Hello all. I have a 2011 S550 and recently the audio system started acting up. After maybe 10-15mins of listening to the FM radio, the music will stop and the display shows "device not available". Nav, phone, and vehicle settings all still work. I've done a full reset to no avail.

It acts as though something is overheating and shutting down so on that thought, I pulled back the trunk liner on the left side and found the amplifier and what I believe is a combination Sirius/broadcast receiver (it says Sirius and HD radio on the label). The cooling fan on the amp was running but the fan on the radio was not. I'm suspecting this may be the cause but would like to confirm before replacing it. Can anyone verify if both fans should run when listening to FM. Also, can anyone confirm there is just one receiver or is there another one somewhere for FM radio.

Thanks for any help.

 

moved to W221 forum...

 

It's possible. The 221 uses a fiber optic ring, where each device in the ring is necessary to pass the signal along. Each has a fiber optic cable in and out (Orange). If a device powers down, the ring is broken and you'll get nothing...no navi, no audio, no nothing. If you can live without XM and I think we all should, you can bypass it on the ring with a little clip that basically just butts the ends of the in and out cables together allowing the signal to continue unbroken to the rest of the loop.

I have one you can borrow. See if when you unclip the orange cables from the XM module the male end looks like it will pair to this


You can also dissemble the male plug (there's a little gray or blue T shaped tab you just push out and it opens up) butt the two cable ends together and wrap well with electrical tape so no light escapes.

If the system works normally with the device bypassed, replace the device. You may see an error message about the missing device but the system should still work.

 

Thanks for the response. I'm wondering if that's what's happening with my car. I unplugged the sat receiver and when I plugged it back in, saw the fan spin for just a split second. At least the fan works momentarily. It may have a temp switch to come on but I don't know for sure. I'm also curious if the sat receiver is the same as the FM receiver. Can anyone confirm?

I ran it for 20 minutes at idle the other day and nothing happened. Sometimes it will fail just driving down the street. After one failure, I saw another message just above the odometer that indicated "SOS Tele Aid Inoperative" but that message quickly went away. I saw some other posts that said it could be corrosion on the antenna splitter from water traveling down the coax but why would that shut down the entire audio system?

 

It can shut it down. A device that has powered down can't pass along the fiber optic signal to the rest of the devices in the loop. Bypassing it would rule that out.

 

Like Mike said, look for a communication failure in the network. Had the same problem in the Wife's CLK. If one component fails, the rest are unavailable. the network, CAN, is in a ring topology.

 

So it sounds like I need one of those bypass loops to start troubleshooting. Can someone provide a part number?

Also, where are the components all located on a 2011 S550? It sounds like I need to find the FM receiver (if it's different from the sat receiver...something I'm still unable to determine) and maybe the teleaid device. Other than behind the left and right side trunk liners, where should I look?

 

Probably worthwhile to have it hooked up to a diagnostic terminal. It will ping the devices and identify any that are showing fault codes. I guarantee there's a whole stack of them waiting to be pulled. The system is so complex you could be chasing gremlins around it for months. It'll cost you an hour of shop labor, well worth it. Your dealer, or an Indie that handles MB can do it for you.

 

Where do i find the HD Satellite Receiver in a 2012 to 2010
S550? where in the trunk is it located? PLEASE HELP asap
How can I bypass this malfunction all are talking about I have the same problem and they said its the HD Satellite receiver.
Can someone post a pick of where the Satellite Receiver is located. Can some give detail instruction on how to bypass the MOST ring. so system still works and has sound..
PLEASE HELP ASAP.. thank you

 

View video for better understanding of FO system (not w221 specific but applicable) http://www.carstereohelp.com/mercedesFiberOptic.htm (MB coupler part # 0005454484 shown here http://www.ecstuning.com/ES1605430/) - attachment covers FO cable removal, satellite receiver is behind left trunk panel.

 

To bypass: There will be a black connector with two orange "wires" (actually fiber optic cables) going in to the problem device. Release the connector from the device. The connector itself has a little colored tab in the middle of it. It's a T shaped key that locks the connector closed.

If you take a small screwdriver and push upward on the bottom of the T it will release and you'll see that the connector has two halfs (like a clamshell) and the orange cables can now be removed from the connector.

Note that on the clip there are two directional arrows for In and Out. (Use a Sharpie to mark the of the orange cables so you can tell them apart later).

Now you have the two fiber optic cables. You just need to butt them end-to-end so the light can pass from one to the other. Put them end-to-end and wrap them in electrical tape. Make sure it's well wrapped so no light escapes.

That's it. The problem device is no longer in the loop and the signal is bypassed.

