Ggirl

I just got my E500 about 2 weeks ago. I have been in this forum quite a bit in the last week or so. I have been trying to find out what is going on with my NAV/comand. This has happened to me twice in the last 2 days, I will be driving and the whole comand system just shuts off and then 30 secs later turns itself back on. Has this happened to anyone yet? I am a little concerned since I haven't even paid the first payment yet and the car is acting up. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

DWP

The audio system on my '03 (no nav, no COMAND) did just what you describe when we first got it. Lots of other drivers of '03 models reported variations on the problem of the audio system shutting down and restarting or "rebooting." The problem was fixed under warranty by a software upgrade (in our case) or replacement of the "audio gateway", whatever that may be, in other cases. I haven't heard of the problem on later models, or extending beyond the audio system to the nav as well, so your symptoms may or may not be related to the problem with '03 models.

For what it's worth, the "rebooting" problem is the only problem of any significance that we've experienced in 19 months of ownership of our E500 - and of course it was hardly a disabling problem.

Ggirl

Thanks for your input. I noticed when it happened that my NAV AND the SAT radio was on too. I was concerned that it had something to do with the SAT radio. Well, I will drop it off at the dealership for that software upgrade this week and see what happens. I hope that is all it will be. Besides that, I absolutely LOVE my car!!!!

U2fast4me

1 of my uncle also has an E500 and his wife once almost went "white" like she just saw ghost or something... or maybe she did.
It was a rainy night in the middle of no where, her CD+radio certaintly went crazy... like someone else in the car trying to tune to their fav. station. She was so panic and tried to shut it off but it didn't, perhalps it changed to diff stations/disks.... she later called my uncle up and curse him out for getting the E500. Funny but true story.

steph280

Welcome Ggirl. another fellow Irvine resident.

Haven't experienced that shutoff issue yet (knock on wood) but then I don't have SAT radio. Hope the dealer will take care of it. FletcherJones?

Brav

I had the same exact problem in first few months of ownership. It is a known problem, which should have long been fixed.. I'm surprised (maybe not..) that it hasn't been resolved at the assembly line.

Anyway, your Gateway as they call it is overheating. They'll pull it all apart and replace the whole thing. There is a service bulletin on it.

I beleive Fletcher did the work on mine, maybe have been H of I. Either way, once replaced, no issues. I also had the COMAND replaced due to the map/nav placing me somewhere in the Pacific Ocean on a return trip from Arizona..

Congrats on the car - you will enjoy it despite the scattered annoyances.

What options did you get?? Pano?

And yes, another Irvine resident

Double Eagle

I had a similar problem with my Nav Replacement vehicle delivered in Aug 2003. They took four days to find the real problem which was a faulty COMAND unit and not the Audio Gateway. That is the console display with all the buttons and it caused everything (NAV, Radio, CD) to go dead when it failed. Haven't had any problems after the repair in past 18 months and car has been in very hot and very cold climates.

Mine was bought from and repaired at MB of Laguna Niguel, and I've been happy with their service.

Let us know what the fix was and enjoy your new E

Ggirl

So, when I take the car in to Fletcher Jones, should I make sure they check to see if the actual comand unit is faulty also? Not just the software upgrade problem (audio gateway)? I am hoping to fix this all in one shot so I do not have to bring it back. Will let you know what happens.



My car is black with ash interior,premium pkg, appearance pkg, wood/leather steering wheel(bird's eye maple) and SAT radio.

Brav

They should be pretty fluent with the problems of the gateway/COMAND. They service a lot of cars. Just make sure you tell your SA to check both. 90% sure its your gateway overheating (bad chip of some sort).

Ash interior looks really nice with the black birdseye, good combo. And that wood wheel was hard to come by for a while (just in birdseye), luck that you got it. I had to retrofit after the fact. Makes a huge difference in the interior.

Ggirl

I took my car in today....we'll see what happens tomorrow.

Brav, I noticed you have 19 inch wheels on yours. Do you feel the road alot more? I had a C240 before this E500 and I lowered the car 1 1/2 inch and had 18's on it . It compromised my ride quite a bit. So, I swore that I was NEVER going to mess with the E500. But now, I look at the car and it seems like it is missing something...like wheels and it may be a bit too high. I love the ride when it is stock, however, I rather it look better. Any sugesstions?

Brav

Well I can tell you that if you lower this car, you will not lose ride quality. Pretty much zero. Going to 18's won't do much. Will depend more on the properties of the tires you select vs. stock conti's or hopefully, you have the michelins. 19's, you will start to feel the difference. I had 19's on my last M3 with super stiff suspension, so this seems a lot nicer. I would say I feel it a lot more, but not in a bad way. Its only a lot harsher over harsh terrain. Hard to explain. 80-90% of the time there is little difference, the other portion is worse.

For the difference in handling and appearance, its no contest. Lowering this car is cheap and easy, I'd do that at a min. You can always raise it back up with the push of a button. Looks much better, stance wise with 1-1.5" drop. Wheels will be subjective. I see so many E's around here, its like a German Camry, so it helps feel "different" as well. Just don't get cheesy looking chrome wheels, IMO.

clkcadet

same problem in my clk its an 04 though is it the same problem that you guys are having?

