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JohnY.
Please post the exact measurements of the LCD next time you get them out.
I’m looking at the replacement options and there is nothing of the shelf at the moment.
kbob999 mention E class being the possible donor but the cluster looks totally different. I need to investigate little more though.
It is 42mm x 70mm 30 pin. Let us know if you find one, I wasn't able to. The one in the ebay link from kbob999 is listed at $165 and shows "remanufactured" so I suspect that is a used one that has had the polarizing film replaced. I went ahead and bought a used cluster on ebay for $150 that showed a picture of at least one of the lcd's good. When I received it, I was surprised that both lcd's were in beautiful condition. I would have liked to swap out the whole cluster but couldn't find a cheap DIY way to zero out the miles (which is what you need to do to swap it) so I just swapped both lcd's.
I"m working on finding better polarizing film to try. A friend from this forum was kind enough to send me a couple of spares to experiment with. I suspect that I character LCD modules use a different type of polarizer than phone displays--color vs black and white and so on.
PS. I also have been looking closely at the two new modules I've just gotten and these seem to have a problem with the film on the back side, rather than the front. The ones I had previously been working with had the problem exclusively on the front side. I'm starting to think that the answer is to replace the film on both sides with one film rotated 90 degrees from the other.
Did you ever find a polarizing screen that you prefer and a source or purchasing them? My 2006 SL55 suffers from the scaly LCD screens.
Unfortunately, I have been in the US since early this year due to the pandemic so I have not been able to work on the SL. If I had to do the whole thing over, I would first strip the polarizing screen off one side and put it back in and then get self-adhesive polarizing film and put it up next to the display while it is operating and rotate it until you find the best angle, mark the angle, take it all apart again and then apply it. Then do the other one using the same angle.
I've screwed up a couple of panels. Currently my left one is only half functional because either the connector is not doing its job or I have damaged something. They are pretty delicate.
One other really important thing: if you look at some of the photos above you will see some where there is kind of a amoeba shapped blob. That is actually an issue with the liquid crystal layer and will not be fixed by changing the polarization layer.
I find it helpful to see how others have done DIY projects, so here is my contribution to the forum.
I replaced my faded SL55 LCD panels with donor LCD's from a wrecked SL500. The LCD's are not available new to my knowledge, so used parts are the only way to go. In this case, the used LCD panels were only marginally better, so I am still searching for bright LCD's.
I did a replacement in 2003 using 2004 donor simple but carefully . Works fine except I get error message on start up display not working.. so I tab it out and it works just fine regardless of what it says!??? Does it need to be coded out???anyone else have this issue??or resolution? Too bad MB doesn’t subscribe to this and give some suggestions other than to refer to dealer$$$
I did a replacement in 2003 using 2004 donor simple but carefully . Works fine except I get error message on start up display not working.. so I tab it out and it works just fine regardless of what it says!??? Does it need to be coded out???anyone else have this issue??or resolution? Too bad MB doesn’t subscribe to this and give some suggestions other than to refer to dealer$$$
Not sure why you have this issue. If there is a bad connection to the screens, or instrument cluster plug, you may get this warning.
By the sounds of it, you do have a connection that works. Coding of the new screens is not required.
Keep us posted on the outcome.
Not sure why you have this issue. If there is a bad connection to the screens, or instrument cluster plug, you may get this warning.
By the sounds of it, you do have a connection that works. Coding of the new screens is not required.
Keep us posted on the outcome.
The exact warning is “display defective visit workshop- but it’s works just fine??
The exact warning is “display defective visit workshop- but it’s works just fine??
Did you replace the instrument cluster and main electronics board, or just the LCD panels?
If you plug in a cluster, the information will not match, and the mileage will read "------". This must be fixed by coding the cluster to the vehicle, which is dealer only.
I find it helpful to see how others have done DIY projects, so here is my contribution to the forum.
I replaced my faded SL55 LCD panels with donor LCD's from a wrecked SL500. The LCD's are not available new to my knowledge, so used parts are the only way to go. In this case, the used LCD panels were only marginally better, so I am still searching for bright LCD's.
Did you replace the instrument cluster and main electronics board, or just the LCD panels?
If you plug in a cluster, the information will not match, and the mileage will read "------". This must be fixed by coding the cluster to the vehicle, which is dealer only.
Do you think it can be done via Chinese SDS system or you should only go to a dealer to fix it?
Do you think it can be done via Chinese SDS system or you should only go to a dealer to fix it?
I replaced just the LCD screen. It was not a difficult fix. I purchased a used instrument cluster as it had 2 LCD's. I stayed with factory parts.
The used instrument cluster was a little less (purchased from an auto wrecker) than the Chinese unit.
Hope this helps.
I replaced just the LCD screen. It was not a difficult fix. I purchased a used instrument cluster as it had 2 LCD's. I stayed with factory parts.
The used instrument cluster was a little less (purchased from an auto wrecker) than the Chinese unit.
Hope this helps.
Yeah, it makes sense. I don't see any partout cars in my area on FB Marketplace but there are used instrument clusters on eBay.
