Brake Light Switch ABS/BAS/ESP

[armaniE55]

Hey Guys, I replaced my brake light switch today. I'd figured I would summarize the job description some of the notes from our friends at benzworld weren't so clear. I've also attached a few pics & a few posts that should help along with benzworld link, incase you want to do more reading. *Excuse the handwriting on the pics HPlaptop pad. My symptoms weren't consistent at first. Occasionally every few months my ABS/BAS/ESP would go on every time I would hit the brake pedal. I noticed that it was getting worse as it would go off 2x a week, but the funny part was when I started to hear a squeak every time I would press the brake pedal. (Thinking to myself great now what?) WD40 it was so annoying. So just the other day I had to slam my brakes as I was cut off by grandma my ABS/BAS/ESP immediately went on. When I got home I turned the car off/on again pressed the brake pedal and immediately got the ABS/BAS/ESP at this point I knew for sure brake light switch went South. Headed to MB to pick up a new brake light switch, they charged me $34 big ones !!!! Whatever ! Wasn't giving them the satisfaction of charging me upward $150+ for the job. or for them to say that something else is wrong. 20 min. later removed the old brake light switch and when I was examining the old switch when I pressed it down it made that mouse squeak noise couldn't believe it... It was the switch this whole time Killed two birds with one stone.... Hope this helps..... Armani ***Please note a dying battery can also cause these symptoms. Black bottom Light colors up top – for brake light switch ***3rd Pic where the green dot is.. to the right where the empty slot is- that's where the brake light switch is located http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...lly-fixed.html Checking back in with you guys to report my success and repay this wonderful board by contributing some other, hopefully helpful, info on my experiences with my 2000 E320. The brake switch is $18 from a dealer. When I got it I asked, "Hey, is there a recall on this defect yet?" The parts guy said, "There ought to be for as many of these as I sell." I found removing the panel was the most difficult part, because I took it completely out. This is NOT necessary. If you do, you have to remove the hood release, and OBD connectors. But if you just let the panel drop down a few inches you can easily get access to the switch, it's right there in front of you. You DO NOT have to get down on your back and look up into the maze under the dash. This alone will save you 30 minutes. My suggestion, since your model may differ from mine is to buy the new part first and note the tab on it, which when pushed, allows you to easily rotate the switch 1/4 turn and remove it. Then there are two wiring connectors to remove. That's all, there was no "ratchet" adjustment on mine. In fact you can test the functioning (see if your error lights go out and the brake lights work, before you physically reinstall the switch. My BAS/EGP lamp went out, ABS lamp went out, brake lights worked !! Gave it a test drive and the cruise control is working again. Yippee! I might point out that if you are reading this thread and HAVE NOT yet experienced these errors please note that probably the most serious of the symptoms is NOT reported to you in error messages. I mean, you can live without cruise control, electronic stability control and even antilock brakes, but do you want to be driving without brake lights? I was, for a couple months now and I thought my error lights was related to a defective speed sensor on the brake caliper, and been waiting for warm weather to get to it, when my wife was following me one day and told me I had no brake lights. It's pretty scary pulling that pan off the first time because it comes off with a loud crack like something broke but as long as you start from the left (assuming you are in a left hand drive car) and remove the clips working toward the middle it does manage to come off in one piece as long as you remember that the clips attaching the pan to the center console you pull UP on instead of out. Yes up I said like toward the roof. The rest is a cake walk as you well know.

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[fosmith]

Armani,

Great DIY!

I'm bookmarking this page. Thanks!

Fred

[armaniE55]

Originally Posted by fosmith

Armani,

Great DIY!

I'm bookmarking this page. Thanks!

Fred

Your welcome... any questions place ask.

Don't forget when pulling down the plate. Start from left to right.

Armani

[JamE55]

Great info and thanks for sharing. Hope not to do this very often.

[armaniE55]

Originally Posted by JamE55

Great info and thanks for sharing. Hope not to do this very often.

No problem, I'm sure Jimmydagreek would be proud...

Gameso Jimmy!

