W210 E55 key won't turn

[fishmk1]

Took my car to the garage for a track-rod end on Monday. Just about to leave when I discovered the key wouldn't turn when I put it in and there was no noise from the steering lock. Bad news is that the previous owner lost the spare key so can't rule faulty key out as I don't have another one to test it with.

Spoke to my local indy to see if they could test the key but they said no. They did say that the steering lock is a common problem on these. Noticed steering lock was a bit slow to disengage compared to the last one I had so maybe it was on its way out.

My old car got written off in November so I am going to try swapping the coded parts from that, ie. key, EIS (ignition barrel thing) and ECU but the key is so knackered it makes locking/unlocking the doors almost impossible.

I'm going to see if the previous owner's found the spare key (long shot) but can anybody offer any thoughts or advice?

Thanks!

 

[fishmk1]

Anyone know how to remove the steering column/steering lock or know if there's a guide online? Even a picture of one removed or a workshop diagram would help. It's really hard to see what I'm doing under the dashboard!

 

[Dec]

Have you ruled out the possibility that the coil is broken/detached on the remote PCB.

Coil is number 11 in first picture.

Dec

 

[fishmk1]

Hi Dec thanks for replying, no I haven't, how would I do that?

My key looks different. When I took it apart, a couple of little segments of copper coil fell out as well.

 

[fishmk1]

Other side

 

[Dec]

Examine it with a magnifying glass, have you still got the 2 pieces of copper?

Dec

 

[fishmk1]

No they were very small and I didn't think to keep them so threw them away. I'll go and see if I can find a magnifying glass somewhere and have a look then. Thanks

 

[fishmk1]

Can't see anything obviously broken and it's solid on the board. Rung previous owner and left voicemail but no reply. Might just order a new key, resent paying £200 for it but doesn't look like I have much choice.

 

[Dec]

Its useful to have a spare key anyway, it might be the cheapest option or if it is the key that’s at fault then it will be the cheapest solution, replacing/diagnosing the ignition will be very expensive.

Dec

 

[fishmk1]

I've just tested my key by putting it in my mate's new-shape C-class and it's definitely the transponder bit that's not working. Put it in the ignition and the key did nothing. Then I tried the one off my old car and it said key does not belong to vehicle. I'll order one first thing tomorrow morning. Thanks for your help

 

[Robw210]

Had the same problem on my W210 , I dropped the key onto
the concrete floor of my works car park .
It broke the coil off of the circuit board .

Luckily , my mate still had the spare key, something I never thought to
ask him for , when I bought the car from him 4 years previous !!!!

Rob

 

[fishmk1]

That is lucky! Yep, I dropped mine too just before I went to get in. It landed right on it's nose and went under the car ;-)

Previous owner hasn't got back to me. Even tried my insurance company but naturally I didn't think I'd need Keycare when I took the policy out so didn't bother, which now seems a dumb move!

Off to Mastertech I go to order a new key....

 

[fishmk1]

New key arrived yesterday and has solved the problem. Thanks for your help.