Oil Overfill Issue

[steve333]

Good evening everyone,

After a relatively eventful day this is where I now stand.

Went to KF, manager seemed a tad pi**ed off that one of his staff had overfilled, giving the expression that it was a rookie mistake.

Rather than just remove some oil he instructed one of his staff to replace the whole lot. He'd expressed his knowledge of Mercedes previously and agreed there should be 5.5-6ltrs put in (think BlackC55 said that in another post).

After an apology from one of the mechanics (im pretty sure he didn't work on it the first time though) and a cheerio off I went.
The car felt better, less sluggish and after a short trip my MPG was alot better than yesterday (on the computer anyway). After 3 miles (warmup) I again got an overfill warning but the car definately felt better.
Unfortunately the problem with the gear box is still there.
I went along to a local mechanic and we discussed the situation.
We looked at the ATF dip stick slot which only has a red stopper in it, it did not have a tamper seal.
We had a look under the plastics to see if anything was wrong under there as he informed me there would be no reason for KF to remove them as the port is accessible above the plastics. Nothing wrong there, but it doesnt make much sense as to why they were removed and the (rather young) mechanic struggled so much to put them back on.
Don't think I mentioned this before but the guy was literally bouncing the car up and down whilst up on the ramps quite violently which his friend said was to replace the plastics.

Where we ended up stuck is with this dilema -

If KF used the vacuum technique to remove the oil rather than a good old drainage (which I didn't see them doing) did they perhaps take the ATF dipstick for the oil dipstick and start to vacuum from there before realising they were using the wrong one.
If they did use a vacuum he wasn't sure how they would be able to do this via the ordinary port as he believes there's no tube all the way to the sump so they wouldn't be able to remove all the oil.

To conclude he recommended getting the car to Merc (or Merc Indie) getting it on STAR and reading the levels from there if they can (plus any other codes) or using the proper dipsticks if they have them to check the ATF fluid and get the oil level checked properly while im at it.

He suggested we could put a little ATF fluid in to make sure it's alright but then I would run the risk of over filling if it isn't low and it would be at my own risk.
I will just make sure the car is nicely warmed up before I goto the Indie (about 50 miles away :-s) as it seems to be OK once the oil is up to temperature.

He felt that the car is definately showing symptoms of low ATF fluid but there are no visible leaks so it's a 'mystery' as to where it has gone. But with no admission of mistake from KF I will just have to pay to have the fault found.

I will post a further update as and when.
Thanks for all your help, support and opinions.

Cameron

Has the car previously had an atf/filter change Cameron?

 

[camerontyler]

Hi Steve, I'm afraid I can't answer that question as I am the 2nd owner of the vehicle but it has only ever been touched by a Merc dealer until now.

 

[steve333]

Hi Steve, I'm afraid I can't answer that question as I am the 2nd owner of the vehicle but it has only ever been touched by a Merc dealer until now.

In that case contact the dealership(s) that previously serviced the car & if the atf/filter have been previously changed they will have a record of when/what mileage-if there is no record i would bite the bullet & get it done after having the codes read on star incase anything else is going on with your gearbox,good luck

 

[camerontyler]

Thanks pal

 

[steve333]

Thanks pal

Na problem pal

 

[markjay]

...One last thing, on my receipt it says
"LYDL OIL SERVICE SYNT S £39.95
OFIL213/6.5 OIL FILTER 1"

Does anyone else fear the S after SYNT means 'semi'?
Also, shouldn't it state on the receipt was oil was use i.e. 5w30?

'Mobil Super S' is semi-synthetic oil

'Mobil Synt S' is full-synthetic oil

'Mobil 1' is Mobil's top-of-the-range full-synthetic oil

By the sound of it, they used 'Mobil Super S', so the answer to your question is yes it is synthetic, but no it is not Mobil 1.

 

[markjay]

From what I gather:

Mobil Super S semi-synthetic - 229.1

Mobil Synt S full-synthetic - 229.3

Mobil 1 full-synthetic - 229.3 / 229.5

(Some Mobil 1 products are 229.31 / 229.51)

 

[camerontyler]

Originally Posted by camerontyler
...One last thing, on my receipt it says
"LYDL OIL SERVICE SYNT S £39.95
OFIL213/6.5 OIL FILTER 1"

'Mobil Super S' is semi-synthetic oil

'Mobil Synt S' is full-synthetic oil

Would it not mean they used Synt S rather than Super S if it says "SYNT S" on the receipt?

 

[markjay]

Originally Posted by camerontyler
...One last thing, on my receipt it says
"LYDL OIL SERVICE SYNT S £39.95
OFIL213/6.5 OIL FILTER 1"

'Mobil Super S' is semi-synthetic oil

'Mobil Synt S' is full-synthetic oil

Would it not mean they used Synt S rather than Super S if it says "SYNT S" on the receipt?

You are right, it was a typo. I meant to say that they probably did use Mobil Synt S.

