Hello everyone,

I wanted to update you that over the last month, I have been dedicating time to restoring the S-Class to its optimal condition. As many of you know, I encountered a starting issue with the car and after investigation, I found the problem to be a faulty fuel pump relay in the rear SAM.

I recently replaced all the CANbus distributor blocks and purchased the latest part number gateway, as mentioned in my previous post. My objective is to integrate the latest part number electronics into the vehicle. As of February 2024, I had replaced the front SAM relay holder Elec Center, Base Module, which is positioned atop the front SAM. This component, sourced directly from a Mercedes dealership out of state, cost $400 including shipping. Previously, I had replaced the original base module when the front SAM failed a couple of years ago, opting for a used electronic base module and SAM purchased on eBay. Although the front SAM has performed satisfactorily, I sought to enhance reliability and acquired a brand-new SAM part number A2215451632 for $197.00 on eBay, sourced from Lithuania.

Following the replacement of the rear SAM with a used electronic base module and SAM from eBay, I aimed to perform the same procedure. As mentioned earlier, I initially believed the fuel relay was the primary cause of the starting issue, which was partially correct. The electronic base module's internal components would fail once the SAM heated up, causing the fuel pump relay to short circuit and resulting in the car stalling. Consequently, I decided to obtain the newest part numbers for the rear electronic base module and rear SAM. While the rear base module part number remained unchanged, the rear SAM part number was updated. I acquired the base module from a local dealership for $513.00, including shipping, and sourced the new rear SAM with the latest part number from eBay in Greece for $163.75. I am aware that my total expenditure on base modules, SAMs, gateways, and CAN bus distributor blocks exceeds $1,300. Nevertheless, my objective is not to resell the car, and I am unconcerned about the car's value in relation to the cost of parts. I have been collaborating with Ninjabenz to program the SAMs.

Lastly , I was able to have the new wheels installed.

 

S-65? Exhaust tips look as such.

 

not going to lie as that might be the only thing on the car that the orginal owner put on lol

 

re SAM and CGW, do you have distroinic plus and early non visible parking sensors ?

I have the SGR radars in each corner front and rear behind the bumpers - on early cars they have two duties,

1) do the parking sensors
2) cope round town with cruise control stopping down to 0 mph.

If you run a later CGW part, first thing it wants to do is downgrade software - if you leave and try to get features of later cars - you can almost get things to behave but two elements play up.

a) Premium / Highline TPMS won't get over itself (the version that displays real tyre pressures live on the cluster)
b) SGR radars seem to work as my cruise carries on working as normal - but parking sensors do not work at all... by the time this CGW software was "available" they had visible ultrasonic sensors on the cars both ends and were not using the SGR for parking sensor duties. So you get cluster nags and no parking sensors

'

 

Thanks for the detailed update. It sounds like you've done a deep and thorough job tracking down those persistent electrical issues by systematically upgrading to the latest part numbers. Replacing both the base modules and SAMs with new units, especially from the dealership, is the most reliable way to fix those heat-related faults for good. The investment makes perfect sense for a long-term keeper. Hope the new rear SAM and base module finally put the starting and stalling problems to rest. Great work.

 

New wheels look very different . The best news to me is the fact that you resolved the issue as it would be headache for you
Happy Driving