I bought this car used, and so far I love it. It's got 214,000 miles on it and still runs great. No codes, no lights. It feels like it needs a motor mount replaced on the drivers side, but other than that I'm incredibly surprised with how great this vehicle is.
That being said... the 4 button key that came with the vehicle will no longer sync with the vehicle.
I've replaced the batteries, tried to resync it, taken it apart, soldered the battery ground back into the pcb... tried to resync and still nothing.

So I figured I'd call up mercedes and order a new key only to find that they are "on back order until an undetermined date". (Which means they are no longer in production).
This isn't a deal breaker to me as I can still order a buttonless key to start and run the car, but now I'm thinking of piggybacking off the original system with an aftermarket. Has anyone had any success with this?

 

M/B will never stop making keys. Call a different dealer.

Your problem is probably with the AAM.

 

Dear Jacob:

Thank you for reaching out to the Customer Assistance Center at Mercedes-Benz USA.

We're sorry to learn of the circumstances with your ML which have prompted your contact to our offices. We can confirm that the remote keyfob is unavailable for ordering however the valet (blade) key can still be ordered which which unlock and start the vehicle. At this time, we are working towards a resolution and recommend following up with your dealership's Parts Manager in the future for a status. As there isn't an accessory keyless entry system by Mercedes-Benz, there isn't an approved aftermarket product to recommend.

We appreciate your patience in the matter and wish you many miles of safe, pleasant driving.

Kind regards,

Olivia
Mercedes-Benz USA

 

Ovation, this is a complete surprise and is very hard to believe that M/B would leave owners without the possibility of buying a key that will arm the Anti-theft System.

The valet key will only manually open the driver's door and start the truck but there will be no Anti-theft System activation. This is still very hard to believe.

 

I was pretty taken back too. So was the dealership when they called me back.
Anyway, back to the "How do we fix this?"
Has anyone had any success with aftermarket one way alarm systems piggy backing off of the original security system?

 

New ones are coming January of 2017. I just tried to buy one for my ML55.

 

where can i find information on this? i would order a new key fob if available for my new to me 03 ml320

 

My dealer also states January of 2017. If you're desperate, they are still selling the valet key which will work in the mechanical locks and start the vehicle, but fobs are unavailable currently.

 

So if both of my keys die there is no replacement available?
I should stop pressing the button that releases mechanical key for fun.
I did that all the time lol

 

You can still have a basic valet made. It's just a metal key for the doors and ignition. I had one made so that I could have a spare emergency key. At least we are only 2 months away from getting keys again.

 

I joined the forum because like many my 1999 ML320 needs new key fobs. My dealer says they are no longer available. I checked with MBUSA and they said they are done. Here is my question. Didn't Mercedes have an advertisement where they claimed they will get you any part for any Mercedes Benz? Should we call the heritage center?

 

I spoke to Mercedes and they told me they will NEVER make key fobs for the old ML cars again. We can wait all we want it aint going to happen. If anyone heard differently please let me know. The dealer told me they discarded the programming machine for these keys.

 

Has the dealer confirmed that your fob is broken and not the aam?

You need to make sure the remote's battery connectors aren't bent and are making contact with the batteries. You can inspect and re-adjust them and try again.

Have you tried to re-program the key to the vehicle?
the sequence must be completed in 10 seconds

1. Insert the key into ignition and turn to position 2.
2. Remove the key, and quickly press the LOCK button, and hold it pressed while simultaneously pressing the UNLOCK button 5 times.
3. Now release the lock button, and press either the LOCK or UNLOCK button once.

If that doesn't work then try again by pressing unlock 10 times.

