Should i risk a breakdown or just go for it ?

[sparkyvanman]

Hi all , seeking advice from the mechanics amongst you . I have a Hymer A Class MH built on a Mercedes sprinter chassis , its just over three years old and now out of warranty . The engine management light came on so I took it to my local garage . The mechanic told me the fault was a faulty Particulate Matter Sensor in the Exhaust. My mechanic and I have scoured the internet , rung all the Mercedes parts dealers and have been told by them all its out of stock in the UK on back order , Mercedes say it could be up to six weeks before it is back in stock .

I am due to go on holiday in the MH next weekend (18th June) to Holland , Denmark & Germany . I have paid for the Ferry crossings, and most of the sites we will be staying at for the next month , in total about £2k spent .
My question is should i go or not? I have RAC Europe recovery
My mechanic says it could just be a faulty sensor and may be no problem , or on the other hand it could cause damage to the engine .



Any thoughts please.

 

[gus-lopez]

Buy one abroad & fit yourself?

 

[Sue and Rick]

Modern engines are designed now to shut down if the ecu doesn’t get the required information.
If it goes into limp mode it’s not a big issue but you lose a lot of power.
Your mechanic says it’s a faulty sensor but unless you have the Mercedes specific software you can’t test this. It could be a problem with what the sensor is sensing.
I would ask an opinion of a Mercedes dealer or independent who has the correct software.
A major fault on a particulate filter (if that’s what the sensor is for) may shut down the engine as it would be polluting the air.

I am not a mechanic it’s just what I have come across in my experience

 

[RedFrame]

Its likely that the van will eventually go into limp mode while you are away (ours did) which is no fun.

Personally I'd buy a OBD2 scanner that will allow you to clear the fault, and hence any associated limp mode and carry on with your journey.

Also while I was away I'd try to get the dpf sensor replaced either by yourself or a mechanic.

I'm no expert but, if the dpf does need cleaning, I cannot see how that will cause any mechanical damage to your engine, IMO you will just loose performance until it is sorted.

At the end of the day it's your decision.

Cheers
Red.

 

[Steve and Denise]

As an alternative you could get the dpf internals removed and get the ecu rewritten you will never have the problem again but not environmentally friendly

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[Steve and Denise]

If anyone says anything tell them to go inform Putin about the environment

 

[nicholsong]

If you do go on the holiday and have to call recovery then keep stumm about what has been found to date, or they might refuse you service.

 

[Steve and Denise]

Another thing you could do is search none Oem parts as a lot of these exhaust pressure differential sensors are used by numerous manufacturers.
Also how can they say none in UK when Germany is only a couple of hours away by plane, unbelievable rubbish service

 

[Carpmart]

My recent (current) experience is that sensors and associated wiring do ultimately stop you, even if there is inherently nothing wrong with the vehicle, other than the sensor. Luckily my five weeks of issues were post us arriving back from a three month Euro trip.

 

[Figaro]

Go as planned, a good blast down the Autobahn is probably all it needs - from a non mechanic. Lol

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[Carpmart]

One other thought, if it’s out of stock everywhere it could be a common issue. Buy two so you have the spare. It’s a good way to guarantee you’ll never have the same fault.


You could also reasonable argue that if Merc know it’s a common issue, why haven’t they addressed it (upgraded part) to keep their customers running and why are they not supporting their customers with a relatively modern van by holding sensible stock levels in this region??

 

[The Wino]

I don't know if when they fault read through the obd port if it indicates the date a fault was reported it could be a problem if you break down abroad and they know it's pre dated leaving the UK. It does seem strange theres an issue with parts in the UK if they're in stock in other countries. Maybe if you research a returning funster could bring them back

 

[dash300]

I have had the engine light on my car for about a year. OBD reading 'low flow rate' which I take to mean the dpf is getting a little dirty. No effect on performance at all still pulls like a train. I reset it for the MOT so no light showing and it passes on emissions.
Light comes back on after about 30 miles or so. I will get it checked and cleaned next service more out of curiosity than anything else. It could of course just be a faulty sensor. The engine itself lets face it does not want or need a dpf!
If it was me I wouldn't cancel a planned trip over it.

 

[Larby]

Go to an independent garage. They will do a code read for a sensible sum. They may be able to do a forced regeneration. Common place on Mondeos.. The DPF can be removed if that doesn't work and a specialist firm will do it.

