doubt their ability. On reflection, in regard to the price discussion, as soon as £2000 was mentioned it was a no go for me. The fact that that became £1500 capped within 2 or 3 sentences raised more concerns which is why I shared the situation on here. He did try to say there could be problems with swirl flap motor etc. Which made me think it probable excuse to up the costs. So to his disappointment I refused to commit. Going to new Indy next week ...... watch this space!

 

[W1ghty]

When I went into the garage it was me who raised the oil cooler seal as probable culprit from the start and they agreed . After inspection the garage informed me that the leak did not appear to be from higher on the engine and that the sump was the suspect. With no reason to doubt what they were saying I thought that was a result in regard to cost of repair. So the sump was replaced. I also got the gearbox serviced at the same time. The oil leak was never severe and after the repair took a few weeks for dripping to again become apparent. Now this is an Indy with STAR etc. so at that stage I had no reason to doubt their ability. On reflection, in regard to the price discussion, as soon as £2000 was mentioned it was a no go for me. The fact that that became £1500 capped within 2 or 3 sentences raised more concerns which is why I shared the situation on here. He did try to say there could be problems with swirl flap motor etc. Which made me think it probable excuse to up the costs. So to his disappointment I refused to commit. Going to new Indy next week ...... watch this space!

Good luck buddy , what a nightmare!

 

[JimC007]

Well the saga continues Will make this as short as possible. Went to another Mercedes Indy and requested estimate for repair. "Och it will be over 2 Grand anyway" was the response. I asked for a slightly more accurate estimate and was given further advice. " Stick a foam sponge in the undertray and Phone We Buy Any ***. Ok Thanks for that! I thought. I then tried another Mercedes Indy 30 miles south. On arrival all very impressive. Large workshop, lots of mercs in the carpark, nice reception etc. So car inspected and after a wait workshop man arrives with estimate including part list of everything all priced, plus labour 8 hrs @£65 total £1265 inc vat. At last I thought, then the man at the reception desk intervened by asking workshop man if he had included inlet manifolds." Eh no" he replied " I'll just check with the tech." So off he goes. Meanwhile desk man informs me they may need changed. Anyway Workshop man returns by this time a bit annoyed and states "Tech says inlet manifolds should not be a problem" Deskman (Who appears to have some authority) just says to him go and add them to the estimate. So 2 minutes later I have a new estimate....... wait for it. £2,212.72. I'm thinking I'll need to relocate to another country soon. Anyway now trying the Glasgow area. E mailed the first one on their website and no reply. Just as well this is a minor leak. The saga continues........

 

[W1ghty]

Well the saga continues Will make this as short as possible. Went to another Mercedes Indy and requested estimate for repair. "Och it will be over 2 Grand anyway" was the response. I asked for a slightly more accurate estimate and was given further advice. " Stick a foam sponge in the undertray and Phone We Buy Any ***. Ok Thanks for that! I thought. I then tried another Mercedes Indy 30 miles south. On arrival all very impressive. Large workshop, lots of mercs in the carpark, nice reception etc. So car inspected and after a wait workshop man arrives with estimate including part list of everything all priced, plus labour 8 hrs @£65 total £1265 inc vat. At last I thought, then the man at the reception desk intervened by asking workshop man if he had included inlet manifolds." Eh no" he replied " I'll just check with the tech." So off he goes. Meanwhile desk man informs me they may need changed. Anyway Workshop man returns by this time a bit annoyed and states "Tech says inlet manifolds should not be a problem" Deskman (Who appears to have some authority) just says to him go and add them to the estimate. So 2 minutes later I have a new estimate....... wait for it. £2,212.72. I'm thinking I'll need to relocate to another country soon. Anyway now trying the Glasgow area. E mailed the first one on their website and no reply. Just as well this is a minor leak. The saga continues........

Not sure why you would need new manifolds , can’t they just clean them like most garages would ?

 

[JimC007]

I think the original estimate was too low for the guy behind the desk so adding a grand was to stop me from going ahead. No one has mentioned inlet manifolds before and as you point out what about cleaning them. Probably why the tech said they were not an issue. I couldn't risk them" maybe "not needing them if I accepted the estimate. Anyway I'll try the indys in Glasgow but it would appear this is a job most don't want to do. Cheers for your response W1ghty.