starshine

I've enjoyed owing Mercedes-Benz cars over many, many years; but my 2003 SL500 has turned out to be a total disaster. The usual problems: defective seals allowing water into the trunk and goosing the PSE unit (horrendous replacement costs); endless battery problems; and parts that are insanely expensive.

Okay... it drives beautifully, it looks stunning... but the latest problem looks like the final straw.

Random orange marks have started to appear on the instrument display, as shown on the photos.

I've been told that this an LED problem which can only be sorted by buying a new instrument console. I believe that the console would cost around UK£1,000, plus labour, which is of course just ridiculous.

Has anyone else come across this problem - and if so is there a fix that doesn't involve a further step towards bankruptcy?

funymuny

It looks very similar to what happened to mine about a month ago. Called an ink stain, inkblot, pink shrimp. As I understand it from a couple of instrument cluster folks...it results from some sort of contamination. I have read a story or two of these ultimately disappearing. My display was a little dim so when I got the inkblot I decided to send it off to see what could be done. In my case the company secured a used cluster (identical part number) and moved the data chips from my old cluster to the 'new/used' one. Supposed to be plug and play when it comes back. Other alternatives were keep my old cluster and they would repair/replace the leaking caps that they identified or get a new one (I have seen them for around $1750+-). Should be back here Tuesday.

A picture of what mine looked like initially is attached. It did thin out some but was remained very visible. Apparently the cluster had a 10 year warranty on it. Never thought to check that when I bought the car...I would have been just under the 10 year mark.

starshine

That's extremely helpful, particularly since I've found it impossible to find ths fault using Google.

The stain shown in your photo has precisely the same characteristics as mine. As you'd gather, I'm loathe to part with the car but I can't let it turn into a money pit, so the new cluster would take a big bite of the bullet.

Please do let me know how you get on with the used 'plug and play'.

funymuny

Will do. The folks/fellow I spoke with several times seemed to understand the issue precisely once he had the unit and was able to light it up. We discussed options, including a new one. Other than a new cluster it was basically repair my existing which might or might not improve the dimness and and would leave the inkblot unresolved, or get another used one, transfer the data (resolder...not designed to be moved) and hope all is better. They warrant for a year. He called a local MB dealer to ask about any recalls/warranty (beyond the 10 years). I have finally decided (with some enabling from my wife) that I/we like the car and we are going to keep it for a while so I'm getting some things to where I want them. The inkblot was a surprise but I was contemplating having the dimness of the display repaired/improved...the inkblot gave me the push. I'm sure I'll get another SL in a year or two but want some things on this one right/correct.

starshine

Although the R230 wasn't M-B's finest hour (I have a supremely-reliable 2009 E-Class that I could probably leave to my great-grandchildren), like you I'm finding it hard to part with the car and want to get the niggles sorted out.

I've done some further digging. As I suspected, the LED panels are a separate part but can't be bought separately. I think they're made by VDO and carry the number 92 290 237. It seems that just replacing the panel - not straightforward - although no soldering is required (a ribbon cable plugs into a connector) - would eliminate the need to transfer the data from the old cluster to the replacement.

Now the hunt is on for a used cluster and and an indy specialist up for the job.

funymuny

Understand completely. There is a thread in one of these forums where a fellow found a donor cluster and replaced the LCD. He describes his process and provides pictures. This company in Italy carries a lot of LCD displays but they did not have one for the R230. I emailed with Lisa at this company...extremely responsive. Yes, the clusters are made by VDO.

kbob999

I had a couple dim LCD's, so I picked up a used cluster and pulled the LCD's out.
Then I pulled my cluster and replaced the LCD's with the donor parts. Worked perfectly, except one of the donor LCD's is bright and the other is somewhat dim like the old one.

So, if anyone needs an LCD that works fine, but is a little dim, I have a couple for sale cheap (see pictures). Would work for an inkblot repair.
Also have a 2007 SL550 instrument panel with 23K miles, missing the clear plastic front (destroyed in accident) that is available for parts, etc.

