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Keep an eye on that tranny definitely. I have an r500, it was our family car for a decade but once it hit the 100k mile mark the 1st one died, had it rebuilt and it died again. I was thinking of redoing it a 3rd time since i have twins that just hit driving age (actually brought them home from hospital when they were born in it), but after gutting the house 3x from the hurricanes here in Florida last season its more than i want to sink into it. I like what you did with the trim kit, got a carbon fiber niversal kit and a buddy at tint world and basically worked on it until it fit. The tailgate thing i know in the settings you can adjust the limiter and other stuff, one issue we had is that fuse box by the tailgate can get water in it if everything isnt sealed tight but it was an easy fix. Looks like you have about the same configuration as mine except mines the silver paint with gray interior. No clue how much itd cost to ship anything up there but if you strike out looking for any parts let me know. Im just going to part her out to other r500 ppl if anyone needs something. Everything is in pretty good shape and i even have most of the maintenance records since im particular with my vehicles. If i can help im happy to. And despite all its quirks, still think this was one of the best vehicles we owned and it did right by us for a decade. Hope you get as good or better results Heres a pic of our r500
How are the engine, transmission and axles on this car? What about suspension, steering and brakes? Any work done lately in those areas?
Overall good, I'm sure some stuff needs to be done
I'm trying to translate the last couple sheets they have from mechanic inspections in Japanese it's been .. hard
Might be due for spark plugs, transmission flush and the idler pulley might need some attention there's some groaning that's tied to acceleration but definitely not steering.
Overall good, I'm sure some stuff needs to be done
I'm trying to translate the last couple sheets they have from mechanic inspections in Japanese it's been .. hard
Might be due for spark plugs, transmission flush and the idler pulley might need some attention there's some groaning that's tied to acceleration but definitely not steering.
Check the harmonic balancer. Mine acted like that when going bad
Keep an eye on that tranny definitely. I have an r500, it was our family car for a decade but once it hit the 100k mile mark the 1st one died, had it rebuilt and it died again. I was thinking of redoing it a 3rd time since i have twins that just hit driving age (actually brought them home from hospital when they were born in it), but after gutting the house 3x from the hurricanes here in Florida last season its more than i want to sink into it. I like what you did with the trim kit, got a carbon fiber niversal kit and a buddy at tint world and basically worked on it until it fit. The tailgate thing i know in the settings you can adjust the limiter and other stuff, one issue we had is that fuse box by the tailgate can get water in it if everything isnt sealed tight but it was an easy fix. Looks like you have about the same configuration as mine except mines the silver paint with gray interior. No clue how much itd cost to ship anything up there but if you strike out looking for any parts let me know. Im just going to part her out to other r500 ppl if anyone needs something. Everything is in pretty good shape and i even have most of the maintenance records since im particular with my vehicles. If i can help im happy to. And despite all its quirks, still think this was one of the best vehicles we owned and it did right by us for a decade. Hope you get as good or better results Heres a pic of our r500
Nice mine actually only has about 70,000 miles on it and I drive like maybe 3-4,000 miles a year as my commute is minimal to work so i'll preemptively address stuff over the next year or two.
There's a bunch of random little trim buttons and things that are worn but my interior is the Caramel? Sahara?
If something mechanical breaks in the near future I"ll check in for part options
Gray interior? Like the really nice light gray? That's an option as I understand did not get checked much, there was one on auction that I missed out on before I got mine with the gray interior I would have loved that.
I have a hate on for black leather so anything but works for me.
Nice mine actually only has about 70,000 miles on it and I drive like maybe 3-4,000 miles a year as my commute is minimal to work so i'll preemptively address stuff over the next year or two.
There's a bunch of random little trim buttons and things that are worn but my interior is the Caramel? Sahara?
If something mechanical breaks in the near future I"ll check in for part options
Gray interior? Like the really nice light gray? That's an option as I understand did not get checked much, there was one on auction that I missed out on before I got mine with the gray interior I would have loved that.
I have a hate on for black leather so anything but works for me.
