Common Repairs

The 8 Most Common Mercedes Repair Issues

1. Routine Maintenance Due - This is very important and can assure your good reliability and often prevent bigger repairs down the road. Some items like transmission service are not on the Mini maintenance schedule yet are very important. See number 5 below.

2. Malfunction Indicator Lights (MIL) - May indicate minor or serious problems. Have this checked out by a pro with the proper Mini test equipment.

3. Engine mounts on Mercedes-Benz cars are oil filled. Their main purpose is to keep the engine vibrations from being transmitted to the cabin. Because they are oil filled, around 100,000 miles, they start to fail and lose the oil. When the engine mounts fail you may notice excessive vibration on the seat, in the cabin, and even on the steering wheel and grinding noises on sharp turns and in some cases reverse.

3. Ball joints, front control arms - Ball joints, sway bar link and bushings do fail, especially on higher mileage cars. Some dealers and repair shops take advantage of customers saying all bushings need to be replaced when they are still good and sometimes pad repair bills by $1000 or more .

4. Broken window regulator - Window regulators do the hard work when you press the button to lower or close the windows. They do tend to fail more on Mercedes-Benz ML-Class and C-Class models.

5. Air suspension failure - The airmatic bags replace the struts, springs and shocks on your Mercedes-Benz. While an excellent feature it is also prone to failure. Air suspension components that fail the most are the air suspension bags, air compressor and relay.

6. Catalytic converters are prone to failure. As the catalytic converter may become less effective or clogged, the oxygen sensors may trigger the check engine or service engine light. As the catalytic converter’s condition worsens you may also notice performance issues, misfire, and hesitation. Replacing the catalytic converter can be very expensive, however we deal with an excellent aftermarket supplier that enables us to save our customers $1000 or more.

7. Transmission problems - While the transmission in itself is reliable, the conductor plate, electrical connections and valve body components are prone to failure. Very often repairs can be made without even removing the transmission. Beware of shops wanting to remove and rebuild your transmission for thousands of dollars.

8. Loose gas cap - A very common problem is the check engine light coming on due to the gas cap not being tight enough. Next time you fill up your car with gas, make sure to tighten the gas cap or the service engine light may come on. The fix is simple, just tighten the cap and the check engine light will go off by itself.

The 7 most common BMW problems

  1. Routine Maintenance Due - This is very important and can assure your good reliability and often prevent bigger repairs down the road.
  2. Malfunction Indicator Lights (MIL), Check Engine Light - May indicate minor or serious problems. Have this checked out by a pro with the proper BMW test equipment.
  3. Electronic problems. Some people report malfunctions related to electronic systems like those regulating the windshield wipers.
  4. Window regulators. This is a common BMW problem with the E46 model. The regulator clips might be broken and need to be replaced. This causes slow-moving or immobile windows.
  5. Door locks. At times, there have been issues with doors not unlocking remotely.
  6. Engine management. Sometimes ignition modules, the clutch, and injectors need to be replaced.
  7. Cracked alloy. This generally happens with 19-inch run flats and can slowly cause a tire puncture. The cost of a new rim will astound you.

The 6 most important maintenance issues to watch on Mercedes and BMW

  1. Get regular preventive maintenance done, using the factory schedule.
  2. Address any MIL (malfunction indicator light) immediately.
  3. Monitor your garage floor for tell tale spots indicating fluid leaks. If not addressed promptly they can lead to major problems.
  4. If the car overheats or if you see leaks of coolant when you park the car, don’t hesitate. Take it in immediately to get it checked and repaired. Otherwise, you run the risk of your engine overheating and needing major repair or replacement.
  5. Check coolant levels regularly and top them up as needed.
  6. Keep tires inflated properly, especially for all-wheel drive BMWs. Check to see if the pressure recommendations differ for front tires and rear tires. You can find this information on the driver-side door jamb. If the pressure isn’t kept at the right levels, the car will develop problems like jolting on acceleration or at stops.
  7. Wipe up spills. Electronic issues can develop from coffee or water spilled on carpets.

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Call now for your free diagnostic inspection (949) 830-3411



Mercedes BMW Shop

26881 Vista Terrace, Suite A

Lake Forest CA 92630

info@MercedesBMWshop.com

(949) 830-3411