W211 e class 2004 not starting

[television]

Its is not that easy trading in modern second hand cars, you would have to be a genius to know all the models and features, yes always be nice and give them a chance to fix things.

 

[MotardMan]

Its is not that easy trading in modern second hand cars, you would have to be a genius to know all the models and features, yes always be nice and give them a chance to fix things.

Exactly.

And to restore your faith in dealers, here is his response:

"Jim

Sorry to hear this but no problem I will arrange for the Mercedes specialist in Gloucester to look into these faults.

I will give them a copy of your e-mails so they can get a view on the problems.

I will ask them to Quote for the D+ service for you and I assume from the e-mail you would prefer to have it all done in 2 week time?

Rest assured Jim we can sort out these problems."

Anyone know who in Gloucester is an indie?

 

[anyweb]

Just to finish this out.
The Merc specialist ordered the new ECU -- it had to come from Stuttgart coded for my car's VIN number so took about 5 days.
He fitted it and got it configured and all is well again (apart from me being lighter in the pocket).
Merc wanted the old part back and surcharged if it wasn't returned.

you didnt say how much it cost to get fixed, can you share please ?

 

[television]

Exactly.

And to restore your faith in dealers, here is his response:

"Jim

Sorry to hear this but no problem I will arrange for the Mercedes specialist in Gloucester to look into these faults.

I will give them a copy of your e-mails so they can get a view on the problems.

I will ask them to Quote for the D+ service for you and I assume from the e-mail you would prefer to have it all done in 2 week time?

Rest assured Jim we can sort out these problems."

Anyone know who in Gloucester is an indie?

I think it is BG Griffiths and they are very good in Gloucester

 

[MotardMan]

I think it is BG Griffiths and they are very good in Gloucester

Great news, it seems I'll be all OK in the end then. Thanks everyone. I'll post up any news as we go. Thanks for the incredibly empowering information and feedback the site provides. MBO, take a bow....

 

[MotardMan]

Robin Lamb had the car for 2 days. Sadly no fault related to the ESP error was found on STAR, so it was a NFF. The car has been working perfectly for the last 2 weeks, but then there has been no overnight rain which seems to be the thing that brings the error on.

This week is due to be wet, so fingers crossed the fault does not return.

 

[MotardMan]

Issue is still there.

I also discovered the thermostat was not replaced in the D+ service that R**** L*** did, despite it being on my list of faults that needed rectification. Since then we have moved house, and things have focussed on something other than the broken W211... So, time to progress the process to get it fixed. I emailed the supplying dealer asking him to have the car back for further investigation and mentioned the thermostat, again. His reply:

"Regarding the ESP fail and non starting I have spoken to R**** L*** and there were no faults store in the memory when the car was with him. However he is quite happy for you to bring the into him and he will plug it into the Star system while you are there with him so you can see for yourself.

Just let us know when this is possible."

How can a fault in an ECU or a software bug, not be shown in STAR? He could of course be right and I'd like to know how it can be detected if STAR does not show the fault? Is it just a case of replacement parts until the issue is gone?

Anyhoo, here is my reply:

"Graeme,

We have been moving house, getting settled in and are now off for a weeks well deserved break. However, the car still sulks in the mornings and refuses to start. The remedy for that will be a replacement ECU, or a software update as documented at length in the numerous threads on the UK owners club forum.

As R**** has already tried in vain to locate and remedy the issue, perhaps the car ought to go to a dealer or other indie? The fact that R**** also missed the thermostat required replacement during an extensive service makes me think that maybe he was either having a VERY bad day, or is not really interested in the warranty work? Either way, this issue needs to be fixed right now, before the warranty expires, or I'll have to return the car for a full refund. I'd hate to have to do it, but the car is currently of limited use to us as a familiy if it will not reliably start. As Jus says, "the C240 never ever failed to start, we were better off with the old car in that respect...".

So, I'll be off the air for a week. Can we get this issue planned to be resolved sometime after the 20th August?

Thanks for your continued support.

Regards,"

I'm hoping the car is OK whilst we are in Wales on hols...

 

[MotardMan]

Car is going in to the indie tomorrow. I'm taking it up there to get a loaner tonight.

Will report on progress. I have now discovered the door mirrors don't heat....

 

[MotardMan]

Latest is that the car is now ready to collect.

It has had a new thermostat, starter motor and the washer bottle reservoir hoses replaced. Bizarre as UI didn't see any of those items in this 9 page thread being replaced as part of the issue we have all had with ESP message, fan full on and no start.....

Fair play to my supplying dealer though. He has supplied me with a loaner each time, and has kept his promise to try to have the car fixed. I'll collect it this weekend and report back. If this visit (It has been there 3 times now) does not fix it, the car is going back to him for a full refund.