Forgive the selfie of us but 1st pic i came across in my gallery. Lol. I can take a new one when i get home but this should at least show you which gray we got. We drove that car from here in swfl up to Niagara Falls, it was so much better than my f150 on road trips. Oh the tranny, when you do the flush, i forget the part but its up near the torque converter or on top, think its something to do with ecm. Check with the guys here in the forum but if you can take care of that part it helps.
Replaced the mirrors with the facelift version over the weekend, the power folding actually works properly now. Sticks further out and is larger overall, should be a nice improvement for towing.
At 173k miles, mine badly needs the suspension done. Been waiting to see if the rear control arms would come back in stock but doesn't seem like they ever will. Might just have to bring it into a shop and see if they can source and replace the bushings. Probably needs a tune as well.
Replaced the mirrors with the facelift version over the weekend, the power folding actually works properly now. Sticks further out and is larger overall, should be a nice improvement for towing.
At 173k miles, mine badly needs the suspension done. Been waiting to see if the rear control arms would come back in stock but doesn't seem like they ever will. Might just have to bring it into a shop and see if they can source and replace the bushings. Probably needs a tune as well.
Got any pics of them? My wife and I were both realizing that the stock side mirrors are kind of small for the size of the car and not the best.
I figured there was an upgrade and hopefully one that auto-folded as mine don't, wasn't sure if it was by design or broken
Is there much to be done other than part swapping? Wiring hopefully is all there?
Before I go on camping trips in early July I need to sort out the mirrors, a decent roof rack that doesn't break the bank (Air Blades are so expensive) and possibly a hitch so I can add a bike rack or one of those cool flat shelves to tie down a couple plastic bins.
Do you have the button for mirror folding in the middle of the L/R mirror selection buttons? If so, you have the power folding option. If not, you don't and I'm not sure it can be retrofitted. My assumption is yes, it can, since the mirror plugs into a door control module that communicates to the rest of the car by CANBUS and you would just need to enable the option in Xentry. You would just need to get the mirrors with power folding (and whatever other options you have like memory position), and if needed, the appropriate window switch.
I got the left from Copart and right from Ebay, making sure it had the memory and power fold options. I was lucky enough to source mirrors that came from the facelift R350 but I think the facelift ML and GL would work as well.
For the hitch, I would recommend the OEM hitch since it is more robust and doesn't hang as low as the aftermarket options. Ebay/salvage yards would be your only source for OEM though. OEM also requires cutting into your bumper and getting a cover piece if you want to retain the original look, or getting a bumper with the cover cutout already.
Do you have a part number for the mirrors you found?
Mine does have the folding button so maybe the autofold is just broken or something
Hopefully new mirrors would fix that and being bigger is better
So I'm hopefully getting a new decoder box for the head unit this week. I'm assuming that would fix the problem but just in case it doesn't where I'm at now is ...
Stereo had no problems before the swap, CD player worked (never checked the CD changer) radio worked and everything was OK though sometimes it would sound crackly but it wasn't the speakers.
When I got the new stuff installed and where it sits right now I turn the car on and have to unplug/replug in the fiber connector sometimes once, sometimes several times before the sound starts working.
Once the car is turned off I have to repeat the step when I start it up again, every time.
There are also days where after unplug and replug several times the red light coming from the fiber cables goes dark until I restart the car.
I assumed it was just the connector being loose and a new one should hopefully be tighter?
Unless it sounds like there could be a problem with the incoming fiber optic signal?
Replaced the mirrors with the facelift version over the weekend, the power folding actually works properly now. Sticks further out and is larger overall, should be a nice improvement for towing.
At 173k miles, mine badly needs the suspension done. Been waiting to see if the rear control arms would come back in stock but doesn't seem like they ever will. Might just have to bring it into a shop and see if they can source and replace the bushings. Probably needs a tune as well.
im not able to pull it all off myself but like a month before we set ours aside we replaced the whole suspension, everything underneath plus new tires. Got a stent in my heart last week is why im kinda limited in what i can do for now. Not a fan of getting old, its not for wimps. 😆 heck if you or anyone has something reliable for a teenager to get back and forth to school here in Florida ill throw the whole vehicle (clean title and everything) plus whatever cash necessary on top.
