Hello,
After owning a 1992 4matic wagon for seven years, we went ahead and purchased a 1999 E320 4matic wagon with 93,000 miles.
We love the new (used) car but I'm getting a BAS warning ( large BAS letters in the display) intermittently upon startup. The BAS warning light on the left doesn't always come on with this warning. I do get the ESP light at the same time but believe thats normal with an inop ABS.
If I restart the the car the warning usually goes out. This happens every couple of starts but it always resets after restarting. I did check the post on this warning and it sounds like a brake light switch which I plan on changing.
My question is, is there any way to pull the codes on the system without going to the dealer?
Also, does anyone have any suggestions on a service manual for this car. I have the Mercedes Service CD for the 1992 but stops around model year 1995.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Steve Natale
RI

On my 1999 4Matic wagon (101,400 miles), the large BAS letters have appeared on the instrument cluster twice in the last six months. No other lights or warnings have accompanied the letters. Upon restarting the car, the warning goes out. I am also interested with this issue!!!

I'm also going to load test the battery which seems to be the original. I'm thinking the voltage my be dropping during starting and may set off the warning. I'll let you know what I find.
Thanks,
Steve Natale

Checking the battery is a good idea. Strange things can happen when the voltage drops too much. Another thing to consider is adjusting the brake light switch instead of replacing it. The ESP control module looks at the brake light switch as well as the membrane travel sensor in the brake booster. It compares the two signals for plausability. Apparently, there's a timing issue between the two signals that can be resolved by shimming the (self-adjusting) brake light switch when it's installed. Simply depress the brake pedal and pull the plunger on the switch out to the limit of it's travel. Before releasing the brake pedal (which will adjust the switch), attach a 1.5mm spacer to the tab on the pedal that contacts the plunger. In the workshop we usually use a wire-tie, but I've seen guys use all sorts of things. With the spacer in place, release the pedal. This will cause the switch to adjust one extra "click". I've used this method many times to fix a few stubborn cars, with good results. Remember to remove the spacer when you're done. Let us know what happens.

Thanks for the tip. After I replace the AC compressor on our 1992 300te
4matic, I"ll play around with the switch. I'll let you know how it works out.
Steve N.

99.9% of the time BAS and ESP malfunctions are the brake switch.

Just replaced the original battery on our 1999 E320 and the BAS/ESP warnings went away.
Thanks