w220 s430 problem

[DMT60]

Hi im a newbe to the membership, but have been a follower of the forum site since i bought my pride and joy.having said that i went out saturday to take her to be washed,turned the car on and noticed that i had a warning message on the dash,eg display error,esp fault visit workshop,abs light on,bas fault visitworkshop,all brake lights on,n/s headlight on,o/s dip on.So i turn the ignition key to 0 position and removed it only to find the car still running and now way to turn it off.rang mobilo and they sent Kavanagh breakdown service to take the car to MB Croydon.First mobilo-life were excellent and kept me informed of what when and who was coming to my aid.BUT has anybody got an idea of what went wrong before MB croydon get back to me hopfully tomorrow.

 

[colechelle]

welcome dmt60, first thought would be a sam unit gone down but none of the the faults really make alot of sence, looking forward to hearing what they find!!!

 

[tromppost]

how old is the battery, and was it used in the week?

 

[jibcl500]

Brake light switch.

jib

 

[DMT60]

thanks for the quick replies,yes the car was used mid week for a short run only a few miles,not sure on the battery,hope its a brake light switch for the wallets sake but the moths do need some air,i'll keep you informed on the verdict

 

[DMT60]

ok,i had the call from MB Croydon the 2 faults they've found so far are front sam unit and relay panel apparantly faults caused by water ingresion to the passenger footwell from blocked drainage holes.I convayed my concerns to the tec guy that water can somehow get into the car and do so much damage(£800so far).After reading the hand book from page 1 to the end of the book,and the service book(A service+extras only done 2000 miles ago) that there is no mention of these drainage holes or that they should be kept clear.I have also relayed my concerns that a car of this class and quality should suffer water penatration to MB head office,they will ring MB croydon and get back to me.HERES HOPING

 

[Xtractorfan]

Yes when I bought my 220 S320 cdi i had a similar problem with water leaking into the l/h front footwell, and it was a blocked drainage hole, but it is something that we find on a lot of cars, water filling over the pollen filters/ heater ducts due to leaves and debris blocking the side drainage holes...

 

[tromppost]

Please check and check again if you do not get a answer with Mercedes but I thinks this should have been sorted by a recall?

 

[DMT60]

yes after looking up some old posts i think you might be right,how can i find out what recalls the model should have had and if they've been done???

 

[tromppost]

Phone you local Mercedes dealer. what part of the England are you in?

 

[DMT60]

rang MB Bromley today and the lady i spoke to in the service dept said that there had been no recall on the s class for emergency water drain in the water intake box,but there was 1 on the e class around 2002.I'm still not convinced so i'm going to call MB head office to confirm this,but it seems strange that another member(chas)says that there was a recall for this problem(his original post 11/06/07)and with evidence of pictures.if there was a recall for this and it was not done at the time would MB send out more letters to new owners of the car,and what recourse can i expect from MB,as this seems to be a fault in the design of the car that water can get in thecar and do so much damage to the electrical components.as an electrician i know that the two dont mix and they have been in buisness longer than me.

 

[DMT60]

sorry for any smelling pistakes

 

[tromppost]

rang MB Bromley today and the lady i spoke to in the service dept said that there had been no recall on the s class for emergency water drain in the water intake box,but there was 1 on the e class around 2002.I'm still not convinced so i'm going to call MB head office to confirm this,but it seems strange that another member(chas)says that there was a recall for this problem(his original post 11/06/07)and with evidence of pictures.if there was a recall for this and it was not done at the time would MB send out more letters to new owners of the car,and what recourse can i expect from MB,as this seems to be a fault in the design of the car that water can get in thecar and do so much damage to the electrical components.as an electrician i know that the two dont mix and they have been in buisness longer than me.

Do not give up, Phone any Mercedes dealer and ask for the service manger if you manage to get him at the right moment he will look up your vin number and it will tell you if the recall has been done and when. Its the one thing ALL top end mechanics do when they lift the bonnet is have a very quick look down the back to check that its clear and not blocked.

