SLK/R170: Frozen SLK 230 :(
01-02-2018, 06:05 PM
#1
Frozen SLK 230 :(
Hi Folks,
I currently have four Mercedes and am technically savvy but am stumped on this problem. I am helping out a friend long distance who has a SLK 230. She drove it to work this morning just fine then parked it in a parking garage. At the end of the day, she came down to the car and couldn't unlock the door with the remote. Eventually she was able to unlock the door with the key, but set off the alarm during the process. When she tried to turn the alarm off with the key by putting it in the ignition or by using the lock/unlock on the buttons it wouldn't turn the alarm off. Now when she tries to start the car, the lights on the dash come on, but the engine won't start. The tow guy immediately said she needs a new battery and starter which I suspect is kind of BS for the following reasons:
1. The car started this morning after being outside all night without a problem.
2. To the best that I can tell from a distance, the starter is not even making a click noise when she turns the key.
3. None of this explains why the key fob won't unlock/lock the door
4. All of the dash lights and everything else work properly, it just makes no noise when you turn the key to start it.
So without actually owning a SLK 230, what are the symptoms if the key fob battery is dead?
Does the SLK immobilize itself if the alarm is not turned off correctly?
Thanks,
Ed Cohen
I currently have four Mercedes and am technically savvy but am stumped on this problem. I am helping out a friend long distance who has a SLK 230. She drove it to work this morning just fine then parked it in a parking garage. At the end of the day, she came down to the car and couldn't unlock the door with the remote. Eventually she was able to unlock the door with the key, but set off the alarm during the process. When she tried to turn the alarm off with the key by putting it in the ignition or by using the lock/unlock on the buttons it wouldn't turn the alarm off. Now when she tries to start the car, the lights on the dash come on, but the engine won't start. The tow guy immediately said she needs a new battery and starter which I suspect is kind of BS for the following reasons:
1. The car started this morning after being outside all night without a problem.
2. To the best that I can tell from a distance, the starter is not even making a click noise when she turns the key.
3. None of this explains why the key fob won't unlock/lock the door
4. All of the dash lights and everything else work properly, it just makes no noise when you turn the key to start it.
So without actually owning a SLK 230, what are the symptoms if the key fob battery is dead?
Does the SLK immobilize itself if the alarm is not turned off correctly?
Thanks,
Ed Cohen
01-26-2018, 03:08 PM
#2
Had similar problem with wife's CLK350. She was driving it around for weeks, took it to the gym one night. I get a call 9pm, the call nobody wants.
Car will not start. First thoughts were: blame the wife. I was wrong. It was that idiotic Mercedes Benz IMMOBILIZER system going nuts, shutting down the car, refusing to start, stranding the owner. (MB roadside assistance policy side money perhaps??)
BRAND NEW BATTERY. Called MB roadside. They insisted it was the battery. Must be tech support from a third world country. I knew it was not the battery, being a person who installed it, and being a person who has worked on my own cars since 1970.
I kept trying different key twisting combinations, door locking and unlocking. Even had a wrench to disconnect the battery terminal.... NOTHING WORKED.
So for three hours from 9pm to 12 midnight, my wife and I are sitting in an empty mall parking lot in a MERCEDES. (think target)
I kept fiddling with doors, keys on/off combos, pressing every button I could.
The car finally decided to start on it own -- at midnight. Cannot tell you why. Cannot tell you how other than that freaking anti theft MB IMMOBILIZER system they built into these cars. If I had my way, I snip every wire out of that system and toss the module out of that car.
What is next from MB? Cars that refuse to unlock on demand and trap owners inside???
Speaking from a car wrenching 1972 Plymouth Road Runner 440/ 4 speed with simple hand tools, to working on these rice boxes, and computerized cars that a tech needs a degree in electrical engineering just to diagnose.....if i see computers and wires I prefer to walk away.
Your issues sound like that IMMOBILIZER. Anti theft system by MB.
Promise to leave you stranded way out in the middle of nowhere without any warning or alert. Either carry a full charged cell phone and hope for service, or a conceal carry weapons permit for protection - while waiting for the cavalry to arrive.
Not to expect this coming from this name brand vehicle. But just to be an equal opportunity offender, I have an Escalade that is a 6000 pile of junk. Over Priced, Made out of plastic, falling apart just as fast as a cheap Ford.
Tip of the day: save your money. Buy simple A-B transportation. The more complex they make them - the more money leaves your pocket when it comes time to fix them. (or sell before factory warranty expires....)
Car will not start. First thoughts were: blame the wife. I was wrong. It was that idiotic Mercedes Benz IMMOBILIZER system going nuts, shutting down the car, refusing to start, stranding the owner. (MB roadside assistance policy side money perhaps??)
BRAND NEW BATTERY. Called MB roadside. They insisted it was the battery. Must be tech support from a third world country. I knew it was not the battery, being a person who installed it, and being a person who has worked on my own cars since 1970.
I kept trying different key twisting combinations, door locking and unlocking. Even had a wrench to disconnect the battery terminal.... NOTHING WORKED.
So for three hours from 9pm to 12 midnight, my wife and I are sitting in an empty mall parking lot in a MERCEDES. (think target)
I kept fiddling with doors, keys on/off combos, pressing every button I could.
The car finally decided to start on it own -- at midnight. Cannot tell you why. Cannot tell you how other than that freaking anti theft MB IMMOBILIZER system they built into these cars. If I had my way, I snip every wire out of that system and toss the module out of that car.
What is next from MB? Cars that refuse to unlock on demand and trap owners inside???
Speaking from a car wrenching 1972 Plymouth Road Runner 440/ 4 speed with simple hand tools, to working on these rice boxes, and computerized cars that a tech needs a degree in electrical engineering just to diagnose.....if i see computers and wires I prefer to walk away.
Your issues sound like that IMMOBILIZER. Anti theft system by MB.
Promise to leave you stranded way out in the middle of nowhere without any warning or alert. Either carry a full charged cell phone and hope for service, or a conceal carry weapons permit for protection - while waiting for the cavalry to arrive.
Not to expect this coming from this name brand vehicle. But just to be an equal opportunity offender, I have an Escalade that is a 6000 pile of junk. Over Priced, Made out of plastic, falling apart just as fast as a cheap Ford.
Tip of the day: save your money. Buy simple A-B transportation. The more complex they make them - the more money leaves your pocket when it comes time to fix them. (or sell before factory warranty expires....)
