SL/R230: Sulfur burning smell coming from trunk/battery.
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From: Sarasota, Florida
2023 E450 Cabriolet, 2019 F150 Platinum, 2014 Dodge Challenger R/T
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From: Northern VA
SL 600
She's back and running better than ever, drove over 4 hours today up to a mile high elevation, in 105 degree weather, only thing that stunk was me because we had taco bell for lunch.
The BCM was faulted long ago, after i replaced it, it fixed a bunch of other problems i had before.
The BCM was faulted long ago, after i replaced it, it fixed a bunch of other problems i had before.
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From: Pacific Northwest
2011 SL550
She's back and running better than ever, drove over 4 hours today up to a mile high elevation, in 105 degree weather, only thing that stunk was me because we had taco bell for lunch.
The BCM was faulted long ago, after i replaced it, it fixed a bunch of other problems i had before.
The BCM was faulted long ago, after i replaced it, it fixed a bunch of other problems i had before.
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From: Northern VA
SL 600
Below is a link to a video showing one of these SL Trunk Fires in Hawaii. This particular incident occurred with a new 2012 SL550 and again, the car had not been driven and was parked in the garage. Luckily, this guy found it before it erupted into flames and burned down his house. In the last minute of the video you can see the electronics module, (the culprit responsible for these fires), because the right side trunk lining is burned and removed. Still smoldering however. My own 2003 incident was actually much worse than what occurred in this video but you can plainly see it happening nevertheless. This ruins all the car's electronics, the car will not start and the trunk will be locked. You will have to use the flat key from the key fob to open it. Once you get the toxic black smoke inside your SL, you will never get the smell out. If there are flames present, and the Fire Department sess there is smoke iside the car, they are likely to spray water and/or chemicals inside the passenger area as well as the trunk. Due to this damage, your SL will most likely be considered 'totaled' by your insurance company, but don't expect the check you receive to be nearly enough to replace it.
Boy you are sure right about that, It's been 2 months of airing it out, dousing the entire trunk in febreeze, shampooed the carpeted liner. It still smells awful in the trunk, i think i have to replace all the trunk lining to get rid of the smell, the cabin isn't as bad now but the trunk area still smells very bad. Lingering plastic burning smell.
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From: Netherlands
2005 R 230 SL350 (M112 3.7). Sold the 1966 W113 230SL recently
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NO LONGER ACTIVE
Oh, good! I think other than the reports of never getting rid of the smell, it might be a nice project car. There is a TV show here called "Junkyard Empire" about some guys that own an automotive junkyard. They also have a used car dealership where they sell rebuilt cars. There was an episode where they had an R230 with the BCM burned out. They bought it cheap, fixed it, and sold it at a decent profit. It had some other issues that had to be repaired, but they did buy new parts and I think they still came in under $1K for the BCM repairs.
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From: Netherlands
2005 R 230 SL350 (M112 3.7). Sold the 1966 W113 230SL recently
Hmmm I would’t want a car with a history like that. Good chance there’ll be dozens of gremlins lurkung somewhere in the system. If there has been a spreading burn out, that is. The car I posted has a € 7.000 asking price; parting it out might be worth the trouble.
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From: Henderson, NV
2008 CL550
I just got back from a 3-day weekend leaving the car to sit. Got in this morning and got the same ozone/burning electrical smell that I could trace to the trunk area.
I'll take the right cover off and take a look at the BCM. Will be taking the car to my local Indie tomorrow for him to check out.
I'll take the right cover off and take a look at the BCM. Will be taking the car to my local Indie tomorrow for him to check out.
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From: Northern VA
SL 600
I just got back from a 3-day weekend leaving the car to sit. Got in this morning and got the same ozone/burning electrical smell that I could trace to the trunk area.
I'll take the right cover off and take a look at the BCM. Will be taking the car to my local Indie tomorrow for him to check out.
I'll take the right cover off and take a look at the BCM. Will be taking the car to my local Indie tomorrow for him to check out.
