chinche

Anybody knows if we can change our old style Climate control by the newer digital one?

This one:

chinche

For this other one:

amgmercedes

No answers? Im also thinking of doing this conversion.

blueSL

I think if you found out the cost of the head unit, even assuming it would fit, most rational people would find a better way to spend their money. It ain't going to be cheap...

amgmercedes

I have checked, it costs about $600 for the old one. Im gonna be changing mine since the thermostat "wheel" is malfunctioning.

Might as well get the newer type if it will work.

chinche

Ok, AMG, please inform us if it works, cause if the digital ones costs more or less the same, I will change it! sure!

blueSL

What's behind that temperature control is a regular potentiometer and just as volume controls go crackly after a while, a judicious injection of contact cleaner (with the unit out of the car) and working the control backwards and forwards is likely to clear the problem. $600 to replace a 50c failing component does not sound like a good deal to me.

Spend $600 if you want to, but my two cents is that there are better things to spend it on, like a trip away away from the city to enjoy the car as a driving machine...

amgmercedes

Thanks for your advice, however the thermostat wheel is not the only problem.
The finish of the entire control unit is kinda bad, the glossy black layer is flaking off all over, exposing the inner dull black plastic. This makes the interior look worn and old.
The lights are also kinda dim, tried cleaning the fiber optics and replacing the bulb inside, but it didnt help.

blueSL

Yes, I can see that's a reason to replace it - damaged by prolonged exposure to sunlight I guess.

chinche

I'm sorry BlueSL, but I only ask if it can works.

But I've one question,
if you have the cars that you say, 600$ for you are the same that a dinner on a Mcdonald's for a normal family, so what do you say? that this is expensive for this car? I don't think so, 600$ is the price of the windstop in the R129, and is the price of the front grill too, that is only a piece of plastic without digital display.

So, let's be serious, in this car, a piece like that for 600$ is very cheap, I've spent 2400$ in a Panorama Roof for my car, and I don't think that is expensive! I think is cheap! ...and I don't have a Ferrari!

And by the way, if anybody has this car, has the money to have your trip, changing or not a piece of 600$! we are not talking here about a WV Beetle buyed by a student without money (with all my respects for the students without money).

I want to have a Ferrari, when I can burn 600$ with my Dupont gold-lighter (that i dont have yet)...

blueSL

Actually, I do own these cars and I've worked hard to be able to do so which means I haven't lost sight of good and bad value and I believe the inability to get one of these control units repaired instead of just replaced is bad value.

A new fascia, if it were available would cost $5, a new temperature control maybe the same plus $50 for someone to fit them, hardly rocket science. But no, you have to replace the whole thing. $600 for one of these is absolutely not "very cheap", the price you're paying is nothing to do with the manufacturing cost but the layers of inefficient distribution each piling on their profit.

chinche

Today, with my curiousity, I ask in my Benz Dealer about the ashtray-Cd box courtains (only the courtains) in wood, and costs 268$ each one, so both costs 536 $! I ASSURE YOU THAT THIS IS A LOT OF MONEY.

But all the the digital unit of the climate control for 600$ it's a Steal!

blueSL

Don't get me started on the cost of trim items, but thanks for theheads-up as I'm about to convert the space under mine, which are wood, on the previous SL500 they were plastic, to hold a mobile phone hands free installation, so I'll be careful not to damage them!

ChrisB

In our (new to us) 1999 SL 500, the digital temperature display has a minor, spastic short in it that distorts the letters and numbers. It corrects itself when the surrounding moulding is tapped.

It looks to me like someone pressed the digital surface too hard and damaged the innerds.

An on and off, minor irritant ... but enough of an irritant for me to ask if it was covered under warranty (no) and what the cost would be.

We were told by our MB dealer that the entire digital control center, including the odometer, trip meter etc must be replaced ... thus setting the odometer back to zero.

It was also presented as about $2,000 Canadian ($ 1,300 US) in cost.

Both of these factors for me ruled out the cure. Everything still works except the spatic display.

Maybe you should simply ask a dealer if the old version and the new version are inter-changeable. The new does look better.

I think I have seen a posting of someone who changed from an analoge odometer to a digital odometer ... so maybe they are compatible on a larger scale. I just don't know.

blueSL

OK guys, here in all it's naked glory is the internals of the control unit we're talking about...

You can see a microprocessor with inputs from sensors on the left and outputs to things like motors and valves on the right. There are 7 transistors with their associated current limiting resistors and protection diodes and two relays to handle the higher current items. At the bottom are the flat cables to connect to the front panel push button matrix, LEDs and thumbwheel, bottom left is the ribbon cable to the LCD display.

The newer unit is going to have to be the same size as there's a reinforcing cross member right behind it and you can see the peculair connectors at each end.

Cost to produce? $50 max. To you, $600... there's money to be made in them there control units...

blueSL

Hah, that's stunned you all into silence

muhri

Who is the man

ChrisB

It would seem that the information my service agent was feeding me was wrong ... the A/C control / LED read out would most likelt have nothing to do with any other of the car systems.

BlueSL, that could be a picture of the back of your TV for all I know . But it sure seems like you know you way in and arround you car. You must be enjoying your retirement. Congratulations.

blueSL

I agree. If the LCD display is causing trouble, it will be very localised to the air con control module. Connections between LCD displays (which look most like a small piece of glass) and the outside world are mainly to do with a pressure "sandwich" between the connector and the display, and re-seating it will most likely cure the problem.

Well yes, retirement is fun. Latest project is to install a Siemens voice activated phone car kit in the SL600 because using a hand-held is soon to be illegal here in the UK.

It turns out it's the same chip set as is used in the R230 SL "Linguatronic" voice activated phone. I call the girl in the SL55 "Helga". The girl in my SL600 is called "Brunnhilda" after the character in Wagner's Ring Cycle...

RacerX10

I've had the climate control system apart in my 1990 SL too.

I'm an EE and have considered building a replacement unit for the whole package,with a single 256x64 LCD touch screen display.

I did a little poking around in there. This thing is powered by a 6502 microprocessor, the same thing my Atary 800 had in it in 1982 Pretty old tech.

Anyway, I'm wondering if there is any sort of market for an upgrade like this. Basicallly, you'd send me your old unit, I'd mount the new electronics / display / faceplate, and send it back.

I'm certian it's doable, just not certian it's worth the time / effort.

I kinda thought it would be nice to put an electronic compass in there as well. Would be real easy to do.

Anybody have an idea what they might pay for something like this ?

Thanks,

DLD

www.digitalracingproducts.com

RacerX10

I've had the climate control system apart in my 1990 SL too.

I'm an EE and have considered building a replacement unit for the whole package,with a single 256x64 LCD touch screen display.

I did a little poking around in there. This thing is powered by a 6502 microprocessor, the same thing my Atary 800 had in it in 1982 Pretty old tech.

Anyway, I'm wondering if there is any sort of market for an upgrade like this. Basicallly, you'd send me your old unit, I'd mount the new electronics / display / faceplate, and send it back.

I'm certian it's doable, just not certian it's worth the time / effort.

Anybody have an idea what they might pay for something like this ?

Thanks,

DLD

www.digitalracingproducts.com

blueSL

The problem I think is that the aircon detailed operation is implemented in software which makes it kind of difficult to replicate. I doubt there's a market for it to be honest. Replacements of this item cost more than $700...