Dead Comand in ML500

[mikegriff]

Hi All
My ML500 2005 has lost its Comand center.
Car has the "posh" surround sound system - don't know if this alters things.

First no sound from speakers
Next morning Comand just got to the Merc symbol then switched off :-(
My Local dealer says fried hard disk ???
New comand only solution
Has anyone else had the problem.
I have found a few cheaper solutions to my dealers suggestion, but would really appreciate ideas.

Thanks in advance
Mike

 

[sinewave]

Comand Online Ltd

 

[markjay]

^^^^^
As above.

 

[richard]

Hi
Firstly, a 2005 ML does not have a hard disk COMAND, so your dealer is talking absolute rubbish. Hard Disks came in for model year 2009 (late 2008 build).

If the COMAND is turning on, displaying the Mercedes Star and turning off a few seconds later, it is very likely not to be the COMAND, this is a symptom that something on the fibre optic bus as broken - it could of course be the COMAND, but more often it is something else. This ties up with the loss of sound, as if the fibre optic bus breaks, the sound can't get to the ampliifier.
Given you say there was no sound (but I assume other functions were working), i'd be considering the Harmon amp likely (but because the CDC and the phone/vcs are significantly easier to reach, i'd bypass those and see what happens before going for the HK amp)

The other things can be Voice Recogniton, CD changer, Phone

The only trouble on a ML is that some things are very hard to get to (amplifier for instance really needs the passenger seat removed).

If you are near Lightwater, go see Alfie (comand.co.uk / comandonline )

Richard

ps. It should also be said, that if it was a Hard Disk Comand, and the Hard Disk was fried, MB sell a new hard disk. Not cheap, but much cheaper than a new COMAND.

 

[mikegriff]

Thanks Richard for the quick reply.
I was about the finds from the dealer
He couldnt connect to it so it must be dead, i didn't bother questioning the fried Hard drive as thought it didn't have one.
I will dig a bit more
Mike

 

[richard]

The COMAND head unit (on your car) contains the AGW and the COMAND-Display. (on other cars it is separate)

The AGW is the diagnostic gateway to everything on the fibre optic bus. So fibre optic is broken due to any failed component then the diagnostic machine can talk to the AGW, but it can't talk to the thing called "COMAND" which is in fact the display.

AGW is also the radio and the amplifier if you don't have Harmon Kardon.

There are many many MB dealers who just fail to diagnose this stuff properly. It may of course be that the head unit is broken, but to me there is a a way to go before i'd think that it was.

R

 

[mikegriff]

Hmm
Whatever has failed has now drained the battery!!
AA on the way Lets see if the dealer can sort it now!
Thanks again for the suggestions
Mike

 

[mikegriff]

RAC man has been and gone
and very good he was too.
Battery was down to 5v
Put his booster on and connected his van engine off
Started OK Radio came on as did the comand unit!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Charged it for a while then stopped engine disconncted the RAC and restarted fine
The engine is now running charging the battery I'm about to goto the dealers
Ther must be something draining then batttery which is connected to the Fibre CAN ring
I will report back!
Mike

 

[mikegriff]

So I was away for a week or so
So I left the Car with the Merc Dealer
they have been unable to find any fault or anything draining the battery!!

So it looks as if something crashed / stopped working on the CANBUS
then the lack of battery reset it
And now it all works!!

Is this plausible?

Or will i have no radio then no command then no battery n the near future????

Any ideas
Mike

 

[richard]

It is possible. But, it is also possible that the same item is failing and will do it again.

It is also perhaps worth getting battery checked, as a failing battery could have caused whatever crashed (if that was the case) to crash !

(and if on original battery, its now 7 years old)

Cheers

Richard