Hello folks!

Quick question - my girlfriend brought the Xfire to German car repair place that is owned and operated by a German master mechanic with whom I have made good experience the three times I was there (twice with a Porsche and once with a Xfire).
She was not able to explain to me what exactly the issue was but here is how I understood it:
The guy was going to change the fuel filter but realized that some hoses were severely cracked and need replacing. He said it was dangerous as gas could leak down and the car could catch on fire. The weird thing is that even though he said these hoses were super cheap they come from Germany and even Mercedes would have to order it from there as nobody seems to have them. He said he can order them but it will take 2 weeks. In the meantime it is not so bad that gas is leaking or the car is inoperable.

What could this be? Of course I will speak to the guy myself when I return from a trip but any ideas what my wife picked up here?? Are there any hoses that are prone to leakage or breaking on our car somehow connected to the fuel system?

Thanks for the insight!

 

It is common belief that the ethanol in modern fuels deteriorates the hoses, but as far as I know, there is nothing special about them that would preclude you from buying some replacement hose and clamps at AutoZone/Advance/NAPA/O'Reillys/CarQuest/Menards etc etc.

 

He is talking about external surface cracks. If the cracks were due to ethanol then the fuel would be leaking severely.
There is a problem with them leaking as mentioned in other posts. Get them replaced now rather than have trouble later.

 

Thanks for both replies. Are these hoses really so difficult to find?? I assume I need to put the car on a lift so it's not a DIY?
Going to look around the forum to find other folks with the same issue in the past! Sure hope this won't cost me an arm and a leg!

 

The replacement hoses they are ordering for you will be the exact OEM hoses that are formed / curved / contoured to replace your original hoses. You don't really need those as you can replace the hoses with high pressure fuel hose (be sure to get the hose that is intended for high pressure fuel injected engines) available at your local auto parts store. Since it seems you're not a "do it yourselfer", I would suggest that you just let your trusted mechanic order the replacement hoses and let him install them for you. Peace of mind and be done with it.

PS - As your chosen mechanic is apparently familiar with your Crossfire, he will probably know this but just to be sure . . . Confirm with him that your fuel filter is a "regulated" filter (that controls the fuel pressure on your Crossfire's fuel system). You don't want to replace the filter with an unregulated type filter. You'll want him to install an OEM replacement regulated fuel filter.

 

Thanks for your response Red Dog! You are spot on. I spoke with the mechanic today and he is not a big fan of those high pressure fuel hoses but rather wants to go with the originals from Germany. Told him to order it - in the meantime I'll look around the forum to gather some more information as I usually don't like others touching the car without me knowing what exactly is being done! Thanks again!

 

Look at this thread, it has pictures as well. It shows most of that area.