kirkgrau

2006 E350 4Matic, ~200,000 miles - Owned since February without any real issues. Took it out this weekend and had 2 warnings come up on the cluster. ESP - Visit Workshop and Reduced braking Depress pedal to floor (paraphrases, second message was in red). Tried the brakes and had no brakes at all. Turned around to come home and noticed that car was in a mode that limited it to 2nd gear (maybe third, presumably to keep speed down). Got to the driveway, coasted to a stop, and turned it off and then started again. Did not have any messages. Haven't driven it since, don't really want to not have brakes at some critical time. I see the sticky thread about the brake switch and might replace that since it is cheap and easy, but symptoms don't seem to quite match up. Wondering how to go about diagnosing this.

Any thoughts and/or suggestions?

TIA,
Kirk

bbirdwell

Put it on a diagnostic system. This is your life and the lives of anyone in your car. SBC is fantastic when it works as designed but you run the risk of injury or death when it fails. You can replace it yourself if you are mechanically competent but expect to spend ~$1000. Might be as simple as a bad accumulator or ground strap, could be a major system failure. Don't try to save money on this one.

LexBrett2

YIKES,
Definitely get your car scanned.
It could be something simple or something very complex.
How many miles are on your car??

Shack1

200,000k stated in the OP

LexBrett2

Oh, sorry, I missed the mileage on your initial post.
If it were my car, I would change the brake switch.
I even keep an extra switch in my car just in case.
Def get your car scanned and please let us know.
Good luck!

kirkgrau

Took the car into the dealer to get scanned. They say it is the SBC pump and that requires the replacement of the whole unit. Found a good write up on replacement procedure so probably going to do it myself. Any hints to ensure success?

Kirk

Shack1

[QUOTE=kirkgrau;7319863]Took the car into the dealer to get scanned. They say it is the SBC pump and that requires the replacement of the whole unit. Found a good write up on replacement procedure so probably going to do it myself. Any hints to ensure success?

Kirk[/QUOTE
What did they charge?

LexBrett2

Hey Kirk,
Did you notice that the SBC install requires reprogramming from Mercedes STAR/XENTRY?? The diy seems doable, except most people don't have access to this very expensive equipment. Thoughts??

cetialpha5

Either pick up a knock off Star system and sell it afterwards, or just DIY it and then take it to the dealer afterwards to just have them code it. Should be cheaper than having them do the whole job.

kirkgrau

I saw the part about needing the diagnostic equipment...

Eeuroparts.com has a system dedicated to brakes that can be rented for about 25 USD.

nivram13

Replacement SBC units do not require any coding or programming just ensure you get the correct SBC unit that matches your VIN, you will however need STAR to complete the brake bleeding process and SBC deactivation.

BryanW203

Has anyone used Module Master to repair the SBC unit. My 06 E500 wagon has the lovely a7/3n1 internal fault. I have a clone Star system.

Shack1

So an indy shop should be able to this repair?

How many miles?

Shack1

Looked on their site and could not find it?

BryanW203

217k had flawless dealer history till 200k. No SBC replacement on VMI. I have pretty much the same issues as the OP. I installed a new stop switch, got a new battery since mine was on its way out, and even tossed in a used ESP module, found the exact one for $80 shipped. Still have the dreaded red brake warning.

Shack1

That sucks I’m only at 45k miles but already have the balance shaft issue.

kirkgrau

Here is a link to the brake tool
https://m.eeuroparts.com/Parts/79472/Electronic-Brake-Service-Tool-EPB-SBC-EP21RENT/