"Oven" Smell Episode II

[Guest ratsgoh]

Fellow Bros & Sis,

I sent in my B Klasse last week for 3 days to fault find on the "oven" or "hair perming" smell. The service agent postulated the possible leakage of smell could be due to incomplete closing of the air valve. Additionally, they also changed my filter to the combi filter (with Charcoal type). After I received my car, I drove around and rev the car however, the smell was acceptably faint.

Last night, I decided to try again. Revving to 4,000rpm and holding it for 10-15 secs while climbing up a slope. My fear returns when the familiar oven smell returns to haunt me. The smell continued to linger on and I could even smell it after return to my car after I parked for 30mins.

Something strikes me suddenly when I started to recall why the smell was not evident when I collected. I forgot to observe the temperature of the car. The smell only occur when it has stopped for a while, i.e. cold start and after it happens, the 2nd application to rev the engine will not result in such a bad foul. To summarise, it usually occur once per active trip.

I seriously do not know what is happening and after 2 attempts to send my car in to rectify the problem, they could not isolate it. I hoped C&C management will seriously look into this matter as this is really unacceptable. Comments such as "Accept it lor" or "Aiyah, its like that" will not be accepted from such a prestigious brand like Mercedes.

On the hind side, I was lucky that my SA arranged for me a courtesy car to drive, but seriously I cannot accept it.

I urged all A and B Klasse to try this.

1. Cold start, DRIVE and rev your engine to 4,000rpm, hold it for 15 secs. If need to, climb a slope or go Manual mode.

2. Observe if there is a wierd Oven Smell.

Anyone having the same problem??? Please write your observations as well. Haiz..

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: James :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[Guest cisconet]

Hi Ratsoh,

I am utterly disappointed with C&C service. May i will tell you in our next GTG. I think this will be my last Merc ever after. I think standard for Merc also drops over the years... Sigh...

[Guest knighthunter]

I still have this smell as well. Honestly I am also dispointed with body repair SA stunt and completely unhappy with their service. Next car definetely not from C&C again, ever.

[Guest rmjunior]

James

Its unfortunate that the smell still occur after rectification by C&C, and this is unacceptable. Such smell should not occur at high revs. You should seriously consider bringing up your case to the higher management.

My personal view is that cars like Merc and BMW etc depends too much on computer disgnosis. The technicians will reply on the computer to diagnose the fault and rectify according to what the computer "instructed". Therefore, I belief that "oven smell" problem cannot be detected by computer, so they just change the air filter hoping the smell will goes away. This happen to some of my friends driving BMW, problems cannot be solved after several visit to the service centre.

I will try to rev 4k and hold for 10 - 15 secs and see if my car has the oven smell.

Roger

[Guest cisconet]

I truly agreed with Ratsoh... Bring up to the Top Mgmt.. Demand to see the GM. Then i tell you...magic will appear.

[Guest rmjunior]

I tried to rev the engine pass 4,000rpm while climbing up the Shears Bridge over the weekend, and YES, got the smell that was mentioned by James.

Mine is not so much of the oven smell, but smell like that chemical for hair dye. And the smell stayed on for a couple of minutes that I had to wind down the window to ventilate the cabin.

Will lodge a complaint to higher managment with James and hope to get a acceptable reply.

[Guest Arf-er]

Mine too... i get a whiff of rotton eggs.. and if it is; i'll be dead pretty soon! - it's sulfur dioxide smell! :death:

For those who have not experienced this; get on the (empty) expressway and just floor the pedal... or flick and hold the tiptronic gear lever to the left for one second; that should bring you into the lowest possible gear & highest RPM...

Try it!

[Guest ratsgoh]

Dear bros,

I just sent in my car today for the 3rd time to rectify this problem. I hoped C&C will be able to isolate and solve this problem, which will also path the way to rectify all the rest of the A & B Klasse. I won't accept anything if they were to tell me "That's common among the A & B Klasse". I sincerely do wished C & C Management is reading this thread now... Wish me luck.

James

[Guest aspade]

Support you, bro goh.

If they say that it is common to all b class, PM me and I go down and show them otherwise. I like the free coffee there anyways ...

[Guest ratsgoh]

Dear bros,

Time for us to be heard!!

