Clock refuses to display correct time

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Blowpipe

Active Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2014
Messages
163
Car
2019 E220d Cabrio
Hi, my first post as I'm new to the site and MB ownership.

I've got a 2003 E320. I tried to reset the clock as per the usual way, as it was an hour slow when I got the car. The hands spun around and settled on a very different time to that I had entered via the controls. I've tried repeatedly to rectify this but it's not playing ball.

Any ideas?
 
Is this how you're setting it?

[YOUTUBE]/watch?v=OLQl-EJWnbo[/YOUTUBE]


Slightly different instructions in this video. This guy says you need to hold the reset button for a couple of seconds. (Don't know if that will make any difference).

[YOUTUBE]/watch?v=ryF4mfnkJAo[/YOUTUBE]
 
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Yes, that's it. I've tried both brief stabs at the reset button and holding it in for longer - no joy.
 
Do you have comand?
 
No, billy basic I'm afraid.

The clock settles on the same wrong time (adding the elapsed minutes) each time I have another go if that's any help.
 
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No, billy basic I'm afraid.

The clock settles on the same wrong time (adding the elapsed minutes) each time I have another go if that's any help.

Can we have the car VIN? Perhaps the car has had navigation but it has been removed at some point? Then again, many owners retrofit COMAND but remove it when selling the car. This cannot be seen from the data card.
 
can we have the car vin? Perhaps the car has had navigation but it has been removed at some point? Then again, many owners retrofit comand but remove it when selling the car. This cannot be seen from the data card.

+1
 
As Blowpipe has said he has the time setting function in the cluster menu, that hasn't been set to take it;s time from COMAND

Is it always the same amount of time out ? I.e set midday and it displays 6:23 and set 1pm and it displays 7:23. I am wondering if cluster repair and the hands aren't on the spindles in the correct place ?

Richard
 
As Blowpipe has said he has the time setting function in the cluster menu, that hasn't been set to take it;s time from COMAND

Is it always the same amount of time out ? I.e set midday and it displays 6:23 and set 1pm and it displays 7:23. I am wondering if cluster repair and the hands aren't on the spindles in the correct place ?

Richard

Could also test a smaller increment than an hour, like 12:00 and 12.10 or so.
 
The VIN is WDB2110262A198105.

The display started off exactly an hour slow, so I assumed the previous owner hadn't bothered to reset to BST. When I entered the correct time it went back about an hour and a quarter, consistently does this with each attempt (though keeping pace with accrued time). Each time the big hand does a little wiggle at 9.15 before carrying on, just to keep me amused...

Just tried the smaller increments, no joy.

Thanks to all for continued head-scratching!
 
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As Blowpipe has said he has the time setting function in the cluster menu, that hasn't been set to take it;s time from COMAND

Is it always the same amount of time out ? I.e set midday and it displays 6:23 and set 1pm and it displays 7:23. I am wondering if cluster repair and the hands aren't on the spindles in the correct place ?

Richard

Richard, lateral thinking, well done! Hasn't solved the problem, but now displays the correct time. I set it for 8.10 and got close to the correct time (now 7pm). Added a few minutes and I've got the analog display correct.

Any further thoughts on what's causing this gratefully received.
 
I suspect the hands have slipped (or more likely, cluster has been repaired and pu t on in the wrong place).

So probably needs to come out and go to a cluster repair place - BUT, when removing it, set time to 12:00 and then unplug it.

But I don't know enough of how the mechanism works in there (they seem to be stepper motors)

I'm not sure that the time setting is used for anything else, so you could just live with it now you can set it to display the correct time :)

Cheers

Richard
 
I think you've summed it up there Richard. Unless there's an easy fix it will be easier to just do some mental arithmetic each time there's a need to reset the clock. Don't fancy taking the thing to bits just yet. Thanks:thumb:
 
One thing that you could try next time when the car is plugged in star, is to reset instrument cluster. I don't know would it solve the problem but usually it must be done every time after some options are changed in cluster internal settings.
 
Worth a go. It's a weird problem as there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the clock itself.
 

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