You need to pull codes from the Distornic module. A generic $25 OBDII scanner won't do this. There are some fairly affordable ($100 or so) tools that will do this such as the Autel DiagLink, iCarsoft (i980, MB-II v 2.0 or v3.0) and the Foxwell n510 Elite. There may be others, too. Just look for ones advertised as reading "all systems" and for Mercedes-Benz. This way, you can read and reset codes for yourself without paying the shop. There are many people in the forums that, given the proper codes, can give you some direction.

 

Did you ever get this sorted? I just got a new old (2004) CL55 and am having the same persistent, sporadic problem!

Any insights would be appreciated

Johnny

 

When it last went to the garage he didn't have the time to connect it up and check, so unfortunately it is still randomly cancelling. I imagine it's going to need a replacement module just like everything else!! I'll let you know if we get to the cause of it.

Are there any other cars around whilst you are having these issues? I switched from using distronic to using my speed limiter as a cruise control.
The distronic external malfunction annoyed me too much xD

One day I might put some effort into a radar replacement of some sort

No pattern to it that I can see unfortunately.

 

Are there any other cars around whilst you are having these issues? I switched from using distronic to using my speed limiter as a cruise control.
The distronic external malfunction annoyed me too much xD

One day I might put some effort into a radar replacement of some sort

 

Can you please explain how/what you are doing to bypass the disctronic and use cruise control? I appreciate your solution, but I'm not familiar with the "speed limiter", but this seems to be a sound solution to retain cruise control in the interim (or forever).

 

Did you ever resolve the issue?

 

Not sure who you were asking, but personally, this didn't solve it for me. My batteries were both over 12.7, but I charged them up anyway and went for a drive. Doink; Distronic disconnected with external interference warning. I also borrowed my mechanic's high-end OBD scanner with Jaguar, MBZ, and other euro modules. It scanned and found a ton of module-specific codes on my car, but zero on Distronic.

 

well yesterday, the Mercedes technician said he didn’t know what was wrong but he could try to calibrate everything at a cost of $1000 and a suspect part that never threw a code personally sells for $6000. According the Io wall and will not have chronic or cruise control. too bad there’s not some aftermarket work around so at least I can have cruise control.

 

Sorry your dealer visit yielded no result. I guess they didn't have any idea to what you were referring w/r/t an early software upgrade. My sister has a service advisor in Carlsbad, CA that she likes quite a bit, so I called him to see if he had heard of this problem. He hadn't, but the first thing he suspected was battery. He strongly suggested that I swap out both batteries if they weren't fresh. My starter battery (which he asserted was actually the car's primary) is a MBZ battery installed in 2017, but its static voltage is quite high. I don't see an install date for the accessory battery in the trunk, but that battery also appears quite strong. When I've got $500 sitting around with nothing better to blow it on, I'll probably just replace both batteries and hope for the best. But I'm not holding my breath for a good result.

 

thank you. My battery checked good. But I’ll check the second one.

 

Does anyone know if you can perform a do it yourself distronic radar alignment?

 

I don't think so. I've spoken to two indys and they both told me you need specialized equipment that supposedly only dealers have. Consequences of getting that wrong are pretty dire, I'd say.

 

thank you for your prompt and competent response. Have a good day.

 

You can use trial and error to calibrate it. Just pay attention to what the display displays when you're on the high way.

 

i’m taking a drive in the country soon away from external interference to see if everything‘s working correctly. If distronic works the new technological radio waves (external interference) arising over the last 20 years has probably made my furst generation system obsolete.

 

My 2018 63s wagon distronic cuts out without warning. Mbz replaced the behind grill miduke (2,950 but on warranty) but the probkem oersists. Works fibe fir 75-80 miles then starts to cut out. Will reset while driving 2 or 3 times than shuts down and ignition must be cycled to start up again. Distronic faults have been found and cleared. Any suggestions?

 

Correction it!s a 2019 63s

 

I was told by MB service that with so many wireless signals being transmitted through the air, some will interfere with the radar system. He told me they were having troubles with it on certain areas in Chicago.

 

My problem on the freeway is not location based. After a while it just starts shutting off. And turning off ignition and restarting reinitializes the system again
Sorry for typos, sent from my iPhone

 

I have the same problem. Sometimes it will last for five minutes other times one minute and go off. The hardware functions correctly. The software is up to date so apparently there are random external signal problems.

 

After they replaced the module it ran fine for 80 miles going south on a 90 mile trip and 80 miles on the return trip. If goes out 3 or 4 times and can be turned back on from the steering wheel controls then it goes out and can only be restarted by turning the ignition off and. on

 

When mine turns off it says there are external issues like dirty radar antennas.
I reset it from the wheel and drive again. Eventually it shuts off again and must be restarted to go through the same cycle. I wish the distronic feature could be disabled to allow basic cruise control.

 

You can, if you've got SDS

 

Welcome to the forum @ivangold076 - please take a moment to read the information on the links below. It explains how to use the forums and update your user profile so that your car's details and your location appear on each post below your avatar. This is good information for others to know when trying to help. It also has good information about how the forums are organized and how to use the search feature:

Find your Forum Section, Navigate & Search

Complete your profile.

 

I have been searching for a solution to this problem for a while. I was getting distronic errors on the dash as the distronic spontaneously disengaged. The problem was intermittent. Sometimes I could drive for a few miles before it would kick off, sometimes for a few yards. I noticed my car (C215 2004 CL55 AMG) pulled ever so slightly to the left. I wondered if this steering misalignment was contributing to the distronic malfunctions. Turns out it was. I had the car aligned at a shop that knows how to reset the ESC (electronic steering control) as part of the alignment. Viola! No more distronic errors! Works like it should. I suppose the expected steering input was not matching the actual input, so the computer decided distronic was not safe to engage. My best guess anyway. Hope this helps someone.

 

I'm not bypassing distronic in any way, it's still fully functional.
If you push the distronic speed stalk, you can switch between cruise control or limiter control