loganmia

Good morning to all, this is my first post. I have a 2002 S500 and the cluster went out on me i had it repaired, installed it and its still not working. I took it out and connect it to another car and it worked fine. The guys that repaired it said i had a power surge and burnt some stuff in there, I checked all the fuses and its good. The guy told me to check the rear SAM module. Can anyone point me in the right direction any help would be appricated. thank you

Vabene7

Maybe someone else could back me up on this info, but I though all S class Mercedes between 01 and 06 were covered by a Mercedes to fix many instrument cluster failures. Meaning.......... even if you didn't have a warranty, they would still fix it because of known problems with the cluster.
This information came directly from an MB Service Assistant that knows his stuff.

Jud Chapin

This is correct, although it covers both the S and CL models from '00 thru '06. This warranty extends the original to 10 years and unlimited mileage. I just had my '02 CL cluster last year under this warranty. It sounds like the thread originator was not advised by MB so I think it would prudent for all MB owners to be sure MB knows that he/she owns their car so that they can be advised of all such information. I would think a call to 1-800-for-merc would take care of this. If it were me, I would take the car to the stealer and just say the cluster was out and not advise them of any work done on it.

tusabes

do this. just take it to mb they should fix it correctly for free

gn 1987

i got mines fix for free

loganmia

Thanks guys i did go to the dealer in south miami and the guy was telling me it will cost $90.OO an hour to check if the car qualifies for the recall and a bunch of BS so i go it fixed. Now remember the cluster is working but not in my car will they charge me to fix the problem that's causing the cluster not to work.

tusabes

no they only fix the cluster. If something else is wrong, its not covered

Jud Chapin

If you are 100% positive that the cluster is okay, they obviously won't repair something else for free if you have no warranty. However, I don't care for the dealers tone regarding $90/hr.
I live in West Palm and find the same attitude with the dealer here. FWIW, I've found that the dealer in Ft. Pierce, about an hour from me, gives much better and friendlier service. In fact they will meet all prices on service work, including indy's. For an example of pricing, WP dealer wanted $550 to change my tranny fluid while the FP dealer wanted $300.
Regarding the cluster, a few months ago mine went black in my '02 CL so I called my sev. rep. in FP and after checking to be sure he had the cluster in stock, said bring it up and they'd take care of it. (Keep in mind he knows I have no extended warranty). He added it happens all the time. I took it in and a half hour later the car was done. In fact, I watched the tech do it, they had no problem with me in the shop, and there was never any mention of it being something else or any testing charge. I realize that this would be quite a drive for you but something you may want to keep in the back of your mind for future service work. Good luck with your problem.

loganmia

Thanks Jud, I did get the cluster fixed bit it's not working in my car so therefore I have another problem. What I want to know is what else controls the cluster and all the fuses are good. I'm thinking of checking the rear sam unit

Supergenius40

Its my turn I guess. Took a road trip Tuesday and I watch the slow death of my Instrument Cluster while driving. Called Dealer and MBUSA and yup I'm past the 10 yr date (April 27th). Before I go to the dealer, I have a few questions.
1. Can I purchase the parts and repair it? If so where?
2. If I purchase another unit do I need to program the part?
3. To prevent me going into shock...how much should I expect to pay the dealer for repair or replacement?

Thanks!