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Should my warranty cover a failed turbo seal on my 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class?

I bought my 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 320 CDi estate in May 2010. It broke down in June and emptied half a tankful onto the ground, squirting out from somewhere at the rear of engine. This was fixed under warranty. In July, it broke down again, due to a turbo seal, causing the engine to go into 'limp' mode. It has the Mercedes-Benz Tier 1 warranty but they said it would cost me £566 as the "turbo does not have to be removed". You can guess my response. Then they said that Mercedes-Benz would pay 90 per cent as goodwill. There is a list of oil seals that are covered in the Tier 1 Warranty booklet, but no mention of the turbo oil seal, but neither is it listed in the 'exclusions' section. I know £57 isn't worth busting a gut over, but do you think Mercedes-Benz's response is acceptable?

Asked on 10 August 2010 by XKtwincam

Answered by Honest John
Turbo oil seals have always been vulnerable to the engine being switched off when the turbo is red hot. This stops oil being circulated through the turbo bearing to cool it and turbo oil seals can then gradually fail.
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