Hello all. this is an update to a previous thread. I wanted to put the whole history in one post for my own use. If you get through the whole thing thank you for your time.
In September we bought a 2014 E350 Cabriolet. The car is in very nice shape with about 45K miles. The only things my wife didn't like about the car is the size, little bigger than her old CLK350, and the climate control panel was unsightly. The dark transparency under the Auto/Defrost/Zone/Max Cool/AC/Off buttons had several cracks in it. Everything worked fine but the panel was ugly. So the car dealer (not a MB Dealership) said he would buy us a new panel and mail it to us. We bought the car and he mailed us a new C/C panel. Two days later i installed the panel and the A/C button would blink three times and go out, it wouldn't stay on steady. So I came here and found out the new panel had to be programed or somehow connected to the cars computer. Our local MB garage couldn't do it so we took the car to the closest MB dealer about 40 miles away.
3 NOV Dealer vist 1: We waited while they worked on the car..The service rep said it should take about 30 mins. It took 2 hours. The panel seemed to work for about 5 miles and then the A/C stopped working unless Max AC was selected. We continued the drive home and I called MB from home and made another appointment.
9 NOV Dealer visit 2: We dropped the car off and stayed in the local area for about 5 hours. I called the service rep to get an update. The service rep told me we had the wrong part installed. We picked the car up and went home.
Here is were I text and phone the car dearer we bought the car from for a couple days. He sends me a copy of the receipt for the C/C panel and it has the correct part number on it. I text it to the MB service rep and he tells me I need to remove the C/C panel and verify the part number. So I remove the panel and it has the correct part number on it. I took a picture and text it to the service rep. He texted back for me to make an appointment and plan on leaving to car all day so they could figure it out. He also asks me to bring the original panel with me.
16 NOV Dealer visit 3: we drop the car of at 9am and go home. I called the service rep at 3pm and he tells me they got a late start on the car and he'll call me back with an update. I call back at 5pm and I'm told they need to keep the car over night. Service rep says he'll call me at noon tomorrow.
!7 Nov The service rep doesn't call at noon so I call and leave a voice mail. At 2pm I call again and he answered the phone and tells me he'll go check and call me at 3pm. He calls at 3pm and tells me the tech is "marrying" the old panel back into the car to see if the could make the new panel work. He said he'd call before 5pm. He calls back and tells me the tech needs me to leave the car overnight and he'll call me by 10am tomorrow morning.
18 NOV I called talk to the service rep at 10am. he says the car and panel are working but the tech wants to check it again after lunch to make sure it's right. At 2pm I call and am told the car is ready to be picked up. We drive down and pick it up. The service dept can't find the key fob for 20 minutes. When they do the wife fishtails out of the dealership and everything works fine all the way home.
19 NOV We take the car on a short 2 mile round trip and notice the windows are not up all the way after closing the doors. After we get home the wife goes in the house (with the key fob) and I remain in the car to reset the windows. The user manual tells you the reset procedure is on the CD. So I think I remember how to do it from the CLK days. The dash lights were still on so I figured I was good to go as far as the key being in position one. I pulled and held the two forward window switches up for about 30 seconds. About that time the dash lights went out and I remembered the wife had the key fob in her purse. I go out and retrieved my key fob and got back in the car. I wanted to see what the windows did if I started the car so I attempted to start the car and it wouldn't turn over didn't even sound like the starter engaged. All the panel lights came on, the gas and temp gages moved, SRS and Power Steering Maulfunction messages appeared in the display, the analog dash clock started spinning, the seat belt extender came out and kept tying to over extend (gears grinding) and tones and bells came on. The car went crazy. I tried to start it a few times and the same thing kept happening. Looking back I probably shouldn't have tried to start it again because of the airbag message and how crazy everything was going.
So this morning I looked at the car and the seat belt extender was in its retracted position like it should be. Everything looks normal and nothing smells burnt. Today is Sunday so my plan is to call the service manager tomorrow and ask him want the heck is going on. Can't these guys talk to Mercedes Benz Engineers if they follow and procedure in the manual to load software and it doesn't work? I plan to ask him to come and get the car and my wife needs the use of a loaner car till her car is ready.
So I'm looking for wisdom and advice here. What do you guys think could be wrong with the car? And how would you handle the service manager, what would you say to him? I mean the tech seems to be stumped or in over his head.
Any ideas or advice is appreciated. Anyone else have an experience like this?
Thanks
Augie

 

Discuss attachment with service manager dates back to 2014 certain not much has changed with MBUSA technical assistance.

 

Thanks for the reply. This is embarrassing but the problem appears corrected again. It turns out the battery was unserviceable. It measured 12.2 volts but checked bad on my harbor freight battery analyzer. I installed a new battery and everything is fine except I need to reset the windows.
Sorry about all the drama.
Augie

 

Wow! Thx Konigstiger! That explains a lot about MB dealership service levels and quality. The key is to find a dealer that follows the prescribed process. It does make me feel better about continuing to have my MB serviced at the dealer over an indy or DIY...