500SL Instrument Cluster

[cricomac]

Greetings to all,

Following advice found in the archives, I've diagnosed my problem with dead gauges to a kaput circuit board in my instrument cluster. Now the real fun begins. I have a part number from the archives, but the thread was dealing with a 300SL (mine is a 500). Does anyone know if the circuit board that controls the instrument cluster on a 91 129 is interchangeable between 300 and 500 versions? My local dealer says that this part is from a non-Mercedes source in Germany and has no idea of how long it may take to get (there are apparently none in the US). Unfortunately, he says basically the same thing of an entire instrument cluster.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Scott

[tecqboy]

I frequently see used and salvage clusters for SL's on e-bay. There are also a number of "yards" which have these parts. There is a guy parting out a 500SL on e-bay. I don't think it's as hopeless as it may appear right now. But you'll need to do some heavy research. Tod

[LeaUK]

Scott

If you get real stuck, send me a clear detailed shot of the circuit board that's dead - I'm an electronics eng and might be able to help in some way.


Lea

[cricomac]

My thanks to those who have offered assistance. Through the web, I was able to find a service who will rebuild the cluster for $375 with an 18-month warranty. It went out with UPS yesterday. They promise a 48-hour turn-around once they receive the cluster. I'll keep you posted on the success (or failure) of the venture.

Scott

[slsmag]

Originally posted by cricomac
Through the web, I was able to find a service who will rebuild the cluster for $375 with an 18-month warranty.

Hey guys... when you find a shop that offers repairs on SL related stuff, post the name/address/phone/website/email info to the thread so that it becomes archived. That way someone else searching the forum months from now will find the information!

Thanks,

- michael

[cricomac]

Michael,

If my instrument cluster is returned to me in working condition as promised, I will report back with the name and contact information for the vendor -- I thought it would be "jumping the gun" to do so beforehand.

Scott

[cricomac]

It works!

Reporting back as promised. My instrument cluster has successfully been repaired by Auto & Truck Electronics in Lake Worth, Fl. Phone number is 800.257.3395 and they are on the web at www.autoecu.com. Price was $375, as originally quoted, plus shipping. They turned it around in less than 24 hours from receipt. Came back with an 18 month warranty. At this point, they have my hearty endorsement (the local MB dealer was useless). I promise to let you all know it the rebuild fails.

Scott

[tecqboy]

Thanks for the follow up posting. Always good to find this kind of information. Did they report what part of the unit had failed? I know repair shops don't think the average customer will understand, but I'm an electronics engineer and I know a $50 processor from a 5 cent fuse link. Tod

[cricomac]

Sorry, but they didn't provide that information.

[mooneypilot]

I had a flashing lights/jumping gauges problem on my 1991 500SL instrument cluster. The OEM part is $1400.

Beckman Technologies in Durham NC overhauled my cluster for $330 with a warranty and it works so far for a month. +1 800 7421021. You should go through your mechanic to get this price, as they charge a higher price if you go direct.

I looked for 2 years on ebay. Don't buy unless you can return; the problem might not be in your cluster, or you might get one that had the same or worse problems as yours.

Also, I'd be careful about claims of "compatibility". While the clusters look the same, the harnesses, etc are different. The early clusters with the reel odometers are hard to find, OEM replacements are digital only.

The authorized Mercedes dealers are obligated to set the mileage to the correct miles on the car and certify it. Most states have big fines for changing mileage; don't do it. Many states pick up miles on inspection where they are picked up on CarFax.