Rudeney

The thing is, these forums are where people go with problems. Rarely do we see posts with people stopping in to say "all is well - I'm having no problems!" I haven't done any true quantitative analysis, but I don't see that many ABC issues here. In the same number of miles, I spent more on the "standard" suspension of my CLK550 than I have on the ABC of the SL550. The CLK had bad anti-sway bar bushings and end links, bad control arms, and bad shocks by 60K miles. I spent over $600 on the control arms and anti-sway bar repairs, but didn't replace the shocks. It also needed some rear suspension bushings that I ignored. So far on the SL it's been a pulsation dampener and a pressure hose. Of course this is all anecdotal. I just think that a lot of people are very scared by ABC because they hear of the problems here in the forums. Being able to do the work myself, and having the great resources of the forums and what';s in SDS, I just don't see it as an issue.

Now, what I am more concerned about on my car is all the "MB-Tex" fake leather on the dash, doors, and hatshelf covering beginning to deteriorate. I have huge blisters on the hatshelf panels and a few on the door panels. The dash is beginning to look "pockmarked". It's a shame because the car stays garaged and only has about 68K on the clock. I ever use anything strong to clean with, usually just a damp cloth.

A1EK

Thanks Rudeney for the comprehensive reply. This forum is how I remember the CLK one years ago, full of very knowledgeable folk !

By the way I am loving learning my new SL350 so many little things to explore, so here's what I have played with and learnt today:

Central Locking:
Wow I never knew I had Mercedes keylessGo system and I love the start stop on the gear shift. I read through the manual and found if I hold the lock/unlock keys for 6 secs await 2 flashes then the outside door handle also functions if the key is in your pocket up to a meter away. This is now working great for me, by the way do I should I had to pull the handle for the doors to unlock or just touch the handle? (I had to pull the handle for the doors to unlock)
You mentioned If you do not depress the brake pedal, then the first press of the start/stop button puts the igntion into "accessory" mode, the second into "on" mode, and the third back to off. - can you explain "accessory" mode and "on" mode?
I found the small rubber button under the trunk lid, so this locks the doors without closing the trunk? just trying to understand the purpose here.

Bluetooth:
Took me a while to get the phone to work, as I was trying to pair it through the Command unit, but then found I needed to press the bluetooth module on the arm rest for 3 secs until it flashed rapidly, I then had to google the passcode and found it to be 62872 which did the trick, and the handsfree works very well with all my contacts and numbers up on the command unit.
Shame I cannot stream music though as I guess I need an aux bluetooth adaptor...PS is there an AUX socket anywhere like glove box?

Headlights:
Yes I have the HID headlights, I wont bother then with adjustments if they are all set nicely.

Frederick NL

alk247

Blisters on the shelf could be due to the MB-Tex" ungluing on the edges. If it loose, you can glue it back with just about any glue. I used crazy glue.

A1EK

This is what I have installed in my armrest. (see photo)

Rudeney

There are two version of the door handles for KeylessGo. The newer version is touch sensitive. Al you have to do is touch the metal surface of the handle and it will unlock. The original style has a physical strip on the inside of the handle that you have to put pressure on by grasping or squeezing the handle.

It's the same as turning the key in the igntion switch. Position one is accessory, which just powers the convenience items like the radio, cigarette lighter, windows, etc. Position two is "on" which powers all of the car's electronics, including the HVAC system, engine electronics, airbags, etc.

It's for convenience. Say you've parked, and need to retrieve something from the trunk. You can exit the car, walk around tot he trunk, open it, collect your items, then press the button, close the trunk, and walk away knowing the vehicle is now locked.

There should be a 2.5mm jack in the glove box. If you find an Apple 30-pin connector, then you have the iPod interface instead of an AUX input.

Frederick NL

A1EK

Excellent response Rudeney and I am now all clear !

PS. I will check the glove box for Aux (is it on the top underside?)

alk247

Its on the left wall inside the glove box. Come to think about it, it might be on the right wall in your car. I hope you noticed, that your steering wheel is on the wrong side. Sometimes manufacturers get lazy and do not convert everything. In late 80-th my friend bought a used Rover. When he tried to open the hood for the first time, he could not find the lever. Then he asked himself, where this lever would be placed if car was in it's natural right hand steering wheel configuration? Sure enough, lever was next to the passenger door.

A1EK

Hi alk247
Sadly I checked in the glove box and there is no AUX or any connectors to be found, just the ventilation wheel.

P.S. You are correct that some car makers get lazy with the conversion from left to right steering wheels and it can be a pain . Interestingly there are so many countries that have the steering wheel on the right that you would think they would make things even, Australia, Hong Kong, UK, Cyprus, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore. I have driven in all these countries and have found the same issues.

One big gripe is the radio volume and controls. You will always find the volume on the left side which for me is furthest away. In the 80’s you generally always had to lean over to release the hood on the passenger side and I even had a Fiat once that they simple extended the pedal leavers behind the carpet to the right side in metal rods, which meant if the passenger pushed hard on the floor could brake and accelerate the car ! Things are a lot better now though !

TWO MORE QUESTIONS:

1. I noticed my heater dial seems to have a mind of its own and if I just touch it, the led indication for fan speed goes up and down randomly, is there a way to clean the contacts for the switch perhaps?
2. what is this little mount next to the mirror?

Rudeney

You could try pulling the fan speed control knob off and spraying behind it with some contact cleaner.

That thing on the windshield is something aftermarket. Maybe a radar detector or dashcam mount of some sort.

A1EK

Hi Frederick - I will need to check but it is branded Mercedes and is fully integrated with the car radio button dial pad, the dash board and steering wheel buttons etc. The sound is very good and my phone which is a OnePlus5 comes up with signal strength information too on the screen. I will check and come back to you.

Rudeney

The car's electronics were designed before Bluetooth existed, so the solution was to a proprietary "MHI" connector in the center console. They sold docking plates that snapped into that connector and were designed to accept a few specific Nokia and Motorola phones with proprietary hardwired connections. When Bluetooth came out, the way MBZ supported it was to create that puck which talks Bluetooth to your modern phone, then emulates a Nokia phone plugged into the MHI. In addition to that MBZ puck, a company called Viseeo also makes a puck that some say works better and is compatible with more phones (like some Apple phones, because they tend to be more problematic in terms of compatibility).

A1EK

So I removed the knob and was nearly cursing you for suggesting as the knob had a small spring that came off and I could not get it to go back in! With the knob removed I did noticed some sticky build on the back which I cleaned.

I managed to eventually get the outer turning knob and inner push button that has the auto on it back into the dashboard after some amount of attempts but left the little spring out. The Spring gives you the 'feel' of the knurls when you turn thats all and luckily the knob worked better without out it and is now behaving itself !

A1EK

I have taken a photo of the part numbers underneath the bluetooht module, hope this helps.

Rudeney

A trick to holding the spring in the proper position when replacing the knob is to add a drop of oil (like a 3-in-1) o r similar) to it. But if it works better without it, and still works to click into auto mode, then all the better. And I do apologize - I forgot your's is the pre-facelift version with the dual-purpose knob. The facelift version is easier as the knob just controls the fan - AUTO is a separate button.

Frederick NL