 

[MotardMan]

Can I ask you guys, which ECU has to be replaced to fix this non start issue?

I've had the starter replaced now, but the car threw the ESP message, main fan full on error this morning. A single cycle of the key sorted it, but this car should start 1st time, every time, right?

Cheers,

 

[MotardMan]

Just to finish this out.
The Merc specialist ordered the new ECU -- it had to come from Stuttgart coded for my car's VIN number so took about 5 days.
He fitted it and got it configured and all is well again (apart from me being lighter in the pocket).
Merc wanted the old part back and surcharged if it wasn't returned.

Do you recall which ECU was replaced?

 

[MotardMan]

ECU replaced with new. Problem solved.

Can you let me know whuich ECU? A part number would be good too if you have one.

Tearing my hair out now.

TIA.

 

[MotardMan]

ECU Fault - Or comms to ECU from central gateway

I've done 2 last week!

I'm being told, that there is no fault showing in STAR. That cannot be right can it? I'd have though the very fact the car shows an ESP error and switches the fan on full would be logged in STAR?

So Mark, do you know which ECU is the culprit? The indie was talking about SAM maybe being the issue, but I am not sure what that is... He is currently fitting parts in a process of elimination, but I am getting really fed up of constantly having to take the car back and forwards. Most inconvenient.

 

[Alex Crow]

I'm being told, that there is no fault showing in STAR. That cannot be right can it? I'd have though the very fact the car shows an ESP error and switches the fan on full would be logged in STAR?

That is correct, you should certainy have a logged event for comms between ESP and engine ECU, logged in the ESP module.
Similar will also be in ETC, KI etc etc.

The ECU in question is the engine ECU btw.

 

[MotardMan]

Alex,

I'm very grateful thank you.

Perhaps my Indie was not hooked up to, or not looking in the right areas for the code? He has had the car three times now and has been unable to locate any errors...

I have asked the supplying dealer to instruct the indie in question to order up the ECU. I have also suggested that the car is STAR'd at the local MB dealer to me to see if they can find a message. That would save me an hours detour each time it has to go in to not be repaired....

It is getting very awkward for me now. I simply want the car to be right, and the amount of to'ing and fro'ing is getting embarrassing now.

Thanks again for updating the post, appreciated.

 

[Alex Crow]

Perhaps my Indie was not hooked up to, or not looking in the right areas for the code? He has had the car three times now and has been unable to locate any errors....

To be fair to him, the code we expect to be logged in the ESP is not really going to help - he may have disregarded it or not thought it note worthy.
Also bear in mind, a failing ECU (ie engine ECU in this case) often loggs no codes whatsoever...

 

[MotardMan]

Changing the starter motor has not cured it.

The MD of the company I bought the car from has been in touch, he feels the ignition key may be the culprit.... I fear not. However, he has agreed, indeed suggested, that the car goes to the main dealer in Cheltenham to be assessed. Great service and quibble free.

Hopefully it will be this week, but I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[MotardMan]

Car was picked up 10 minutes ago and is en route to the dealer in Cheltenham. The truck driver who collected it needed to straighten the wheels up to winch it onto the flat bed, and the ESP error came up. Perfect. So, let's see what the dealer makes of this fault. I'll report back when a conclusion is formed.

 

[MotardMan]

Good news.

The Merc dealer has found the issue. As per the other posts and resolutions, the main ECU is at fault and is going to be replaced. The supplying dealer is taking care of the bill for the ECU. It is a shame they wasted so much time and money on this, when it was all evidenced by me on the first trip back to the supplier with your help from this list. Oh well, I'm just overjoyed that the car is now going to be fixed.

MOT has been done and the car requires a balljoint replacing as the boot is split. I'm paying that one, as I see it as a consumable. Fair enough?

In the meantime I'm driving the loan Honda CRV which is actually OK if you ignore the horrible gearbox, overeager steering and brakes and tacky dash. I'm not complaining as the car is free, clean and reliable. I cannot wait to get my hands back on the car in about 5-10 days.

 

[nadeem786]

ESP error on W211 E220 CDI (Error code P0403)

Hi

I have few issues on my W211 E220 CDI Auto (2003):

1. I am intermittently getting ESP error on the dashboard whilst driving. Sometime, car stalls when stationary but I am able to start the car without any problems. I don't have any issues with acceleration. Engine Management Light is on with error P0403. EGR Valve has been cleaned thoroughly but I am still experiencing this issue for quite some time now but recently, this issue has become frequent. I have tried deleting the error code but it comes back on the next start up.

2. Steering wheel indicator lever problem - when indicating left/right, lever does not return to normal position when steering wheel is straighten.

3. Passenger side indicator isn’t working. I have replaced with a new repeater but it’s still not working.

Any suggestion on this please?

Many thanks for your help.