I tried ordering new LCD screens from a company in Los Angeles, German Audio Tech - but they took my money and almost one year later have kept it, without sending me anything and giving me a garbage excuse, and then no refund. They have complaints against them out the yingyang... Checked with AliExpress shops which said on the site they had them - but after sending inquiries the shops that claimed they had them, did not in fact have them...So I appreciated all the advice in the posts above and tried to replace the polarizing filters. Unfortunately, I scraped a bit too hard, trying to remove the film on the right screen and the angle of the filters proved incorrect. The simple solution??? Replace the screens with brand new ones - Minitools in Italy (back in business since spring 2021) supplied me 2 LCD screens which are apparently better engineered.The fit and function are perfect (even though they don't look identical to the original - hence improved?!) at a great price.They couriered them at reasonable cost and I installed them to great result. https://store.minitools.com/en/sepdi...-clusters.html
Thank you Dub. 80 Euro is by far the most reasonable price I've seen for these. It is still outrageous considering the cost for similar sized ones in mass use is a few dollars at most, but, well, it is for an SL. Beautiful job too on the installation. I likely will spring for one (a small section of one of mine is out. Still readable but annoying). Right now my SL is at the merc shop and I'm waiting for an estimate on a bunch of stuff which will determine whether it and I part ways. The car is great but in the Dubai climate everything seems to be on the verge of breaking.
I'm in Dubai too, our top MB specialist tried to get them out of the US as I did (they didn't specify from whom - and after 1 1/2 months of no reply from the LCD supplier they conceded to my request for the deposit refund (a multiple of the cost of the Minitool LCD replacement screens).
LOL! My SL currently is over at AutoHaus in DIP1. I had had it serviced several times a place you know with the initials S.A. but the costs were just mounting. I quite like the guys at AutoHaus. My poor little SL....
I tried ordering new LCD screens from a company in Los Angeles, German Audio Tech - but they took my money and almost one year later have kept it, without sending me anything and giving me a garbage excuse, and then no refund. They have complaints against them out the yingyang... Checked with AliExpress shops which said on the site they had them - but after sending inquiries the shops that claimed they had them, did not in fact have them...So I appreciated all the advice in the posts above and tried to replace the polarizing filters. Unfortunately, I scraped a bit too hard, trying to remove the film on the right screen and the angle of the filters proved incorrect.
The simple solution??? Replace the screens with brand new ones - Minitools in Italy (back in business since spring 2021) supplied me 2 LCD screens which are apparently better engineered.The fit and function are perfect (even though they don't look identical to the original - hence improved?!) at a great price.They couriered them at reasonable cost and I installed them to great result. https://store.minitools.com/en/sepdi...-clusters.html
Thank you for this info!
I just checked a pair of LCD displays including shipping to US would cost €189.50 or $219.68. Not cheap, but still lower than buying a used instrument cluster. I bookmarked this item and may order it sometime later.
I tried ordering new LCD screens from a company in Los Angeles, German Audio Tech - but they took my money and almost one year later have kept it, without sending me anything and giving me a garbage excuse, and then no refund. They have complaints against them out the yingyang... Checked with AliExpress shops which said on the site they had them - but after sending inquiries the shops that claimed they had them, did not in fact have them...So I appreciated all the advice in the posts above and tried to replace the polarizing filters. Unfortunately, I scraped a bit too hard, trying to remove the film on the right screen and the angle of the filters proved incorrect. The simple solution??? Replace the screens with brand new ones - Minitools in Italy (back in business since spring 2021) supplied me 2 LCD screens which are apparently better engineered.The fit and function are perfect (even though they don't look identical to the original - hence improved?!) at a great price. They couriered them at reasonable cost and I installed them to great result. https://store.minitools.com/en/sepdi...-clusters.html
I also had a poor experience with German Audio Tech. They took my money and never sent me tracking info or replied to any messages I sent them. A few weeks later, they refunded my payment (still without a word), and I thought that was both unprofessional and rude - but now I find out it could have been worse. I hope that they do the right thing (on your case), but perhaps it's too late.
The product and price you got from minitools is by far the best I have seen. GREAT FIND ! I ended up getting some displays from china for my SL55, but they were a least 50% more than minitools price and look the same.
If I still needed some, I would place my order today as there is no telling when they may be hard to get again and it seems very unlikely they will ever cost less.
I wonder what's the average lifetime of an OEM cluster small display and an aftermarket one? And is it the sun that kills it or something else? Thanks!
WOW! These lcd panels were delivered in four days from Italy! Impressed with their response. Thanks again dubsl55.
Installed the two panels. Beautiful. Look super. Can even read them with sunglasses. Just what I needed.
Then the problem began. Hope someone can help me with this issue:
1. After five or ten minutes the left display went slightly dimmer and started flashing 3/sec. The right display lasted another five minutes, then went all white, then black. Turning ign off, then on made no difference.
2. Replaced them with the original dim units which actually were only a year old, but which worked fine, just dim. They now had this same fault, so the issue is not with the lcd panels, but the car system, or maybe the wire socket.
Does this fault make sense to anyone? Is there a computer reset to be done? I did not disconnect the batteries, so perhaps that was the cause.
Open to all suggestions. I'm stumped and stopped.
Thanks.
Ron R
Last edited by rrueckwald; 10-15-2021 at 05:39 PM.
11-22-2019, 08:52 AM