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 541
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From: Northern VA
SL 600
I bought a used one on eBay, check your part number and find one that matches it.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/B606-R230-M...~GOH:rk:3:pf:0
It's been doing great so far, paid $300 for mine.
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Joined: Mar 2018
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From: Henderson, NV
2008 CL550
Cheapest I could find on eBay was $400. Looks like prices are going up on these. My local guy quoted me $800 for a factory re-manufactured one.
I think I used the same vendor as you - Labur Parts.
I think I used the same vendor as you - Labur Parts.
Last edited by 57staff; Nov 28, 2018 at 08:16 PM.
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From: Northern VA
SL 600
damn yours look much worse than mine, lucky you caught it before the trunk burned down. With the way these cars depreciate I doubt the insurance company will give us anything should it become totaled. Kudos for tackling this on your own, it’s pretty easy. The smell will be there for months, mine still stinks. Just jump the starting battery and drive it around for a few it should charge itself.
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From: Northern VA
SL 600
Got them to extend the SBC to 25 years, this is a major safety hazard, imagine this just catching on fire inside a garage (which happened btw) and the people inside burned while they were sleeping. Is that what it's gonna take before MB realize it's an issue? If you google Mercedes BCM you'll see tons of results from people with the problem we had. I think if all the people got their cases together and the faulty BCM as evidence, we can get MB to do something.
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Joined: Mar 2018
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From: Henderson, NV
2008 CL550
Replaced the battery controller yesterday. No real issues and after a battery jump I am up and running. The Battery warning light came on about an hour after the jump start but after 2 or 3 restarts since then no light has come back. There does seem to still be a strong smell in the cabin and trunk. Nervous that I could be frying another.
In the course of putting the trunk trim back together I managed to break the wires leading into the boot cover sensor. That looks like it will be a pain to repair as the break is very close to the connector. At least the top was up when that happened.
In the course of putting the trunk trim back together I managed to break the wires leading into the boot cover sensor. That looks like it will be a pain to repair as the break is very close to the connector. At least the top was up when that happened.
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From: South Florida
2013 SL550 (Lux Sport), 2006 CL55 AMG (Muscle). S550 (Wife's Sedan)
Got them to extend the SBC to 25 years, this is a major safety hazard, imagine this just catching on fire inside a garage (which happened btw) and the people inside burned while they were sleeping. Is that what it's gonna take before MB realize it's an issue? If you google Mercedes BCM you'll see tons of results from people with the problem we had. I think if all the people got their cases together and the faulty BCM as evidence, we can get MB to do something.
THIS WAS A VERY CLOSE CALL FOR ME AND MY WIFE AS WE WERE ABOUT TO TURN IN FOR THE NIGHT WHEN I WENT TO PUT SOMETHING I THE RECYCLE BIN, (WHICH WAS IN THE GARAGE). AS I OPENED THE DOOR LEADING TO THE GARAGE IT WAS FILLED WITH TOXIC BLACK SMOKE. I IMMEDIATELY POPPED THE GARAGE DOORS OPEN AND THEN SAW 5-FOOT HIGH FLAMES COMING FROM THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF MY SL 500 , HUST BELOW THE GAS FILLER CAP, THE REAR TIRE ON THAT SIDE WAS ALSO ON FIRE. BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION, OF THE FIRE., (VERY NEAR THE FUEL TANK), I WAS CONCERNED IT MIGHT EXPLODE AT ANY SECOND.
i WAS ABLE TOi DOUSE THE FLAMES WITH A GARDEN HOSE LOCATED JUST OUTSIDE THE GARAGE, BUT THE CAR WAS STILL BURNING INSIDE THE TRUNK WHICH WOULD NOT OPEN AS NORMAL.. hOWEVER, WHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, i WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE TRUNK USING THE 'MANUAL FLAT KEY' WHICH I REMOVED FROM THE MB SMART KEY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT THE SMOLDERING FIRE INSIDE THE TRUNK, BUT THE BATTERY MODULE KEPT SPARKING UNTIL BOTH BATTERIES WERE DISCONNECTED..
