He makes it all up... That is where! This is the only way codeblue can justify the drivel he wishes would be true.

For example, codeblue will tell you:

And yet here are a few results of some well known customer satisfaction surveys:

Mercedes-Benz and Lexus Top Customer Satisfaction Survey

Mercedes-Benz ranks highest in sales satisfaction among luxury brands

I am not sure what his point or goal is... I mean, as far as we know, he still owns his C-Class and yet the crap he continues to post, all the criticism, if it is going to hurt anyone, it will end up hurting him equally when he tries to sell or trade in!

Seriously, I don't know whether to laugh at some of the nonsense he posts or whether to feel sympathetic...

I cited the source: Edmunds dot com. Input 2008 Mercedes Benz C300 4matic with 90,000 miles in average condition.

IGB is a known troll in this forum, who takes up bandwidth accusing people who complain of the EIS/ESL problem of wanting freebies and not wealthy enough to own a Mercedes. He is a useless parasite.

Anyone here just tried changing the elv motor before it stops working?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/new-ELV-ESL-s...item1c4c869c52

2009 C350 same problem
 

My 09 C350 same problem at about 78K miles.

Talked to MBUSA. The guys there are not the least helpful. I am within the extended warranty mileage limit, but am outside the warranty date by about 9 months.

I can't believe MB is getting away without doing a proper recall for this issue.

Bad electronic steering lock = cam solenoid problem ?
 

Is the bad electronic steering lock and the cam solenoid problem the same ?

Hi, I have the same car and problem. How did things turn out with the MB Fremont dealer ?

Thanks

Lots of confusion here. The ESL failure is a separate and distinct failure from the crankshaft position sensor failure and the cam solenoid failure which is a recall item - warranty extended to 75k miles if I recall, but check this forum stickies.

The most common reported problem in the won't start scenario is the ESL failure, which will run about $1200 to fix. Several people including myself have negotiated this cost down with the dealer on grounds that it's a manufacturing defect.

Negotiated price for ESL?
 

Thanks codeblue5007. What price is it typically negotiated down to?

I wound up paying around $750, but I didn't go straight to the dealer. I had the car towed to an indy shop which in turn negotiated with the dealer. If you read through this thread you will see some owners did better than others. Indeed, some owners found miraculous cures, like cleaning the key, changing the battery, or shaking the steering wheel. If you get stuck somewhere, shaking the steering column may unlock the ESL and allow you to drive to the dealer. Good luck.

Photos please
 

Hi Guys,
The old parts please ask for the parts replaced and take them home and photograph them put them on this thread, they are yours by the way.

Most likely these parts are repairable by someone possible by replacing the $35.00 drive motor, kindly linked by charles.soori

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/new-ELV-ESL-s...item1c4c869c52

I am new to Mercedes this and problems sound like it is repairable.
Photos in detail of, if they were disassembled all the better.
ESL:
ELV:

Dave.

ITS A ESL FAULT NOT A EIS FAULT AFTER STEERING LOCK IS REPLACED INSERT ORANGE CODING KEY ...DONE NO FURTHER CODING JUST CLEARING OF CODES AND OLD KEY STILL WORKS

steering lock sensor gone bad
 

Please how much does it cost to get the chip replaced and coded with its keys now. I am really getting frustrated now. The car wouldn't start not recognizing the key and engine lights not coming on on the dashboard.

Add another C300 2008 luxury sport 4matic with locked steering, won't start to the list. $980 total replacement cost, tax included. This is being done by one of my former students who runs a Mercedes only repair shop. He has treated me very well through the years. The part that angers me is that it only has 35K on it. I'll be talking with my state's consumer complaint department since this seems to be an on going issue with this model. See what becomes of it I guess.

My sympathies. This problem and myriad other ones have soured me on the car. I'm selling it. These MBs, like BMWs, should only be kept as long as the warranty.

I filled out a complaint with the NTSB and am going to contact my state's consumer affairs office. It seems widespread enough for MB to be doing something about it.

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/Vehicl...nt/index.xhtml
Please go here and fill out a complaint if the electronic ignition has gone bad, they wont recall it if we don't let them know this is happening.

