My 2003 230SLK w/ 43,000 miles since new.

Since almost new car occasionally would throw the BAS/ESP light, but it would always reset on the next engine start and I wouldn't see if for another year or more.

Today, it came on within 25 mi of every engine start on a long day-drive.

I have no Check Engine, and the car drives perfect normally.

I did searches and the scariest was a MB Dealership that quoted $4500 for a new wiring harness and sensors, suspecting corrosion somewhere in the system, saying doing the complete job is all they would consider.

I have a decent scanner (Autel MaxiDAS) and it gave the following DTCs:

BAS shows NO errors or DTCs, but the ESP shows:

1) C1140-128 N49 Steering angle Sensor not initialized (this was in memory, but MIL light not on for this).
I routinely disconnect my battery when the car is in disuse, so probably I didn't re-initialize properly after a re-connect. The car is only driven about 2500mi a year, so that's why I disconnect the battery.

2) C1141-8 Pressure sensor zero offset error of component B34/1 ESP Sensor 1
3) C1141-16 Pressure sensor B34/1 ESP Pressure sensor 1 and B34/2 Pressure sensor 2 Plausability Error
4) C1202 A77sl (BAS Release Sw) Plausability (I re-checked this one w/ Launch 431-X Scanner and it said to ignore this DTC)

Faults 2 and 3 said the faults were causing the MIL light to illuminate and were in memory.

The car has zero corrosion visible anywhere, and in fact may have seen rain or a wet road only a couple of times since new, and was always in a dry garage when not being driven, so extensive corrosion seems remote.

I tend to think one cause is causing this condition rather than several, but where does one start?

I don't have any workshop manuals for the car that would show specific locations of components either, unfortunately.

Any help appreciated,
Bob

 

Bob,
Did you ever figure this out. My car is doing the same.
Cheers, Mike