MY EXPERIENCE WAS A NEAR DISASTER FOR SURE!
IF YOU ARE THE OWNER OF AN SL 230 SERIES YOU NEED TO BE AWARE THAT THE BATTERY CONTROL MODULE IN THESE CARS IS A VERY FIRE HAZARD THAT CAN IGNITE WITHOUT WARNING. iN FACT, iN MY CASE, THE CAR HAD NOT EVEN BEEN DRIVEN FOR 3-DAYS WHEN THE TRUNK/GARAGE FIRE OCCURRED. .
THERE HAVE BEEN QUITE A FEW OF THESE 230 TRUNK FIRES, (2003-2012 SL MODELS) ,SO i AM QUITE SURPRISED THERE IS STILL NO CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OVER THIS PROBLEM HOWEVER, IT HAS STILL NOT OCCURRED!
IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT MY WIFE AND I COULD HAVE EASILY DIED FROM CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING IN OUR SLEEP BECAUSE THE TOXIC WAS ALREADY ENTERING THE ATTIC AND ONCE THERE IT COULD HAVE EASILY TRAVELED TO OUR BEDROOM VIA THE A/C VENTS. WE MIGHT NEVER HAVE HEARD ANY OF THE (8) SMOKE ALARMS ILOCATED INSIDE OUR HOUSE.
Last edited by bob55; Dec 3, 2018 at 12:09 PM.
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From: Northern VA
SL 600
Replaced the battery controller yesterday. No real issues and after a battery jump I am up and running. The Battery warning light came on about an hour after the jump start but after 2 or 3 restarts since then no light has come back. There does seem to still be a strong smell in the cabin and trunk. Nervous that I could be frying another.
In the course of putting the trunk trim back together I managed to break the wires leading into the boot cover sensor. That looks like it will be a pain to repair as the break is very close to the connector. At least the top was up when that happened.
In the course of putting the trunk trim back together I managed to break the wires leading into the boot cover sensor. That looks like it will be a pain to repair as the break is very close to the connector. At least the top was up when that happened.
That toxic smell is embedded into the carpet and headliners now, the smell will be there for awhile. It should be fine, i cut an access hole to my BCM so that i can check it, just put your hands on it every now and then before you drive, if it's stay cold then you're good, if it's hot/warm then something is shorting out again. Don't check it after a drive, check it before you drive. After a drive it'll get hot.
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 541
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From: Northern VA
SL 600
SO TRUE!.....I WAS A VICTIM OF A 230 TRUNK FIRE WHICH OCCURRED INSIDE MY GARAGE AND WOULD HAVE BURNED MY HOUSE DOWN HAD I NOT CAUGHT IT WHEN I DID. IT TOTALED MY SL 500, BUT FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO SAVE MY HOUSE AND MY OTHER (2) MB CARS WHICH WERE ALSO IN THAT GARAGE. MY WIFE AND I COULD HAVE EASILY BECOME VICTIMS OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING AS THE SMOKE AND FLAMES GOT INTO THE ATTIC AND SPREAD THROUGH THE
THIS WAS A VERY CLOSE CALL FOR ME AND MY WIFE AS WE WERE ABOUT TO TURN IN FOR THE NIGHT WHEN I WENT TO PUT SOMETHING I THE RECYCLE BIN, (WHICH WAS IN THE GARAGE). AS I OPENED THE DOOR LEADING TO THE GARAGE IT WAS FILLED WITH TOXIC BLACK SMOKE. I IMMEDIATELY POPPED THE GARAGE DOORS OPEN AND THEN SAW 5-FOOT HIGH FLAMES COMING FROM THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF MY SL 500 , HUST BELOW THE GAS FILLER CAP, THE REAR TIRE ON THAT SIDE WAS ALSO ON FIRE. BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION, OF THE FIRE., (VERY NEAR THE FUEL TANK), I WAS CONCERNED IT MIGHT EXPLOSE AT ANY SECOND.