Brav

I think you're asking if this is the same as your problem (you have 4 sentences in 1) --- How do we know?? We don't know what your prob is and this is a W211 forum, most people here probably aren't keeping tabs on other makes. Not to flame.. but it should be obvious - if you have a prob, take it in!

Ggirl

Picked up my car today from Fletcher Jones. They did a software update on it. From the first minute I got in the car, the CD changer started acting up. It had alot of static going on. So, I got my service guy to look at it and he tells me I cannot play copied CDs in the changer. It completely confuses the system he says. Even if I play a normal CD with some copied CDs in the changer it's going to have static. Has anyone heard of this or is he BS-ing me?

Brav:
You are right about cheesy chrome wheels on a car. I am completely undecided which wheels I going to want. What do you think of Zaubers?

Brav

That's BS. I have used burned CDs in mine since day one. Even burned DVD MP3 discs (I have euro navi). Now, there may be a problem with some types of CD blanks and software, but I have never had 1 problem.

Are these the one's you're thinking of?


They kinda look like Lorinser LM-5 knockoffs. Not familiar with the brand.

here is lorinser..


Either way, they are nice looking wheels, classy and sporty.

steph280

Yeah that SA is BSing you (his name is not JP by any chance?). Like Brav I've also been playing mp3 on CDR without problems.

Most likely the static is from the AGW. There was a post about TSB on AGW grounding issues just posted today by someone. Search for it.

Ggirl

Yeah, those are the Zaubers I like. (no chrome of course) Wow, it never occurred to me that they look like the Lorinsers LM5. I had Lorinser LM1s on my C240 so I am trying to get away from that brand of wheel and that whole "urban" look. Any other brand suggestions?


As far as the CD changer, I now have only normal CDs in the changer and they are fine. I guess I will wait til the static comes back (with the normal CDs in) and bring in to Fletcher again.

ElDiabloJoe

Brav,

You saying my chromies are too ghetto? I'm far from ghetto, as you know. Just a 36 year old, flat-top wearing white boy.

GGirl, welcome to the forum, and yes, another South OC member (Hey double eagle, you in Talega?? I'm in Mon.Bch). GGirl, stay outta OT unless you want all the teens hitting on you, fwiw.

FYI-The NAVs in the E have a history of being buggy. The E in general is buggy due to the massive amount of cutting-edge technology ('cept an ipod adapter ) in them. The first new E's with Nav were a joke. People ordered a 2003 E with Nav never got them, so MB (to their credit) instead of refunding the 2K for the NAV simply offered everyone Brand New cars. Some folks cashed in their E's with 12K miles on them for brand new models !

Not me, but I think Etenn was one member here who was thus fortunate.

Again, welcome, bienvenidos, etc.

EDJ

Ggirl

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. This forum is very helpful. Glad to be a part of it.

ElDiabloJoe:
Sorry to sound dumb but this is my first time joining a forum. What does OT and fwiw mean?

Brav

OT means Off Topic, and FWIW means for what its worth.. internet-speak.

Well, as far as wheels, it depends on what effect you want and how much you want to spend. I have Angstroms, which are a new company and barely anyone has them. 2 piece forged. You can come by and check them out if you want. As far as forged whees go - they are very well priced and good quality. you might spend double on higher end makes and almost same mfg process. I like more of a sporty type wheel, but not toooo sporty. Just use your best judgement and findd a classy sporty wheel, cant go wrong. I'd say you should get a split 5 spoke or 7 spoke with a brushed or polished finish. And get a staggered setup

Here are some pics of mine.

ElDiabloJoe

I've been needing a translator, you're hired!

EDJ

glojo

Hi Brav,
I think we are all aware of the brake dust problems, and the extra effort needed to clean the wheels. (particularly the fronts )

What comments can you offer on this as I see you have multi spoke wheels?

Pity we cannot all use normal 'speak' that is easily understood! FWZXYPP!!!!!

Have a nice day,

John

A cool, windy, rough morning in Torquay

Brav

Wax your wheels, if buying new ones. Otherwise, get a wheel cleaner specific for the metal you have, and scruuub. If you have a polished finish, just have to be carefull. For quick jobs, I use a wheel brush for the first 80% of the dirt, and then come back with a soft cloth and pinch each spoke and give it a couple rubs up and down to finish it off. 2-part system works the best for me.

Wax will make the dust come right off tho when you wash.

Ggirl

So far so good as far as the CD changer is concerned. It just drive me nuts that i can only play normal, unburned CDs though.

Brav or whoever else that wants to give me their 2 cents:

I am now really tired of the way my car looks w/o rims. I just feel so average drivng around, especially in Irvine and MBZs are a dime a dozen. I am requesting your help and knowledge. As far as $ I want to spend, I just don't want to spend 5 grand on a set of wheels like I did with my Lorinsers. Now I can't get rid of them to save my life.
Brav did offer to to show me his wheels, I was wondering if the offer still stands?

Brav

What kind of burner and CDs are you using? That can make a difference as they all have different specs and tolerances.

Don't hate your car too much whithout the wheels.. I didnt have any for 9 months, waiting for mine to come (first set from Angstrom). PM me if you want to see them, we are close enough to meet. I like the LM5's.. classic wheel. I think 3K is plenty to spend on wheels and tires, about what I spent.