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In regards to repair, complexity and severity dictate repair price. A malfunctioning LCD or inaccurate speedometer is a little trickier to fix than a sticking gauge. We need to make an assessment of the damage before quoting an exact price.
No work will be done without your consent. Once the problem is found we will contact you to let you know what's wrong and how much it will cost. Its your final decision weather or not to go ahead with repair. To date, no one has declined!
Instrument cluster Repair 1992 - 1994 |
$259 |
LCD Backlighting Replacement - 1992 - 1994 |
$25 |
On-site removal & re-installation |
$39 |
Hourly rate |
$49/hr |
Really, what type of warranty are you giving me?
We offer a comprehensive 3-month functional warranty, following the date of repair. This means that from the time you get the unit back, if the problem covered by the original repair reoccurs, we will repair at no charge (other than shipping costs). The only things we don't cover are light bulbs, which you can replace yourself easy enough without our help.
For our pre-owned units, we put them through a thorough bench test, and driving simulation. Only when it passes this can we be confident that it will perform as well in a real car. We can verify every gauge, every warning light, emergency audible beep, and make sure each one correctly and accurately measures what it is supposed to. For those boards that have known failure cases, we repair the problem beforehand so it does not make it out the door as it came in. Each pre-owned unit comes with the same 3-month warranty our repaired boards come with.
Even with the repair units we get in, we also put them through the same bench test to see if any other problems appear. Functionally your instrument cluster will be as good as stock, in other words it will function exactly the same as it came with the car, the year it was offered. Since instrumentation is your eyes and ears, this is of particular importance!
How much does shipping cost to ... ?
Shipping costs depend on location and provider, typically around $25. We deal exclusively with Canada Post when shipping out, and require US Postal Service when receiving from the USA. Private corporations such as FedEx and UPS are typically expensive on national shipping and extremely expensive on cross-border shipping. We do not ship or accept packages from FedEx or UPS!
USA/Canada border issues are nearly eliminated when using government run services such as Can-Post and USPS. Their variety of services, both based on speed and cost, make them the ideal shipping providers. Some customers already have business accounts with other providers and we can ship that way as well.
We are located in Toronto, Canada, and this a table of typical Canada Post shipping costs from Vancouver :
This a table of typical Canada Post shipping costs from California :
How do I ship a cluster to you?
Here is a checklist to use when shipping to us :
Make sure the cluster has enough stuffing to keep it from moving around and has at least an inch of stuff between it and the cardboard. If you feel secure enough to drop it from waist height onto a concrete floor, it's ready for shipping. After all, that will be the treatment it will be given when it's out of your hands. Be sure to place a "this side up" and "FRAGILE" sticker on the box, provided by the staff.
International/US shipment, with From, To and Fragile labels (shown from left to right) |
International/US shipment, with Shipping label, and Pro-Forma documents (shown from top to bottom) |
Is it easy to remove the cluster?
For the W140, it's not too difficult, with great care you can do it yourself. Mercedes sells these pull hooks to accomplish the job #W140 589 02 33 00:
This housing was damaged when removed, a $400 replacement item!
The following are pictures of various R129/W140 instruments through the years, red arrows indicate incorrect tugging points, blue indicate correct :
Installation is simply done by reconnecting the electrical connectors and gently easing the cluster back into its hole. It should easily snap into place.
For older Mercedes models, removal instructions can be found here :
W126_removal_instructions
W123_removal_instructions
Can I safely drive the car without the cluster?
You can drive the W140 without the cluster in the car, but its not suggested! You will see the following :
What if my cluster ends up not being the problem?
It's not usual, but entirely possible that the problem you're seeing in the cluster is actually upstream. Logically there are only a few real possibilities :
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Nearly unnoticeable, this early R129 fuse is indeed faulty | Copper contacts and aluminum ceramic fuses cause corrosion |
 Depress knob centre with pen |
 1992-1994 W140/R129 |
 1994-1997 W140/R129 |
CONNECTOR 1CONNECTOR 2
WARNING: Do NOT attempt to connect wires to the harness or introduce voltages to them! Irreparable harm may result to your vehicle! Only licensed Mercedes dealers can work on the electronics of your vehicle! Do not attempt to connect voltages to the instruments, as they are very sensitive and susceptible to total failure with incorrect or mis-timed voltages! A burnt wiring harness or power surge to any ECU will result in permanent vehicle and electronics damage!
To print out these instructions, click here : printer friendly version.