i WAS ABLE TOi DOUSE THE FLAMES WITH A GARDEN HOSE LOCATED JUST OUTSIDE THE GARAGE, BUT THE CAR WAS STILL BURNING INSIDE THE TRUNK WHICH WOULD NOT OPEN AS NORMAL.. hOWEVER, WHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, i WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE TRUNK USING THE 'MANUAL FLAT KEY' WHICH I REMOVED FROM THE MB SMART KEY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT THE SMOLDERING FIRE INSIDE THE TRUNK, BUT THE BATTERY MODULE KEPT SPARKING UNTIL BOTH BATTERIES WERE DISCONNECTED..
MY EXPERIENCE WAS A NEAR DISASTER FOR SURE!
IF YOU ARE THE OWNER OF AN SL 230 SERIES YOU NEED TO BE AWARE THAT THE BATTERY CONTROL MODULE IN THESE CARS IS A VERY FIRE HAZARD THAT CAN IGNITE WITHOUT WARNING. iN FACT, iN MY CASE, THE CAR HAD NOT EVEN BEEN DRIVEN FOR 3-DAYS WHEN THE TRUNK/GARAGE FIRE OCCURRED. .
THERE HAVE BEEN QUITE A FEW OF THESE 230 TRUNK FIRES, (2003-2012 SL MODELS) ,SO i AM QUITE SURPRISED THERE IS STILL NO CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OVER THIS PROBLEM HOWEVER, IT HAS STILL NOT OCCURRED!
THIS WAS A VERY CLOSE CALL FOR ME AND MY WIFE AS WE WERE ABOUT TO TURN IN FOR THE NIGHT WHEN I WENT TO PUT SOMETHING I THE RECYCLE BIN, (WHICH WAS IN THE GARAGE). AS I OPENED THE DOOR LEADING TO THE GARAGE IT WAS FILLED WITH TOXIC BLACK SMOKE. I IMMEDIATELY POPPED THE GARAGE DOORS OPEN AND THEN SAW 5-FOOT HIGH FLAMES COMING FROM THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF MY SL 500 , HUST BELOW THE GAS FILLER CAP, THE REAR TIRE ON THAT SIDE WAS ALSO ON FIRE. BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION, OF THE FIRE., (VERY NEAR THE FUEL TANK), I WAS CONCERNED IT MIGHT EXPLOSE AT ANY SECOND.
i WAS ABLE TOi DOUSE THE FLAMES WITH A GARDEN HOSE LOCATED JUST OUTSIDE THE GARAGE, BUT THE CAR WAS STILL BURNING INSIDE THE TRUNK WHICH WOULD NOT OPEN AS NORMAL.. hOWEVER, WHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, i WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE TRUNK USING THE 'MANUAL FLAT KEY' WHICH I REMOVED FROM THE MB SMART KEY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT THE SMOLDERING FIRE INSIDE THE TRUNK, BUT THE BATTERY MODULE KEPT SPARKING UNTIL BOTH BATTERIES WERE DISCONNECTED..
MY EXPERIENCE WAS A NEAR DISASTER FOR SURE!
IF YOU ARE THE OWNER OF AN SL 230 SERIES YOU NEED TO BE AWARE THAT THE BATTERY CONTROL MODULE IN THESE CARS IS A VERY FIRE HAZARD THAT CAN IGNITE WITHOUT WARNING. iN FACT, iN MY CASE, THE CAR HAD NOT EVEN BEEN DRIVEN FOR 3-DAYS WHEN THE TRUNK/GARAGE FIRE OCCURRED. .
THERE HAVE BEEN QUITE A FEW OF THESE 230 TRUNK FIRES, (2003-2012 SL MODELS) ,SO i AM QUITE SURPRISED THERE IS STILL NO CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OVER THIS PROBLEM HOWEVER, IT HAS STILL NOT OCCURRED!
That is insane bob, and i'm glad you and your family are okay. Did you take any pics or video of the incident?
