Instrument cluster CLK 550 Cabriolet
 

Hi Guys,
First post here, sorry if this is a noob question.

I'm bringing a 2008 CLK 550 Convertible to Canada from the US and wanted to change the instrument cluster to a kilometer version.

Not sure if I have to but my wife will be driving the car........enough said :-))

MB dealers in Canada refuse to give me a part number for the kilometer version of the cluster. They probably don't want me to research a cheaper one for myself (they charge $2000.00 for the cluster excluding installation cost and taxes) I'm sure I can find one for $500.00 or less if I can find the kilometer version parts numbers.

The US MPH version starts off with 209540 the last 4 numbers after that is probably the part id itself.....that is my guess anyway.

I presume that the KPH version will be 209, but what are the next three numbers?

....maybe I'm overanalyzing this, but I'm hell bent finding the answer just because the dealers refuse to tell me what I want to know :-))

I appreciate the help guys
James

I do know that you can change your command setting to show kmh instead of MPH on the digital read out but not the actual face of the gauge. I am trying to locate the part # for you on the cluster also. Seems like alot trouble to buy a new one IMHO

I wasn't aware that you could change the command setting to KPH! On second thought, it is a Mercedes.....

The only other consideration is whether RIV Canada (Registrar of Import vehicles) would try and torture me into making the change. According to Mercedes-Benz canada I don't need to replace the cluster, but RIV sometimes have a mind of their own.

I've imported a handful of vehicles so I know that RIV can be sticky. They tried to tell me two years ago that a V10 TDI Touareg was customized and not factory V10 and tried to make me take it back to the US.....I easily proved them wrong as I told them to punch in www.volkswagen.com in their browser. The first thing that came up was a big picture with the V10 TDI logo on it :-))

Anyway, I appreciate the help

First of all, that $2K for a new OEM cluster is about right - there are no aftermarket parts, and you can't install a used cluster because of security issue with the odometer - both the EIS and cluster store the mileage, and if they vary (as with repalcing the cluster), you get "-----" as the reading. The only way to replace a cluster is with a new virgin one from MBZ and have it coded with SDS. An alternative would be to replace the speedometer face with one that show Kph. Where your MPH speedo shows 80 at the 12 o'clock position, you want one that shows 130. There may be some eBay sellers with just the face, or you could buy a used Kph cluster and transplant the face.

I wasn't aware of that. Good info, thanks!

As long as the unit is not a sealed unit I can probably just transplant the face, or teach my wife to ignore the face and just read the digital reading.

All she needs to do is memorize the local speedlimit positions of the needle for a peripheral vision vantage point. This will be the best from my point of view.....but women can be from the other side of Venus if they want to....

Thanks again, good info :y

I did replace my 550 with a used cluster because I wanted to White face there is a trick to it. There are 3 main circuit broads Left Right and center that need to go to to the one you are replaceing it with. You can't just do ONE ask me how :) it wont work all three need to be replace. And it will carry over the mileage. I took a White CLK 55 Cluster and moved it over to my 550. Works great.

Details for replacing 3 main circuit boards?
 

Louie D, thanks for the info. I have a problem with the instrument cluster on my 2003 CLK320. The cluster will go "blank" for a few seconds (needles drop to 0, lights out) and come back to life every 2-3 minutes. If you have successfully replaced the cluster with another used one, transplanted the chips from the old one and had the new one working properly, I would appreciate some detail about how you did that. If it was just transplanting three chips (or is it circuit boards?) can you be more specific as to which ones they are? A picture might help, but it may be to much to ask to pull your cluster from the car just to take a picture. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance

I can take some pic's tonite as I have the old cluster setting on the bench. It is NOT the chips that are being replace its the three circuit boards of the back of the cluster. It sounds to me you might just have a loose connection. There is a ribbon cable on each circuit board that attached to the cluster The right and left Circuit boards have one ribbon each and the center circuit board has 3 ribbons.

I attached a pic I had on the net already but you will not be able to see the boards its on the back of the cluster. I will try to get some posted up tonite.

https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...s-100_6378.jpg

So Louie, what part of your original cluster did you keep?

The 3 Circuit boards showing and I liked the needles on the original cluster. The switch was pretty easy really once I knew I had to use all 3 Circuit boards, I 1st tried with just the center one and it did not work after that i replaced the left and right and BAMM! everything was there. All commands and original miles.

yeah I have heard that if the car recognizes the original amount of miles it will work regardless.... I also heard you can install any cluster and have the dealership set the mileage to the original amount and it will work... can someone confirm or argue this?

OMG!!!! make me want to do this conversion too if i can find used one off from CLK55. Any other cluster will work Louie ?

ANYONE interested in a 160 MPH AMG faceplate (so easy retrofit in any 160mph cluster) including a silver front cover? im gonna swap mine with a black faceplate.....

My understanding is that both the EIS and the cluster store the mileage. If that mileage varies by more than some amount (100 miles?) then the system goes into fault mode and won't display the mileage on the cluster. In SDS, there is one function to set the mileage and it can only be done "once" and only if the original part (cluster or EIS) has no miles on it. I think what Louie did was to replace all circuit boards except the one that contains the EEPROM with the mileage stored.

Rodney would not that be the opposite since I took my three original circuit boards and swapped them with the CLK55 circuit boards and installed CLK55 cluster in my Car. My thought was that EEPROM was on the center circut board. Thats why my car read what my actual milage is. Since my EIS and the orginal my cluster circut boards where used? The CLK55 cluster had 72k Miles and now reads my orginal miles of 58k or so.

Andy I am not 100% if any cluster would work I found mine on ebay for 250 I think it was.

http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/...y/100_6371.jpg

So far any 209, 211, 219 cluster has found to work, with the exception of the 63AMG series which has yet to be attempted (its difficult to locate them).

Has anyone found the correct part number for a kilometer version of the cluster?

Louie, would I be able to transplant just the faceplate of a kilometer version speedometer right over the original MPH one that is in the car?

Will it look sensible or will it look like Bubba was working on the car? lol

I should really just leave the darn thing alone....

James,

Yea you could but it is a real PITA to tell you the truth, It not a real simple task unless you can find some type of over lay that would not be so bad. I agree with you just change to the kilometer reading in the steup and be done with it the digtal read out will show kilometers.

Oh, I see now, Louie. I did have that backwards. So, it does seem that you kept your EEPROM and thus had no mileage problems. I really wish that someone would figure out a cheap and easy way to "wipe" a cluster. My C240 cluster died and I refuse to pay $2K for a replacement. For now, I have a $100 eBay used cluster in it with "------" on the odometer.

clk55 cluster question
 

How do you remove the trip reset black plastic rod from the cluster?

When you remove the front cover it will pull out.

Or just fall out. :)

Which ones are the 3 circuit boards? I'm replacing my faulty cluster with a used one and want to switch the EEPROM over so I have the right odometer reading.

I have a 2005 w211 220CDI
last night I saw a strange yellow light like a tiny glowing spark moving around the cluster, sometimes on the bottom part sometimes on the other positions, it was very strange, seems like a short circuit of leds or something similar, do you know something similar ?