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2016 SL550 dashboard lit up like xmas tree momentarily
Not my card but my friend's 2016 SL550 (29k miles). While driving at 30-40mph in city street. All the instruments all litting up like a xmas tree. Otherwsie the car seems to run okay but she then decided tp pull over the side to take a phone shot.
Then according to her all the lights just disappeared and have not acted up since. BTW, she got a new battery not long ago.
Has anyone seen this happened ?
Google AI seems to indicate a major failure in the vehicle electrical system.
See attached.
Last edited by videopho; Jun 26, 2025 at 12:36 PM.
Not my card but my friend's 2016 SL550 (29k miles). While driving at 30-40mph in city street. All the instruments all litting up like a xmas tree. Otherwsie the car seems to run okay but she then decided tp pull over the side to take a phone shot.
Then according to her all the lights just disappeared and have not acted up since. BTW, she got a new battery not long ago.
Has anyone seen this happened ?
Google AI seems to indicate a major failure in the vehicle electrical system.
See attached.
Usually a battery issue, try scanning the vehicle as well. Yes, I say a battery issue despite you saying you got a new battery, it is possible the new battery is bad (bad batch?). Check aux battery as well. If this vehicle has one.
Not my card but my friend's 2016 SL550 (29k miles). While driving at 30-40mph in city street. All the instruments all litting up like a xmas tree. Otherwsie the car seems to run okay but she then decided tp pull over the side to take a phone shot.
Then according to her all the lights just disappeared and have not acted up since. BTW, she got a new battery not long ago.
Has anyone seen this happened ?
Google AI seems to indicate a major failure in the vehicle electrical system.
I had this problem on my 2014 SL. In my case the lights didn't stay on. They turned on for a couple of seconds and then everything went back to normal after a couple seconds more. Basically, it's the instrument cluster rebooting.
I replaced the battery. The problem went away for a few months then came back. If that's what happened to your friends car then there's a problem with the charging system. In my case it was overcharging the battery and damaged it. I used a voltage logger while driving to see what was happening. A shop with Xentry may be able to bring up a charge profile history that can confirm this.
Confirm which battery was replaced? R231 has two…
Check integrity of “new” battery.
Make sure terminals are tight, and corrosion free. I always use a round wire brush to clean terminals and clamps before installation.
something like this:
Terminal clamps sometimes build an oxidation layer. Cleaning them prior to installation ensures full contact between clamp and battery terminals.
Make sure any wires bolted to the terminal clamps are also tight and corrosion free.
Originally Posted by videopho
Google AI seems to indicate a major failure in the vehicle electrical system.
Don't…
Good Luck!
Last edited by crconsulting; Jun 27, 2025 at 10:01 AM.
It’s an OK tool, but better than guessing. I have it popping up some ghost codes when I checked it against XENTRY. (codes that had been cleared previously). They may have updated the software by now. I would NEVER use it to program.
I personally would shoot for XENTRY passthru. You can search on here, as to what folks are using as a J2534 device.
Problem is pre facelift cars will probably only get emission and a few other systems via J2534. XENTRY with multiplexer is best tool for pre-facelift cars. Setup requires a little experience in software/hardware integration and installation.
Last edited by crconsulting; Jun 27, 2025 at 12:03 PM.
I had this problem on my 2014 SL. In my case the lights didn't stay on. They turned on for a couple of seconds and then everything went back to normal after a couple seconds more. Basically, it's the instrument cluster rebooting.
I replaced the battery. The problem went away for a few months then came back. If that's what happened to your friends car then there's a problem with the charging system. In my case it was overcharging the battery and damaged it. I used a voltage logger while driving to see what was happening. A shop with Xentry may be able to bring up a charge profile history that can confirm this.
It’s an OK tool, but better than guessing. I have it popping up some ghost codes when I checked it against XENTRY. (codes that had been cleared previously). They may have updated the software by now. I would NEVER use it to program.
I personally would shoot for XENTRY passthru. You can search on here, as to what folks are using as a J2534 device.