Armani

[Putty]

Great tip, write up easy to follow and it took no time to replace. Thanks

[bassline2000]

Hi i replaced my brake light switch a few months ago could it have gone again already as i'm having this same problem with the warning light being on constantly ?

[armaniE55]

Originally Posted by Putty

Great tip, write up easy to follow and it took no time to replace. Thanks

[armaniE55]

Originally Posted by bassline2000

Hi i replaced my brake light switch a few months ago could it have gone again already as i'm having this same problem with the warning light being on constantly ?

Did you buy OEM Benz? Don't buy that crap on E-bay. If you did buy OEM then check your sockets/rear taillights sometimes they don't connect correctly with the bulbs.

GL
Armani

[croweld]

great post. I will be doing this repair in the near future.

[croweld]

Originally Posted by armaniE55

Did you buy OEM Benz? Don't buy that crap on E-bay. If you did buy OEM then check your sockets/rear taillights sometimes they don't connect correctly with the bulbs.

GL
Armani

Yes, I've had this problem also. I replaced the passenger side brake light socket and also cleaned the housing with rubbing alcohol. However, I still occasionally get a warning message that the light is out... I think the passenger side brake light socket, the housing and the brake light switch are what is causing this problem for most w210 E55s. Has anyone actually replaced any BAS, ESP, ABS parts when the triple lights come on? Or is everyone resetting their computers using the steering wheel like I do?

[TeutonicAg]

Originally Posted by armaniE55

I've also attached a few pics & a few posts that should help along with benzworld link, incase you want to do more reading. Hope this helps.....

Armani

Thanks for the pics & tips! Repair performed and problem resolved.

[armaniE55]

Originally Posted by TeutonicAg

Thanks for the pics & tips! Repair performed and problem resolved.

2nd post! eh

No problem

[CaymanE55]

Armani,

Thanks for the fix. All of your comments helped me fix my Brake Warnings problems. I am not a mechanic by any means but thanks to your instructions it took about 10 mins in total. No need to drop the cover completely and the advise on the quarter turn to the left was important too.

The best part about this repair was that the dealership gave me a crazy cheap price on the part...$6.97! tried to be nice and ask the guy if that was correct and he said yes but if I wanted him to charge me more he could!

Your comment about the battery warning light is interesting. I also had to change my aux (or 2nd battery under the hood) This gave a warning too along with the brake warning and when I tested the voltage it was 10.5v and under a load tester it almost went to zero. This battery was 8 years old and it was time to change. I got screwed on the price of the battery (life in the islands) so the $6.97 on the brake light switch was a nice change!

Thanks again for the precise and clear solution to my problems. Dominic

[armaniE55]

Originally Posted by CaymanE55

Armani,

Thanks for the fix. All of your comments helped me fix my Brake Warnings problems. I am not a mechanic by any means but thanks to your instructions it took about 10 mins in total. No need to drop the cover completely and the advise on the quarter turn to the left was important too.

The best part about this repair was that the dealership gave me a crazy cheap price on the part...$6.97! tried to be nice and ask the guy if that was correct and he said yes but if I wanted him to charge me more he could!

Your comment about the battery warning light is interesting. I also had to change my aux (or 2nd battery under the hood) This gave a warning too along with the brake warning and when I tested the voltage it was 10.5v and under a load tester it almost went to zero. This battery was 8 years old and it was time to change. I got screwed on the price of the battery (life in the islands) so the $6.97 on the brake light switch was a nice change!

Thanks again for the precise and clear solution to my problems. Dominic

No problem!

Send some of that Sun to Boston!!!

Take care

Armani

[kidsusuki]

GREAT WRITE UP. Thank you.

[snooozie]

Good stuff!! I'll keep this one for future reference

[MBFLO]

damn i was sitting in stop n go traffic today and out of no where the abs esp light came on screen read VISIT WORKSHOP .. lol turned car off turn key on off couple times and turned car back on lol damn now i gotta change this out too!!

[armaniE55]

No problem gents~!

