I have done an exhaustive search on these forums, as well as google. I have had the car checked by both a local Mercedes dealer as well as a foreign car electric specialist. I have taken the advice of other posters and have checked (both myself and the shops) the alternator, alarm, lights, trunk light, radio, etc etc etc. I am not looking for a psychic hotline, nor am I particularly looking to personally troubleshoot this. But when both a Mercedes dealer and a electric shop are baffled I would hope someone on here would have seen this before.
How I wish I was close to someone like Steve to have my car diagnosed, unfortunately I am in the armpit of America out here (also know as Massachusetts), and it is a bit tough to find a good shop. The dealer seems intent on replacing entire systems as opposed to diagnosing specific problems.
So I am not sure if you are complaining about my question?
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by mpolli
You start off saying this is a "wierd" problem, however, in my 1 year experience on this site I have seen this complaint many times, and there were always many helpful replies from many people who had the same problem. Since you have more posts than me I assume you have abserved the same thing. So it is a common problem. And a search should also reveal this. And most of the threads go the same way, with lots of specific advice given and most of it ignored completely. The problem is most responders assume the person is looking for instructions on how to troubleshoot their car when they are actually looking for the "Psychic Hotline". Well, the psychics have chimed in with the ususal listing of: Alarms, lights, and radios. I have learned a couple of things from this thread: Check the trunk light to see if it is warm, check the alternator to see if it is warm, and Steve's very good (as usual) advice about hooking up the ammeter before disconnecting the battery.
There are 2 ways you can go with this thing: Try to learn about it and fix it yourself, OR: get someone else to fix it for you. So far it looks like you are going with plan "B". The problem with plan "B" and the reason I would rather get my teeth drilled without novacaine than use plan "B" is just what you are experiencing, "Everyone is baffled". Well I believe that if you drove to Steve B's shop that he would have it figured out in no time. Basically if you are going to use plan "B" then you need to find better help. It is my observation that many professional mechanics are not experts on electricity. You need to find one that is, or at least one who will follow the instructions given here.
If you want to try plan "A" then go get a meter and do the tests spelled out in these posts. Otherwise find another mechanic or, Plan "C": Drive to Florida. I recommend Plan C.
|