So my active multi has not worked in a while! So I decided yesterday to Snoop around and try to figure out what's going on with it. I started in the trunk and checked the airpump, air hoses and connection. Everything seems to be working, the pump is is working and pushing air. If the air reserve tank, pressure valves and hose connection and everything was fine. I also checked the fuse box and again everything is good. Next step is to check the seat connections ( I don't know where to start with the seat ) check the control unit and the switch it self. Yes I have lights on the switch but it dose nothing! None of the functions works.

PS: the passenger side seat working fine ( there is air going there somehow. I took many random pics if you guys wanna have an idea of what is there 😉

 

Check connections @ seat control valve all fine, need to access/check lines & control unit.

 

Thank you so much for this! It will make my life so much easier when. I pull the seat off. Also, so you have another PDF on seat removal? Much more where do you download or get the pretty installation PDF guide?

 

Seat removal...

 

Thanks again 😊 are you gonna share where you get the PDF guide from ?

 

MBUSA WIS. You can check here https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...edes+&_sacat=0 - confirm your model year is included.

 

I have the WIS bit I guess I don't know how to pull those pretty pictures when I need it

 

Good day everyone,
So so as you can see from a previous post I have been looking into this for a while. I was able to physically inspect the pump in the trunk the hose connection in a trunk and the reserver tank. however I have not messed around with the seat yet I was waiting To Star diagnostic which I did! Oo pictures were the results of my diagnostic and apparently now I need to open the back of the seat and inspect everything there as well I don't have a pressure gauge or the tools that they need it so I'll have to do it manually with a balloon or something. I have no plan on how to do that nor that I have done it before. In fact I don't even know how to get the back seat cover off apparently there is two screws that are so invisible and I can't see where they are and I don't know how to pull that cover up. Now that the below pictures anyone here have a clue on what I should look at ? Remove ? Inspect?

 

The MB Star screens are impressive! There should be a video function in Star that shows you how to do repairs. I'd start by finding that part of Star and find the directions for it. Good work so far, Marv.

 

Hi Marc,

My issues is always "time" my job require a ton or away from home time I'm always away and get side tracked when I'm home with the "honey do" 😭.

My first obstacle is removing the seat back over. I seems like in stupid or something but can seems to find a way to remove it. Still need to figure it out without breaking any more clips

By the way, on different subject.do you have a clue on how to remove the grill distronic plus from the grill? I tried twisting clockwise and counterclockwise pulling yankin pushing nothing worked.

 

I read somewhere on this site that you push in and turn it counter-clockwise (I think) and it should release. Are you having a problem with Distronic? Marv

 

​​​​​​
no distronic issues. I have a black hood emblem that im trying to install to replace the original one. Behind the star is the access to that

 

on my 2014 I just popped off the hood emblem with this auto trim kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R44VJHN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BV-bEbQ9PZ4PK



without doing anything through the grill even though that’s what I was told to do at first but I did replace my grill emblem as well and that was just push in and turn counter clock like Marv was saying

 

@Tbbt CLS so it's not a twist and turn it clipped and will need to be pooped out. It might be different in another another car but in mine with distronic plus that's how it comes out lol 😂 now you know


@Dblok1113 I think we are talking about something different. I think I gave up on this since there is no access even from under the star. Everything blocked and there is no access 😡 I even removed the radiator cover






Don't let me get side tracked with star since I'm working on the seat

 

The back of mine is different as well I kept getting the ones like yours with the clip but when I actually popped the hood emblem off this is what it looked like


sorry didn’t mean to throw off the thread which is awesome by the way !

 

So finally got a chance to remove the back of the seat to inspect the connections module an electrical and socket connection. Everything looked just fine and there is air coming from the pump as I tested it using a glove as a balloon. In one of my test i kept the car on then unplugged the wires from the module and pluged it back in once it's plugged back in the pulse lights will come on and STAYED on for while AND heard the seat trying to use the massage option. It it sounded like vibration mix with air or something. I can't really explain it but I know it was trying to work. In my second test I asked my wife to sit on the seat and I conducted the unplug plug test and she claims at one point the bottom of the seat moved.
so now I assume it's either the seat control switch or the module itself that is defective. I wish if there is a way that my star diagnostic and tell me which one of the two is broken or need replacement. I'm gonna look in eBay and see what I can find

This is the wire I was talking about as far as plug unplug

Also an FYI for everyone since I didn't find any information on on backseat remover. Well it's as simple as yanking from the bottom then pulling down to free the middle and top hooks

 

Backrest cover.