Need to keep the W210 alive

MBFLO - Roll up the sleeves get dirty

Armani

[CaymanE55]

OK Folks....I thought I was all done with my brake problems but obviously not yet.

I have an earlier post that talks about problems with small battery first, then problems with the light switch. I will say all the problems were completely legit and I fixed them myself but I have finally found the root of all evil....SBC

After I changed the small battery (8 yrs & only 10 volts). The brake warnings went away. There was still a squeaking sound when I pressed the brake peadal. I changed the switch as Armani had suggested and this cured the noise.

I then started to get the Red Brake warning, the ESP, the park brake warning, check engine light, ABS. The trans couldn't be shifted and the engine was not firing on all cylinders (maybe a limp home mode) I turned the car off and started it again....No warnings at all. This went on for weeks. One day in a parking lot...brakes failed...thankfully only going 2-3 mph. I drove slowly home and booked appointment with Dealership. I tried to start and drive the car 3-4 times and it would not shift....told them I need a flatbed. I waited 10 mins tried again and now the car would drive...so I drove slowly to dealership. They did a full test....nothing wrong and said pay $200 and come and get your car. I was so pissed that it would not show error codes with them so I went to a Vodoo priest (I live in the islands) and he put a pin right into the SBC on my small plastic E55 model....so when I went to pick up the car thankfully it showed the same errors again.

This time the errors showed up as active when the technician had the computer on it...This is crucial for the Dealership to claim under the "goodwill warranty" for the SBC failure. If they can't print the active current fault for the SBC it is not possible to get your free SBC replacement unit. The cost of the unit and labor is covered even though the car is 8 years old.

Sorry for this long *** story and if it goes off topic. I really hope it helps someone because folks deserve to know and these forums are the best place to pass around the info.

[fosmith]

SBC was used on the earlier W211 cars, right? Not in the W210.

Fred

Originally Posted by CaymanE55

OK Folks....I thought I was all done with my brake problems but obviously not yet.

I have an earlier post that talks about problems with small battery first, then problems with the light switch. I will say all the problems were completely legit and I fixed them myself but I have finally found the root of all evil....SBC

After I changed the small battery (8 yrs & only 10 volts). The brake warnings went away. There was still a squeaking sound when I pressed the brake peadal. I changed the switch as Armani had suggested and this cured the noise.

I then started to get the Red Brake warning, the ESP, the park brake warning, check engine light, ABS. The trans couldn't be shifted and the engine was not firing on all cylinders (maybe a limp home mode) I turned the car off and started it again....No warnings at all. This went on for weeks. One day in a parking lot...brakes failed...thankfully only going 2-3 mph. I drove slowly home and booked appointment with Dealership. I tried to start and drive the car 3-4 times and it would not shift....told them I need a flatbed. I waited 10 mins tried again and now the car would drive...so I drove slowly to dealership. They did a full test....nothing wrong and said pay $200 and come and get your car. I was so pissed that it would not show error codes with them so I went to a Vodoo priest (I live in the islands) and he put a pin right into the SBC on my small plastic E55 model....so when I went to pick up the car thankfully it showed the same errors again.

This time the errors showed up as active when the technician had the computer on it...This is crucial for the Dealership to claim under the "goodwill warranty" for the SBC failure. If they can't print the active current fault for the SBC it is not possible to get your free SBC replacement unit. The cost of the unit and labor is covered even though the car is 8 years old.

Sorry for this long *** story and if it goes off topic. I really hope it helps someone because folks deserve to know and these forums are the best place to pass around the info.

[CaymanE55]

I do believe my 2003 E55 is an early W211 and with only 15,900 miles. I am just so glad to hear MB will cover the SBC. Sorry for the the folks who had to pave the way for the rest of us to be covered!

[CaymanE55]

Fosmith...I realize I didn't answer your question correctly...I don't know if W210 cars had the SBC or not...perhaps a smarter person than me can help you out.

[Idarknight]

This post was perfect for me! I'm glad I'm a member!

[armaniE55]

Originally Posted by Idarknight

This post was perfect for me! I'm glad I'm a member!

Stick around!