The W220 has four "theft relevant" parts that are all married to the same VIN - These are the key, the EIS (Electronic Ignition System), the ESM (Electronic Shift Module or shifter), and the ECU (Electronic Control Module). Each of these units must be programmed to match exactly.

 

I agree with you but in order to program them with the VIN you need to connect through the OBD port which is not working because key is not turning in the ignition switch.

Regards
Nasir

 

Going back to point zero, was the engine cranking (staster whirring around) at that point, or totally nothing after key was turned?

Can you get back to 1, where the key will turn, by replacing the old ESM?

 

Going back to point zero, was the engine cranking (staster whirring around) at that point, or totally nothing after key was turned?

Can you get back to 1, where the key will turn, by replacing the old ESM?

To start with the key will turn all the way to the right but engine was not cranking. All the lights of the dash were working OK except drive or park or neutral light. Scanner was able to read the codes. The key stopped turning after a used right rear SAM was plugged in.

To be specific the key was turning with the old ESM but engine was not cranking. It stopped turning after the used rear SAM was plugged in. Thinking that old ESM is bad we replaced it with new ESM and they key is still not turning. So to say things have gotten worse than what they were to begin with. Have we done anything that might have caused this. We have checked every fuse and pigtail plug all of them are intact and in place. Battery is fully charged. The original right rear SAM is in place and is getting power to it. I will appreciate the feedback.

Regards
Nasir

 

you need a match set of keys shifter EIS and ECU all taken from the same donor car. Taking one used part from one car and another used part from another car is not gonna fix your problem.

 

Agreed. That sort of thing is exactly what the immobilizer is programmed to thwart. That's why you need all four pieces, i. e. the keys, the EIS, the ECU, and the shifter, all from the same car.

 

Thank you for the recommendation. Just to clarify this matter, I was under the impression that I can change the bad part with the new part and program the new part to your VIN by connecting to the Mercedes software Xentry. In order to do so I need to access the OBD port which requires the key to turn to power up the ECU and all the modules. I expect the car to not start until the new part is programmed but it should give me the opportunity to program the new part to my car's VIN. I still believe I have done something wrong during the repair process that has made the situation worse. I will appreciate the feedback.
Regards
Nasir

 

I'm afraid that programming EIS's is beyond the abilities of Xentry. You are basically in a "chicken and egg" situation. What's got to happen is that the EIS that you have needs to be "re-virginized". I understand that there are people out there who can do this service for you. Once that's done, then you install your EIS and you should be OK. The other, and even better, way to do this is to have your original EIS "cloned" to a known functional EIS, such as the one you tried to put into your car recently. What that will do is keep not only the VIN information, but also the key hash information, i. e. your existing keys will continue to work.

So, who does this? Google will be your friend there.

 

Thank you for your response. Currently car has a "cloned" known functional EIS installed, and key is still not turning. Any further recommendation will be highly appreciated.
Regards
Nasir

 

That cloning...was it done using the information from your original EIS?

 

Yes sir

 

Then they must've done something wrong. I would get in contact with them and let them know what's going on. It's supposed to work if it was cloned properly.

Before doing that, though, I also would double-check Fuse 78, which is the fuse that goes to the EIS.

 

It might be helpful to have more information on the car, such as year, world market, etc. Fuse 78 differs by year...

 

That is true. OP, please fill out your user profile with at least the following information.

1.) Specific model, and model year, of your car
2.) Whether or not it's a 4matic
3.) Your general location (country is fine)

We ask for that because as Wally points out, there is variation by year. There is also variation by model, and by country, and we do have an international membership. It's also considered, "good manners" around here to do this.

 

Here is the car information. 2005 Mercedes S500 4Matic located in Michigan. Fuse 78 and its socket are OK.

 

This is the VIN# WDBNG84J85A441782

 

Good info, there. Also, please update your user profile with this info as well. It's the icon at the top right of the Web page that represents your account.

Yes, it really does help us to help you out.

 

The car was taken to the Mercedes dealer who found that the horn siren had gone bad since it is part of the security system that shut down the entire communication between all the modules. What a stupid engineering idea to design the car this way. It costed $1800.00 plus unbelievable amount of headache. Problem solved.

 

Alarm siren should be about $100 in parts and $200 in labor. I guess that’s why they call them Steeler ships rather than dealerships.

 

They did not install a new alarm siren because this part is on the back order with no delivery date. They just unplugged it. They say it took them too long to diagnose the problem.

 

So, the charge was all diagnosis? That seems high! Usually, it’s $200 for a diagnosis. That siren is a common failure point (I’ve done it in both Mercedes and all 5 Volvos). Whoever makes and sells those sirens is a marketing genius. They’re all the same and they all last about 10 years, tops…

 

Bosch makes them. Normally they charge $195.00 to diagnose common problems which excludes complex electrical problem like this one.

 

That's why having SDS is so valuable. I can do a diagnostic myself in a few minutes and save a boatload of money.

 

2003 Mercedes sl 500 amg (vin.WDBSK75F13F024574) i cannot get codes from vehicle due to no communication with the dlc. verified all fuses are not blown, cannot check for key on power due to the ignition not turning. the steering wheel does not lock. a bit lost on how to narrow my issue. anything helps thanks in advance

 

A mod will shortly arrive and ask you to include vehicle info into your profile. Good idea.

No such thing as a SL500 AMG. You probably have a garden variety SL500 with an AMG badge glued to it.

Do you have 1 key or 2?

Did it come to you this way or recently break?

 

yes so for starters not amg just has all amg accessories excuse me on that . 2 keys. came to me running with a rough shift and from that point i wanted to check codes and could not get my autel scanner to communicate with the vehicle as a whole. so with that i verified under the hood had the correct size fuses and they were all in the correct location. then ran a forced restart which consisted of disconnecting both batteries. from that point on the key would not be recognized in the igniton the doors do not lock or unluck from either fob and vehicle interior. the car acts if there is no key in the ignition

 

aha you’ve revealed the problem, you disconnected both batteries, and there was a problem when you reconnected them. Most likely you blew the prefuse which on a W-2 20 sedan is located under the passenger floor, I don’t know where it’s located on your car.

The other very likely possibility is that one or both of your starting battery or main batteries are too weak. I have a W-221 sedan that uses the two batteries set up that your car uses, both batteries need to be in tiptop shape for the car to start.