So I got my "new" SAM in the mail yesterday. I put it in this morning and am at least not met with the car trying to call SOS as soon as the battery is hooked up. The rear hatch is still not working properly. When I try to have the the car open it (button on the FOB or switch on the driver door) it will beep and not unlatch and just make a small movement. The light is on the driver's door switch. If I manually unlatch it and try to tell it to open it will raise up. At no point can I get it to close itself. The weird part is even though the light on the switch is on, if I go to drive, it doesn't tell me that a door is open. I'm also now getting the message that the 3rd brake light is out as well as the left and right license plate lights. However, the left license plate light is on. Is this something that sounds like a programming issue? Also, if I lock my car the blinkers flash 3 times (indicating that a door is not open) and unlocks normally with 1 flash. I'm making an appointment to bring my car in as I don't know what steps to take next. Anyone have any ideas for something to look at over the weekend that might help me resolve this? I don't have an OBD II scanner that will pull specific codes for this car. I only have a cheap generic one but could hook it up if it is advised. Wish I had a better outcome and could suggest using the seller I found my SAM from but don't want to give him any advertising as it hasn't resolved my issue fully. I am glad that I don't have the car trying to connect to SOS endlessly but would have expected full results if these are indeed issues from the SAM.

 

You must read the codes in the new SAM and if there are any, they must be deleted.

 

Also, check it for damage. If it's a used item? It may well have sustained water damage.

 

Exactly Tex, and more thinking says the seller did not program the SAM.

 

I'm also thinking it wasn't programmed. I've made an appointment to take it in on Monday to local shop here. When I called the owner said he didn't like using used SAM's but that's what I found so we'll see. I did open it up before installing it to make sure there was no water damage. Oddly enough, today when I went to move my car it wouldn't start. The remote is working but the car won't start, not even a crank. The clock is running like it's being reset after the battery gets hooked back up and the radio turns on but that's it. I'm not sure if somehow this new SAM is draining the battery once the car is off? The message that said something along the lines of "drive car to shop without switching gears" popped up even though the car didn't start. I've never seen that. I'll try using a jump box to start it later today to see if that was the problem but now I need to figure out how to even get it to the mechanic on Monday. If jumping it doesn't work I'll put the old SAM back in and hopefully just take it straight over come Monday listening to the Verizon message.

 

Put it on a charger on it, jump starting should be avoided at all costs!

 

Even from a jumper box? Thanks, I didn't know that. I'll use a standard charger then. Can you charge the battery through the jumper ports under the hood or do I have to go through pulling it out so I can reach the positive terminal? I have the negative exposed so that I can disconnect it when changing the SAM but getting to the positive terminal seems like a PITA. Beyond frustrated with this and also not happy I have to wait until Monday to try and further resolve the issue lol. Going to be a bit grumpy this weekend. If I can get it started I'll be happy to be able to just have the shop deal with the frustrations and hand me a bill at this point.

 

It's fine to use the posts for a charger. I have a battery tender connected all the time mine's parked.

 

Wow. This just got one step worse. I put the car on a charger today. Upon hooking it up it showed 10.8 Volts. Took a while to charge so I left it all day. Tonight I went out and the charger showed 100%. I unplugged the charger closed the hood and tried to start it. I figured I'd park it at the end of the driveway in Neutral with the parking brake that way if it didn't start tomorrow morning I could call a tow truck and it would at least be easy to load. As soon as I tried to start it the dash info display was very dim and it I just heard a clicking noise that sounded like it was coming from the rear and a static noise coming from the center front speaker. The info display wouldn't even light up showing the gear shift info so I couldn't even put it in neutral in it's spot without starting it. I turned the key off and took it out and opened the drivers' door to see if I could at least try again without starting it and get it to neutral. The steering wheel was then locked and it wouldn't let me turn the key at all. I hooked the battery charger back up and now it showed only 8.7 volts after charging all day. My start attempt didn't even yield a single crank so I don't know what killed the battery. I took the negative off and then put it back on and tried again to put they key to ACC position without starting to see if I could at least get neutral. I did this while the charger was connected directly so that it would have some power. I again heard the clicking and the above SOS light was flashing and I got the verizon message again.

I understand that the aux battery should at least allow me to change gears in case of main battery failure but that's not working either. What is the process to get the car in neutral so I can have it towed to the shop? What are the chances that both the aux and main battery went out at the same time? I believe the main battery is 2-3 years old and while I'd be fine with it being dead already it seems very strange that this just occurred. After trying the other "new" SAM the other day, the car started just fine that first time then, the next day is when the starting became an issue. Could that SAM have drained the system completely and somehow ruined the battery? Should I try purchasing a new main and aux battery? Would the aux battery be charged from my battery charger hooked up to the jumper ports under the hood? Is there a way for me to try charging that if the SAM did drain both completely and then be able to shift to neutral?

Just to summarize current state: Car will not start. Battery seems shot. Original SAM is hooked up. I appreciate any advice that could help me actually make my appointment tomorrow at the shop. I guess separate question; anyone know of a way of loading the car onto a tow truck if it won't shift from park? Since it's all wheel drive, I'm assuming that in park all four wheels are essentially locked? Anyone want to buy a really well kept (exterior and interior) 07 320CDI for way more than it's current value would probably ask lol. In any case, thanks in advance for the help and thanks for the help so far.