Neither EIS nor ESL carry any safety concerns with their failure (a critical element that qualifies a recall for what it is). Accordingly, expecting a recall simply means you're setting your hopes up for something that isn't likely to happen!

Quoting NHTSA's "Motor Vehicle Safety Defects and Recalls Campaigns"

And...

But please, if you feel it is important that you document your case with the NHTSA, whether or not it is safety related or not, you certainly are within your rights to do so...

I hope my first post doesnt look look like advertisement. I see it more like helping the fellow Mercedes owners to save a few dollars here and there. I do a lot of electronic parts repairs for Mercedes and BMW and this includes the W204 and W212 steering locks. The price is much lower than what the dealers are charging. I also offer the unique option to program emulator instead of the actual steering lock. This is a "simple" electronic board that send and receives the required signals to enable car start, but no moving parts. This means no more steering lock problems, ever.
Main problem is that Mercedes put a $0.10 motor inside the steering lock which draws 3-5 amps, almost as the first generation W202/208/210 steering locks, but the size of the motor is 1/2 the size. You can see W204 ESL motor on the left and W210 motor on the right.
Attachment 374407

The motors are available for sale, but the biggest problem is that when the ESL stops moving after a few attempts a software flag is set and the ESL is disabled. Even if the motor is replaced it will not work. usually the ESL can be programmed by the dealer only with the orange/blue key, but I have special equipment that can extract the required information from the ESL and EIS, reset the ESL and then re-program it.
W204 ESL:

Attachment 374408

Attachment 374409

Attachment 374410

Thanks for posting the clear pictures bawareca. It's useful to see exactly what the problem is - that cheap little undersized motor, which has caused thousands of dollars in repairs, lost time, aggravation and loss of confidence in the car and the MB brand.

Welcome to mbworld. I remember emailing you 2 to 3 weeks ago about my buddies lock failure.
We still didn't fix the problem yet I'm in the process of just buying the software and hardware and doing it myself and then going to help other in Canada as everyone I ask wants the same prices as a dealer, but your price is reasonable.

And even more so, because the lock gets software blocked in certain conditions and cannot be repaired in a conventional way. I am sure MB spent a good amount of money on that development because it took 5-6 years for the aftermarket companies to find a way to be repaired.

Thanks :y
If you are not used to precise electronics repair better stick with the emulators when the steering lock is blocked (software block).
If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Hi bawareca
Does the physical steering lock bolt and motor get removed from the housing when you go for a emulator set up.
And in your opinion what is best to do with a car which shows no problems, leave alone, replace the motor at x miles or x age and avoid having to buy a EIS?

^^^ Very interesting question, I never got in this line of thoughts yet. Usually emulator is installed after the ESL has failed, and they mostly fail in locked or intermediate position, which means the steering column has to be removed and the ESL extracted in non-ordinary way. However, if the ESL has stopped in open position, or one just wants to replace it with emulator, it can be left at the steering column. The way it is designed i cant imagine the locking pin moving by itself and locking the steering shaft accidentally.
I can see '08 models failing mostly now, but I have fixed some '10 and one '11 GLK. Looks like everyone of them will fail eventually. Preventative replacing the motor inside may fix the problem, or may create more problems. Most motors sold on the market have some small differencies here and there. Many have success with aftermarket motors, but i use OEM only.

My mom's '08 C350 won't start but the symptoms seem a bit different than what people on this thread are talking about with the ESL. All electrical power seems normal with the key in ignition. But when you turn the key to crank the engine, there's a click/pop noise and all the lights go out and nothing happens. Remove the key and reinsert it, and power comes back and the same thing happens. Tried to jump start and no difference. Any ideas? Help my mom, bro!

Up until ^^^this^^^ point, it sounded like a definite dead battery...

Engine running on the other vehicle? Are you letting it charge for a few minutes before cranking?

Have you checked fuses? The starter has multiple fuses that must be checked... And according to the attached pdf, check fuses 6, 7, 19 & 27 all of which are in the engine compartment...

Hope this helps!