Electrical Problems on '99 C280
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Newbie
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: New York
1992 Mercedes 300E
Electrical Problems on '99 C280
Hello folks,
My father owns a mint condition '99 C280 and he takes care of the car extremely well. Last week the car started having problems with the front windows; they would not move and then after several tries they might go up and down. Today the problem extended to the doors, the remote key no longer works, it won't open or close the doors. The sunroof, the mirrors and the remote key for the garage door don't work either. The rear windows seem to work fine though.
I hope you guys will be able to give me some advice,
Thanks in advance for your help,
Raxhi
My father owns a mint condition '99 C280 and he takes care of the car extremely well. Last week the car started having problems with the front windows; they would not move and then after several tries they might go up and down. Today the problem extended to the doors, the remote key no longer works, it won't open or close the doors. The sunroof, the mirrors and the remote key for the garage door don't work either. The rear windows seem to work fine though.
I hope you guys will be able to give me some advice,
Thanks in advance for your help,
Raxhi
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 302
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From: Dublin, OH
05 ML350, 85 300D
Sounds like the CAN bus is freaking out. Stupid as this may sound , it's probably one of the rear door control modules (part of the window regulator), it's very common on these. Water gets in them, and they short out inside.
I had one last week-same complaint exactly- try explaining that to a customer " I know the rear windows work OK, but it needs a LR window regulator to fix the front windows"....
I had one last week-same complaint exactly- try explaining that to a customer " I know the rear windows work OK, but it needs a LR window regulator to fix the front windows"....
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4
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From: St. Petersburg, FL
1999 C280
Raxhi's problem sounds exactly like what I've been going through for the last month. First it was the front driver and passenger windows and wing mirrors. The shop (independent) where I take my car first tried a new switch. That wasn't the problem. I needed the car back before they could further troubleshoot. Since then, the doors don't lock/unlock with the key, the moonroof doesn't operate, and the front cabin light doesn't come on when the doors are open.
I'm taking my car back to the shop tomorrow so they can have it for three working days. I'm also going to mention what I read in this thread. Thanks for the info everyone. I'll let you know the resolution. After that, I need to have a headliner replaced that started sagging last week. When it rains...
1999 C280
I'm taking my car back to the shop tomorrow so they can have it for three working days. I'm also going to mention what I read in this thread. Thanks for the info everyone. I'll let you know the resolution. After that, I need to have a headliner replaced that started sagging last week. When it rains...
1999 C280
Last edited by HereInMyKar; Jan 16, 2008 at 01:52 PM.
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4
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From: St. Petersburg, FL
1999 C280
I read in another post that a 1999 C280 doesn't have a K40 relay.
When the car came back from the shop, everything worked fine...for four days. Then everything stopped working again (windows, mirrors, moonroof, remote sensor...). I'm taking it back in next week. If they can't reslove the problem, then I'll be going to the local Mercedes dealership.
When the car came back from the shop, everything worked fine...for four days. Then everything stopped working again (windows, mirrors, moonroof, remote sensor...). I'm taking it back in next week. If they can't reslove the problem, then I'll be going to the local Mercedes dealership.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,433
Likes: 5
From: SFV CA
2008 Black Out C350 Saks Edition / 87 VW GTI
Sounds like the CAN bus is freaking out. Stupid as this may sound , it's probably one of the rear door control modules (part of the window regulator), it's very common on these. Water gets in them, and they short out inside.
I had one last week-same complaint exactly- try explaining that to a customer " I know the rear windows work OK, but it needs a LR window regulator to fix the front windows"....
I had one last week-same complaint exactly- try explaining that to a customer " I know the rear windows work OK, but it needs a LR window regulator to fix the front windows"....
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4
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From: St. Petersburg, FL
1999 C280
Two weeks ago, I spent $500 P&L to replace the driver-side CAN bus. Four days later, everything stopped working again.
Last week, my mechanic found some wires under the hood that had oil leaking on them. It must have been a small amount of oil...he couldn't locate the leak, and I have no oil drops in my carport. He wrapped the wires in felt and tape and everything works fine.
In retrospect, it seems that perhaps the problem was not the CAN bus.
Last week, my mechanic found some wires under the hood that had oil leaking on them. It must have been a small amount of oil...he couldn't locate the leak, and I have no oil drops in my carport. He wrapped the wires in felt and tape and everything works fine.
In retrospect, it seems that perhaps the problem was not the CAN bus.
Last edited by HereInMyKar; Feb 6, 2008 at 10:45 AM.
