Tech Talk: Mercedes Benz Malaysia says its not their fault you're having problems with Grey Imports and...

....I have to agree with them. This issue cropped up due to Malaysians who buy grey import Mercedes Benz Direct Injection (CGI) or even the CDI diesel models who are suffering from engine ailments caused by Malaysian petrol being of Euro 2 standard when the Euro or Japan Specced models brought in by grey importers or AP holders require at least Euro 4. Those that bought via official Mercedes Benz dealers (like Yours Truly...Muahahahahaha) will not face such problems.



If you bought a grey import diesel Mercedes recently, you are even more screwed. Note that Mercedes Benz Malaysia (MBM) have not had a diesel passenger vehicle in their line-up for at least 5 years. They've noticed that even in the previous generation of CDI or Mercedes Benz direct injected diesel models they were having a helluva lot of problems from their diesel cars here. I have a friend who ran a W203 C270 CDI for a year and a half, and the chap paid RM43,000 in total for maintenance. Yes, the price of a new Perodua Myvi was thrown into maintaining a diesel powered Mercedes C-class. So MBM do not sell diesels any more to save their profit margins from being wiped out and also to avoid losing customers.

For the  2009 Model Year or thereabouts their petrol powered cars were upgraded to full Gasoline Direct Injection specs. The older non-CGI cars do not need to worry at all. Just the CGI guys. The gasoline or petrol, is highly pressurized, and injected via a common rail fuel line directly into the combustion chamber of each cylinder, as opposed to conventional multi-point fuel injection that happens in the intake manifold, or cylinder port. In some applications, gasoline direct injection enables a stratified fuel charge (ultra lean burn) combustion for improved fuel efficiency, and reduced emission levels at low load.

This requires special piezo type injectors, which have tiny piezo crystals that expand and retract when it gets hit with electricity. It allows very direct measuring of fuel into the engine as 0.00002 of an inch moves when 140volts hit it. This means that only the smallest fuel particles can pass through the injectors and it requires a quality of fuel that is of a high grade for it to perform properly. If the fuel quality is bad, it will clog up these works of art and you pay RM2,000 per piece or thereabouts.

So what MBM does in Malaysia is ensure that the cars run WITHOUT ultra lean burn and adjust the injectors to suit. It will not run as tightly as what I stated above as the stratified charge works well on Euro 4 and above. We have Euro 2 and below, so things would get screwed up with those grey imports from Europe which are already in the midst of going Euro 5 soon. Please also note that the same issue would be prevalent in VW Group Cars with their TSI technology so grey imported Audi, VW owners BE WARNED also.

MBM had issued the statement as a warning to those that bought grey imported or reconditioned or AP holder cars. I suppose when it comes to these imports, the only thing to say is Caveat Emptor or Buyer Beware. But all is not lost, spend some money getting the thing reworked (quite a bit) or I recommend using fuel injector cleaners every other tank full as a means to try (I said, TRY) keep the fuel lines and most importantly injectors working well. So you have to spend money to save money. It does work, but it needs some effort on your part. Oh, try getting quality injector cleaners and not the cheapest one you find at some car emporium okay?

Sometimes, I noticed from the prices of grey imports in the classifieds are as high as buying a brand new Mercedes Benz from MBM. I was looking through one and found a 2013 C200 CGI AMG sport model for RM245,000 without insurance. Ask for a RM5,000 discount and you would get it with at the most a ONE measly year warranty. If you went to the nearest authorised MBM showroom you'd see the same 2014 car going for RM254,888 without insurance and a FIVE year warranty. Please also remember to ask for a discount as the going rate could be RM10,000 minimum (or more). Then there are those pre-registered models that go for up to RM30,000 less with lower mileage than even a Japan import. So why the heck are you buying those grey imports here in Malaysia and then complain?