SBC warranty replacements

[IAmKloot]

I have just bought a 2004 W211 E320 CDI estate; it has done a few miles (214,000 to be exact), but it wasn't that pricey and I needed a large estate car quickly.

However, I'd hardly got it home when a Service Brake! warning appeared. The seller took it to a Bosch garage, who identified it as a SBC fault code.

I've since done a bit of Googling and found out about the recall and 10-year free replacement scheme. Of course my car was first registered in May 2004 and is thus 5 months beyond the 10 years.

Although the car has full service history (much of it MB), I can't find anything to suggest it has had the pump exchanged (or whether it has a Valeo radiator of death for that matter).

I won't be paying to rectify the fault, but it would be very handy to know how deep the seller is going to have to put his hand in his pocket.

Will I be able to get any info on the car if I phone a MB main dealer with the VIN?

All help/advice much appreciated...

 

[BlackC55]

We do new ones for about £1200 inclusive. No need for the dealer to do them They charge around £1600 IIRC

 

[Howard]

What's the score with the ten year recall on SBC then ?

Hypothetically speaking if someone bought a 55 plate car with SBC , how would they find out if the recall has been done ?

 

[IAmKloot]

Very helpful chap at MBUK confirmed that the original SBC unit was changed on my car under the recall. The bad news is that no further replacement or remedial work will be entertained after the issue has been fixed.

Which may be good news, as it may indicate a more trivial problem...

 

[merc85]

The SBC pump is now available in the Aftermarket through a Bosch Retailer, prics in the region of £600 plus vat ive been told.

On a2004 you should be safe on the Radiator side of things.

 

[kam05]

I won't be paying to rectify the fault, but it would be very handy to know how deep the seller is going to have to put his hand in his pocket.
All help/advice much appreciated...

That would probably depend on where you bought the car from, no? Did you buy it from a trader or was it a private sale?

 

[Howard]

Ok.

So if I had a 55 plate car I have just bought , if I ring MB with the VIN , they will check if it's been recalled ?

If it hasn't , what then ?

 

[Jeff666]

Ok.

So if I had a 55 plate car I have just bought , if I ring MB with the VIN , they will check if it's been recalled ?

If it hasn't , what then ?

If it has ... "Not fit for purpose" ??

 

[Howard]

Sorry for the thread hijack , I'm just trying to work out what to do

 

[merc85]

isn't a manufacture's recall only valid upto 8 years??

 

[Howard]

OP says 10 year replacement scheme

 

[merc85]

10 year replacement scheme/waranty period on that product,
There hasn't as far as i know been a recal on the SBC unit if it was ive been told recals only stand for upto 8 years.

I may of course be wrong

 

[merc85]

Found this a moment ago
Car Recalls : car recall search results - The AA

 

[DSM10000]

If it has ... "Not fit for purpose" ??

Difficult to see that argument standing if it has worked for 9 years?

 

[DSB SL AMG]

SBC unit's can now be ordered direct from Bosch for 600E (£475)

https://www.bosch-repair-service.com/DE_en/Examples_EHB.xhtml

However.... firstly you need to get the car to a good MB indy, they can be reset safely within specification limits via STAR, I think first cycle limit is around 300k...your cars SBC may have already been reset previously hence why you need to get it on STAR...

The SBC pump is now available in the Aftermarket through a Bosch Retailer, prics in the region of £600 plus vat ive been told.

On a2004 you should be safe on the Radiator side of things.

 

[merc85]

Thats excelent DSB thankyou

 

[AMGeed]

Ok.

So if I had a 55 plate car I have just bought , if I ring MB with the VIN , they will check if it's been recalled ?

If it hasn't , what then ?

You can check the month and year of manufacture of the SBC pump using the following link. If the code is later than the registration date, your pump has been already been changed.......I think

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rvJOEtWIZ9s/UCq0GNM9j_I/AAAAAAAADZA/5H2gq9GoqJY/s1600/bosch+date+codes.jpg

 

[merc85]

Forgot about that chart to lol, Mines on its orignal doh...... so im on borrowed time

 

[IAmKloot]

Howard - no worries about hijacking. I just phoned the main MB number for UK customer services and asked if they could check from the VIN. The guy was super helpful and confirmed that it had been done.
He went on to say that "customer feedback" indicates that once the SBC has been replaced, there is no evidence that another failure will occur and MB will not pay for any further work (normal trading standards notwithstanding).

According to my searching on here, other MB forums and on Wikipedia, it seems that there was a 10-year limit placed on performing the pump replacement FOC.

My understanding is that the replacement units were not simply exchanges of the old failure-prone ones, but were somehow re-engineered and thus exempt from the 10-year offer.

This may be slightly better news for me because it could be a fairly simple fault, rather than requiring the whole unit be changed. At this stage the warning is simply "Service Brake!", not "OMFG, you have NO brakes!"

So, we'll wait and see.

Kam05, although I bought the car privately, the seller has (to his credit) taken full responsibility and assured me he will fix the issue. I'm not sure whether he will remain so keen if it requires a €600 Bosch replacement pump...

 

[IAmKloot]

SBC unit's can now be ordered direct from Bosch for 600E (£475)

https://www.bosch-repair-service.com/DE_en/Examples_EHB.xhtml

However.... firstly you need to get the car to a good MB indy, they can be reset safely within specification limits via STAR, I think first cycle limit is around 300k...your cars SBC may have already been reset previously hence why you need to get it on STAR...

Sorry, DSB SL AMG, I'm not sure if this referred to me or another poster?