Playdrv4me

Hello all,

Great forum you guys have here. I noticed you have a sticky with all the recalls posted right up top... that saves me alot of time versus the last place I visited.

Ive owned a ton of BMWs and I also currently have a BMW based '03 Range Rover, so Im very familiar with them, however Merc's are all new to me...

Anyhow, I have a 2003 E500 Sport with 61k I just purchased and I have some issues.

First, I have a red battery icon as soon as the car starts which I am reading could be the Aux battery or the BCU, is there a way to determine which it is?

Secondly, and more annoyingly, it is just my luck that I have exactly the kind of odd problem in this car I was warned about with these. Its not a huge deal, but really annoying...

Whenever I press the brake down, say coming to a stop, and then release it, I get an intermittent crackle from the rear subwoofer. This ALSO occurs if I roll a window down, and then roll it back up to its closed position. This seems to be some sort of issue where current draw is crossing paths with the audio control gateway or who knows what.

Finally and most importantly, there is some sort of consistent whine coming from the front drivers side of the motor. I had a BMW 328i that had this same kind of noise before and it was the alternator (goes up and down with the engine RPMs), but I noticed the alternator on the E is way down in the bottom passenger side of the motor, and this noise is definitely coming from the upper drivers side.

Thanks again.

mdreef

sorry to hear about your anoying problems. DOn't know what the "cracling sound" could be, but see if you can find other posts by searching the forum.

For the whining sound in the engine compartment, it sounds like it could be an idler pulley gone bad. You can isolate the source by placing a long metal object, such as a rod or long screwdriver, on the part of pulleys that don't turn and the other end against your ear (please be careful when doing this) - and you'll be surprised to hear how much the noise gets amplified through the long rod. Once you find it, replace it to take care of it...

Good luck!

ProV1

03 E500 with 61k miles is just an explosion of multiple failures waiting to happen... hope you bought an extended warranty.

Playdrv4me

That's the same thing everyone said about my Range Rover, and (knock on wood), so far it's been probably in the top 5 most reliable cars I've owned at 92000 miles, and Ive had about 30 so far, including Lexus and Nissan products.

Also, once youve owned a few Cadillacs... well you get the picture.

I know the 03's are pretty much responsible for the negative image MB has had lately (actually the W210 had alot to do with that as well), but I'm willing to give this one a shot. I just want to get past these initial problems and take it from there.

HELL ONA HARLEY

Your engine whine could be something as simple as a low power steering fluid level...

csumt76

1. Aux. battery most likely

2. never heard of it

3. Does the noise change when you turn the steering wheel?
Yes---> check p/s fluid level
No---> Does it increase with engine rpm? If yes, sounds like you need a new a/c compressor. About $1200 P&L

Playdrv4me

Yup, I was thinking PS or A/C perhaps as well. However the noise is constant regardless of whether the A/C is on or not. The power steering on the car feels really nice though, and I dont hear the tone of the whining change much when I turn the wheel either, so im still a bit stumped.

Benz-O-Rama

Any chance you test drove this car before purchasing?

Either way, you've come to the right place. No doubt you'll find the help you need. Although, I won't be much help with these particular problems.


Good luck, the 2003's can be quite a handful.

Playdrv4me

Nope, I usually buy my cars sight unseen. Sometimes I get a good one, sometimes I get a crappy one, but I do go through alot of cars. Just depends on which car I can buy the cheapest and then do my own DIY stuff or dealer work to get it up to snuff. My only real requirements are original paint and a clean carfax.

For example, I almost traded my Range Rover in on a drop dead gorgeous 2002 S500 that was Certified Pre Owned, drove beautifully... not a damn thing wrong with it at the MB dealer. Took a closer inspection and found that 60 percent of the car had been repainted due to an impact in the left rear quarter. I did not want to deal with the diminished value associated with a repaint that severe so I passed on it. It was a damn good deal too, 23900 was what they had gotten the price down to and with only 36k on the clock. That will make someone who is less picky a very nice car.

This one is just the opposite, it looks beautiful, the paint is original and no dings on the history report, and I did get to drive and look at very briefly but things like the speaker crackle dont show up until youre really with it for a while. I knew about the red battery icon though and had researched that before I signed the paperwork. The only thing that really is of concern to me is the engine whine, I somehow missed that during my quick inspection (I had to drive to Winter Park from Tampa to look at the car real quick before I finished the deal, and then they delivered it to me the next day). I think I paid about 21000.00 for it, plus taxes etc.

Im sure you guys dont care much about my little ol' car, but here's a few pics...

zman3366

Being that you car is a 2003....chances are that the Aux battery has not been changed. I drive a 03' E320 and the battery icon would come on when I started the car.....then it would disappear. This happened for about two months....then it would stay on longer and longer, until til recently, would stay on all the time.
The MB service tech told me I had to replace the AUX battery. I searched on the internet and part retailers for this AUX battery....but NO luck. This is a Dealer Only item!!! The cost of the AUX battery from my friendly neighborhood MB dealership was 127 bucks......not bad.
Went home and installed it using only a 10mm deep socket....took about a half hour. Be sure to have you radio code ready.

mood: No Malfuctions

MPTLPTR

I don't ever recall setting a radio code. Is there a default?

purin

Sorry to hi-jack your thread but I am looking to get a 03 E500. I did a search but didnt come up with potential problems I may encounter. What should I look for and what kind of costs could it be? Is there a list besides the recall sticky?
thanks
-p

Barry45RPM

I know there was no radio code for the 04's. I'm guessing the '03s are the same.

sgaar

The AUX battery is located at the passenger side near the firewall. It sits under the AC filter. Take off the black plastic cover and the filter and you'll see it. You can get a similar battery at any well stocked battery place. Nothing magic to it.

The buzz you hear in the rear speaker is most likely a bad ground connection. There are a multitude of them throughout the car and it is hard to say which one it is. However, I would start with the ones for either the radio or the window hoist.

pfphipps

Look at this thread. The radio noise is addressed in it.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...+static+brakes

Playdrv4me

pfphipps NAILED the issue with the sound system.

It was indeed a bad ground to the Audio Gateway.

Unfortunately, I heeded the earlier advice in this thread and gave the Mercedes back for a less entertaining but more familiar (to me) 325Ci Convertible.

I miss the visceral acceleration of that E500 dearly, but Airmatic problems, various mechanical issues and many software problems made that E500 too much to handle without a factory warranty. The aluminum roof rails were also oxidizing, the paint was bubbling on them, even though they arent steel.

For comparison, even my 2003 Range Rover wasnt like that.

SUNILP

1. Battery issue may be BCM or battery. There are several replacement and reflashed BCM modules.

2. Ground

3. Check fluid in power steering pump.