Mercedes A180cdi(2006); all the lights but it aint xmas !

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
Hi all,
Parked my wifes A class at my moms place . 4 days later , i started car fine, and decided to hit the motor way and thats when the dash lit up with lights : ABS , ECD, ESP , etc ,etc .

Freaked out !, i drove to my independent merc specialist . He immediately put car on diagnostics and it came up with ESP unit fault. Meanwhile , one of his mechanics pointed me to the engine bay and shouted " rat damage! " . I could not believe it until he showed me the chewed up leads . They did ask if car had been parked near an alley or area frequented by rodents . Yes , it was because my mom had seen rats in the alley periodically .
This is not the first time an A class has come in with rodent damage they said !
A new ESP unit cost a fortune , so i was told a repair was possible ,maybe :), and it would save me a fortune over Mercedes .

110 days later ! , the garage rang to tell me that it could not be fixed and they had tried various repair experts , some had tested the unit and it was ok . So i am back to square one ! . The car drives but the lights stay on ! , and it barely passed the MOT ,after which the lights reappeared .
Can anybody help ?????

After 110 days ,we are at our wits end , could it be a cable fault even ?
Regards and thanks , :(

PS : Even Mercedes Head Office Amsterdam were no help at all and said rat damage is outside their remit !
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #2
car back from indy specialist

Hi folks ,
After 120 days , i have got the car back and some of the faults have been fixed ! ie dead fuel gauge is working and coolant sensor ok , so wiring sorted .

Now i have to save up for an ABS/ESP unit at about £ 1020 inc vat !!. Brings tears to the eyes , and suddenly that three pointed star seems to have lost its appeal !!! :( :( :(
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Cheap ABS/ESP module/unit for A180cdi (w169 ) ?

Would any body advise me where i can get a brand new ABS/ESP unit (or module , as some call it ) cheaply please ?
It would be an achievement to get it for less than £800 !!:(
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #4
A180cdi (w169) ABS/ ESP module cost breakdown

Hi all,
I have just phoned my local mercedes parts dept and quoted the chassis number.
The gentleman said they have never ordered this part before ,and it takes 7 days as a special order from Germany .
I have been told that complete assy costs :£ 773+ vat. :(
However, the module is comprised of 2 parts ; an electronics component and a hydraulic component .
Electronics bit cost : £ 387+vat :(
Hydraulics bit cost : £ 386+vat :(

They have asked the car be bought in for a diagnostic that he said may cost over £ 200 pounds !!
Can anybody point me in the right direction without killing my wallet ?
Thank you:
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
desperation is the mother of all attempts !!

I think i am answering my own questions ,lol.
I decided to get a second opinion so i visited my local Bosch Service garage .
For a measly £ 35.00 , they diagnosed the fault as the ABS/ESP hydraulic unit ; pressure sensor ! They presented me with the printout and the part in question and they even rang around to get a price but alas the Merc stealers ..err.. dealers ...are the only ones that sell it .
So they advised me about the services of an engineering co called BBA REMAN.
I went home checked em out ,and they offer a lifetime warranty on their recon parts so i have emailed them with the part numbers and lets see if they come up with the business !
Watch this space .... this story may have a happy ending after all ........!
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #6
Bosch Germany !

this is beginning to sound like a blog !
I have emailed Bosch Germany for advice on this subject
I also browsed the briskoda forum ,and an interesting thread on repair of an ABS/ESP unit using a repair kit supplied by VAG ! .
So i think that there should be a similar thing for pain in the *** unit .
BBA REMAN have emailed back today with a charge of £ 35.00 + vat + carriage for a diagnostic , and if repairable then £ 135.00 +vat + carriage ( includes the £35 diagnostic charge ) and the repair is warranted for life !!
 

turbopete

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2009
Messages
14,209
Reaction score
331
Age
48
Location
Spennymoor
Your Mercedes
2017 '17' Ford Mondeo 2.0TDCi ST Line X 180 (sorry)
glad to see youre still keeping at it! perhaps its an area where not many faults occur or there is little or no advice that can be given remotely as it needs a thorough diagnosis etc, not guesswork!
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #8
ABSed and ESPed off (forgive the pun! )

Hi Turbopete ,
No fairy tale ending for me !!.

I have since the last blog called Bosch uk , mercedes uk ,and was told that i could only get this part from authorised merc dealers !!
This explains the sky price ,and mark up vs the man cost approx £100 ish and sale price £ 927 .00 . Now thats what i call 'daylight robbery ' . Surely merc must have sold enough units to have paid for costs , and so reduce the price cos not all of us are lottery millionaires !!:mad:

Mercedes in Munich were very helpful as opposed to their English counterparts , and they were over £ 150 cheaper but air tickets would negate that ! They even gave the part number .

So , I now have to save up for this mill stone of a part , and cussing the hell out of the pointed star .
Mercedes uk gave me plenty of sympathy but did not offer any good will gesture not even 1p off !!:(:mad:
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #9
Be wary of companies that promise to repair ABS units !