Process is a little fiddly, and you have to be very careful not to break any brittle plastic tabs, but the round trip only takes about an hour to complete. I did not need to remove the needles on the gauges which was a concern of mine. Contact me for details on how to do this, or I can take some pictures and see if I can post them here.
I'll even offer to replace your inkblot LCD if you ship the cluster to me for $50 to cover my time and risk. Wish I had a pile of new LCD's to work with.

Kelly

next2pool

I don't have the issue with the orange markings but my display sure is dim and impossible to read during the day time. I had read this is common on the 2003 models. Am I reading between the lines that it is possible to get brighter readouts?

funymuny

It all went back in just fine. I made sure the keys were far enough away so there was no way the signal could reach the car and opened the door and left it for about 15 minutes to be sure all the bells, messages and lights had cycled off. Then plugged it in. Seemed to come to life just fine. I was surprised that my dash clock was reset to 12:00. I did not expect that so that tells me the clock's controller is in the instrument cluster. No biggie. I cannot set my clock the conventional way since I have an aftermarket radio/nav. I just disconnect/reconnect the battery at noon (or midnight) then it's good until we change to regular time. I guess in 05 or 06 the software changed so that with SDS you can tell the car there is no radio and a menu function appears that permits you to set the clock. Anyway, said I would report back...there you have it. Mark

kbob999

I don't know if age or mileage is the culprit, but the LCD's get dim and unreadable in daylight. The donor 2007 LCD's with 23K miles had one bright and one dim panel. Was it age or mileage...probably age.

So the price of a recycled cluster got me one bright LCD. Wish I had installed the bright on the right side, but it's on the left. And it is readable top down. So yes, you can find bright panels, but it's a crap shoot.

starshine

Thanks for the further contributions - and for the report back, Mark. Interesting about the clock. I have COMAND installed so that the clock is controlled via the radio (I believe) so that should be one less complication.

I found an indy specialist whose going to do the work next week: if any unexpected problems crop up - or there's a fresh learning curve - I'll post here again.

JC

starshine

Just a final update on this. I managed to obtain a replacement cluster from a breaker for about £162.00 (saving around £900.00 on the price of a new one). An indy specialist swapped the LCD panel after much fiddling: the ribbon connector seems problematic. Massive saving on the cost of new cluster and the fitting by a dealer.

Thanks again to everyone who took part in this thread.

kennethcole79

if the lcd panels in the bottom of the cluster are dim it could be from a sun burned or sun damaged polarizing film. if you look carefully you may able to see that it looks cloudy or cracked or burned. havent tried yet but you should be able to use a razor to peel off the polarizing film when lcd is removed from the cluster. they sell polarizng films on ebay for most large lcd cell phones like iphones, samasung galaxy 5 to 10 bucks. its a common problem on 84-89 vette lcds

heres a tutorial done on a nissan xterra

http://www.xterranation.org/showthre...-Reverse-LCD-s

i have had the ink blots before and seemed to appear after car was left out in below freezing condition overnight. prob some of the liquid crystals froze. seem to clear on its own after a while. just a guess

goodluck

happypr

I had the same issue, but looks like as the weather warms up , the LCD is clearing up ??? It seems it appeared when the weather was getting cold. Its actually almost gone now. Good luck !!

Cool R230

That's exactly what I did to freshen up my sunburnt screens. Kbob999 did an excellent write-up on removing the lcd panels, and i replaced the polarizers with material for an iphone, purchased from amazon.com

I have a post with pics and detailed information somewhere.

mertd93

Many thanks to kbob999 for the wonderful diy instructions, very easy job if you follow the steps carefully.

whipsplace

Anyone know of a business that could repair my instrument/cluster panel on a 2004 SL 500 R230? Barry Whipple C: 480-363-2539

Rudeney

Try Palo Alto Speedomoter - they do repairs like that and I have heard good things about them. There are also some threads on the forum (here or benzworld) that show how to DIY, though it is a bit daunting.

starshine

I think "daunting" about covers it. I reckon that the indie who had to spend a crazy amount of time fitting the scrap part found the experience character building. Great job, and as you'd see from the above, a mega saving.

The work was done in Glasgow, Scotland... so I doubt that info is much good to you.

Briefly off topic, my SL500 is now gone. After 15 years pipe corrosion was starting to make it no longer an economical proposition, no matter how much I loved it.