When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I just recently sold my W210 E55 and replaced it with a W211 E55... I got a screaming deal on a 2003 model, which I was a little weary of until I checked and saw that my car was a late 2003 build (4/2003), so I figured most of the bugs have been worked out...
I've only had the car for about 300 miles (picked it up Saturday), and while taking it on its first 'long' trip today, my rear vents started blowing 100+ degree air, but my front is blowing ice cold as it should. Adjusting the levels on the temperature for the rear had no effect at all.
A little later on, I got a "Check Coolant" warning message from the computer. The car didn't overheat, or seem to be running any warmer than it should, but in doing my research on this issue, the Changeover valve came up, and I'm thinking that's the issue...
My coolant warning however - is there a chance that it could be related?
It would bring me some peace of mind if it could be the source of my headache... I ran the car idling in the driveway for some time, and nothing appeared to be leaking, though there was a *TON* of water dripping, from, I assume, the aircon unit. Left a good sized puddle... but I think that's normal. I haven't had the car long enough to really gauge it yet.
Having 4-zone climatronic you can do AC troubleshooting just like the ole' W210 would allow.
"Check coolant" message means the coolant is just low. There is long way from low coolant to overheating.
Deal with the issue one of the time, or you will get big headache.
Congratulations on new purchase.
How does your SBC count looks ?
SBC count... erm. I don't even know where to begin on that. I'm Googling it. While I'm going to sound like an idiot here because I'm sure this question has been asked 2.7 million times - is there an easy way to reset it? Point me to a link on a DIY on this?
Thank you..
Last edited by PaloAltoVC; 08-09-2016 at 02:02 AM.
You will find DIY for SBC pump replacement, but at nearest occasion have the count read, what will allow you to plan on spending $1000 for DIY maintenance, or $2500 at dealer.
Than take advantage of climatronic allowing you reading AC sensors without scanner and check the refrigerant level to start.
We do have Palo Alto city in Bay Area. Is that where you are?
Actually, I need to update my location... I was living in Palo Alto when I first registered back in 2012, but these days I'm in Southern California - near Pasadena.
So, I got the car into the mechanic today. This morning, I got a Check Engine light shortly after startup, on the way to the mechanic. Turns out the coolant loss was related to the fact that my radiator is leaking. They put in nearly a gallon to top it off again.
The Check Engine light appears to be the code for the Secondary Air Pump, however they tested the pump as working. So it's either a valve, or a vacuum leak...
The Heat Exchanger/Changeover Control Valve was confirmed as the fault in the A/C...
And since the car nearly catastrophically blew up within the first 100 miles of my ownership of it, I really let the dealer have it. They're replacing all the parts at a Mercedes specialist at their cost...
And this stuff taken care of? I have a solid car, or so says MY mechanic, who did the inspection and generated that rough quote above. I expect the final damage for everything to come to around $3600 or so..
Unfortunately your sample confirms old forum wisdom
"There is not much more expensive than cheap Mercedes"
Good news is that after fixing those things you will have nice car with no need for bigger expenses for some time.
That is assuming SBC pump was already replaced. ...
Unfortunately your sample confirms old forum wisdom
"There is not much more expensive than cheap Mercedes"
Good news is that after fixing those things you will have nice car with no need for bigger expenses for some time.
That is assuming SBC pump was already replaced. ...
It most certainly does. I went into this car (this being my third E55, my first W211), and did expect some problems, but certainly did not expect this much, this quickly. I had the car for all of 50 miles before everything exploded.
What really surprises me is that a dealer sold the car in this condition - a car that can't even pass CA smog/emissions standards. All the quick appearance of the Check Engine light tells me is that all he did was reset the codes. Even though I only paid $8,000 (plus tax) for the car, I expected at least 1,000 miles before it all went BOOM!...
So yes, the $8,000 E55 is really a $12,000 E55... fortunately I'm not on the hook when it comes to the repairs. The dealer, while not choosing to pay my mechanic directly, has given me directions to his Mercedes specialist shop (which is well reviewed), and has offered to fix everything at 100% his cost, so, I am lucky. Had this all happened in a week and 500 miles later, I would have been on the hook for a large chunk of the cost - as he included a 1 month, 1,000 mile warranty at 50% parts and 50% labor coverage.
And, while hooked up to the STAR diagnostics with my shop today, I was able to confirm the car's SBC was replaced already. :-) So, while I'm happy with how this turned out - let this story serve as a warning to anyone pulling the trigger on the cheapest car you can find...
The dealer went ahead and fixed everything except the changeover valve, and I have an appointment to have that replaced tomorrow... but, about an hour ago, the AC system failed completely. Here's what it's doing:
Summary for those who don't watch the video: AC OFF light is illuminated in the digital display. Press the AC OFF/Rest button, the light blinks for several seconds, and then reverts to staying ON, indicating the AC compressor is off.
I put it into diagnostic mode, and the pressure (on page 07) reads as 08... is that correct?
8 bars static pressure (engine off) is high.
8 bars when AC should blast cold air is low.
Blinking light is seldom a good sign.
I could not find secret menu that would allow to display error codes on this climatronic, so SD is next tool to use.
Good luck with the dealer.
8 bars static pressure (engine off) is high.
8 bars when AC should blast cold air is low.
Blinking light is seldom a good sign.
I could not find secret menu that would allow to display error codes on this climatronic, so SD is next tool to use.
Good luck with the dealer.
Well, 08 is low pressure... the engine was running. I think we have our solution. Recharge it.
The mechanic tomorrow will diagnose it for sure, but if it's just a recharge and the changeover valve, I'll consider myself lucky.
08-09-2016, 12:51 AM