Do you have a part number for the mirrors you found?
Mine does have the folding button so maybe the autofold is just broken or something
Hopefully new mirrors would fix that and being bigger is better
So I'm hopefully getting a new decoder box for the head unit this week. I'm assuming that would fix the problem but just in case it doesn't where I'm at now is ...
Stereo had no problems before the swap, CD player worked (never checked the CD changer) radio worked and everything was OK though sometimes it would sound crackly but it wasn't the speakers.
When I got the new stuff installed and where it sits right now I turn the car on and have to unplug/replug in the fiber connector sometimes once, sometimes several times before the sound starts working.
Once the car is turned off I have to repeat the step when I start it up again, every time.
There are also days where after unplug and replug several times the red light coming from the fiber cables goes dark until I restart the car.
I assumed it was just the connector being loose and a new one should hopefully be tighter?
Unless it sounds like there could be a problem with the incoming fiber optic signal?
The part number in the listing points to just the mirror cover. I have to pull the door panels off this week to fix a lock and run wires for the 360 cameras so I'll see if there are any other part numbers I can pull.
If the decoder box isn't emitting light then there probably is a problem with either the decoder box or the power.
Originally Posted by DAVID LAWSON
im not able to pull it all off myself but like a month before we set ours aside we replaced the whole suspension, everything underneath plus new tires. Got a stent in my heart last week is why im kinda limited in what i can do for now. Not a fan of getting old, its not for wimps. 😆 heck if you or anyone has something reliable for a teenager to get back and forth to school here in Florida ill throw the whole vehicle (clean title and everything) plus whatever cash necessary on top.
That would be great but I'm on the opposite side of the US unfortunately.
Cheap and reliable, I would suggest looking for a 2001+ W210 E series with few options, or really any Mercedes with the M112 or M113 engine and none of the fancy Airmatic stuff that makes maintenance expensive. We had a 2001 E320 that we sold to a friend that has a little over 220k miles now. Just regular maintenance, no fancy electronics to fail. Crank sensor failed but that was a cheap and easy replacement. Tensioner failed, also an easy replacement. Otherwise, Toyotas and Hondas, but IMO the safety features of Japanese cars in the early 2000s can't match up to German cars.
The part number in the listing points to just the mirror cover. I have to pull the door panels off this week to fix a lock and run wires for the 360 cameras so I'll see if there are any other part numbers I can pull.
If the decoder box isn't emitting light then there probably is a problem with either the decoder box or the power.
That would be great but I'm on the opposite side of the US unfortunately.
Cheap and reliable, I would suggest looking for a 2001+ W210 E series with few options, or really any Mercedes with the M112 or M113 engine and none of the fancy Airmatic stuff that makes maintenance expensive. We had a 2001 E320 that we sold to a friend that has a little over 220k miles now. Just regular maintenance, no fancy electronics to fail. Crank sensor failed but that was a cheap and easy replacement. Tensioner failed, also an easy replacement. Otherwise, Toyotas and Hondas, but IMO the safety features of Japanese cars in the early 2000s can't match up to German cars.
Thank you for the recommendations, something like one of those would be perfect, ill keep an eye out. Too bad so far away. I know getting r500 parts is a pain. If you strike out looking, from florida to California is around 1k to ship a vehicle. Id rather it go to someone who can can appreciate and use it. And the more my kids drive, the less i think they need something with that much horsepower! 😆 thanks again for the recommendations ill keep an eye out.
Thank you for the recommendations, something like one of those would be perfect, ill keep an eye out. Too bad so far away. I know getting r500 parts is a pain. If you strike out looking, from florida to California is around 1k to ship a vehicle. Id rather it go to someone who can can appreciate and use it. And the more my kids drive, the less i think they need something with that much horsepower! 😆 thanks again for the recommendations ill keep an eye out.
