CLK500 TWINS

I have a 2005 clk500 that I literally just purchased. I have another that got t-boned, so parts are at my disposal luckily. New one came off the carrier with lights out (parking, side indicator, license plate, both tails). All bulbs replaced except tails, they didn't need to be, bulbs were fine and just taking out the boards cleared issue completely. Lights work fine NOW, this was Monday. All of a sudden, Tuesday night, CE light & ABS light were on and car wouldn't come out of park. Warnings included: Display malfunction, ESP malfunction & Break Wear. Had the shifter switched out the day after (Wednesday), fine today (Thursday), while I was driving this evening, all lights back on, car shifted to park fine, once in park, locked up again. Any ideas, proven solutions? I've read the brake light switch, but brake lights are on now, so if it was bad, wouldn't they have not come back on. I feel like it switched from brake lights to gear box/ warning central.

Rudeney

It does sound like a malfunction in the brake light switch, or at least within the ESP system. I'd get codes checked.

Glyn M Ruck

Rudeney ~ when was facelift in US? It was 2005 in SA & brake light switch was eliminated & signal taken from BAS.

Rudeney

Yes, MY2005 (build dates began in early calendar year 2004) was the facelift. I believe the brake light switch was moved from the mechanical plunger style on the brake pedal to the ESP system sometime earlier - like in MY2002 for the W203. There are actually several switches involved. One is in the ESP module itself (the big block where the four brake lines run from) , and then there are two other sensors/switches on the front of the master cylinder.

Glyn M Ruck

After 2005 model facelift.





https://mbworld.org/forums/clk-class...r-shifter.html

Rudeney

Hmm, I wonder if "brake switch eliminated" means the one integrated into the ESP control unit as opposed to the mechanical plunger switch on the brake pedal. I know the plunger switch was eliminated a while back - my C240 (MY2002) does not have it.

Glyn M Ruck

Interesting. My late 2003 C240 did have it. (October 2003 build SA)

Rudeney

Wow, mine is an early MY2002 - a 2001 build, from the Brazil plant.

Glyn M Ruck

The facelift on W203 was launched March 2004 in SA & the change occured then. Most markets 2005 MY.

Rudeney

Yep - the new "model year" build generally starts early in the calendar year before. For example, the MY2015's are likely being test-run through the factories as we speak. For MBZ, this is global. The confusion comes in when different countries deal with their "registration year' or "plates" differently. The USA goes by model year, though they also have government regulations that deal with build date. They used to go by model year, until GM and Ford began playing monkey business with the CAFE (corporate average fuel efficiency) limits. They would exceed their CAFE limit for a given model year, so they;d just start selling their giant SIVs under the next model year. Back in 1995, they actually had MY1997 and MY1998 SUVs on the lots. Finally, the government got smart (yeah, an oxymoron) and put a stop to that.

Oh, and something to look out for on MBZ vehicles - usually buying the "last" model year of a body style right before a redesign gets you a car with all the bugs worked out, but, buying one that was in the last few months of production can be an issue as the line may begin to incorporate new parts into the old design and then you get some "beta testing" going on.

Glyn M Ruck

Yes ~ SA usually launches early due to plant if it's a locally built model. US launched W203 a year after ROW 2000 launch. Don't know why? Then US had a half improved model 203 generally known as a 2004.5 & then full facelift for MY2005.

My 209 was one of the last built. Fortunately seems a sound car. Zero defect to date. I'm afraid I did not like the E Coupe styling. I like the facelift. I like buying debugged cars. I'm not one of those early adopters. Do that in my Audio Visual hobby & get burned.