I just got news from the Service side from C&C that they are unable to isolate and rectify this problem, after my 3rd visits to C&C in 4 months. C&C says their German Engineer, currently attached locally acknowledge there was this "smell" but he could not find out what went wrong. Right now, my issue is being relayed back to Germany where they will try to find out what went wrong. I don't know how long this is going to take.

The Service personnel mentioned that other than me, no one else is having such problem. So I am calling for all the A & B Class out there who is experiencing this problem to highlight this to C&C (Alexandra) and let ourselves be heard!

So if u have this problem, please drop by C&C and raise the issue. Our strength is unity.

Regards,

James

[Guest knighthunter]

I have this problem, my car is 6 months old but the smell is gone after I sent my car for servicing last week. Sometime the smell still comes it is faint one not like before.

[Guest ripclaw]

I have this problem too but its really intermittent and i cant pinpoint when it happens. Sometimes from nowhere. Sometimes when i'm just starting the car. Sometimes when i'm cruising.

[Guest aspade]

Isn't it funny that when you complained a problem, they would tell you everyone has it and a inherent problem of your kind of car - sorry, live with it. But when the problem is confirmed, they tell you are one of the kind - sorry, can't help you.

I had faced this many times when I had my W168 (which really does have some problems). They all seemed to be well trained in this type of client management.

[Guest tan131]

Hi guys, can I check if your cars are new?

If I am not wrong, the smell is the result of the burning in of the cat. Once the cat has been burnt in, the smell goes away. C&C would probably tell you not many people experience this problem because not many would rev pass the 4k mark.

I can't be sure cos I have not experienced the smell in my e class, but I have experienced what you guys are going through in the suzuki swift sport when it was new. Of course I accelerated the process by redlining it once in a while. No worries any more now, when the cat is gone :angel1:

[Guest ratsgoh]

New cars. Anyway, I am in contact with the service manageress who is assisting me with my problem. Until a solution is found, I will then post it on the net. Anyway I am thinking of getting ST services to do a check on the "oven" smell to check if the air is toxic, which i am certain it is.

[Guest popiah123]

my (dad's) b170 is coming 2 years already and there is still the oven smell. when my dad went to the pandan service and made the complaint, the SA told him that he didn't hear about this problem at all and when he brought the SA round for a drive, he just claimed he will send a report to germany. it's been almost a month and there's no response from the SA. i think if C&C doesn't recitfy the problem, i think the next car we would just get will not be a merc anymore. the servicing costs are also crazily high compared to my BMW 3 series which is a more complex car and one with a higher capacity engine.

[Guest knighthunter]

Finally my oven smell problem is 99% gone, I was called to send my car to Pandan Loop early November for some adjustment by master technician. Now is about 1 months after the adjustment I can rev up my car to redline without smell, now fingers crossed hopefully stay this way.

[Guest archie]

knighthunter wrote:

Finally my oven smell problem is 99% gone, I was called to send my car to Pandan Loop early November for some adjustment by master technician. Now is about 1 months after the adjustment I can rev up my car to redline without smell, now fingers crossed hopefully stay this way.

my W204 also has this problem. so is it true we must go to look for the master technician in pandan loop to get it rectify? can elaborate what kinda of adjustment was done? thanks a million

[Guest lightning]

archie wrote:

my W204 also has this problem. so is it true we must go to look for the master technician in pandan loop to get it rectify? can elaborate what kinda of adjustment was done? thanks a million

sometimes the foul smell could be from the carpet...are you using the MB original carpet or the 3M type?

[Guest archie]

no la its after revving over 4k then got the smell from the aircon. anyway i m using the original carpet

[Guest george]

My B200 Turbo also has the same problem.....after you rev above 3K rpm....the smell will come in.....heard that this is the Cat and will go off once it is fully burnt....well if C&C can solve this, that will be great....let me know if there is a solution to this....I am contactable at 82882223

[Guest rmjunior]

I had this problem before. The problem lies with a part called "enhanced flap". After they replaced the part, managed to reduce the smell by 80%. However, the smell came back recently...Sigh...

[Guest Scottycoco]

Where did you send your car? Pandan?

[Guest Scottycoco]

C&C Pandan also repaired the flap to prevent the smell from going into the cabin.

[Guest ripclaw]

I heard the technician telling another that its a frustrating problem thats coming from the exhaust. Exhaust?!!?!?!