Has anyone thought of buying a 2012 SAM module and replacing the old one with it?

 

C63 Guy, that would be awesome of you!

In order to installa 2012 SAM, you'd have to make sure the fitment and programming were compatible. In any case, a new SAM is $400-500 and Whipple's route is less expensive. I'm still open to a communal SAM we could pass around and chip in for so ours cars were still drivable while we had Whipple reprogramming ours.

 

I'm cross checking whether SAM from 08-11 compatible with 2012 or the same. Either way, I have it on ordered along with the lights and working with a local source to get it to work. Will update.

 

Please do update, if all goes well, and I hope it does, this will be great.

 

If you order a new sam with the taillights it would be about 1247.00. + shipping. The compatibility of the sam from the 2012 is not as important as having it coded to the right function. The sam unit comes without coding from the factory. It is scn coded at the dealer by your vin number from Mercedes. The problem with doing scn coding is that you need the exact same optioned car to do this with. So the coding would be identical. Except of course the taillights. This is an automatic process with the dealer and they can not even see the coding. What I am doing is manually coding the options for the taillights. If any of you want to not have your car down for shipping the SAM and want to buy one that would be easy to do. Or the suggested idea of having a core on the sam as an exchange.

 

Anyone with a write-up or DIY instructions? I'm planning on doing it tonight or tomorrow morning and overnighting my SAM to whipple.

 

I managed to pull the SAM half way out but was blocked by the quarter panel, not enough room to turn.

So yes, I'm waiting for Josh's DIY tutorial as well.

 

Did you disconnect the battery?

 

it's a direct pull just as Josh said, as long as the key position is turned off. Make sure you've pressed down those two clippers and use some muscles to push.

but I just can't figure out how to turn it around so I can slide it out.
you see when you pull it, the outer edge of the SAM box will hit the inner side of the quarter panel while the SAM is still in the slot. That puts me on halt.

 

Hi all i have c 350 2009 and i changed the taillights to the 2012 and thay change it and conact it to computer and did softwher and it worked perfict and all the labor abut 4h and i did it in privet shop i dont know how to upload photos

 

I'm not sure which clippers you're talking about. I just pulled the cable off of the battery.

I got my SAM out. It's actually not that bad if you have some guidance. I'll write it up in a few.

 

Alright folks,

Thanks to some good ole' fashioned elbow grease, I figured it out. Most of this can be done with your bare hands but you will need a 9mm socket wrench to make life easier.

Step 1: Disconnect the battery. I'd suggest wearing gloves, but with the car off you should be okay without. There's one bolt you need to loosen before you pull the cable off.





Step 2: Pull out the trunk lining. There are 3 items you need to remove. 2 are the little push pins that you can remove with your fingernails. There's a center pin that feeds and lock the outer pin. I found that it was easiest to remove the center pin then the outer pin. You also need to remove the grocery hook. No trick, just pull straight out. A flat screwdriver might help here.





Step 3: There is only one bolt in the top left that you really need to remove. If you do step 2 and pull back the lining, you'll see it easily. When you remove this bolt, you can tilt the whole module forward (by forward I mean toward your left, away from the right side of the car). There is a brace on the bottom that the module appears to be attached to...you just need to tilt it far enough and you can slide it out of the bracket.





Step 4: Once step 3 is done, you can easily access everything. There are two black snap locks that secure the SAM. Press those simultaneously and shimmy out the SAM.





Step 5: There's one connector that you can squeeze to remove, but there are 3 more that you can't. Just look at the picture and press where the red arrow points, then pull the grey tab where the blue arrow is and the connector should easily pop out. Everything is color coded so you won't have to remember where it connects.





Best of luck to you, gents. I'll be mailing my SAM out to whipple today for overnight delivery and should get it back by Thursday.

 

thanks
question 1: what's the size of the bolt in step 3
question 2: I haven't been able to remove the grocery hook yet, how much force did you apply? I'm afraid of breaking it before I can pull it out

 

I used a 9mm socket. For the grocery hook, the pin part is at the top and there's another little plastic bit toward the bottom that prevents it from spinning. Just pull as straight out as you can and use a screwdriver to pry the top part out. No trick to it, just slow and steady.

 

Need some help please fellas...can't seem to locate the lights on Parts.com

 

You have to search by the part numbers:

204 820 41 64
204 820 28 64

 

I tried that...not pulling up for some reason.

 

@dremorg,

just the numbers, no "A"

 

Edited the other post with part numbers.

Here's a pic of the push pins and grocery hook so you can see how to remove them. Sorry for the grainy cell phone pic.

 

Hi folks,

I talked to Whipple yesterday and not only did he receive my SAM in the morning, but his friend who lent him a C63 for reprogramming showed up early so I got reprogrammed SAM back this morning!

Installed it, reconnected the battery and we're good to go.



Originally, after I installed the lights, the left fog light was coming on any time the headlights were on and the right fog light was throwing an error message on my dash (for not being on). So far so good - no error messagers and no fog lights.

Thanks a ton, Whipple!

PS: Both the battery bolt and the bolt in step 3 to remove the bracket to access the SAM are 9mm.

 

Would oem from the parts department fit on an 09? And would they install em for me?

 

They would, but why would you order it from a dealership? The lights I got from Parts.com were from Mercedes-Benz of Naperville, IL and they were around $200/ea. If you ordered from the dealership, I think they would charge you at least $100 more per light.

Any body shop can install it or you can do it yourself. It's just plug and play.

 

Where are you located?

 

Can you please post the parts number for both left and right tail lights? The parts.com website doesn't have 2012 c class available through browsing.