Is Your Mercedes Losing Power? It Could Be An Exhaust Leak

by Mechanics Direct April 9, 2025

Most people would not think the first reason that their Mercedes is losing power would be based on an exhaust leak. Although, there are several reasons why your car could be losing power while you drive, an exhaust system is an important part of your Mercedes’ performance. Here, we will discuss why an exhaust leak can cause a loss of power in your Mercedes, how to recognize you have an exhaust leak, and what to do if you experience it.

How an Exhaust Leak Affects Power

The exhaust in your Mercedes is much more than a place for vapors to exit. The exhaust causes what is called back pressure and this is calculated into your Mercedes’ smart computer to keep it running in the most efficient way. If a leak occurs in the exhaust system, here are a few things that can happen to make your Mercedes lose power.

• Back Pressure Loss: The loss of back pressure from your Mercedes’ exhaust will lower the pressure depending on the size of the leak and how much acceleration you are using. When there is pressure variation in the system, the onboard computer will try to adjust to give you the correct power. If this variation is too much you’ll see a loss of power when the computer attempts to control the efficiency.
• Air Entering System: Not only is back pressure an issue, but any leak will allow air from the atmosphere to enter the vacuum. If this occurs before your Mercedes’ oxygen sensor, your computer again, will have a difficult time keeping up with the changing conditions.
• Turbo Issues: If your Mercedes is equipped with turbo assistance, an exhaust leak can affect its performance also. Turbos use built up gases to spin the turbo turbine, which gives your car an extra boost. If you are losing pressure from these gases, your turbo will have less of it to make the turbo operate. This will lead to an extremely less amount of power to your Mercedes.

Recognizing an Exhaust Leak

Now that we have an understanding of how you can lose power in your Mercedes with an exhaust leak, we can take a deeper look into recognizing when you do have one. Below are a few examples.

• Check Engine Light: Your Mercedes’ onboard smart computer system is designed to let you know when something has created an error code. An exhaust leak can trigger a code and check engine light for several different reasons. Once your Mercedes has been alarmed with a check engine light, you can have the vehicle scanned at an experienced shop who are trained on servicing the Mercedes brand.
• Exhaust Smell: Most people are aware of the smell of exhaust fumes. Whenever you have an exhaust leak under your car, there is a good chance the fumes will make their way into the cabin of the Mercedes. Not only is this bad on your car, but it is also dangerous to have exhaust fumes coming into an area where you and your family are sitting.
• Lower Fuel Economy: With an exhaust leak creating havoc on your Mercedes’ onboard computer, you will probably see lower gas mileage from your car as the computer has to add fuel to keep the engine’s performance up.
• Noise: When an exhaust leak has been created, you could possibly hear a hissing and/or tapping sound coming from your Mercedes.

If you have an idea that you could have an exhaust leak on your Mercedes, whether it is causing poor performance at the moment or not, have your car taken to a shop that is trained on how to service and repair your Mercedes. This is the only way to guarantee that the job will be troubleshot and repaired with quality service.

Your Mercedes Experts

At Mechanics Direct, you’ll find that we are the best dealership alternative choice to save you money and receive higher quality service. Serving the North Chelmsford, Chelmsford, Dracut Tyngsborough, Westford, and Lowell, Massachusetts area, our team are your expert technicians to service and repair your Mercedes exhaust leak or any other issues you may be experiencing. Contact us today for the attention that you and your car deserve.