E-Class (W211) 2003-2009

Left turn signal goes on when I use the right turn signal, how to fix?

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Old 04-22-2013, 01:18 PM
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Question Left turn signal goes on when I use the right turn signal, how to fix?

Hi All,
When I use the right turn signal the left turn signal goes on and all the exterior left turn lights go on. So basically when I want to turn right, it looks like I want to turn left. Of course this is very dangerous. How do I correct this problem?
Only time the right turn signal works is if I partially depress the turn signal to give the short intermittent burst of blinks.
Thanks for any help.
Old 04-23-2013, 10:55 AM
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I keep saying this, only because regardless of the customer complaint I always scan the car.That helps me confirm or not confirm the customer complaint, plus I may find other issues, that I advise and show the test results, the customer and if he wants the additional issues fixed---I make more money. If he does not---no problem as I spent less time overall diagnosing and confirming the issue. I am more productive and that helps my SEP plan!!

The point of this nauseous opus is GET THE CAR SCANNED!!

It takes no longer that 10 minutes to setup and do a quick scan!
Old 04-23-2013, 07:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Plutoe
I keep saying this, only because regardless of the customer complaint I always scan the car.That helps me confirm or not confirm the customer complaint, plus I may find other issues, that I advise and show the test results, the customer and if he wants the additional issues fixed---I make more money. If he does not---no problem as I spent less time overall diagnosing and confirming the issue. I am more productive and that helps my SEP plan!!

The point of this nauseous opus is GET THE CAR SCANNED!!

It takes no longer that 10 minutes to setup and do a quick scan!
That could be the answer to many questions here on this board. This answer is not helpful.
Are you sure you are talking to me?
Old 04-23-2013, 09:06 PM
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The point Plutoe is making is a valid one. I can tell you several things that can cause your electrical problem. But anything I tell you will be an educated guess. Any 'guess', no matter how educated, is still a guess. It often costs more money to throw "guessed at" parts at the problem than to get it diagnosed and properly repaired the first time.

Possibly you could tell me what level of diagnostic skill you have and the equipment you have to work with? Do you own a volt/ohm meter? Do you have an electrical circuit diagram for your vehicle and can you read it? Can you perform voltage drop tests and continuity tests?

Electrical problems can be troublesome to diagnose if you don't have the items and skills I mentioned. I'd be happy to help you, as I'm sure Plutoe is happy to help also. But this is not the sort of problem that lends itself to instant identification or diagnosis.
Old 04-24-2013, 01:47 PM
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Question

Originally Posted by otto6457
The point Plutoe is making is a valid one. I can tell you several things that can cause your electrical problem. But anything I tell you will be an educated guess. Any 'guess', no matter how educated, is still a guess. It often costs more money to throw "guessed at" parts at the problem than to get it diagnosed and properly repaired the first time.

Possibly you could tell me what level of diagnostic skill you have and the equipment you have to work with? Do you own a volt/ohm meter? Do you have an electrical circuit diagram for your vehicle and can you read it? Can you perform voltage drop tests and continuity tests?

Electrical problems can be troublesome to diagnose if you don't have the items and skills I mentioned. I'd be happy to help you, as I'm sure Plutoe is happy to help also. But this is not the sort of problem that lends itself to instant identification or diagnosis.
thanks for the explanation.
That's all he needed to say. He came across so abrasive, that I thought he was mad a me or talking to the wrong person.
I don't expect anyone to diagnose any problems, just give suggestions on what the problems could be. I don't think anyone can definitively diagnose any problem over this forum. They are all just educated guesses. That's why most of us are on the forums, to learn and to try to save money without going to a professional mechanic. Anyone could just answer a problem by saying, "Go get the car scanned". I'm trying to fix the problem, without spending too much money and so do not want to get it scanned yet. If I can't figure it out through the community's help, then I might be forced to pay someone.

So back to the OP...
Yes I have a volt/ohm meter, and no I don't have a circuit diagram but I think I could read one if I got one. Can anyone help with were I can get a diagram?
Any suggestions or help would be great.

Thank you again.
Old 04-24-2013, 07:39 PM
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Do you have access to All Data or know someone that does? IIRC you can go to www.alldatadiy.com and get temporary All Data access for one particular model. It might be worthwhile to get a short subscription if you think you might be doing some other work on your car. It's the same information that professionals get, but it's limited to one particular model of car.

Or it might be possible to call your local dealership and ask if they would make a copy of the turn signal circuit for you. I know that at my dealership we will make a copy for any customer that asks.

The turn signal switch itself is a common failure item, but they are fairly pricey so just tossing one at it could be an expensive gamble. Like I said, it could be several different things but if you can get a circuit diagram it's pretty straight forward diagnosis.

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