Thanks Chris! I appreciate the help.

 

OK.....update.....the dealership replaced the gaskets on the 08 3-4 weeks ago & I had an appointment for the 07 today. They had gotten in the parts (they took my word that the problem was the same as the 08's).

BUT, come to find out.....Chrysler is requiring (there's a TSB) on 07's that they not only do the gaskets but actually replace the valve covers....(doesn't apply to the 08s). The dealership didn't know this till I actually dropped the car off this morning. I do not know if this applies to 4s-5s or 6s.

They still say the whole job will be covered by the Lifetime Powertrain Warranty. But it will take some days for them to get the parts.

 

This is a confusing topic to me...I went to Chrysler and they have valve cover gaskets for this car...I asked them are you sure because I heard that they were sealed with just RTV...The parts person asked 3 people including two techs, they even showed me a picture of the part and gave me the part number...Doubting what they had told me because of reading posts on this forum, I then called my friend(former bmw tech who trained me no working for Mercedes) and he told me on the engine I have (he called it the old engine) that we do have valve cover gaskets. I then said you mean the V6 supercharged engine used in the SLK32 and he said yes. He mentioned a baffle or something that used RTV but the valve covers actually had a gasket. I still don't know, but I know that you can order them from Chrysler at about $60...Oreilly also shows valve covers and they are about $35 there...I bought some but they are still in the box...I didn't want to open them until I was sure...I know some of you have done your valve covers already so I really don't understand the confusion regarding this issue. I came across this problem with the whole oil viscosity issue...A mercedes dealer here told me they were using 5W-40 but my friend in Baton Rouge told me his dealership uses only 0W-30 except on diesels???

 

There is a VALVE COVER gasket on our car.... the BREATHER cover uses a RTV type gasket.... the breather cover is the one that most commonly starts leaking and many here have fixed this at home...there are threads here that show how to DIY...

Quote "A mercedes dealer here told me they were using 5W-40 but my friend in Baton Rouge told me his dealership uses only 0W-30 except on diesels???"

On the oil question, the MB dealer is correct (duh!) on the change to 5W-40. Your friend's dealer is going to have problems if he is using 0w-30 and something happens to those motors.... Use only 0w-40 or 5w-40 synthetic to meet the manufacturer spec... there are several brands that meet the MB spec...

 

My mistake on the oil...I meant 0W-40 not 0W30 Lol

 

Did you buy the valve covers or did you mean the valve cover gaskets?

When I asked the service rep at the dealership (didn't speak with the mechanic) why the TSB requires replacement on the 07s & not the 08s .....he didn't know. I asked if mine were damaged in some way...he said they never even opened it up once they saw the TSB requiring total valve cover replacement on 07s.

 

I bought the valve cover gaskets. I have to take a closer look now and see if the valve covers are actually leaking or is it the breather which is sealed with rtv. What's going on with the 07's thats different from the other years?

 

I don't know. Maybe Chrysler thinks a redesigned valve cover will fix the common gasket failures? If they had the covers redesigned for the 08s.......& that's why they're not requiring new covers for the 08 (yet)....well the redesign didn't work so well......cause my 08 leaked just like my 07.

 

Update since my last post... I contacted Chrysler about the breather cover leakage and took the car to the local dealership for verification of the problem. Because I'm just a few months beyond and 14,000 miles below the 36,000 mile limit on the 3/36 warranty, they've agreed to replace the valve cover at a cost to me of $100. Not bad since the parts alone add up to roughly $670.

I'm now looking at getting the Chrysler Maximum Care 7 year / 50K / $0 deductable extended warranty at a cost of $1355 from Harold Ziegler Automotive. Anyone know of better deal?

 

So here's the pix of my leak which was fixed by the Dealer under Warranty:



Drivers side was worst, but they did do both sides.

The circle shows the gasket with oil.

SO for the simple like me, is that the Breather Cover, or the Value Cover, or are they one and the same...???

Thanx...

 

DKA....congrats on the $100 price....that was decent of the dealership....was it Olathe?

Neither of mine have re-leaked....so far so good ....& happy with Olathe Chrysler.

 

Yes, I'll have it repaired at the Olathe dealership; however, all they did was refer me to the Chrysler customer service center. The lady I spoke with there was very helpful and understanding. She said that because I've purchased several Chrysler products (three Chryslers and one Jeep), they'd take care of me. I also mentioned that I researched the issue in the Crossfire Forum and it appeared to be a common occurance (perhaps that helped). In any event, I'm happy it's getting resolved. It easily could have gone the other way.