Mercedes-Benz of South Charlotte

I brought my 2002 Sprinter van in for a manifold recall. They replaced it for free, but in the process caused me several problems that I have had to slowly solve for the past 6 months. I really wish they would have told me up front about the potential of these problems. The first day out of the shop it would not start at a customer's office. An air bubble was being sucked in from a small hole in the diesel line tube from the fuel filter to next thing. They offered to pick it up for free, but I have Triple AAA insurance, so I got it done for free anyways. They fixed it in about 3 hours and, wow, was I happy. It was free except for the $35 part, no problem. The next few weeks I noticed several things that were really concerning me. #1. My cab spelled like raw diesel fumes, #2. A thick black cloud of smoke would develop and engulf the cars behind me whenever I tried to accelerate. #3. My fuel mileage went from 22-23 to 15-16 mpg. These three problems as you can imagine were a nightmare for me, a small business man in the cleaning industry who needs to personally smell clean and look green going down the road. And it's also nice not to be high on diesel fumes when your making estimates. I took it back to Mercedes of South Charlotte and they said that the fuel leak was coming from a line under the manifold. So they let me borrow a barely used Sprinter for the weekend while they fixed mine for free. I still can't believe they did that for me. But when I got the truck back, the fuel smell was still as strong as ever. The repair they they did was very expensive for them so I feel really sick that they did all that they did! I took it to Lake Norman Dodge and they couldn't find the diesel leak, but they discovered quickly why I had black smoke with acceleration and low mpg. There was a tear in the turbo hose that could very well have occurred at Mercedes. $300 later, I am very happy that problem is fixed! Still, the smell of raw diesel in my cab was really messing me up. It was leaking on my driveway. I took it back to Mercedes, and Westley said that it was normal to have leaks and that these kinds of leaks are very hard to find. I'm thinking "normal to have diesel leaks". The manifold recall was a result of 1 out 60 Sprinters catching on fire with the defective manifold. Now I had just a "normal" fire hazard and the side benefit of diesel fumes in my cab. Westley also assured me that raw diesel fumes are not bad for your health. I assured him that he would never say that to a customer with a luxury diesel car. They finally did find those leaks in two diesel lines and it no longer smells in the cab. They did charge me $320.00 for labor and parts which may not be fair, but I am so overjoyed that the problem is solved that I could care less. The folks at MBSC are exceptionally polite, friendly and accommodating. What I really needed was the truth. It cost me a lot to have this van sitting in the shop instead of working for me. I really hate writing this kind of review, but Sprinter owners should be warned that Mercedes Benz of South Charlotte might not be the best place for your recalls and repairs.