 

[camerontyler]

Delay in update - can't get it into Deutsche Marque today because there full but they've kindly fitted me in for tomorrow.

 

[camerontyler]

Well, well, well!

1 litre of atf has disappeared into thin air!

No leaks, so its either evaporated into thin air or the good old KF boys have vacuumed out the wrong socket!

Any advice on my next move anyone?

Will post a report tonight when I get home to let you know how it is.

Needless to say, im rather pleased at the moment!

Deutsch Marque in Edinburgh in my oppinion 10/10 and very nice people too!

Cameron

 

[kwakdonut]

A strongly worded letter to either the manager at that KF or to head office if I was you....

 

[steve333]

A strongly worded letter to either the manager at that KF or to head office if I was you....

Lesson learned(the hard way unfortunately)bet they still deny doing it & hard to prove otherwise

 

[trapperjohn]

As you say. Well, well well.
When you write your letter of complaint to KF perhaps you may want to mention that their response and actions will be posted up on the Mercedes Forum. Your audience so far consists of 600 "views" and is building all the time. So minimum 600 people will either see an issue resolved quickly, correctly and profesionally or they risk loosing 600 potential customers with the coresponding "word of mouth" informed people driving straight past their depots.

I'm sure you will keep copies of all paperwork involed in this. Afterall should your gearbox go phut in the very near future you will need it to go to court.

I cannot see any judge finding on behalf of Kwik Fit given their reputation in the press.

 

[jonathanc]

Can I suggest that before you do anything work out what you want KF to do. Personally I would look for them to cover my costs and get an apology but you may want to argue that the ATF is contaminated due to them using an engine oil covered vacuum extraction pump on it and it needs an ATF oil and filter change - depends how far you want to push. I would also have a calm chat with the manager and give him the opportunity to put things right, he has already corrected the earlier error so he already knows his staff have c**ked up. If you start being confrontational they may be very defensive and although you are justified it may be a hard battle for you before you get anywhere.

Just my 2p

 

[tagnut]

Can I suggest that before you do anything work out what you want KF to do. Personally I would look for them to cover my costs and get an apology but you may want to argue that the ATF is contaminated due to them using an engine oil covered vacuum extraction pump on it and it needs an ATF oil and filter change - depends how far you want to push. I would also have a calm chat with the manager and give him the opportunity to put things right, he has already corrected the earlier error so he already knows his staff have c**ked up. If you start being confrontational they may be very defensive and although you are justified it may be a hard battle for you before you get anywhere.

Just my 2p

Spot on advice this. Take the emotion out of it and calmly discuss with KF what they need to do to rectify the situation to your satisfaction. This way you provide an opportunity for it to be resolved amicably and without any confrontation or unnecessary hysteria

 

[renault12ts]

Indeed wow.

I didn't think you could have got an oil extractor line down that tube...it's hard enough getting a dipstick down it.

 

[camerontyler]

Good Evening All!

Sent that post from my mobile while I was enjoying a nice coffee in Deutsch Marque's nice reception area speaking to a very nice member of staff named Larry!

May I say first of all, the zoo was great (except the rain and the smell) and we had a lovely day out!

Back to my report -

As soon as I left Deutsche Marque the car felt like it used to, smooth, elegant and flawless.

Headed straight onto the bypass and it sailed along and through its gear changes without a hop skip or the slightest of jump.

After the bypass was a stoppy-starty drive towards Edinburgh centre without any issues.

It sat at the zoo for about 5 hours then we headed into town for dinner, no issues (except trying to find a bl**dy parking space near Lothain road!).

Had a lovely dinner and headed home. A nice run down the A7 all the way to Galashiels (except for the erratic fog) without a hitch.

To conclude I am yet again in love with my car and am over the moon it's OK and hasn't cost me a years salary to keep it that way!

I wish I could close the post but i'm afraid I can't due to the overhanging fact that KF have attempted (most likely unintenionally) to destroy my gear box.

I don't think I can blame the manager as he seemed honest and understanging of Mercedes, I do believe however that one of his 'mechanics' has made a terrible mistake and hasn't owned up to it.

I am now going to take advice that is posted on here (and the other popular forum) and form a plan to rectify the situation.

I would like to thank everyone who has given their opinions on the situation and I look forward to hearing more on how to follow this up.

Thanks very much again,

Cameron

 

[jaymanek]

HUH? How do you know your box wasnt just low from general wear!! 1L is not enough to convince me they have sucked it out by mistake...

We often top up ATF on cars we service, the fluid does reduce over the years.

I still think you are shooting them for nothing here.

 

[camerontyler]

I think you've missed the point Jaymanek.

Course of events -


1. Drive into KF
2. Give keys
3. All done sir, card or cash?
4. Cars out front for you with engine running
5. Drive off - not coming out of second and cant manually downshift
6. Take to Indie, ATF low by 1 litre - no leaks in system
7. 1 Litre ATF put into box and checked over by Merc trained mechanic
8. Car changing gear like it was before step 1.