 

Oh what a nightmare, start off with a clear picture on the batteries by replacing them both. I don't know which charger you've used but some of the "smart" ones, really aren't!

They can charge 6v and 12v batteries. If they are faced with a 12v battery with a dead cell then they assume it's a 6v and charge it as such. I suspect that's what happened, maybe!

One of the first things I did, after getting my car, was to replace both batteries with genuine MB ones. They were surprisingly affordable compared to aftermarket ones.

 

I did use a "smart" battery charger as far as it having an automatic cut off and such but I select the type of battery and charge that I want. I charged it at 12 amps and 12V AGM as I believe that is what is in the car. I'll look at new batteries and see if that will allow me to start or at least shift to neutral. Any idea if the SAM replacement could have caused this though?

Also, I can't even get the seats to move anymore. Is there a way to manually move the passenger seat forward and backwards so that I can pull the battery? I want to be able to move it back so I could pull the carpet forward and have more space to get the battery then move it back forward so that I could actually remove the batteries.

 

Won't the seat move with the charger connected to the posts?

 

I would assume so but have not tried. I was hoping to avoid having the car call the SOS line again if I could.

 

Can't you pull a fuse out for that?

 

That's a good question. I don't know which fuse that would be. I just dropped my other car off at the shop for an alignment and picked up a new aux battery. Will get another main one for the car and do the swap in a bit. I will try the charger and just disconnect the battery again once I move the seat twice if it works. If anyone knows which fuse to pull so that the SOS system doesn't call in the meantime that would be helpful!

*Looking at a diagram I found on another post here but for a 2009, it looks like fuse number 36 in the fuse box above the rear SAM is for teleaid. 1. Is that correct. 2. Is pulling that going to disable the SOS calls?

 

So weird. I hooked my charger up and could not move the seats with it giving power. I figured the seat was all the way forward so I should at least be able to get it out even if that meant holding the carpet up. I got the battery out and will go get a new one now. My aux battery showed 12.7 volts though, so I find it strange that it would not allow me to shift to neutral. I don't know if it's because the main battery was shot if it somehow had the equivalent of a short in the system not allowing it. But I'm concerned the batteries aren't going to fix the issue because the aux battery seemed fine. I don't want to go through the hassle of putting in a new main and not aux so I'll just replace both and pray that it starts or at the least I can get it to neutral and get it towed in for some real help. If anyone has any input I'd be more than grateful. About my entry a few posts back...taking all offers on the ML at this point.

 

Physically check every fuse, get your multi meter probes across the contacts on each one.

 

The battery would need to be hooked up in order to look for anything going through correct? Or you mean pull the fuse out and just make sure some current can pass through to ensure they are in working order? Either way, I just got home with new AGM battery and will inspect fuses then install new aux and new main battery. I ordered a multi meter as I don't have one here and expect it to be here either tomorrow or the next day. If I'm lucky enough to get the car to start I'm going straight to the shop and leave it idling while I check in so they can put it where they want. Thanks for the help so far!

 

When you get a meter, put it in continuity mode and probe across the two visible spots atop of each fuse. The meter will beep if the fuse is good. No need for any battery.

 

Ted, thank you. I ordered a multi meter as I said today so I'll have it for future needs. Before putting both new batteries in, I visually looked at all the fuses. Everything looked good to me so I installed the batteries and the car started right up. Same issues with rear 3rd brake light, calling SOS, rear hatch, and also the license plate lights but at least it started. I immediately drove it to the shop and left it in neutral and put on the parking brake while I checked in. Left them the new to me SAM and all the info I could give. I'll update this post once they are able to resolve the issues. Thanks for the help everyone and I hope this thread isn't useful to anyone in the future (because you don't have the problem, not in a selfish manner!) once I get it back from the shop.

 

Oh well fingers crossed for some good luck!

 

Well I'm glad to report that this is resolved. Hopefully for good! I had my car in at the shop and they ordered a new rear SAM from MB. It was $484 (although looking at the part number I can see other new ones on ebay for a little less - just above $450 so I'm not mad at a small mark up) for the new SAM and they charged me 350 for labor to install and program it. I wish that ordering the one I did from ebay would have worked plug-n-play as it would have been cheaper but this route wasn't really what I was expecting having talked to the stealership about it the first time I had a problem. I believe that time I was quoted something like $1800 for new rear SAM and installation and that did not even include the new gaskets. All in with taxes this was just over $880. My car drove home without calling SOS and the rear door is working as it should. One thing I did notice is that the new SAM has a different part number than the one I ordered from ebay (which was different than the one I pulled out of my car...) it was 164-900-5401-80. Not that I'm planning on poking around or playing with it anymore, but Major, any idea why that would be the one the shop ordered when the system you use said to order 164-540-22-01? Either that or I misread the screen which is entirely possible. I'm very grateful for everyone's help and if you find yourself going through this I would just suggest finding a good independent shop and having them deal with it unless you are able to program the new unit yourself.

 

That 164 900 # is a valid part # but I have no idea why it was substituted.

 

Fair enough. Thanks again for your help, much appreciated. I'm going to attempt to re-wash and wax the car today and double check to make sure it's dry in there. Figure I'll put a dry towel in just to make sure I'm not fully crazy and confirm it's still dry after.

 

Did you replace both tail light gaskets?