Background:

A couple months ago, my 1995 E300D wouldn't start. Turn ignition, nothing. Other electrical works fine. There is a loud clicking sound under the passenger-side dash.

It was an infrequent problem that became more and more frequent. One day while driving, all power went out, no windows/radio/etc. And it wouldn't start after I powered the engine off.

Had it towed to a local mechanic...he fixed the alternator, recharged the battery, and replaced a relay, all for $850. In retrospect I should have taken it to someone who knows Mercedes, because I don't think he knew what he was doing, that's why he charged me ~$450 in labor costs!

Today, I try to start it up, and same ignition problem as before! A clicking sound under the right dash. The emergency lights would also blink for awhile and then stop.


So basically I spent $850 and nothing was fixed. Any ideas what the problem could be? A more serious wiring problem or maybe a short somewhere?

I'm taking it back to the same guy and hoping he'll do more work on it for free--my dad knows the guy, and since the problem is the exact same I figure he owes me. But I thought I'd try to get some input so I can maybe get out of this endless cycle by finding out the root problem.

Thanks in advance!