LIONHEAD

The last two days when I start the car for the first time there is static coming from the speakers (both times using keyless go). Try to turn off the radio or turn down the volume but nothing works. I would turn off the car and turn it back on and then it disappears for the rest of the day. Anyone had this problem and what did the dealer say was wrong? Bringing in the car Monday to have it checked out but would like to get some probable causes before I bring it in.


Thanks!

Legacy

If you do a search on this forum (W211) you will find several tales of woe on this topic. Audio gateway and/or flash software upgrade seem to be the favored solutions.

nyca

or the cold weather. when the car has a chance to run for a while after a dead cold start, does the static then go away?

LIONHEAD

Thanks Legacy for the info. Is the flash software something I advise the dealer to do or its something outside the dealers hands.

I'll do a search also per your advise.....Thanks!


nyca: Yup....the last two days when I start the car I would say it was around 15-20 degrees. The car is kept in the garage but it's still cold. It only happens in the dead cold. I would quickly turn off the engine and turn it back on and the static goes away (the car would run for maybe 15 sec so the engine is still cold) for the rest of the day (even when the car is sitting for awhile and the engine cools down the static isn't there until the next day).

nyca

don't turn off the car the next time, just try the radio right away and if you hear the static, turn the radio off. then drive the car and try the radio 5-10 minutes later and listen for the static. also, try engaging your heated seats right away after the cold start, does the seat LED flicker?

LIONHEAD

If I remember correctly...the first time (2 days ago) the radio was already on and when I tried to turn off the radio by pressing the power button nothing would happen...static was loud and couldn't turn it off. It was so loud I though I would blow the speakers so I turned off the car.

I would try the heated seats tomorrow morning and let you know if the LED flickers...thanks.

HELL ONA HARLEY

The problems with these Es are really starting to **** me off...
Since I've been a member here all I have read about is nothing but the crappy electronics on these vehicles. This problem L.H is having now with his new ride has been posted dozens of times. I was hoping they were isolated to the 03s, but now I see they still haven't got their **** together and the problems are still evident on the 04s.... I'm really begining to wonder about my order of an e500 and being a future mercedes owner... I don't feel anyone should be dealing with problems with a $60,000+ auto... And I mean ANY problems....
Lionhead... I hope you get to the bottom of your troubles soon and not to waste your valuable time in a mercedes waiting room.... Good luck bro and let us know what you find out....

LIONHEAD

I will keep you posted.....I see it more of a minor problem and has not detracted me from still enjoying the car. I agree with you that the amount we are paying, something minor shouldn't happen with just 500 miles on the odometer. I just feel sorry for those who have had bigger problems than just "static". Our '02 S500 (28K miles) is at the dealer right now for Service B and they found that the tranny is leaking. They have to replace two O-Rings. They gave us a C Wagon 4matic loaner (they usually give us a ML) which is actually kind of fun to drive around town.

Oslo

I have no problem with cold weather. Yesterday, it was -22 Celsisus (-7 F). Everything worked fine, no noise, either from radio, chassis, interiour, ect.

HELL ONA HARLEY

AHHH.... A glimmer of hope in a forum full of woes...

Eddie Knopp

I too have had no cold weather problems with the car. Lately it's been single digit or lower in the NY area. I will say that I drive the car regularly at least 60 miles per day. At home it's in an unheated garage (typically 15 in the AM), during the day the garage is heated but cool.

LIONHEAD

The temp was around 20-25 degrees this morning and the car started up with no static issues. I did push the heated seats button and it did not flicker but again there was no static. I bet it's going to be one of those things where its at the dealer and the car behaves and then I get my car back it starts back up again.

rdtjr

I have had both the software re-installed and the audio gateway replaced around the end of November. I was not convinced that the Logic 7 worked and the sound quality seemed variable - sometimes changed during a song.

Around January 1st I started to hear a little static again. Finally this week had a full blown incident again. Lost all audio and related controls for several minutes, threw off a temporary malfunction and left speaker dead until car restarted. Car was fully warmed up and certainly wasn't the coldest day of the season.

Wish this was the only issue I had with this car.

patrick

Maybe they put other software on it, but not the version that fixes the problem that you call "static", because that software version certainly was not available in the US yet and I think it still is not.

I have told all about it in another topic.

patrick

...and that should also fix the "shutting off/not responding"-problem.

alewifebp

This was my problem. But, surprisingly, during the past few days of being left overnight at near 0 F weather, in a garage that is probably about 15 F at best, it has not happened. It has only happened to me when it was around 20 F or so outside.

I had the same problem as you describe LH. Just drive for a while, so that should fix it. Or, pull fuse 6 in the trunk.

LIONHEAD

I'll try that if the trip to the dealer doesn't solve it...thanks for the heads up!

alewifebp

If these are truly cold weather issues, it will be very difficult for any dealer to diagnose, unless you can take it to a dealer in Alaska.

madde500

It has nothing to do with cold weather,

I posted a message awhile back and it was warm and sunny day. As soon as I turned the car on, it said, please wait for audio and then all static. I shut the car off and it continued, got out and locked the door. Opened it up and it still. I think it had to do with the lights, because they were on auto. When I shut those off, the static dissappeared.

psh1959

I can also vouch for the fact that it is not temperature related - at least in my case. I keep a daily trouble log in my car to keep track of the problems. In the last 43 days, I have experienced the "static/radio will not shut off" problem 19 times in a full range of temperatures (30'F to 80'F or -1'C to 27'C).

In the same time frame the NAV system has crashed 22 times (sometimes it happens with the radio static problem but not always).

The car is back in the shop now (3rd trip to the shop for this same type complaint). I'll post if they get it fixed this time.

The car is so well executed in so many areas and truly a pleasure to drive on the trouble free days. How did they manage to screw up the electronics so badly?

Insert one really frustrated smiley cartoon thingy here

2004 E320

Arnee

I have no problem with my E in cold weather here in SoCal, one night it went down to like 45 degC (freakin cold!) and the car was fine.

rksharma

I've had the car for about 6 weeks now. I had the static problem about 3 times in the last one week. Each time I turned the COMAND off and turned it back on and it solved the problem. The temps here in Atlanta had dropped to 30s. The problem has not annoyed me enough to take it to the dealership.

I'm not sure if software upgrade of any kind will help. I'm in the software business myself and I don't think we have softwares that behave differently based on the outside temperature. It's more likely that the electrical system somehow is affected by the drop in temps and that causes static.

patrick

For once and for all:
1. it has nothing to do with the cold, maybe just coincidence
2. it is not static
3. it can be solved by upgrading the AGW to a certain software version that is not in the US yet.

Just a little patience please.

pat a.

I have had this exact problem as a I have posted on the previous thread on this topic. My car has been in service for the last few days to address this problem. My dealer called a MB service hot line in Germany and was told that there was a software upgrade that is being released to address this exact issue, and the release state for the U.S. is January 30th.

I will be taking my car back to do that on that date, will advise on results.

patrick

This information is correct.
(Though there are ways to get the SW earlier, as I got it just before Christmas, and this week I received it "oficially")