 

I found it I found it I found it 😁😁 finally and after so much time and 💰 I found the issue with my multi-contour seats option WELL I found half of the issues 😑 and I think I'm going to give up now.

So today I took everything out. I disconnected the pump again and replaced again it then Inspect it again. I know it was not the pump or the tank but I just did everything all over again to be sure. Also replaced the seat module on controller although I also knew it wasn't that because I've checked it before. So I finally went ham and followed the hose back from the trunk to the seat, which meant carpet out, side panels out ,and the front seat had to come out too. At first nothing looked out of place until I stared to look at the area where the hose and wires leave the harness and migrate to the seat as shown here with the red arrow.

In there the "black" hose from from the trunk pump turn in there and connect to the bottom of the seat. The hose is located inside a wire harness sleeve then it moves into the main harness sleeve going to the seat. WELL the hose was bent inside the sleeve so I decided to slice the sleeve open and look inside and tada!!!! Found it the hose is pinched big time.



So I slices it open and sure enough it was pinched and twisted.



So I tired to heat it up and smooth the hose which in return allowed the air to " temporarily" flow and there for it worked yes the seat function worked 👍 but the hose went back to the pinched form that was shaped by the twist and the seat stopped working again.

​​​​so I came up with a temporary fix to allow air to flow until I can think of something better. I used two zip ties to reshape the hose and it seems that it worked for a little bit but then it will stop working after the car is been on for about a minute. However when I turn the car off and back on it will work again. Its like it's trying to reset it self or something.



So as of right now I still need to find a permanent fix so any ideas you have please let me know. The other thing is why does the multi-contour options will working after a minute of the car being on? Thinking of cutting the hose and use something like a connector with an elbow to fix that area.
Any help at this point will be appreciated, so please lay down your ideas.

 

Is the hose thin and rubbery feeling? If so, cut a longer piece of harder tubing, slit it lengthwise, and put it around the kinked area. If that works, use plastic glue or tape to keep it in place. Good Luck, Marv

PS- I just purchased your same C4 and am thinking of renting it out as a total system (computer with software, C4, and cables) to fellow members. I was very impressed with the screens you've shared.

 

Get this, I don't think the issue is the hose anymore. I noticed that I have full seat control when the pump is on when you first get in the car, BUT the second not the min the second the pump is off everything officially stops working. Now that's puzzle for yall to try and figure out

 

hey Marv; are you going to be using mbhouse?

mssidah, crazy amount of work you have put in chasing this down. Hope you get it resolved. I prob would have taken it to my Indy w similar time restrictions as yours. I know it’s gratifying to fix yourself tho.

 

Actually more like was looking forward to some support, help or information to figure it out as it seems like common issue but here I stand in front of the wall I hit

 

Well, I took another go at it but I hit a block again on this project. When I first started nothing worked at all not for one second not for 1 minute. I have found the problem underneath the carpet box below the driver seat with one of the air hoses being pinched so I tried to fix it temporarily as you guys can see above until I found a better solution which I did.

I bought this


Then I cut the hose where it was pinched and I inserted that piece of metal the connector to fix the pinch. This solved 50 % of the issue. Now I'm dealing with a the common issue that almost everyone else is having. The multi-contour option will work only at the beginning for about a minute when you first turn the car on or put the key in the on position but a min later the pluse light will turn off and ever6 stopes. Most people think that is because the car just started it's not I figured that out as well. It works because the pump at that time it's working and it's pumping air but as soon as the pump stops everything stops the pulse lights will turn off and everything will stop. I checked the connection all the way back to the pump and I really can't see anything else visibly wrong?

Why the pump comes on then off then nothing work after that? This is the question of the day? Can someone help please?

Below are more pictures just as an FYI


Snapped the hose in the at the pinched spot

Used the connector to link the hose back

Final results

My temporary fix with zip ties ( which worked btw)

The main connection

 

The current faults


Seems like the problem at the reservoir

 

Did you ever figure this out?? My seats have been doing the same and I've been trying to figure it out the last couple days.I took out the pump and replaced it, but same thing is happening. Pump runs and seats work for a couple minutes then stops.

How did you find where the line was pinched? Did you listen for air leaks when the pump was running?