ASR Headache

[420SEL]

My boss is having trouble with the ASR on his '96 E320 again. I have done searches on this forum and still would like some extra help. In the past few weeks he has had limp home mode triggered on the DonValley Parkway here in Toronto and it scarred the heck out of him (A very busy highway in not so good weather). He had the car into the MB dealer who thought they fixed it only to have it act up again after spending having $1,800.

This is what he has had done (this was over the New Year's Holiday).

-Short test performed
-E-Gas Module replaced (part # 210-545-06-32)
-Lock replaced (part # 004-994-45-45)
-ABS/ASR/ESP/ETS Electrical eletrical test program performed
-Electrrical system test
-ASR Hydraulic test program performed
-control module - ABS/ASR replaced
-control module - perform version coding
-EA/CC/ISC control Module - ENg. with SFI replaced
-under dash cover panel R&R

78792 Diagnostic start test, code retreive 002, 098, 030, P0505

Sounds like alot of stuff to me. I understand this problem is not too unusual, as there have been many posts on it for w210 E-Class cars and some of the w140 S-Class cars. Is this a problem that generally is caused by one fault, or could it be any number of a hundred things that really is hard to diagnose, and then when fixed another thing could trigger it also? I have had no problems on my '95 E420 with the ASR. I would think that MB would have a technical bulletin out on this with the most common fixes available. The problem is not so much with the cost, but how long it took them to diagnose (apparently after they got the codes it took them three days to figure out what to do), and then that it wasn't fixed.

I am hoping for some insight into whether or not this problem should be able to be fixed with a degree of certainty. Is this problem relaly so complicated, or is the dealer missing something? Also, if you have a suggestion for something that has not been tried we're all ears.


Any help can be appreciated. Thanks.