Dnasty

I have frequent issues starting my car. Usually after its been sitting and I start it up for the first time of the day it starts up fine but after i've been driving it around for a while make a few stops I will get back in and it will do one of 3 things. 1. I put the key in turn it and it will not crank at all. 2. It will crank really fast then quit. 3. It will crank start rev up then completely drop to 0 rpms and shut back off. This problem has been happening intermittently for about a year and I am always able to eventually get the car to start so It's hard to get a proper diagnosis.Also Ive noticed on occasion if i hold the key all the way over it will attempt to crank again sometimes and start or it will give me a red battery charge error. One benz indy told me the entire mechanism that i insert the key into (the name slips me right now) needs to be replaced which is a long and expensive process that requires going through mercedes and another tells me It is my cars gear shifter and that the gears aren't fully engaged when I try to start. In any case i'd like to see if anyone else could shine some light on this issue. Sorry about the long post I didn't want to leave anything out.

Plutoe

The problem is that if you guess at all the potential solutions to a problem that gets expensive---in your case both observations seem applicable to the problem--but now, your problem is how to test each solution

That is exactly what happens when folks start guessing about what is wrong with a car---now just imagine if that was the norm in the auto industry things would not get done.

That is why most auto manufactures have developed their own computer based diagnostic systems to eliminate all the BS.

In MB case it is DAS Xentry---my point is stop guessing and get the car tested to determine what is causing the fault!!

Dnasty

At which point did I say I was guessing, both solutions were from mercedes mechanics who hooked computers up to my car neither of which yielded error codes this was their professional assessment.

Plutoe

OK, simply said two different solutions for the same problem---what are you going to do now get a third opinion\WAG here or test solution 1 and 2 which seem applicable!!

Dnasty

Mabye i'm missing something I'm not a mechanic so how would i "test" either of these solutions without actually changing either the eis or the gearbox. I posted this on a forum in hopes that someone may have had some experience in such an issue.

Plutoe

You just don't get do you---please take the time to re-read post 2 a couple of times and then try to stay focused on the third paragraph---that's how the two components are diagnosed and then tested!!

Your problem is not about tires, air, grease, noise, ashtrays, coolant, light bulbs, paint color, trim package, CPS where everyone will chime in with no doubt a good suggestion.

You are faced with an electronic system problem and that is where factory diagnostics is used to locate the problem---test the problem and make recommendations for repair.

Dnasty

So when i say they hooked it up to a computer to "test" and yielded no error codes that was not sufficient? In fact the same that is in your signature? Maybe should reread my response couple times?

JonMBZ

If the Indy can't figure it out you need to take it to the dealer where they have they are required to diagnose the car and figure it out. Where I work there can be 5-10 techs and factory reps that get involved with difficult cars. Indy mechanics only care about their bottom line (unless you have a good relationship) and are not required to spend lots of time figuring out your problem because it will lose them money. Also the good part is we can swap out parts back and forth to test what is wrong which indies can't because they are usually not allowed to return electrical items. The dealer loses money all the time I have seen techs working on cars for weeks with only a couple of hundreds in diagnostic fees. I understand you are trying to get help here and it's a good idea to always get input, someone here may have actually had that problem and if it's simple you could try it out. Who knows till you ask....

nelbur

I have just been through my own intermittent starting problem hell. I paid $274 for diagnostic work with out their being able to figure the problem out, even though it did fail to start once for them. Apparently the starting system is not well covered by the star system.

The wife was tired of the problem and thought we should get something "reliable". There are really just a few components in the starting system and I just replaced them one at a time until the problem went away. If I were you, knowing what I now know, I would start with the electrical part in the ignition switch.

The involved parts are the ignition switch, the K 40 relay unit, the neutral safety switch, and the starter. The only part I did not replace was the neutral safety switch.