My W221 Mercedes Headache Hell ! HELLLLP

Nikki slade

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Hi Guys

Right this post is going to be a challenge and probably a lengthly one but I really need all your help.

I saved up to buy a mercedes S class w221 because I've always wanted one and found a 2009 S320 CDI on gumtree which had been in a crash (front drivers side) and been repaired, it was a good price but he said the conductor plate in the gearbox needed replacing because the TCU was faulty.

So I researched online on how to replace this part and from the videos I watched it seemed to be quite strait forward, he said it was drivable and so I traveled 200 miles to go and view it and it seemed to be in mint condition and started and drove quite well apart from when you stopped you had to put it in park and then back into drive otherwise it seemed really sluggish to cycle trough the first few gears, so I thought this was ok and would make it back to my house.

I drove it all the way back without any problem UNTIL..... I got home and turned the car off but then it wouldn't start again ???? after quite a few tries it started but once turned off has not started again since !. I am quite mechanically minded and have rebuilt a few engines in the past and fixed/service all of my cars for the last 15 years but this has lost me!! at first I thought maybe the battery was the culprit but nope, then replaced the starter motor but nothing (I have another post with a video regarding this starting issue).

I ended up deciding to buy a star diagnostic system, it arrived and a few errors were present one of which was a module under the dash drivers side wasn't communicating correctly or wasn't married up to the ecu correctly, and I'm sure I read somewhere if you replace this module it will start the car 40 times but only this many until installed correctly, also the error for the tcu was saying it cannot communicate with the ecu.

So before I attended to these problems I decided to pull the dash out and reinstall it because it wasn't fitted correctly at all by the previous mechanic and there was airbag errors and I wanted to also check he had installed and connected all these correctly, all went well until I asked a mate to give me a hand over the weekend to reinstall it all, was going well until I went to get some grub for us and he plugged the white plug with the black and white wires which goes into the bottom of the cd/dvd unit into the INSTRUMENT cluster !! and turned the ingnition on ?!?!?!

Anyway I got back and he explained what he had done because he couldn't find the correct wire which went into the back of the instument cluster and that was the only one that fitted !?!?! Grrrrrrr I immidiately dissmissed him from helping me and installed the rest myself and now the navigation screen does not light up steering wheel does not respond, gear shifter does not respond or change onscreen like it did before and none of the buttons in the middle of the two screens dont work either ??? :-(

I am gutted with all this and desperately need help and advise, I asked a local Mercedes garage to sort it out for me and he refused to touch it or even look at it, said he has been stung by these W221's before and wont go near them again ?!?!?
 
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mioba

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Where are you based. There could be a good merc Indy near you who someone could recommend.
 

John Laidlaw

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A tale of woe indeed - seems you started something and couldn’t finish it partly ( no disrespect intended) and Now need help and given the varied issues you need a Mercedes Independent specialist ...
I’m more than surprised that one has told you he’ll not touch a W221, can’t say I’ve heard that before. I could imagine someone saying they were unwilling to take over half finished repairs - I’m sure others would though
So, can we help you identify a good independent who may help? Location would help in that respect and see who pops up for you....
 

mercmancdi

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2009 E250 cdi 08 cls320 cdi ,2007 e280 cdi '2005 E 280 CDI ,VW TOUAREG ,JAGUAR S AND xTO NAME A FEW
Not much of a Mercedes garage that won't work on a Mercedes , unless you stressed you were on a budget and only willing to spend so much.

If not name and shame the Mercedes garage.
Maybe you might need a good auto spark even to look at it.
 
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Nikki slade

Nikki slade

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A tale of woe indeed - seems you started something and couldn’t finish it partly ( no disrespect intended) and Now need help and given the varied issues you need a Mercedes Independent specialist ...
I’m more than surprised that one has told you he’ll not touch a W221, can’t say I’ve heard that before. I could imagine someone saying they were unwilling to take over half finished repairs - I’m sure others would though
So, can we help you identify a good independent who may help? Location would help in that respect and see who pops up for you....
I will be honest I want to learn more and troubleshoot this myself as much as I can, with hints/tips and advise from people on here. I have purchased the star system and have 2 mercs and have always done my own work so the more I learn the less I will need to rely on mercedes garages and the horrendous prices they charge plus peace of mind it is done as best as it can be as I have been stung by crap mechanics before.
 
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Nikki slade

Nikki slade

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I have a feeling the instrument cluster might be fried, so might try and replace it and see if it fixes the dash problem, my question for this is, if I purchased and used one from ebay would it need to be married up with the ecu or with it just plug and play?
 

Naraic

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Nikki...can you not use paragraphs...that's very difficult to read and would have fewer people helping than would be the case if you used paragraphs.

Fixed it for you.
 

Blobcat

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TLDR springs to mind...
 

alexanderfoti

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If you run another quick test, do you get any new codes?

+1 on the other Indy, find one, tell them the current story and ask for an approximate price. They will likely quote you half a day diagnosis etc, which I think is reasonable.
 
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Nikki slade

Nikki slade

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Nikki...can you not use paragraphs...that's very difficult to read and would have fewer people helping than would be the case if you used paragraphs.

Fixed it for you.
Very sorry I was ranting
 
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Nikki slade

Nikki slade

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Thankyou very much to the moderator for splitting my rant up :) your a star
 

Craiglxviii

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970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
If you want to learn diagnosis on a W221, say hello to the phrase “learning curve”..!
 
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Nikki slade

Nikki slade

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If you want to learn diagnosis on a W221, say hello to the phrase “learning curve”..!

It sound like this will be the case but I have patients and am willing to learn
 
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Nikki slade

Nikki slade

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Deffo not a star, more of a planet...mmm...Uranus comes to mind for some reason or other. lol
.

Yep accident prone unanus after breaking the ****** thing the second I get it, agreed
and feel like a right plonker
 

Xtractorfan

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Yep accident prone unanus after breaking the ****** thing the second I get it, agreed
and feel like a right plonker
Not meaning you lol...pointed more to the star you had identified...
But, certainly, buying a damaged repaired S class doesn't bode well for your thinking or reasoning.
 
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mioba

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I think the way your going you will be spending more than what you paid for the car if you haven’t already.
You are in a very steep learning curve with a W221 and with STAR.
If you want to do this right I hope you deep pockets...... very deep
 
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Nikki slade

Nikki slade

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I think the way your going you will be spending more than what you paid for the car if you haven’t already.
You are in a very steep learning curve with a W221 and with STAR.
If you want to do this right I hope you deep pockets...... very deep

No I haven't to be honest, but I have bought the star now and only really need to troubleshoot the problems with the dash which I think is the main cluster and starting issue which I hoping will be the module that isn't married up to the ecu properly... but I seem to be getting more veiws and comments about my ability than actual advise on the questions im asking :-(
 

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