Problem is pre facelift cars will probably only get emission and a few other systems via J2534. XENTRY with multiplexer is best tool for pre-facelift cars. Setup requires a little experience in software/hardware integration and installation.
In that case I recommend the cheaper V1.0 version, if not at all doing any variant coding : )
hello, Mercedes just kinda do this when the battery is low. The modules all reboot one at a time and youre good to go. Unless its something less benign than this, it's probably this. I'm pretty familiar with this drivetrain, less so on SL's since theyre rare/less popular but I think I have it with this guess.
Do me a favor pull the battery, get a Schumacher battery charger from Amazon, doesn't have to be anything fancy. Charge it all the way up.
It's possible she ran the battery down again and the batterys not full and the alternator doesn't charge it all the way or youre stuck in a feedback loop of constantly trying to top off a low battery after starting it.
Yes, it can be the alternator. It's an easy test to confirm that the alternator is in fact charging the battery. The simplest check is to measure battery voltage with the engine running. It should be around 14 volts. But there's usually a warning on the dash that the battery isn't charging.
You can have the opposite problem too, where the alternator overcharges the battery. That isn't necessarily a problem with the alternator. It can be a problem with the BSM, which is a sensor that sits on the negative main battery terminal. In my case the battery was being overcharged, which damaged it. It would start the car no problem, but while driving the voltage would sometimes drop below 11.5V. I used a voltage logger while driving to see this happen.
You didn't say how long the new battery was in the car. Did the problem return quickly after the new battery was installed or, like in my case, did it take a few months before the problem reappeared?
In that case I recommend the cheaper V1.0 version, if not at all doing any variant coding : )
I think the $30.00 difference is well spent on the faster processor, auto vin detection, Wi-Fi connectivity for upgrades, and the ability to add more than one brand to the scanner, if you own more than one make vehicle via that wi-fi connection. (In the 2.0 version)
When it comes to electronics, typically 2.0 is better than 1.0 (not always, but usually)
btw I think you can code with both versions.
hello, Mercedes just kinda do this when the battery is low. The modules all reboot one at a time and youre good to go. Unless its something less benign than this, it's probably this. I'm pretty familiar with this drivetrain, less so on SL's since theyre rare/less popular but I think I have it with this guess.
Do me a favor pull the battery, get a Schumacher battery charger from Amazon, doesn't have to be anything fancy. Charge it all the way up.
It's possible she ran the battery down again and the batterys not full and the alternator doesn't charge it all the way or youre stuck in a feedback loop of constantly trying to top off a low battery after starting it.
Will need OP to update us on the voltage of the battery.
I think the $30.00 difference is well spent on the faster processor, auto vin detection, Wi-Fi connectivity for upgrades, and the ability to add more than one brand to the scanner, if you own more than one make vehicle via that wi-fi connection. (In the 2.0 version)
When it comes to electronics, typically 2.0 is better than 1.0 (not always, but usually)
btw I think you can code with both versions.
Yes, it can be the alternator. It's an easy test to confirm that the alternator is in fact charging the battery. The simplest check is to measure battery voltage with the engine running. It should be around 14 volts. But there's usually a warning on the dash that the battery isn't charging.
You can have the opposite problem too, where the alternator overcharges the battery. That isn't necessarily a problem with the alternator. It can be a problem with the BSM, which is a sensor that sits on the negative main battery terminal. In my case the battery was being overcharged, which damaged it. It would start the car no problem, but while driving the voltage would sometimes drop below 11.5V. I used a voltage logger while driving to see this happen.
You didn't say how long the new battery was in the car. Did the problem return quickly after the new battery was installed or, like in my case, did it take a few months before the problem reappeared?
Checking that way as well as onboard like pulling up the workshop menu once the vehicle is started to see how the alternator is doing as well.
Ignore the part where they went to reset the service counter. Go to vehicle data instead. Monitor the amperage part and voltage part, take a picture or record a video and post it here.
Last edited by W205C43PFL; Jun 28, 2025 at 11:52 PM.
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