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Hello everyone I need your help!! I currently have the 2017 Mercedes Benz C43 and I totally love the car and never had an issue since I picked it up. Around a week ago I was driving and had a cup full of Fanta that was opened from a pizza place near me sitting in my cup holder. Me as an total idiot put the car into Sport+ and accelerated really hard making the soda spill into my Dynamic Select . I immediately pulled over and took a wet napkin to wipe it off the console. Everything seemed to be normal and nothing was sticky so I kept driving. A couple of days later I noticed it being a little sticky since it is over 100 degrees outside I thought some of the soda is still in there so I put a small water drop on it and wiped it off again. Well a week later suddenly my Dynamic Select, Suspension button, Manual button and ESP didn't work anymore. I tried to cut the car off and on again nothing happened. Just the left side, touch pad, volume and eco button everything works. So the next morning it worked again but on the way to work it suddenly cut off while driving the whole left side with the buttons. So after I got out of work I tried to put the car into Sport+ still nothing works. It has been 3 days since then and the whole left side with the buttons nothing works. I tried cleaning it with water, I tried to use heat with a hairdryer nothing seems to work... I am really frustrated and don't know what to do!!
It's like having an AMG but you can't use the AMG...
Is there anything I can do?
I have so many questions did it maybe detect it being wet in there and blew a fuse?
Is there a way to open it an clean it?
Next up my car is leased so will warranty cover it?
I am scared to walk in there and they will tell me I have to pay for it.
You should bring the car in to dealer and tell them it's not working properly. Let them find out what wrong with it. It may be something simple, if they pull the "you must have spilled something", simply point that the cup holders are where they are and you don't recall anything spilling. Nonetheless they designed the car and its likely you're not the first person this has happened to. At the end of the day there's no sense in driving the car when you can't enjoy it as intended. My 2 cents
Fanta... I remember when there was a true orange soda.
It had 10% fruit juice. That 10% night have been enough to save your switchgear.
Back on topic, there are a few threads about removing the console for trim replacement, but odds are you will have to replace some control board under there. Dealer time.
Fanta... I remember when there was a true orange soda.
It had 10% fruit juice. That 10% night have been enough to save your switchgear.
Back on topic, there are a few threads about removing the console for trim replacement, but odds are you will have to replace some control board under there. Dealer time.
If we open one up and it's full of soda/coffee, we can't claim it under warranty, but you can always try.
We have to send back warranty parts for failure investigations at times, if we send it back full of Fanta, it's certainly not a failure of manufacturing. User error mostly...
Thank you guys so much for all the answers this forum is great!! It just sucks because I am currently on vacation and don't have my dealership close here so I guess I have to suck it up and deal with the situation...
I am really hoping if I do an appointment at the dealership and I get my car checked they won't find anything and if they do I am going to do what @GWSHARK said!!
They will know, as soon as you remove the trim you will find the buttons covered in goo, happens all the time. It's a matter of whether they are willing to try and warranty something that is just owner neglect, not a manufacturing defect.
Further to what previous post said "it happens all the time" the cup holders are placed adjacent to electronics, I splash coffee a couple of times a week on the console, while it's great the cup holders are conveniently located liquid and electronics are always a bad combination. Mercedes has some culpability for the situation as they have to expect this is going to to happen, given the design location. I would work with your dealer and if you get any push back ask them what you did incorrectly to incur this issue. You placed a drink in the cup holder who's sole purpose is to hold cups of liquids., in my experience if your reasonable they should take care of things in a common sense manor. Hope it works out keep us posted.
Further to what previous post said "it happens all the time" the cup holders are placed adjacent to electronics, I splash coffee a couple of times a week on the console, while it's great the cup holders are conveniently located liquid and electronics are always a bad combination. Mercedes has some culpability for the situation as they have to expect this is going to to happen, given the design location. I would work with your dealer and if you get any push back ask them what you did incorrectly to incur this issue. You placed a drink in the cup holder who's sole purpose is to hold cups of liquids., in my experience if your reasonable they should take care of things in a common sense manor. Hope it works out keep us posted.
Have you tried a container that closes? A thermos style coffee cup?
Believe me, they don't put them there because they want liquids near electronics. They put them there because people are lazy and can't drive without feeding themselves and making a mess.
My 350Z had no actual "cupholders". There were two little pockets in the doors, they were at about a 15 degree angle and covered, you could stick a small Gatorade bottle in there, but that was about it. Didn't bother me, a sealed bottle makes much more sense in my mind.
I am not siding with the OP by any means here. I think I would never put an open can of soda in my cup holder and accelerate hard. Infact, I am so paranoid that I would avoid bringing any liquid into the car altogether. But that's just me. However, lets face it, there are cup holders and there are electronics. Sooner or later it is going to happen. Robots are not driving cars yet. Still humans. Smartphones are water resistant these days. Don't you think a premium car that costs close to 60K should have water resistant electronics? Atleast the area right next to the cup holders?
I am not siding with the OP by any means here. I think I would never put an open can of soda in my cup holder and accelerate hard. Infact, I am so paranoid that I would avoid bringing any liquid into the car altogether. But that's just me. However, lets face it, there are cup holders and there are electronics. Sooner or later it is going to happen. Robots are not driving cars yet. Still humans. Smartphones are water resistant these days. Don't you think a premium car that costs close to 60K should have water resistant electronics? Atleast the area right next to the cup holders?
Sadly there's a lot of common sense things that German engineers don't care about.
I'm of the opposite school, I believe the customers should have a little pride in their expensive luxury car. Even if the car is waterproof, you spill food and drinks in it, you get a dirty, disgusting, insect infested, smelly car. I don't eat/drink in my '93 Toyota, because, despite the fact that I paid $500 for it, I don't want it to smell like food if something spills in it, it's disgusting. I've had people get in my cars that I've owned from new, and remark how it still smelled like a new car 3 years later. That's kinda the point, if you're spending a lot of money on something, to enjoy it in it's original state for as long as possible right?
If we open one up and it's full of soda/coffee, we can't claim it under warranty, but you can always try.
We have to send back warranty parts for failure investigations at times, if we send it back full of Fanta, it's certainly not a failure of manufacturing. User error mostly...
I have just purchased a c class with the dynamic button and it seems to get stuck when pushing up on the button, down works perfectly and clicks back straight away as it should. You say they can be taking apart. Is this something I could do ?
I would try to spray some contact cleaner on the affected area first..Perhaps avoid a bunch of stress and appointments and all that other crap for about 10 bucks.
07-28-2017, 08:42 PM
. I immediately pulled over and took a wet napkin to wipe it off the console. Everything seemed to be normal and nothing was sticky so I kept driving. A couple of days later I noticed it being a little sticky since it is over 100 degrees outside I thought some of the soda is still in there so I put a small water drop on it and wiped it off again. Well a week later suddenly my Dynamic Select, Suspension button, Manual button and ESP didn't work anymore. I tried to cut the car off and on again nothing happened. Just the left side, touch pad, volume and eco button everything works. So the next morning it worked again but on the way to work it suddenly cut off while driving the whole left side with the buttons. So after I got out of work I tried to put the car into Sport+ still nothing works. It has been 3 days since then and the whole left side with the buttons nothing works. I tried cleaning it with water, I tried to use heat with a hairdryer nothing seems to work... I am really frustrated and don't know what to do!! 