How much did it cost you to do the suspension by chance? Just getting a rough idea so that I know what is and isn't a reasonable cost.
Might come into possession of a 97 or 98 C230 or C240 soon. Wonder if there are discounts for something roundtrip.
The part number in the listing points to just the mirror cover. I have to pull the door panels off this week to fix a lock and run wires for the 360 cameras so I'll see if there are any other part numbers I can pull.
If the decoder box isn't emitting light then there probably is a problem with either the decoder box or the power.
Well the decoder box light seems to be on but since it's a receiver that just means there's power I assume.
It's the fiber cable ends from the car that when I pull it out blinks once or twice then stays solid but after several attempts the fiber signal stops being sent though I assume that's not necessarily wrong just a system thing since it can't link the signal to anything after a certain amount of time it times out or something,
Restart the car and it will start sending the fiber signal again.
Is the brains for the system under the passenger seat? I looked but I didn't see any fiber cables going in (unless they enter from the backside I only checked under the seat from the front.
If a new decoder has the same problem I'll have some checking to do and want to get ahead of things mentally Though I do think the connector clip that came with the decoder seems loose, once plugged in to the box you can wiggle it side to side a bit.
I've been lucky and haven't had any issues with my setup. Haven't had to dig into it so can't say for sure what is causing your problems.
Anyways, lefthand mirror part number is 2518102519. Right side was too worn down to get numbers. Best bet would be to verify one side and get the other side off the same car. Reading the product description would also help in case they list wrong part numbers (power fold, memory, no blind spot assist). The 251 prefix implies the part is unique to the R class and is not cross compatible with 164 parts, though internals like motors and mirrors are likely the same.
Getting the 360 cameras set up now and that's a bit of an experience. Mercedes uses door plugs for the electrical connections. Luckily, the plugs have plenty of empty positions and I was able to get matching terminals. Splicing the wiring, running the wires through the rubber, soldering the wires onto the terminals (too small for crimping), putting the terminals in the plugs, and it all buttons up looking like OE.
Well unfortunately I got the new decoder box and wired it up again with no luck.
The connector is much more firmly seated this time which means that clearly has nothing to do with it...
The company did include a fiber loop checker thing for troubleshooting which was very nice. I just need to know where to look to do that
Currently the problem is the same as it was before. Turn on the car and there's no sound, the android head unit works as far as Google maps and all the other stuff just doesn't output any sound.
If i remove the fiber connection, wait a sec until the light blinks then re-insert it will start working eventually but I sometimes have to re-plug it in like 5-6 times which is annoying as hell.
I thought the HK unit was under the passenger front seat but while there's something there I don't see any fiber connections I can take out to test.
Where should I start exactly? I guess something in the loop is not working intermittently with the head unit but everything was fine before I swapped the old radio.
I wonder if somehow the 6-CD changer is involved? I don't know why but I want to remove that from the glove box anyway for more storage space.
I've tried searching troubleshooting on the forums and online and can't seem to find a diagram of the system or anything.
Once this is done with next up is side mirrors since it seems like the auto-dip on reverse doesn't work. I tried setting the angle while in reverse but it just stays down and I just have to manually put them back up again. Unsure if I'm doing the process correctly or not but ?
The HK unit is under the driver seat, not the passenger seat. Passenger seat is the batteries, a fusebox, and the front SAM I believe.
It seems like there is a partial break in the fiber optic loop somewhere, I don't know enough about the system though to say how. There's at least 3 potential culprits- the CD changer, the bluetooth/telephone module (if equipped, this would be in the center console), and the HK unit itself.
On my car, I have to leave the passenger mirror as the last selected mirror in order for the auto-dip to work. It doesn't work if the driver mirror was the last selected mirror, and only works on the passenger side.
Haha yeah there's something under the passenger seat but definitely didn't look right. Never checked drivers side.
At this point I'm going to just try anything but it doesn't make sense if there's a break in the loop then it just wouldn't work, not intermittent? There's a Tel option in the steering menu and there's an old style phone cord that might be stock coming in to the top half of the console.