 

[Otter Spotter]

My ECU light is on currently and it’s reading as Nox sensor low voltage, currently sensors are taking 3 to 4 weeks to arrive in UK unless you want to buy a iffy Chinese version.
Van has done 2000 since it came on the first time and still runs sweetly.
I suggest you just drive as normal and wait til it goes into limp mode.

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[gus-lopez]

Also how can they say none in UK when Germany is only a couple of hours away by plane, unbelievable rubbish service

customs clearance.

 

[Suenliam]

We have a new Fiat and I am waiting for the light to come on. Fiat in Italy usually "give you permission" to carry on with your journey if you need to and book you into a garage at your destination. According to what I read elsewhere it is a very common occurance at about 2000miles. I asked our dealer about it and wondered why it was not a recall for checking. Apparently if it was a recall they would have to check everyone so would be too costly! Sod's law we will probably be in France when our's comes on
Sue

 

[Figaro]

21st century vehicles eh ?

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Have you checked on e bay for the part,the Chinese equivalents appear to work ok ,cheap and probably available.

 

[repairer]

Question, you say EML came on, was there a loss of power?

I would suspect the sensor is involved in the regeneration of DPF filter, if regen does not occur then filter will build up and start to block, without doubt this bring EML back on, if indeed it is currently off (I am assuming your mechanic turned it off?)

With correct diagnostics he should able to determine state of filter, but will depend on what kit he has.

There does seem to be a number of Sprinter DPF sensors on EBay, but unsure of what year/model and assume you have looked there?

Other option is breaker link - parts finder or similar to see if you could get second hand.

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[sparkyvanman]

Thanks all , my mechanic has the software and has produced a report with fault code P3005F1 - electrical fault in the temperature sensor soot sensor . The part i need is - Mercedes number A00 905 0508 , i have made a lot of calls to Dealers who all say the same thing "its on back order".

I was thinking of going into a dealer in Holland to see if there is any stock there ? The same sensor is used in four Mercedes cars and all new sprinter vans , how the hell have we no stock in the UK ?

 

[Steve and Denise]

Thanks all , my mechanic has the software and has produced a report with fault code P3005F1 - electrical fault in the temperature sensor soot sensor . The part i need is - Mercedes number A00 905 0508 , i have made a lot of calls to Dealers who all say the same thing "its on back order".

I was thinking of going into a dealer in Holland to see if there is any stock there ? The same sensor is used in four Mercedes cars and all new sprinter vans , how the hell have we no stock in the UK ?

Contact MB UK and give them some grief

 

[Googlebot]

Scour every breakers you can, there will be a few accident damaged vans you may be able to get a sensor off.

When the same sensor failed on our Ducato, it put the engine light on but never went into limp mode so you might be okay. Also, many of the sensors may be the same as others and not actually be made by Mercedes so check if others will fit.

The dealer may even have a van they know will be sitting for months you can have the sensor off and then they wait for the new one.

 

[Landy Andy]

Go on your holiday. Take the risk.

 

[nicholsong]

Write to both the Minister for Transport and the Minister for the Environment and as if the vehicle is fit to use.

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[Raul]

If it’s the temp sensor on dpf, then that’s quite crucial for the regen to take place properly. If it doesn’t regenerate at the correct temp it may not burn all the soot, or, it will fail to regenerate all together. That may trigger limp mode. However, I went to Germany with the EML on, scanned it and turned it off on the Way there, and made it to a garage in Düsseldorf. All parts available there within 24h courier to your garage. In my case was the dpf itself, I knew in UK VW will rip me off. Bought it and changed myself in Germany. It’s worth having a good scanner if you do your own maintenance.

 

[63720]

Get it done abroad possibly?

 

[jongood]

Have you checked on e bay for the part,the Chinese equivalents appear to work ok ,cheap and probably available.

The original is probably chinese anyway. All these modern vehicles full of rubbish electronics that only serve to pass theoretical emmissions tests is ridiculous, there are no end of these electronics problems being reported with engines, transmissions and even clutches. I wonder what the position would be if they had to factor all the energy used to recover, remanufacture and repair modern vehicles?

 

[RedFrame]

As has been suggested get on the phone to UK breakers with a list of all the cars you say it's fitted to, you'll have one by the morning.

Cheers
Red.

 

[Northern Boy]

Buy two so you have the spare. It’s a good way to guarantee you’ll never have the same fault.

I usually buy two replacements when I get a fault on anything.