Instrument cluster dead but car drives fine

[Deleted member 134751]

I am having a problem with my W204 (2012 C250 coupe).

When I start the engine, everything is normal but the entire instrument cluster is completely dead - no lights come on whatsoever, and the gauges are all at zero, even when driving (i.e. the fuel gauge and speedometer needles remain at zero even when driving).

As I say, the car drives fine, and all other interior lights / electric windows / air con / head lights / brake lights / licence plate light etc all work fine. Hazards and indicators also work fine (although I don't get the sound effects!).

Has any one experienced this issue before?

I've done some research and it seems it's either a blown fuse or the entire instrument cluster needs replacing (which I really hope is not the case!). Although I read somewhere that if it was a fuse, my licence plate light and air con wouldn't be working either...but they're both fine.

I've ordered myself an iCarsoft i980 which should arrive soon - will this identify the issue? I'm reluctant to take it to the Main Dealer as they will no doubt charge me a ridiculous fee just to diagnose the issue. If anyone could tell me what to look for on the iCarsoft I would appreciate it!

Thank you

 

[clk320x]

You can check the fuses manually - iCarSoft won’t be of much use for that.

 

[Deleted member 134751]

You can check the fuses manually - iCarSoft won’t be of much use for that.

That's a good idea! A bit outside my comfort zone but I am sure I can manage it!

If I am reading random internet documents correctly, am I right in saying that the instrument cluster uses fuses 5 and 28 which are found in the fuse box under the bonnet (2012 W204)?

And do I need to use a fuse puller device to get them out, or is it ok to yank them out with my fingers? Don't want to damage anything.

And if a fuse is blown, are there spares in my car somewhere? Or can I buy them in Halfords?

Thanks!

 

[clk320x]

And do I need to use a fuse puller device to get them out, or is it ok to yank them out with my fingers? Don't want to damage anything.

And if a fuse is blown, are there spares in my car somewhere? Or can I buy them in Halfords?

There should be a little plastic fuse puller inside the fuse box along with a few spare fuses. Both can be easily found at EuroCarParts etc. Good luck!

 

[artyman]

Have a look at this thread Instrument cluster completely dead

 

[Deleted member 134751]

Have a look at this thread Instrument cluster completely dead

It's possible my issue could be battery related due to my low mileage, as per another user in that thread. Although I've never received the red battery symbol warning like I did in my previous Merc.

Does anyone know if the iCarsoft i980 will pick up on a low charge problem when scanning?

 

[kianok]

I had the exact same issue with my old w204 C350 (2011).

You may also notice that the headlights don’t come on when you you unlock when it’s dark?

New cluster at a cost of £1500 quid at the dealer but MB did contribute 50%.

 

[Deleted member 134751]

I had the exact same issue with my old w204 C350 (2011).

You may also notice that the headlights don’t come on when you you unlock when it’s dark?

New cluster at a cost of £1500 quid at the dealer but MB did contribute 50%.

Yes, the lights don't come on as usual. Did you find out why your cluster failed? And how did you manage to get them to go halves with you?

To be honest, if my cluster is dead, I think that's the final straw for me in terms of Mercedes ownership. It's been problem after problem with this car for me.

 

[kianok]

Yes, the lights don't come on as usual. Did you find out why your cluster failed? And how did you manage to get them to go halves with you?

To be honest, if my cluster is dead, I think that's the final straw for me in terms of Mercedes ownership. It's been problem after problem with this car for me.

No but to be honest I regret taking it to the dealer.

There are plenty of companies out there that will repair your cluster, failing that you can buy one from an auction site.

It’s a known problem.

 

[Larkone]

Mercedes W204 C Class Instrument Cluster Repair

 

[Deleted member 134751]

So I went for a drive today and the instrument cluster was working fine all of a sudden. However, when I turned the engine off at my destination, and turned it back on 20 minutes later to drive home, it wasn't working again!

Is this a good sign? Surely the cluster can't be dead if it was working, albeit briefly.

All gauges were working fine as well. The only thing I noticed was that the clock date and time was about 20 days off, so it seems that the clock stopped when the cluster initially failed to come on 20 days or so ago. Could this indicate a battery issue of some sort? And does the cluster have another battery of its own? I remember old computers used to have a little battery..something to do with BIOS / settings. Does the cluster have a similar battery as a fail safe for storing milage data perhaps?

I am a bit baffled by this and very reluctant to take it to Mercedes without knowing more about what's going on - because I bet they will just conclude it's dead and needs replacing for a ridiculous sum of money.

 

[Deleted member 134751]

I also took a voltage meter reading the other day - car hadn't been used all day and the engine was off. My reading was 12.0 which, as I understand it, and I may be wrong, indicates the battery state being about 45% charged.

I still haven't managed to give it a full charge with my new CTEK as I'm waiting on another extension cable to be delivered, but I am hoping this might resolve the issue.

 

[55AMGCLK]

It does sound like a low battery issue like I had on mines. I did have to drive it for a good hour or so for the cluster to start working again. I suppose that was sufficient time for the battery to be fully charged. Full charge with the CTEK should help with ruling out the low battery.

I would have the car scanned too incase there are any front SAM related issues.

 

[E55BOF]

If it comes back on after the battery has been charging for a while, it's probably a battery charge problem. A healthy, fully-charged battery should read about 12.8 volts. See what happens after you have fully charged it with the CTEK.

 

[Deleted member 134751]

I believe the issue is now resolved.

For the benefit of anyone reading this in the future who is experiencing the same problem, it seems that a non-functional instrument cluster can be caused by low battery / low voltage (although I am not 100% certain of this).

I went for a long drive (2 hours on the motorway) the other day and it seems to be back to normal now. I've just done another 4 hour round trip and it's been working fine. I have not used a charger on it yet.

Therefore, to save yourself time and money, definitely try driving it to give it a good charge (or use a charger) before sending it off to be repaired / replaced or taking it in for diagnostics!

Thanks to all who offered advice in this thread - I will be sure to add anything relevant if necessary in the future, but I'm pretty sure everything is sorted now!

 

[esscee]

Had similar myself a few years back on my W211, once CTEK connected up to battery and fully charged it then the problem never reappeared.

 

[tsjc]

Low battery causes this, or the alternator not providing enough electric. I had it on an older model the car ran but I had no speedo, etc or lights on the dash.

 

[Tamour]

My car is a 2010 E200 w212 .
For anyone else, I ended up replacing the instrument cluster and its working fine now.
How it started, I didnt use the car for a few days when I came back to start it, i saw that the instrument clusters lights were on but no display. After I started the car, still no display along with that my ambient lights (which are in your door and along your dash) and the steering wheel buttons werent working. Ran a scan and its showed multiple issues but nothing that pin pointed the problem. The auxiliary battery in the trunk was weak as it was registering about 7volts on a multimeter so I figured that was the problem. Replaced the auxiliary battery but the problem persisted. I disconnected the main battery and the auxiliary battery for about 10 minutes and after connecting them back, everything started working again.

The problem came back after a few days but this time, the instrument cluster, was completely dead with no lights and I tried everything but couldnt bring it back to life. Figure I get another instrument cluster to further diagnose the problem and the new one started working and has been since. Apparently these short out and sometimes you can bring them back to life after disconnecting the batteries and reconnecting after a short period of time but in my case it didnt last. Hope this helps anyone else who may be facing the same problem.

 

[DrNick]

Sounds like you had a low battery issue as well.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Replacing panels still feels like overkill on this.

First step should be to charge the battery properly, not just with a drive.

If the issue persists, your local car electrician or MB independent should have a look.

DIY is great, but electrics is a technical skill in its own right.