where can I buy a seat occupancy sensor for my 2003 E320? my Srs light has been on for quite some time now and the place I got it diagnosed at said its the passenger airbag sensor

 

What an odd post. Have you considered a Mercedes Benz dealership as a source for your sensor?

 

yes but they want 358 dollars just for the part and almost 800 total for service

 

yes, Southern California

 

Unfortunately, Mercedes are not cheap to maintain and the occupant detection sensor is a dealer only item. An independent shop may be cheaper on the labor but they will still have to get the part through the dealer network.

The next question would be how accurate was the diagnosis? Was it just a "hook up a scan tool and read the code" or was it a real circuit diagnosis? Tossing a $358.00 part at a problem based exclusively on a quick scan, just hoping you got it right, could wind up costing a whole lot more. Most dealers will not accept returns on electrical parts so you could be stuck with a very expensive paper weight and still be looking at the same SRS light.

Too often people don't consider the high cost of maintaining their Mercedes when they purchase one. Dealership service and parts prices are quite high. Independents are sometimes cheaper but often times less well trained and more prone to misdiagnose. I probably repair 3 or 4 cars a week at my dealership that were just at an independent shop.

There is a reason dealer service is more expensive on average. Better equipment, expensive and mandatory factory training of technicians, and better warranty on the service performed.

The truth is, if you think you can afford to drive a Mercedes you should think you can cover the cost of repairs. Either that, or purchase a very good bumper to bumper extended service contract once your car is out of warranty.

 

Dealership prices are not justified as some claim. Seat occupant sensor is just plain electronic circuit board printed on piece of nylon.Here in Europe it costs about 180 € - way too much but that item is not available at aftermarket producers and can only by buyed at dealerships.Too often it breaks again in short time period - sensor is too fragile and overweight person on passenger seat can broke it just with some louder fart.Install at dealership is also too expensive.In my workshop (independant) we charge 50€ for the install job.There is another solution for seat ocupant sensor problem ( it is MB factory error because amost every second e class from '02 to 09 have it) - instalation of the "simulator". Simulator is electronic circuit packed in small plastic box and it installs below passenger seat.Airbag ECU reads it as (allways) occupied passenger seat and error is erased from system.It is cheap solution - cost of hardware and instalation is some 40-60€.BUT there is other side of medal - with simulator installed,airbag system is allways fully armed and with larger collision there will be passenger front and side airbag deployment with or without somebody using passenger seat so it can boost costs for repairing airbags...

 

Can't you get the same effect just by fastening the seat belt? That's what we've been doing for a year or more.

 

That makes no sense.Only thing you can acomplish with that action is shut off "fasten seat belt" warning...When seat ocupied sensor goes bad srs warning light come on instrument panel and cant be erased without proper diagnostic tool...

 

This.