Mercedes Munich informed me that i would be wasting my money if i submit the part for repair because Bosch have said that it is not possible to repair the mechanical half of the assy but the elecronic/ software can be fixed/updated !
So do not part with the £ 135 approx that it costs to do that but buy the part at an official Mercedes stealership er sorry ,dealership !

Good luck with the football and drink responsibly . I am off to down a bottle of red wine to forget about the whole part fiasco !

THE END
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #10
Help arrives !

A friend advised me to contact his brother in law ; a head technician at MB uk.
I explained the problems ,and he put me onto an automotive electronics engineer and he spent 3 hours performing checks etc , and took away the fault codes and will investigate and advise .
He did say 'never send unit for repair because it would make the vehicle unsafe ,and out of set parameters ' meaning if there is an accident and investigators discover that the unit has been tampered with ,then the owner can get into serious trouble .
Next week , he intends to do a component level diagnostic because he stated that the units are robust and very rarely break down !
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #11
Had enough will submit car to mercedes for wallet buster !

well thats it , had enough now so i will give car to my local mercedes stealership for new unit and arm ripping price . £ 1300 ish + !!!. Knowing my luck , no discount either .
Oh well , i'm off to see the manager for a mortgage to pay for the three pointed money pit ! :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::(:(:(:(:(:(:(
 

anyweb

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
3,147
Reaction score
362
Age
57
Location
Sweden
Website
www.niallbrady.com
Your Mercedes
c238,w120 (diesel)
i wonder if your bmw had suffered rat damage if the replacement parts would also have cost an arm and a leg, i agree parts are expensive but it's the rats you should be hating, not the star...
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #13
Hi Anyweb ,
I had been advised by the garage that rats had a particular taste for the A-class ! . In one instance , a car had been sampled and enjoyed 3 times ! . Rodents also like some Hondas, VW , and Audi vehicles !
The garage have sprayed a sticky rat repellent and they have applied this in the engine bay , and to other mercedes vehicles that have entered the garage !
Regards ,

Pumi
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #14
a pleasant surprise ?

Hi all ,

I visited another franchised Mercedes dealership close to home . I found that their labor rates were considerably lower than a dealer that i had phoned a week earlier . The reason for the cheaper rates was that my car was over 3 years old ,and the labor rate was therefore cheaper . They even said that the ABS part will be discounted if i am prepared to wait about 5 days !
The other franchised dealer would not 'budge' from the price !! , so no prizes for guessing which dealer i shall be visiting !!
:):)
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #15
And now for something different !

As Esther Rantzen used to say !
I took my beemer to Sytner Ascot yesterday ,for condition based oil change , brake fluid , pollen microfilter and a visual inspection of body and interior.
I must say that i was impressed with the service and the cost.
I read the newspapers , had plenty of tea , coffee and biscuits . They even got me sandwiches because there was a safety recall on the car and it took time to sort out !
They will call me tomorrow to check whether i am satisfied with the car , and i even got a discount when i quoted them my BMW car club membership number .
So how is that for service and satisfaction !!!:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
 

anyweb

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
3,147
Reaction score
362
Age
57
Location
Sweden
Website
www.niallbrady.com
Your Mercedes
c238,w120 (diesel)
great to hear it ! my wife has a 2008 A150, and i really like it (i bought it) what was the safety recall they were working on as a matter of interest ?
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #17
Re safety recall

Hi ,
The safety recall concerned the BMW , and related to battery wiring and cover and sorted now .
Regarding the Mercedes A180 cdi , the dealer mentioned that they order about 2 of these per year . I do like the car but she is the wife's pride and joy with beige interior and black exterior with factory sat-nav fitted . Nippy too ,and with great economy and its a 6 speed manual .
Apparently the manual models are better because there have been auto gearbox issues with the W169 series cars .:)
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #18
service is a ' dodle '

Serviced the car myself using quality parts and oil . Certainly a heck of a lot cheaper than Mercedes and some independents . I have to say ,it is a very easy car to service , and i also reset the service indicator too.
Took the car to MB to get a final diagnostic and 2 hrs later , a disbelieving service manager told me that it was the ABS/ESP unit ,and try a second hand one cos a new one with fitting and diagnostic just done is .... £ 1676.43 ! .
Even made some of he other customers turn around and look !!
I called MB Spain and USA etc , and Spain was the cheapest by a mile and they had them in stock too !! , but factor in courier etc and forget it !
 

snail

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2012
Messages
74
Reaction score
1
Location
North West
Your Mercedes
B200
How do things like this fit with the EU Consumer Directives that say things should last a 'reasonable time'? Would one expect an ESP unit to fail after 5 years?
 
OP
P

pumi63

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI (W169) , BMW 535d M SPORT
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #20
Evening Snail pleased to meet you, you have hit the proverbial nail head on !
A large component supplier of OE parts is really frustrated by this issue and cites a couple of lengthy regs that would take years to change . Until then , goliaths and multinational giants like MB and others etc exercise complete monoply and domination on these parts that are sold at extortionate prices through their ' stealerships '
I have said my peace and calmed down now . Stay tuned for the MB official answer on faulty parts , hehehhehe
 


www.W140.co.uk&www.r129.co
Specialist in parts for W140 and R129 Mercedes-Benz models.
Top Bottom