general problems of the 2004 Mercedes Benz E320 - part 2

When we fill up the car with gas we have a residual smell of gasoline upon return to our garage. This does not happen if we do not fill it up fully. We thought we must have a leak somewhere, but are not sure and although we discussed it with our mechanic, we have had no resolution to date.

I am disappointed because we’ve known about this problem only for a short time since last year when we went to our dealership the complaint of smelling gas fumes after pumping gas. We smelled the fumes in the rear cabin area primarily. We had the dealership and a couple other certified Mercedes Benz shops look at the issue determining that the sending unit needs to be replaced. We were going to do the service later after one dealership told us to just keep the car half full with fuel until you are ready to complete the service repair for over $1,000 out of our own pockets.

After fueling the vehicle there is a strong smell of fuel almost like it is leaking.

We noticed a strong gas smell especially right after fueling up the car. We parked our car in an enclosed garage so the entire garage smelled off gas. As the gas level was reduced from operating the car the gas smell went away. When we filled up again the gas smell was back. We moved and had our car in an open air parking stall and it didn't seem as much of a problem. Now we have an enclosed garage again and the smell of gas is very noticeable. Again the smell is the strongest right after fueling. We recently replaced the charcoal canister and shutoff valve (regeneration valve and purge valve) for a cost of $700 but this has not fixed the problem.

Vehicle has a very strong smell of fuel inside the passenger cabin. Technician inspected fuel sending unit(s). Left side fuel sending unit was leaking fuel into the cabin. Left side fuel sending unit was replaced and seal on right side unit was replaced.