Just read how to remove the CD changer that's easy at least. I'll try and isolate one thing at a time at the HK unit under the seat if I can first.
Tried the mirrors again with no luck. Both sides move and tip down and fold manually just fine but any automatic stuff nothing. I wonder if there is a fuse that's out somewhere...
Well unfortunately I got the new decoder box and wired it up again with no luck.
The connector is much more firmly seated this time which means that clearly has nothing to do with it...
The company did include a fiber loop checker thing for troubleshooting which was very nice. I just need to know where to look to do that
Currently the problem is the same as it was before. Turn on the car and there's no sound, the android head unit works as far as Google maps and all the other stuff just doesn't output any sound.
If i remove the fiber connection, wait a sec until the light blinks then re-insert it will start working eventually but I sometimes have to re-plug it in like 5-6 times which is annoying as hell.
I thought the HK unit was under the passenger front seat but while there's something there I don't see any fiber connections I can take out to test.
Where should I start exactly? I guess something in the loop is not working intermittently with the head unit but everything was fine before I swapped the old radio.
I wonder if somehow the 6-CD changer is involved? I don't know why but I want to remove that from the glove box anyway for more storage space.
I've tried searching troubleshooting on the forums and online and can't seem to find a diagram of the system or anything.
Once this is done with next up is side mirrors since it seems like the auto-dip on reverse doesn't work. I tried setting the angle while in reverse but it just stays down and I just have to manually put them back up again. Unsure if I'm doing the process correctly or not but ?
Is there any benefit for getting the online option for WIS? Seems costly.
There's on for $20 on eBay that's titled : For Mercedes WIS/ASRA & EPC Service Repair Workshop Manual Guide (software)
Looks like that should be what I'm looking for?
That's more for fault codes and errors but definitely will need that at some point in the future. Eventually my kids will both reliably sleep through the night and I'll have free time/energy
The drives with Xentry pre-installed are also a ripoff as there are resources available online to download the Xentry software yourself and install onto your own laptop- I did this and installed it on an old laptop that I never connect to the internet, it just does Xentry only and that's it. There's a former vendor on here that can also remote into your laptop and install Xentry software which was cheaper than buying the hard drives IIRC. I did not go this route as I was able to figure it out on my own.
The drives with Xentry pre-installed are also a ripoff as there are resources available online to download the Xentry software yourself and install onto your own laptop- I did this and installed it on an old laptop that I never connect to the internet, it just does Xentry only and that's it. There's a former vendor on here that can also remote into your laptop and install Xentry software which was cheaper than buying the hard drives IIRC. I did not go this route as I was able to figure it out on my own.
I'm pretty savvy and I have a couple spare laptops around if there's some software I can install or run from a CD then I also have an ODBII to CAT5 patch cable I built.
For now I'll stick to the wiring and specs info, only error code I have now is for the lights but no biggie for now.
Though I looked under the driver seat and there's one or two units under there but again no fiber cables visible.
Should it be a bunch of In/Out cable sets or are all the fiber units daisy chained?
I'm almost certain you'll need the SD Connect or Autel unit in order to interface with the Mercedes; just an OBDII to CAT5 cable won't work. The website that I got the info from is blocked on MBWorld but I'm sure you can find it with a bit of googling. Starts with MHH.
Well I ordered a USB version of WIS/ETC which somehow will take longer to ship here than roof rack bars from Texas...
In the meantime are the fiber connections in the unit under the front seat hiding on the backside?
Snapped a pic and no fiber cables can be seen...
Also is the subwoofer connected in the fiber loop at all?
Tsumi mentioned phone, changer, HK unit? Don't have TV screens or anything else I can think of other than the Subwoofer which I can also not see any fiber connections.
The HK unit is underneath the floor. You'll have to pull back the carpet, just like you would have to do to get to the battery on the passenger side. Yes, you will need to remove the chair, especially if you want to avoid cutting the carpet. What you're taking a picture of there is the chair control modules.
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