If that doesn't work then I would suggest that you order a new key case from eBay for a few dollars. Then carefully pry yours open(so as not to damage the internals since the case is not re-usable) and hope that something is unsoldered or visibly damaged and repairable. There are videos on prying the case open on youtube. Be careful not to lose the transponding chip - it is about the size of a grain of rice and is inside of the case, along with the circuit board for the key. If you lose that they you won't be able to start your car and drive it. I've read of many instances where one of the buttons has become unsoldered from the board and in that case it wouldn't be able to re-sync. Inspect the solder connections with a magnifying glass and repair any broken connections. If nothing appears to be damaged, then there may be water damage. Look for warps and discoloration or corrosion on the circuitry. There isn't much you can do with liquid damage, but you can try to clean the board. Running it through the dishwasher is probably the easiest way. Otherwise you can clean the board with a toothbrush and diluted alcohol, but I would reccommend submerging the board while you do so. Dry thoroughly with compressed air and/or or a hair dryer on low. Reassemble into the replacement casing and hope it works. Look for how-to videos before attempting.

This isn't your remote, but is worth a look -
From personal experience I would say that half of remotes are repairable.

There is a thread on here about swapping the integrated circuit from a different model key. It might be worth an attempt with these fobs. Sometimes the integrated circuit is good, but the oscillator, resistors micro-switches or other surface mount components go bad. So it is possible that you could buy a used fob from ebay and swap the integrated circuit from your fob onto the circuit board of the purchased fob. That is, if your integrated circuit is good, and the purchased fob is good. You need to salvage the little grain of rice size transponder pellet from your old fob and place it in your new fob.

https://mbworld.org/forums/audio-ele...-retrofit.html

The other option, and this now might be worth a permanent post, is one of these - http://unitedautosecurity.net/KEYLES...-P1305139.aspx

It hardwires into your center console door lock switches. You still need to salvage the little grain of rice size transponder pellet from your old fob.

 

Firstly does your ml have only an AAM or both AAM and EAM?

With EAM version. The AAM is a common failure of remotes not working. Check with star if the rf works. If so order a new AAM!

 

I can confirm that the keys will never be available. I emailed the head of Mercedes North America and received a call from the executive offices confirming that they are no longer available. It's not the keys themselves, it's the programming to make it work with your car.

That being said, I'm down to one key, and if it dies or I lose it, the solution is to buy two keys along with the ignition switch, door lock and computer as a set off eBay (for around $500) or from a junk yard (if you are lucky enough to find one with two keys) for much less.

 

My local Mercedes dealer told me German company that manufacturer the fob is no longer in business so will never be available again.

 

There are after market tools that can program New transponders for the ML. There is always a way to get it to work even if MB can't supply anymore

 

My Mercedes Benz dealer in Brooklyn NY told me they will never have this key fob again "why don't you just buy a new car?"
My car is mint with new tires and paint. I won't be buying another Benz at all if I can't get parts for this one.
The company that makes the fob did not go out of business. They just want to discourage people from keeping an old car.

 

What years of cars did they stop making the fob for?

MB ordered a key + Fob for my 06 W219 it was flashed and shipped, what we received was the newer looking (chrome) fob. I went out to the car to test it and it didn't work. Funny thing was that the manual key that goes into the fob worked on the car but wouldn't fit into the newer fob either. So I have multiple problems

Anyway they shipped a fob, it didn't work, hopefully we can figure it out.

 

Nicholas if u think mb just won't make keys so u can buy a new car then try another manufacturer, mercedes make parts for there cars way longer than most other manufacturers do.

 

Very true about the parts. But that electronic key is one of, if not, the most important part/component for that veh. Without one, your alarm system is history.

It's one of two things, M/B wanted a reduced price for the making of the key or Huf Manufacturing wanted more. Regardless, why didn't M/B take a little hit on the price so their customers can continue protecting their vehicles?

 

I agree yes, without a key the car is useless, but there are tools on the market. And it is possible to make a second hand key function with a bit of reverse engineering. So not all is lost

 

Is it possible to in stall an aftermarket remote start/alarm and bypass the AAM module?
If so what systems work best with our SUV's?

Steve

 

You need an emulator for the immo. Depending on your model the immo can be in the AAM or EAM. You disconnect the immo and emulate the signal to the engine ecu, engine immo data needs to be edited too, for emulator to sync, cannot be bypassed as such.Then just fit aftermarket alarm and remote to it.