My father has a 1994 SL500 with about 18,000 original miles on it -- just a weekend cruiser. It is impeccably maintained, in like-new status in our garage.

A few weeks ago, the car refused to start -- just some clicking from the starter and no crank-over. I figured either the battery was weak or the starter was shot. This past weekend we checked things over and made sure that the battery (relatively new Bosch) had a full charge from the wall charger, then tried to start again. This time we only got one or two clicks from the starter, and then the car went completely electrically dead. It dropped both windows about halfway, flashed the lights once or twice, and then it was kaput.

Turning the key in the ignition has no effect. The starter will not respond. The lights and radio do not come on. The window pop-down feature does not function, and I can't get one window back up. It's like the battery is totally disconnected.

I have checked the fuses under the hood and in the trunk, and don't see any burned out. Is there a breaker or relay hiding that I don't know about? Before I tow this thing to the dealer for a carte-blanche repair order, can any of you give me troubleshooting tips? Thanks very much.

Cheers, John

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'98 E300TD (W210) | Sold 6/09 with 205k and counting
'04 VW Touareg V10TDI