zankok

ok so my fog light went out and as I check its somethinig other than the bulb, so I brought the car into my local work shop they checked if its the fuse, found nothing
then plugged in diagnostic thing and call it SAM fail and quoted me 6000 to change it JUST TO FIX MY FOG LIGHT


WTH is this? hellllp
i dont wanna spend so much just this fix this crap D:

RLE

6000 what? Not dollars, that's for sure.

SAM means Service Access Module. There are two, one front and one rear which control electrical consumers. Think of them as computer units. For example, when you shift into reverse, a signal is sent to the transmission controller and also to the rear SAM which turns on the back-up lights.

Is this diagnosis from an MB dealer?

zankok

6000 ringgit, which is about 2000 USD

the diagnosis was not from an MB dealer, should i drive into MB to check?

JimPap

zankok,

It'll be interesting to find out what it would cost from the MB dealer.

If it turns out to be the same thing and price, you might want to push to see if they'll pay for all or some of it. Never hurts to try.

Carsy

zankok,

Surely there would be more symptoms if it was the SAM causing the problem.

If it is the SAM & this is the only problem I would run wires from the other fog to the one which is at fault. A lot cheaper !!

Interested to hear what the dealer says.Could be the earth at the fog.

Glyn M Ruck

The SAM acronym in Benz speak.

SAM = signal acquisition and actuation module


As Carsy states. A defective SAM should cause multiple problems - get another opinion - Did you take it to Cycle & Carriage? They are usually excellent.

zankok

thx guys imma get another doc to give me a 2nd opinion from cycle and cariage
hopefully its something trivial and stupid
fingas crossed

RLE

I knew there was something wrong with that name I used... just didn't sound right. But the point is that taking a problem like this to an inexperienced shop without the right tools is a waste of time and money. And I doubt that the right shop will be found on every other corner in Malaysia.

If the car is still under warranty it will be repaired at no cost since SAM problems have been going on since the W203 hit the streets.

zankok

the car is 2.5 years old and my warranty already lapsed last November and Cycle and Carriage Malaysia only offers 2 years warranty on new mercedes:/ its like the car is trolling me now:/
the shop did use some diagnostic tools plug into the car
but as I talk to the foreman they seem clueless about a lot of things

mir_m

Had the same prob with the rear sam unit and only the break light was not working one side as it happens common fault

Carsy

How was it repaired ?

mir_m

Has to be changed my friend found a second hand unit and changed it my self Merc dealers in uk were quoting 2k Mark

Glyn M Ruck

The German technical chief of Cycle & Carriage (who's name escapes me at the moment - last saw him at the Malaysian GP 3 years back) is extremely competent. He is based in KL & married to a Malaysian.

If you have any problems ask them to talk to him. Single faults on SAM's can frequently mean they need recoding & not replacement.

jimmythegreek

you can reprogram them often and not have to replace. If it comes to the point of having to replace it look on ebay or auto recycling sources, a used unit is the way to go. new is ridiculous in price and the unit can be changed yourself if u wanna save $$

Glyn M Ruck

+1^

Carsy

This problem is another example of modern auto engineering being over technical.

$ 2000 to get your one brake or fog light operational.... madness.

Does anyone know whether a Sam which exhibits this symptom will break down further causing further faults or will it stay serviceable with just the one fault?.

What could cause the problem in the first place ?.

Questions ... questions ... whats wrong with this bloke ...!!

Hope the reprograming works.

jimmythegreek

the only one I saw on a C had gone bad caused by a short of the brake light connector behind the assembly, a known problem in these C class cars. I guess the connector shorting constantly from bad connection caused the SAM to go bad. If they go bad just outta no where they will get worse usually, basically its a control box that switches lots of accesories on and off like a huge relay system if thats easier to understand. Sometimes its only one thing, may get worse. Other times it goes and leaves the car helpless, no lights, controls, may not start depending which module goes bad, its not a really good thing to gamble with for long, sucks being stranded if it comes to that.

Glyn M Ruck

A car is a hostile environment for electronics. Many things can corrupt software/firmware stored on an EPROM. Further deterioration is unlikely.

The biggest reason for using a CANBUS & modules and/or SAM's is two way multiple communication is possible on a single conductor & it reduces the amount of hardwiring substantially on the modern feature laden vehicle.

JimPap

My personal opinion..... this is over engineering without accepting the reality that wires get shorted, things get bounced around, etc. and it shouldn't cost $2K to get a tailight working again.

Carsy

Thanks Glyn .

If this fault happens to me , seeing that further deterioration is unlikely , I would investigate doing a little re wiring myself to connect up the disabled fog or tail. Would have to keep an eye on loadings & maybe use a relay on the fog.

My daughter had a little 1970's diesel Golf which had continual problems with relays to the starter motor & glow plugs . I removed the relays & replaced them with heavy copper cables & Euclid manual push button & switch . Never a problem afterwards but the MPG reduced because of the weight factor. Rust & green fluid running down the block finally resulted in its demise.

"Term EPROM stands for "E"rasable "P"rogrammable "R"ead "O"nly "M"emory.Let's examine each term. Erasable means that the chip can be erased and reused. An EPROM is erased in a device called an EPROM eraser. The eraser is a high intensity ultraviolet light source in a box. We will talk more about erasing eproms later. Programmable means that the EPROM can be programmed with a program, data or both. Read Only Memory means that the computer which is connected to the EPROM can only get information from the chip. It cannot put information into the chip; thus the term read only. In short, the EPROM is a memory part which will not forget its program or data when power is removed. It must be programmed by a special programming product called an EPROM or DEVICE programmer. Once the EPROM is programmed it cannot be changed until it is erased in an EPROM eraser and then reprogrammed in a programmer. The computer cannot store data in an EPROM because the EPROM is a READ ONLY memory part. "

JimPap

....translation....."PROFIT CENTER"

Glyn M Ruck

Yes - & I wish that EPROM's were as incorruptible as theory would suggest.

Acapulco Bill

Glyn, after all they ARE an EPROM, not a ROM. In an electrically+shorted situation of course their memory gets corrupted. If it were a ROM it is possible that it would get fried altogether.

The alternative is what was done in the 1990's and centralize all these functions. Another nightmare with a di$tinct $et of failure$ and fru$tration$. Don't ask me about my V12.

The question is if a consumer really wants or needs to be told by the car's dashboard display, that the left rear reverse light is not functioning? It is a convenience and not a life-threatening situation compared to what the lack of a low tire indication could result. Perhaps manufacturers should step back and assess, as in an airplane's "minimum equipment list", the items absolutely necessary to safely operate the vehicle, not just to include marginally-useful features (read useless and expensive-to-fix junk) just because some OTHER automobile manufacturer includes it in their models...

How many agree?

Carsy

Most , I would think Bill.

Glyn M Ruck

I agree - but we still want operating lights & for that we need the SAM/CANBUS or a hard individual wire for each. We might not need to be told if a lamp is blown. A walkaround is good enough for that.