ABS, BAS and ESP warning light - I don't know what to do

Hustler

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Hi,

Let me start off by saying that I'm a complete newbie to cars and have bought a 2003 C200 1.8L Kompressor as my first car, so please do excuse me if I ask anything stupid. :Oops:

Basically, I have a number of warning lights appear on my instrument.

ABS:




BAS:



ESP:




I am totally panicking and freaking out thinking that the car is not safe to drive at all and that it is going to be costly to fix, which I cannot afford.

I would appreciate it if someone could help me to diagnose what the problem may be with the car, and what I will have to do to fix it and also approximate expenses to get it fixed. I really hope that it's not an expensive fix and that it's a minor problem. I understand that it won't be possible to give a correct and accurate diagnosis from just looking at a picture of a warning lamp on the instrument, but I would appreciate any advice, preferably in newbie language. :p

Thank You

EDIT: The seller's excuse as to why the ABS light went on was that a cyclist had pulled in front of him the night before and he had to slam on the brakes and now he's got the ABS lights on. Not sure if he's telling the truth or not.
 
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mersum1es

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You should get the fault codes read for accurate diagnosis. When lights come? Just after car started, after bake pedal pushed, when car starts moving... Most common culprit is brake light switch, then low voltage, then speed sensor, then this and then that... You can drive the car, BAS and ABS (+ESP) are out of order but nothing totally fatal.

Edit: you may start by measuring the battery voltage (engine on and off both). Also a knowledge when fault occurs may give some hint...
 
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You should get the fault codes read for accurate diagnosis. When lights come? Just after car started, after bake pedal pushed, when car starts moving... Most common culprit is brake light switch, then low voltage, then speed sensor, then this and then that... You can drive the car, BAS and ABS (+ESP) are out of order but nothing totally fatal.

Edit: you may start by measuring the battery voltage (engine on and off both). Also a knowledge when fault occurs may give some hint...

Hi thanks for replying so quickly. The lights come on when I start the engine and remain on while driving and I think also when I turn the ignition on without starting the engine, though i'm not sure.

May I ask what you mean by 'brake light switch' and how I should fix it/what I need to do?

Thank you so much.
 

mersum1es

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Aargh, lost my whole post during editing...

But shortly; search 'brake light switch', you'll get lot of info! The switch do a lot more than lights brake lights, and is common culprit of several malfunction of MB. Easy to change; unplug connector - twist and pull switch off. Extend probe of the new switch and install in reverse order.

But now it sounds that you are suffering low battery voltage; measure it. Should be >12 engine off, around 14V engine running...
 
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DY2

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I too had this warnings, with a low battery on my E-Class, when I had kaput alternator.
 

brandwooddixon

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If you run the car for say 10 minutes then restart it and the lights go out, then low battery voltage is a dead cert. It's quite common for older batteries to start to lose charge when the cold weather comes.

Where in the UK are you?
If you let us know then a member may be able to recommend a mercedes specialist for you.

Incidentally was this a private purchase or from a trader?

Although safe to drive the car will fail an MOT if these lights remain on. A trader is legally obliged to fix the issue.
 

Richard Elliot

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Mine does this after disconnecting the battery. You can reset it with the engine running by turning the steering wheel full lock left then right (or vice versa).

You don't need BAS at all, ESP can be turned off anyway and the brakes work fine without ABS so don't worry too much. Even if the above reset doesn't work there is probably nothing more than an electrical glitch.
 

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Your fault here is with the ABS, the ESP and BAS cannot work as they ride on top of the ABS, so no fault with those two, It is normally a speed sensor that has failed or the cable going to it. By having the fault codes read it should pin point the sensor at fault
 

RobWheatley

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Your fault here is with the ABS, the ESP and BAS cannot work as they ride on top of the ABS, so no fault with those two, It is normally a speed sensor that has failed or the cable going to it. By having the fault codes read it should pin point the sensor at fault

As Malcolm said, I had all these coming up on my W220 (as well as stiff steering) it was an ABS sensor BUT you will have to have the codes read (it was a bad connector on mine) to find out the reason.
 