 

Well, I gained some useful information yesterday. First I disassembled the connector going to the satellite receiver and bypassed the fiber loop with some tubing and zip ties. I later picked up an official coupler from the dealership for all of $4.95 like shown in the pics and snapped it together. Super easy.

While there, I spoke with the parts guy who seemed pretty knowledgable about my issue. I could tell he knew more than he was letting on at first so I asked him to be completely honest with me. He said the satellite receivers are quite prone to premature failure and that was most likely my problem. I also found that the satellite receiver is the same as the FM receiver (dammit). Apparently the HD Radio logo/ability is for broadcast radio only and that was the indicator.

While the component was bypassed, I could listen to CDs, my iPod, and it appeared the USB, memory card, and music register (though I didn't try those last 3). The only devices not available while bypassed were satellite and broadcast radio. During this time I didn't experience any failures like I previously did.

The other thing I noticed yesterday was how incredibly warm the area where these components live got after just 20 minutes of driving. Keep in mind the satellite receiver was unplugged the whole time but it was hot to the touch after I stopped. Apparently having a muffler directly under the trunk floor produces a whole bunch of heat. This can't be good for either the receiver or amplifier that are in that area. Once I stopped, I plugged the sat receiver connector back in and the cooling fan still didn't operate. At those temps, there's no doubt it should have been on because it was really toasty!

Now I'm considering either installing an additional CPU type cooling fan to circulate some air through that compartment and/or moving the receiver to the trunk proper (maybe under the rear deck) where it won't get so hot. Not as slick as where it's installed now but at $1350, I don't want to keep replacing these. All in all, that location behind the trunk paneling is a horrible place for electronics just because of the heat.

 

Bypassing like a boss! I've seen those bypass clips included with 3rd party modules, didn't realize the dealer stocked them.

Get a used Sirius/FM module on EBay. Looks like they run around $250. I wouldn't worry about the heat issue (unless the heat shield under there is missing). I'm sure a normally functioning unit will be fine in there with no mods.

 

Does anyone have the part number for the XM module? Need to replace mine as well.

 

Depending on build date, 1719063200 or 1719063500 either one should work. Remove left trunk panel to see which # is installed or PM VIN for confirmation.

 

This thread was very helpful. Our 2011 S550 got the "Device not available" also, just as in the photo above, after a few days of heavy rain in SoCal.

So I ordered the fiber optic loop from Amazon. Arrived yesterday. . Today I took out the trunk insert over the spare tire, then the panel covering the electronics on the driver side of the trunk.

First, I found water in the bottom of the spare tire holder, about a cup and a half. Then I saw water in the left wheel well where the amp and Sirius are located... about a half cup to a cup of water underneath the amp and Sirisu XM receiver.\

I went into the car and inserted a CD into the changer. Then I pulled the fiber optic tab out of the Sirius unit, installed the fiber optic loop from Amazon (I did not buy the cheap $7 one, I bought the $15 one), turned the car off and on, and the cd player started playing. The CD player wouldn't play yesterday.

That's a relief that it wasn't the amp. Now, a question for you all who have bought second hand Sirius units to install in place of the water shorted unit -- Oh, by the way, the company in Van Nuys, Hi Tech something, closed business end of 2023, so repairing my unit is no longer an option.

The product number of my Sirius unit is exactly as shown in the picture of the first post above. How do I find out if any of the other Sirius units listed below, all claiming to work in S class form 2007-2014, will work in my 2011? Here are a selection of those available on ebay right now:
- a 171 870 15 89 // Mod # DL5453
- A 176 906 07 00 // DL 2301
- A 171 870 08 89 // DL 8406
- A 176 906 33 00 // DL 0941

The unit closest in product number to mine is the last one listed. Mine is - A 176 906 30 00 // DL 9841

Thanks in advance with answering my model number question.

 

check the other side of the boot - it to is full of other modules for the seat and keyless go etc.

its the air outlet vents in the inner wings that cause flood water to kill loads of stuff

the Sirius thing is linked to the car - you may need coding or a new license on the next module - before that fun take it out, pull apart, dry it out and use something like ACF50 on the circuit board and re try

there's another bigger thread on the AMP - someone was posting about a free trail or switch on for old Sirius devices a few months back

 

thanks. I had wondered how the water got in there. The spare tire cover, and the floor of the trunk were not wet. So I suspected the water might not have come from the trunk lid seals above.

Are there water ingress points inside of both wheel wells? What about the water in the plastic lining under the spare tire? How did water get in there?

To me it's kind of odd that MB would engineer a $125,000 car, their flagship before Maybach, that had the possibility of water coming in from under the car while driving in heavy rains. I've actually never heard of that by any maker, at any price point. Do I need to worry about water getting into my E320 coupe?