 

[DMT60]

car came back last night at 5 o/clock,after a talk with the tec guy who now says that it was not a water problem that caused the electrical fault after all but can not explain why the front sam and fuse/relay board went wrong (electrical things go wrong according to him)but the car went back this morning as the sat nav was putting me in the north sea and as was in beckenham at the time i thought it strange,even after i gave it my location.Now there saying that the command unit processor is not talking to the rest of the car via the fibre optics thingy which could mean a new command unit,which there saying is not connected to the original problem because thay are on seperate systems.So they have the car till i get a call either way.

 

[tromppost]

any sat nav problems try www.comandonline.co.uk first class company..

 

[DMT60]

thanks i had a look but they dont do w220 command units

 

[Chas]

rang MB Bromley today and the lady i spoke to in the service dept said that there had been no recall on the s class for emergency water drain in the water intake box,but there was 1 on the e class around 2002.I'm still not convinced so i'm going to call MB head office to confirm this,but it seems strange that another member(chas)says that there was a recall for this problem(his original post 11/06/07)and with evidence of pictures.if there was a recall for this and it was not done at the time would MB send out more letters to new owners of the car,and what recourse can i expect from MB,as this seems to be a fault in the design of the car that water can get in thecar and do so much damage to the electrical components.as an electrician i know that the two dont mix and they have been in buisness longer than me.

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=29127&highlight=cowboy

There was a recall on the S CLASS W220 , see my post above. If it has not been done they are to blame. It should show up when they search your chassis number

 

[Chas]

Comand 2.5

car came back last night at 5 o/clock,after a talk with the tec guy who now says that it was not a water problem that caused the electrical fault after all but can not explain why the front sam and fuse/relay board went wrong (electrical things go wrong according to him)but the car went back this morning as the sat nav was putting me in the north sea and as was in beckenham at the time i thought it strange,even after i gave it my location.Now there saying that the command unit processor is not talking to the rest of the car via the fibre optics thingy which could mean a new command unit,which there saying is not connected to the original problem because thay are on seperate systems.So they have the car till i get a call either way.

If you need help with your COMAND let me know

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=32927&highlight=comand+2.5

 

[DMT60]

thanks chas,MB croydon have said that the water in the footwell was not the cause of the electrical fault although the drain holes was blocked,but dont know what caused it.it just happened, as for the command unit again this nothing to do with original fault but the sat nav is not keeping its location and sending me everywhere and nowwhere at the same time,the tec guy pluged his gizmo in the car and has told me it has a fault.Ever feel like your days gone ****e and you hitting your head against a brick wall,cost of original fault was £750 and command unit £2900 and as i know zero about cars other than i love driving the big silver beast(the star just makes you feeeeeeel good) i've ok'ed the repairs.but i will call MB customer services on monday to make a complaint about the recall.If you want to talk email me your No and i'll give you a call.

 

[Chas]

thanks chas,MB croydon have said that the water in the footwell was not the cause of the electrical fault although the drain holes was blocked,but dont know what caused it.it just happened, as for the command unit again this nothing to do with original fault but the sat nav is not keeping its location and sending me everywhere and nowwhere at the same time,the tec guy pluged his gizmo in the car and has told me it has a fault.Ever feel like your days gone ****e and you hitting your head against a brick wall,cost of original fault was £750 and command unit £2900 and as i know zero about cars other than i love driving the big silver beast(the star just makes you feeeeeeel good) i've ok'ed the repairs.but i will call MB customer services on monday to make a complaint about the recall.If you want to talk email me your No and i'll give you a call.

Firstly you can get a COMAND unit for £150 MAX. off e bay, here is one for £50+ http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=380027641171&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=025
easy to install , it will take you 30 mins. New COMAND 2.5 can be got for £400 now.
Let me know if you need help.
If you want someone down there to do it I will advise. You can even have a new widescreen COMAND (2003) fitted for about £1000

The water in the passenger footwell may be due to a missing/worn B pillar rubber grommet. Your heater blower will be soaked probably as well. Easy to take out and lubricate, I can advise. I got a new one off e bay last week for £50. MB charge £400 for part and £100 to fit !

keep in touch and dont worry ;-)

ps I would consider cancelling those expensive repairs, the cost is ridiculous :twisted:

pps
As you have COMAND wired up already, I am sure although Alfie doesnt do COMAND 2.5 he could easily install a new one for a fellow member :?:

ppps did they check the alternator regulator? This will show up the electrical faults you have if it is faulty, £45 for a new one