BAZZER1

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Have a Star Test done by a reliable Indie and it should pinpoint out the problem before buying and fitting any new parts
Best regards
BAZZER1
 

2010golfnut

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I was trying to eliminate some things for fault diagnosis and removed fuse numbers 59 + 60 from the engine bay fuse panel, when I started the car I got all those warnings as well so may be worth a look.
Good luck
 
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Hustler

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Thanks for all the replies guys. It seems there could be numerous reasons why these lights are coming on.

Mine does this after disconnecting the battery. You can reset it with the engine running by turning the steering wheel full lock left then right (or vice versa).

You don't need BAS at all, ESP can be turned off anyway and the brakes work fine without ABS so don't worry too much. Even if the above reset doesn't work there is probably nothing more than an electrical glitch.

If I reset it with the method mentioned (full left and right lock), would the lights re-appear when I restart the engine? My MOT is due next week and I am seriously pooping my pants as I've read that it will fail if ABS is faulty. I'm really worried about repair costs that I cannot afford and am regretting buying this car.

Your fault here is with the ABS, the ESP and BAS cannot work as they ride on top of the ABS, so no fault with those two, It is normally a speed sensor that has failed or the cable going to it. By having the fault codes read it should pin point the sensor at fault

Can you elaborate on what you mean by speed sensor, where can I find it and how much would it roughly cost to repair/replace?

I would highly appreciate if anyone could give me an idea as to what sort of costs I am likely to face in order to repair the car / replace parts. I'm almost in tears (seriously) and have been depressed (sad I know) :Oops: as I'm worried I wont be able to afford to repair it. (I'm a student who works part time).

Thank You for all your help guys.

Edit: The car is a 2003 Mercedes C200 Kompressor 1.8l Coupe. Is this a W203 or CL203 (if I need to order a replacement brake light switch)?
 
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This is normally a wheel sensor and the most common, where are you in the UK so we can advise you where to go
 

DY2

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Have you measured the voltage on the battery? ( engine off and engine on):confused:

Should be 12.5v roughly with engine off, and 14v with engine on.

I got these same warnings, with an under charged battery
 
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This is normally a wheel sensor and the most common, where are you in the UK so we can advise you where to go

I live in north east London/Essex borders. How much am I looking at in repair costs if that is the problem with the car?

Have you measured the voltage on the battery? ( engine off and engine on):confused:

Should be 12.5v roughly with engine off, and 14v with engine on.

I got these same warnings, with an under charged battery

I haven't got a tester but will definitely check this out when I get hold of one.
 

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Andy at PCD is mobile and would come out to you
 

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I live in north east London/Essex borders. How much am I looking at in repair costs if that is the problem with the car?



I haven't got a tester but will definitely check this out when I get hold of one.

You can only have a rough estimate as to costs as we don't know exactly what it is yet,
Battery voltage, charge battery = could be free if you have/borrow charger.
replace battery= check Europarts for battery price.
You might have bad connections again free or perhaps tens of pounds for diagnosis.
Brake light switch this is a simple DIY plus £12 I think for switch.
Whats your ability level ?
 

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You can only have a rough estimate as to costs as we don't know exactly what it is yet,
Battery voltage, charge battery = could be free if you have/borrow charger.
replace battery= check Europarts for battery price.
You might have bad connections again free or perhaps tens of pounds for diagnosis.
Brake light switch this is a simple DIY plus £12 I think for switch.
Whats your ability level ?

Not brake lamp swicth for ABS warning, BAS then yes, a re start after a few mins would discount the battery theory if the lamp stayed on.
 

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Not a diagnosis just a costs guestimate for things suggested.
They might switch on and the lights have gone.
 
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Hustler

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Andy at PCD is mobile and would come out to you

Do you have the contact details for Andy so I can get an estimate?

Not brake lamp swicth for ABS warning, BAS then yes, a re start after a few mins would discount the battery theory if the lamp stayed on.

So the problem is definitely not the brake light switch?

If that's the case, it probably either the:

- Battery level
- Wheel sensor

from the suggestions in this thread. Am I correct?

Thanks for your help
 


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