 

As far as the Sirius, there is a post somewhere that says after installing the ebay unit, I may or may not need to call up Sirius and have them activate the unit for my car. However, I think that was in the case that their Sirius unit was pulled out, sent to Hi Tech for repair (installation of a replacement radio receiver, board) and then reinstalled into the car.

 

yes - it really depends what your interpretation of a suitable air outlet size is, and whether you think two a 6" by 9" holes (sealed only by a flimsy rubber that wafts around in the breeze) at the water line is problematic or not

clearly is a win for Mercedes as they get

$250 diagnosis
$400 labour
$3500 selling and coding new modules

take your pick

condensation from the swamp water,
a slight leak of the silly wheel holder - was a TIPS about that on the early ones
someone swapped the wheel in the rain recently
washing the car with boot open to get leaves and debris the other side of the boot seal
damp miserable winter weather


you misunderstands how the world operates...

these cars are built for people on the earth who choose who get to eat and who dies every single day - thus money isn't ever an issue for the people who are meant to be driven in the back of an S class - Merc just decided from the 1990s its now their turn to have some cake and eat it too - so they built them like this from then on

 

resurrecting this thread b/c my radio doesn't work again.

*edit*. I put the fiber optic ring into the slot and this time, unlike last year, it didn't help. I can select Disc, and load a CD, but it loads and nothing plays. I can select FM radio, but the message is Device Unavailable. AUX is greyed out and I cannot select it at all. Normally we have a 3.5 male into the glove box receptor, the other end of that cab le connected to an Iphone and play Spotify through the AUX.

On the Comand Audio menu, there are 8 options:

Sat Radio
Disc
Memory Card
Music Register
Media Interface
USB
- AUX (grayed out)
Audio OFF

the last one says AUDIO OFF. Pressing the comand wheel does not make it change to Audio ON. Am I doing something wrong?

Like last year, after removing all the liners, there was about 6 oz. of water under the Sirius module. No water anywhere else in the trunk, including under the spare tire. Last Feb when I replace the Sirius XM module, I put a bunched up kitchen towel under the Sirius module hoping that if water were to ever get in again, the towel would absorb it and keep the water from splashing around within the compartment and into the Sirius module. Perhaps that strategy didn't work.

I am going to order another fiber optic bypass loop just to make sure ... perhaps I brtoke the loop I used last year .

 

Assuming I can get the Audio to work again, and I'm not sure now b/c the Fiber Optic bypass loop doesn't seem to indicate that the problem is the Sirius module...

how to keep water out of that compartment that hold the Sirius Module and AMP

Can anyone tell me exactly where the water enters that compartment, and whether it is possible to seal up the breach with silicone sealant? Any photos or advice is appreciate. I'm thinking this time of putting a bunch of sponges into the compartment.. enough to absorb 6 oz of water and keeping it from shorting out the Sirius unit.

 

the "audio off" is an on-screen way to turn off the comand - there is no opposite function as its off and you can't see it - the on off button around the knob turns on, or is the other way to turn it off
it appears the later unit NTG3.5 throws an on screen message to say I'm broken - My NTG 3.0 had been through the dead Amp in the boot scenario that Mercedes built them all with - but no on-screen messages, just no noise from any source and on FM radio you get no numbers or station names.

note the later NTG3.5 system loves to blow up the hard-drive in the comand unit - the partially good news is its easy to to take out - as the later unit has a removable caddy so the comand can stay where it is - almost as if they expected it to fail !!! the not so good news - like the other chap https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...nd-module.html you need to have cloned your drive before it dies...

from the other thread that popped up - here's your puddle maker







.

 

So I would appreciate you guys helping me diagnose whether this is the Sirius FM module that is failing, or the Amp. I think it might not be the Sirius b/c when I insert the fiber optic loop into the connector that normally terminates into the Sirius, , nothing changes. Last year inserting the loop into the Sirius made my cd player and AUX work again. I changed out the Sirius and I got radio again for the last year, until two days ago.... and water is under the Sirius again, about 1/8 inch.

I wonder if this time it is the amp that has gone out.

The sounds I still get from the car:
- 14 quick beeps when I turn the car on
- One loud beep when I turn the car off, then open the driver door... with message "Remember to Take your Key"
- Proximity sensor when I am parking and getting too close to a barrier.
- warning beeps that my seatbelt is not attached

I am assuming all those beeps do not go through the Amplifier? that is, I can still get working warning beeps even if the amp is out?

 

the amp is one of two components (with the comand unit up front) that must be operational for the comand to do anything (everything else is unnecessary)
the Amp failure ALWAYS results in no audio anywhere (and no FM numbers or text showing on the comand screen) - but ALL features show up, including nav
the siruis module usually creates a break in the MOST loop and that makes the whole system play up