stuck in gear-bas/esp fault code

[buzby3xx]

my wife has a 2003 ml 270 auto ,that recently developed the problem of been stuck in gear and displaying the bas/esp light,after talking to a merc specialist and reading the fault code he said a new brake light switch was required and stated that merc now longer supply the switch(used to be about £12) but a complete unit is required at around £390 plus vat.can anyone shed any light on this
we are currently using the pen in hole method! to get out of park and drive the vehicle.i am based in bradford west yorkshire if anyone has any local knowledge of where to go .cheers

 

[television]

Welcome to the forum,, your naughty dealer is telling you porkies,,they are available anywhere for around £10.

Are the dealers getting this desperate

 

[buzby3xx]

hi ,many thanks for for your advice,i shall be severly p*****d of if this is the fact!,is the brake light switch a dealer only part?.i will hook it up to check the fault code myself to confirm ,is the switch silmilar to my vw van and sat at the top of the brake pedal?

 

[Cole@MBS]

It sounds like the ESP control unit has gone down, a few ML,s had a different system fitted to them, a few didnt have brake light switches, it picked up the pressure from the unit itself, if thats the case its a costly job!!!

 

[television]

They are all just above the pedal but car specific and must be exact.

This is the first time that any dealer has said what they told you, all lies, I must have told 500 people to get one, all have without a problem

 

[buzby3xx]

i have just had a word with my wife and mentioned this fact,she is not sure he mentioned the brake switch but was 'some kind of unit!' is there a unit located at the auto box end that they could have been talking about?.i will drop it down to a mate who has full diagnostics and is an auto electrician to get a definite on the fault code

 

[Cole@MBS]

Read my above reply Malc!

 

[television]

Its still lies what you have been told. In view of S-A-M s post.

You always try the switch at £10 first

 

[buzby3xx]

SAM- you have just put the pieces together for me,sounds as though it is the esp unit but may well be worth checking for dirty connections etc before spending £400,are there any other options or pointers to look out for ?

 

[Cole@MBS]

Do you get a beeping when you start up?

 

[buzby3xx]

no beeping ,just bas/esp light and the fact it is stuck in park

 

[Cole@MBS]

You need to see next if you have a brake light switch, if you have not then get ready to spend some real money!!

 

[buzby3xx]

oh bugger! so the advice is try brake light switch first at a tenner then £400 for an esp unit?

 

[Cole@MBS]

£400 and plus some!!

Lets hope its a switch!!

 

[buzby3xx]

£400 plus? ouch,sure dealer (specialist) said 395 to my good lady.will try the switch first,fingers crossed and many thanks for the advice.

 

[television]

I have just been through everything, nothing on the 270 locking up at all, and nothing on the brake lamp switch either, The only ESP thing is the dirty connectors.

The cable is adjustable , I will carry on looking

 

[Cole@MBS]

Not a prob, if you get stuck pop it down to us, we wont rip you off!!

 

[buzby3xx]

i will check in the morning and hope that there is a switch and a faulty one at that!
just in coincidence i have the exact same faulty brake pedal swich on my vwt4 van, but dont have any other nasty and potentially costly problems if its not the switch

 

[Cole@MBS]

I have just been through everything, nothing on the 270 locking up at all, and nothing on the brake lamp switch either, The only ESP thing is the dirty connectors.

The cable is adjustable , I will carry on looking

Not everything is recorded on wis, i am going from experience Malc, and seen this quiet a few times now!

Its a common fault between "2003-2004"

 

[buzby3xx]

great forum this and nearly as good as the vwt4 one! lol .your advice has been fantastic and greatly appreciated.to give the specialist his due they have always done a good job before and dont really want to think ill of them, but its always best to do as much home work as you can about these subjects,many components are swapped when a clean of the contacts is all that is required(watch me eat my words and have to buy a complete new unit!):Oops: