e430 nightmare...help
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e430 nightmare...help
Hey guys I finally got a 98 e430 sport the car looks good but i guess that is the only thing good about it .
I did everything that a buyer was suppose to do took it to a mechanic the guy told me the engine is in good condition , no accident good carfax i test drove it about 3 times the engine sounds good shifts nice everything was perfect at that point .
So i decided to go for it , the dealer said that the battery needs to be changed so before i went to pick the car up they changed the battery,as I was driving home i noticed that the cigarette light wasnt working I could not charge my battery , 5 mins later an abs and a bas asr malfunction came up and also esp i believe , the seat heaters arent working and even though i got the code for the radio i have no sound i do not know if it is a fuse or what but the radio does power up .
I am at this point thinking of taking the car back I got 30 days so if you guys can help me out I would really appreciate it .
Sorry for the long thread I really need help guy I spent 15k for the car that means a lot to me
I did everything that a buyer was suppose to do took it to a mechanic the guy told me the engine is in good condition , no accident good carfax i test drove it about 3 times the engine sounds good shifts nice everything was perfect at that point .
So i decided to go for it , the dealer said that the battery needs to be changed so before i went to pick the car up they changed the battery,as I was driving home i noticed that the cigarette light wasnt working I could not charge my battery , 5 mins later an abs and a bas asr malfunction came up and also esp i believe , the seat heaters arent working and even though i got the code for the radio i have no sound i do not know if it is a fuse or what but the radio does power up .
I am at this point thinking of taking the car back I got 30 days so if you guys can help me out I would really appreciate it .
Sorry for the long thread I really need help guy I spent 15k for the car that means a lot to me
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From: Philadelphia area
2010 ML550, 2010 E350 4M, 1966 Corvette Convt C2
Well, its a 98 that makes it 6 or 7 years old and with more than the average miles. Sounds like to me that you did not buy from an MB dealer and the car lot you bought from does not know anything about the car which apparently has electrical problems. My advice is to take it back immediatly and tell them to fix everything immediatly. If they do not do that correctly get your money back
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From: HK (but constantly travelling)
98 W210 Advantgarde
Lemme guess, they completely disconnected the battery when they replaced it? Alot of what's happening may be due to the computer being corrupted when the battery was disconnected. If that's that case you need to go to a mechanic or dealer that has the proper software to reset your computer.
To avoid this happening, make sure you ahve your system hooked on to another batter before you replace the one in the car.
To avoid this happening, make sure you ahve your system hooked on to another batter before you replace the one in the car.
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Joined: May 2004
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From: Albuquerque, NM
09' E350, 01' Maxima SE, 93 Nissan Maxima SE, 1987 Nissan Maxima SE
i would take it back cuz otherwise it's gonna give you a lot of headache in the long run. Obviously the car has electrical problem. Kind of make you wonder why the battery had to be replace.
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From: NYC
CL500
Originally Posted by Whitey
Lemme guess, they completely disconnected the battery when they replaced it? Alot of what's happening may be due to the computer being corrupted when the battery was disconnected. If that's that case you need to go to a mechanic or dealer that has the proper software to reset your computer.
To avoid this happening, make sure you ahve your system hooked on to another batter before you replace the one in the car.
To avoid this happening, make sure you ahve your system hooked on to another batter before you replace the one in the car.
, listen to whitey he knows what hes talking about. same **** happened to me the first time i disconnected the battery on my old w202 to work on it.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 560
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From: New York City
Chevrolet Chevette, Ford Pinto, Pontiac Aztek, Trabant, Yugo GV (and all the worst cars ever built)
Take the car to an MB dealer and have a "clinic" done on it. (Actually, you should have had that done before you bought it but we all learn new things everday... ) The clinic will show everything and anything that is wrong and needs to be changed with your spanking new second hand mercedes. It might take a day or two and cost you a couple of bucks but at the end of the day it will give you some determination on whether or not you want to keep the car or not. And if you tell them that you installed a new battery which may have caused a code screw up then they will reset the codes for you at no charge. They need to do that anyway to diagnose the car properly.
I am assuming you have not yet registered it and therefore have not paid for taxes yet.
The 30 day return policy is pretty good but they will probably charge you a restocking fee if you return it - assuming you do.
Good luck and let us know what happens...
I am assuming you have not yet registered it and therefore have not paid for taxes yet.
The 30 day return policy is pretty good but they will probably charge you a restocking fee if you return it - assuming you do.
Good luck and let us know what happens...
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: HK (but constantly travelling)
98 W210 Advantgarde
Originally Posted by BklynBenz
, listen to whitey he knows what hes talking about. same **** happened to me the first time i disconnected the battery on my old w202 to work on it.
thanks for the affirmation bro......I'm no expert but just speaking merely from experience. My point is really that those things sound like it was most likely due to various computer errors caused by the "blackout" and there may still be other real problems but there's no great reason to be panicking or disheartened yet. The initial diagnosis WILL report various errors/faults e.g. "brake switch failure", "ABS/BAS/ASR error/fault", "MAS error/fault" etc. and the first reaction from any inexperienced or dishonest mech would be to tell you to replace whatever related part there is......again, do not fear (which was my first reaction when I did my first scan but luckily my mech was honest and experienced
). Get them to reset/format the entire system and do another scan. If any error persist, then it is likely that there is a genuine failure and you'll need to get something fixed or replaced, if not, you can rest assured that your car will operate as it should thereafter....the process (with the scan, reset and rescan) takes less than 1/2 hr if I remember correctly. I really don't think a car would have all those things fail at the same time. Good luck!
Last edited by Whitey; Dec 17, 2004 at 01:26 PM.
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