Advice Needed...key wont turn

aby k

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Hi everyone New on here and need some advice....

i have 2001 Mercedes C220 cdi auto 84k, the remote key unlocks the car, mileage display lights up but when i put the key in the ignition nothing happens it doesn't click or turn. battery is ok the headlights turn on & off, remote central locking works on both keys. I've had a booster on the battey to give it a kick start but still nothing. the car was running fine prior to this, i'd only parked it 10 minutes before the problem occured.

Any help & advice will be much appreciated.

thanks in advance.
 

dieselman

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Your Mercedes
A diesel
That sounds like the EIS (electronic ignition switch) has failed, if so you need a new EIS and a green key to program the key too it.
It would be worth making sure the power and CAN connections to the EIS are good before ordering a new switch.

Have a STAR test to be sure.
 

wemorgan

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R172 SLK 250CDI
I had a similar situation once parked outside a friend's house, trying to start the car for 5 minutes to no joy. Eventually saw that the gear was in 'D'. Moved it to 'P' and the engine came to life.

I'm sure you're not as silly as me, but thought I'd share this incase it's the solution.
 

rapide

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1997 E230 (no rust) 2016 volvo xc60 r/design. se. lux. nav.
wont start

good point! sometimes the silly or to obvious are the answer, as the AA / RAC men say, start with the easy stuff first! you never know! before you dig deeper!
 

television

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2002 SL500, 216 CL500, all fully loaded
The transponder coil can fall off in the key and the locking still works when this happens
 
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aby k

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Cheers guys for responding, car is definatley in park, I left the car outside a mates house as I'm away with work but he went to the car last night had a fiddle with key & got it to turn!!!! Anyway he parked it on my drive for me but when my wife tried the same thing again key wouldn't turn. Definatley sounds like something with the ignition.
 

television

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2002 SL500, 216 CL500, all fully loaded
If this is a 210 then the EIS switches can fail,, do you have a spare key
 
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aby k

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It's a 2001 51 reg c220 cdi not know what model, yeh I've tried the spare key & that doesn't turn. I spoke to my friend he tried to start the car again and it wouldn't. So back to square 1.
 

television

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Then the EIS switch on the way out
 
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aby k

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How can I get the car into neutral from P to get the car recovered to a garage.
 

MB-Car-Tech

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C 230K - SOLD now running E320T CDI
Aby K,

there is a manual lever to release from position P. This is easy if you have done it before.

Here it goes......

Removal of the gear lever boot, gently pull up on the gear lever wood surround or black trim,

you may just get a glimpse of the lever, it is at the back of the gear lever housing on the driver side.

to get at it clearly you then need to remove the storage/cup holder/coin tray housing. This is just pushed in and may need a little prising.

Black lever is more accesible and simply push in and pull the lever out of park

simples init !!!
 
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aby k

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Thanks Mb car tech....

yeh figured it once id taken everything apart, you can actually get to it from the coin holder thats if you know what your looking.....
 

OCTAF1SH

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CLK 200K (Xreg, 99/00)
Hi guys,

Resurrecting this thread as I am currently having a very similar problem at the moment.

Different model though, it's on a CLK 200k coupe from 99/00, manual transmission.

Got home from supermarket, parked for 10mins, then got back in the car to drop at garage to have cracked exhaust manifold replaced (£650) and the electronic key opened the car, lights turned on, dashboard computer lit up, but the key will not turn in the ignition, no 'click' to release steering lock etc...

Called dealership and was told to buy a new key for £250, BUT that may be pointless, as it could be the barrel, which will cost £350-400 (on top of the £250 for the new key, which may or may not fix the problem!!).

Understandably, We're not too keen on buying a key (£250), which is non-refundable even if it will turn out to be the barrel (£350) just to get the car to the mechanic to change the manifold (£650), especially not in the same week we're paying a plasterer £1500!!

Does anybody have any ideas about anything that can be done? I have read about resynchronising keys, but am not too sure if this will solve the problem, or how to do it. Unfortunately We have no spare key. The car was bought second hand, and we were only supplied with one key. Have tried something i read in a previous thread about putting key in ignition, pressing lock and unlock, remove key, put it back in....didn't work!

Was just wondering if anybody had any experience with similar problems in this model of Merc.

many thanks in advance for any help.
 

Alex Crow

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W169, W124, w202, W203, KTM 250 EXC, VW T25 camper and a Polo in a pear tree
you are having no luck, there is no easy fix here. it is usually possible to work out which component is at fault with STAR diagnostics, and it may not even be the key or EIS module (barrel) - it could actually be the electric steering lock ESL/ELS. do you have a trusted MB specialist with STAR diagnostics nearby? might only cost £50 to get your car recovered there...
 

OCTAF1SH

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CLK 200K (Xreg, 99/00)
No, we're most certainly not!

Thanks for the reply so quickly, I will spend my morning doing some research about that, Eastbourne is our closest, and it's a fairly big dealership, so hopefully they will have it, though they didn't mention it when we spoke to them yesterday.

Will do some homework and come back here if I have no luck.

Thanks again .
 

Bolide

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BMW 525 Diesel Touring
There are a number of good independents in East Sussex, in Hove, Portslade, Goring-by-Sea, etc. Any of them should be able to diagnose the problem

If you need parts there are two official MB parts suppliers in Brighton, both of which supply direct to the independent garages

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk
 

television

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Does the key send out an IR beam into a digital camera, does the key rattle when you shake it
 

manisha tenerife

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E300 TURBO DIESEL
Hi everyone New on here and need some advice....

i have 2001 Mercedes C220 cdi auto 84k, the remote key unlocks the car, mileage display lights up but when i put the key in the ignition nothing happens it doesn't click or turn. battery is ok the headlights turn on & off, remote central locking works on both keys. I've had a booster on the battey to give it a kick start but still nothing. the car was running fine prior to this, i'd only parked it 10 minutes before the problem occured.

Any help & advice will be much appreciated.

thanks in advance.

Hi im having the same problem with my key..how did you get it fixed??
thanks so much x
 

pitch1

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Morris 1800S, Volvo 740, Triumph 2000/2500PI
Just a thought, is the battery in the key fob OK, might be worth changing only a small cost.
 


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