Ghostty

Soo my SL started giving me hard times

Yesterday the SRS light came on, for no reason. It went away after i took the key out of ignition and started the engine. Now it cames on with the roll up bar light at the same time, and i hear clicking sound begind my seat from the area next to the roll up bar mechanism. Then on my way home the radio started going on and off, with no reason.


Went to a friend, erased the codes, and i'll drive for a while to see if there will be codes that will come back. But when he read them most of them were saying "unit A1 fault CAN communication with instrument cluster" or something like that.

Any way got home and there were no lights on the display.

P.S. - had the car for over a year now, no issues since the moment of purchase. I keep the car garaged, drive it 2-3 times a week. Did a PPI inspection at the dealer when bought - no codes, no nothing. Rear battery holds charge 1-2 weeks easily.

I will go again and get SDS readings and will post the results later, just thought maybe anyone will help me get started somewhere

P.S.S - the lights go on and off randomly. They can come on for a minute or so and go off, or stay there for 5 minutes. The lights came back on even after the codes were erased, and went off again.

Thx in advance,
Ghostty

ChrisAFL

Hey Ghostty ~ I believe I read a couple of threads about the issue being the EIS, (electronic ignition switch). Check around the forum and, if you haven't already, you should find what you're looking for.

Ghostty

I will for sure, thank you. Meanwhile i recorded a video of the issue, hope that helps.

P.S. - the whistling is from the brakes ^_^ Don't pay attention to that, i'm going to address that issue next week.

Heatwave

I had fairly similar symptoms with my '07 R230. Replaced the EIS. Problem solved. That was over a year ago.

1siksl

Mine just started doing this as well sometimes it goes away. Does your radio glitch out as well? I was told it might be a ground issue.

Ghostty

Yes, radio as well. Goes on/off without reason. That's why i created this post to figure out what is it, and if someone knows the answer. I'll research the EIS, see what that comes up with and i'll post the answer.

Ghostty

Looks like others had same exact problems. And if it's not water on the passenger SAM unit then it's the EIS that was bad. So i'm going to pull the carpet on the passenger side to make sure of that first (because i did use power wash to wash my car) and if not then i'll have to check with the dealer for the part and labor. Yes, dealer, because it has to be programmed and stuff... Here comes my first big bill

Here's the link to the post about the issue. 1siksl, you can read it there and decide for yourself
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/sh...t=84746&page=1

Ghostty

forget the carpet, the Passenger side SAM unit is by the starter battery, covered by a pretty good lock lid. Mine looks dry, as the drain from the hood is clear of debris or anything else. So, if i'll check all the fuses and contacts and they'll be good then i'll go for the EIS replacement. See attached.

P.S. - To get a full view of the SAM i'm pretty sure you have to remove the starter battery (and maybe some parts of the drain). Visual inspection of mine didn't urge me to go further than that. I'll get another SDS code reading before buying the new EIS unit.

Ghostty

So a 2nd SDS reading gave me only one error, as seen in picture. Read about it on the other forum i found the solution. That confirmed the EIS failure, along with the moment when the problem appears after starting the car, and it disappearing after ~5/10 mins of driving. Time to spend some money

$595 initial price, ~$450 online price. Lets see how much the dealer will want for it +labor for programming ...

Heatwave

My problems arising from the EIS failure were intermittent, similar to yours. FYI, the dealership charged the following:

$654.50 ... parts
$675.00 ... labor
$1329.00 . total

No problems since that repair, 1 April 2015. Good luck.

Ghostty

Daaaamn! 4.5 hrs of labor? Would it help if i'll take apart the dashboard and they program only?

Ghostty

Update on the thread:

So far so good, apparently it was the EIS. Went to the dealer, paid $900 to get it replaced. They offered to diagnose the source, i refused. Saved myself another $160.

Now the funny part:
After replacing i get a phone call from the rep. "Bad news, it was not the EIS, it's your instrument cluster that's going crazy. You need to replace it. Unit price - $3,000.00 (!!!!!)" JUST CRAZYYY... i told them i'll research myself the issue, maybe i'll work with a used one. Luckily, my Indy guy told me he replaced before, so for 350 he'll do it. Now used part price - $200-500... Not even close to 3k!
So i need to pick up my car from the dealer. I give them a call, tell them i'm taking it and i'll figure it out. They give me the keys, i start the car and (!) no issues... everything works, lights off, command unit works, power outlet works... It's fixed! Of course i'll double check with my Indy to scan for faults but so far so good!

Idk where the dealer came up with the idea of a bad cluster. Also i can't understand how it didn't clear all after replacement... Or they just didn't clear the codes and try again?

Any way quite a weird experience with the dealer... You guys were right, was the EIS. I will keep an eye on it, hopefully won't come back

Thank you all,
Ghostty.

moretech

I've seen this solution (EIS) so much on odd-wad problems I haven't turned my switch since nearly buying my car (has keyless go). Don't know if it means a hill of beans -turning it ruins it?-but I figure it is worth a try. It is clear that it is an expensive repair to get into. moretech

Ghostty

Moretech,

It doesn't have to deal as much with turning the key as with the functions that the EIS has after starting the car. The button on the shift works trough EIS any way. the ignition switch tests the connections with almost each system of the car at the moment of starting the engine. It just goes bad sometimes, just like any other wear and tear part. The difference is that it's not that much of a common issue, and very few people had to replace it. I counted 6-7 that dealt with same problem.

My total was $921.00 - 671 for part and rest for labor. Not that much, considering it's a new part from the dealer. But yes, it's not replacing a battery or a tire

Hopefully you won't get to feel the weirdness of the situation

Regards

2savage

I think I may have the same issue. While driving ALL instruments go to zero and every light comes on. I hear a ping. But the car keeps driving not missing a beat. If I pull over, shut down, wait a minute and set off again all goes back to normal. There does not seem to be anything that causes this spasm. Is it the EIS?

Ghostty

Some members suggested that it might also be related to an old consumer's battery. If that's out of the equation - looks like EIS. At first it was going away as well after restart, but later on it stayed on no matter what I was doing.

2savage

Since I bought the car in May 2020 I have replaced both batteries. so probably EIS as you mention. That said, if I don't use the car for a few days the power consumers shut down and I get a message to that effect. All gets back to normal once it's run for a while. Could it be batteries without enough CCA's?

Ghostty

Unless i'm missing something, a new battery (per your post) shouldn't get discharged after couple days for you to get the consumer's systems off.... Unless you drive it that little that the battery never gets to full charge and always floats at around 50%... I would suggest every 2-3 weeks you hook up a charger and get it to 100%, the message shouldn't pop up.

Unless it's a bad EIS. Now about that - my dash lights started with 1-2 lights on, and would go away after a min or so. But when i took it to the dealer to change the EIS module (that's like 2-3 weeks later or more) the lights would stay on no matter what i did. So in my case it got progressive. Maybe that would be something to look for as well.

Frederick NL

I can’t think of a better way to park an R230 -or even any other way- than having it hooked up to a good trickle charger. Always (except during multi-day trips away from home).