Autoelectrics problem MB C320

x_d · 2006-10-03T13:45:10+00:00

hello all,I have been lurking in this newsgroup for little while. Last year, afamily member wanted to sell a 2001 model C320. It was a four-year-oldcar, but only had 14,000 kilometres on the clock (used as a weekend carto weddings and parties etc...). He asked me to advertise it for him,but since the depreciation made the car a huge bargain, I bought it offhim.It has now 22,000 km on the clock. Last week, it developed a problemwhereby 4 errors appeared on the dash: 1- brake pad wear fault, 2 -fault with ABS, 3 - fault with ESP, 4 - fault with BAS.The car would then lock into the one gear that it was in at the time(it can be first gear or any other gear that it was in at the time).Initially, stopping the car and restarting the car would see the errorsdisappear and the car would be drivable (which made me think that theengine heat may have helped improve on some of the electricalconnection). However every day since then, the problem would takelonger to disappear. Today, I had to limp home from work in secondgear at 60 km per hour all the way home.I did take the car to Mercedes-Benz for a diagnostic. It was hooked upto a computer, and I was told that the fault lies in the ESP controlmodule.Now here is the cruel part, the part can be replaced as a second-handunit for about $2500, or a new unit around about $4000 !!!!Now for all the mechanics in this group, is this a common fault, and isthis a reasonable repair bill? Could the component be removed andrepaired by an electrician for less?This is my first foray into a luxury car, previously being an owner foreight years of a Subaru WRX. The Subaru did throw a fault in theodometer, which cost me $1300 to replace. However, after thisexperience, I'm thinking of going back to Japanese quality (now lookingat the Lexus IS range - much prefer the value of the Liberty range butthe missus does not like the interior :-((( ).Although the car is now five years old, the low kilometres makes theexperience very bitter. Do you...

Oct 03, 2006 41 Replies

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Tiger 19 years ago

So you still got all faults as you initially stated or just the ESP? Computer rarely if ever go bad... 98% of the time, it is not the computer. I'd suggest you take the car to have second opinion at a different MB dealer.

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Martin Joseph 19 years ago

So they 50/50'd you and you feel good about it.

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