If the voltages seen on the multimeter do not match those expected above, the vehicle is most likely at fault. If the voltages appear correct, yet strange behavior is observed such as instrument failure when riding over potholes, or cold weather causing problems, this may be another indication the vehicle is at fault. Unfortunately, there is no further debugging that can be done, and the Mercedes dealer must be consulted.
What's this about a W140 recall?
Between 1992 and 1994 the instrument clusters for the S-Class (W140) and SL-Class (W129) had a defective recall. Various symptoms such as flickering signal lights, twitchy sensor lights, and all out blinking light shows, indicated the fault.
During those years when the vehicle was still under manufacturer's warranty, the units were replaced free of charge. Even on sale to the public, were replacement parts you could buy yourself at a lesser charge. The replacement unit was either another unit of the same type, or different unit from 1994 or higher. The newer replacement had the extra benefit of having a digital odometer.
The newer replacement has proven to be, over the years, a more reliable unit and typically does not malfunction. The original, however, is sort of a ticking time bomb. It could have malfunctioned any time from the date of purchase up until a decade and a half later. Unfortunately, Mercedes Benz does not honor the recall, and anyone stuck with this problem is forced to deal with it with their own pocketbooks, at the dealership.
Now, with our service, you have a choice!
Why can't I just buy one from the scrap yard?
Aside from the high Mercedes prices, even for used parts, scrap yards can't really guarantee anything. Is the plastic housing scratched or cracked? Are all the LCD displays, gauges, and important warning lights still working, or even accurate? Sure, "It was working when it was removed", but how long ago was that, if it's true? Will they care after you walk out that door? With no return on electrical parts, you could be stuck with 2 broken clusters.
Lets say you get it home and plug it in. If it does work, is the odometer reading going to be close to what you had before? Probably not. Nevertheless it affects the resale value of your car. If you're an early S/SL owner, then you know that your cluster is already a recall, so another one of the same may yet fail again in the future.
All this with your car still broken! Why waste your time, when you can contact us and do it right the first time! You'll be back and running smoothly in no time.
Are European and American clusters interchangeable?
 American Cluster |
 European Cluster |
Are the W140s and the R129s interchangeable?
Absolutely not! Although they appear to be identical, and they will fit in each respective car, the operation would be incorrect. Here are the differences :
Can I replace my older instruments with the newer digital type?
Yes, they are totally equivalent in operation. In fact, the dealer does not sell the older mechanical style any more. Once the recall was issued, the older mechanical type was eliminated from the shelves.
The only caveat is a dependence on model years for the R129, but not for W140. For example all digital W140 600, 500, 400 and 300 instruments will replace the respective mechanical types for earlier years. However for SL models it depends on year of production, specifically before or after 11/93. Thus, for example, a digital SL500 set produced in 1994 will not work on a 1991 model. This is due to signal changes in the VSS introduced in that year to make it more compatible with the W140 design. To be sure if a digital set will fit your SL, double check your VIN with the dealership. Here is a brief history:
1991-1994 R129/W140 Instruments |
In MY 1991, the R129 was introduced and used the familiar mechanical type odometer instrument gauge cluster. The W140 followed suit in 1992.During the next couple years thousands of vehicles returned to the dealer with complaints of dead instruments. The familiar blinking lightshow and dead gauges were reported to be caused from a variety of reasons such as low batteries, boosting cars, using turn signal lights, and even turning the key in the ignition too quickly. The amount of warranty claims lead Mercedes to ask Siemens/VDO (makers of the instruments) to investigate the problems and find a solution. It turns out that the instruments were very sensitive to the voltage input, and any variation from the expected input could cause total board failure! This would explain all the varied excuses owners reported to cause the failures. The vehicles themselves usually showed no signs of electrical wiring problems. |
In MY 1994-1997, Siemens/VDO introduced their new digital line of instruments for the R129/W140 models. This new design proved to be a much better design which was more flexible to bad inputs and more resilient to failure. The pinout for the electrical harness did not change, which enabled dealers to issue digital instruments as direct factory replacements for all older mechanical types. As an added bonus, digital instruments introduced independent easily replaceable bulb inputs for the backlighting and LCD, which the previous design did not have.The only known issues were failing LCD pixels on the main display. This problem would prove to reappear again in other LCD displays made for other models in later years. Symptoms such as corrupt displays, missing pixels, and failures in colder weather would plague owners for years to come. The W140 implementation was a little different than other models, and so problems were rare. |
1994-1997 R129/W140 Instruments |
1997-2000 R129/W140 Instruments |
In MY 1997-2000, the appearance of the W140/R129 instruments did not change, however Mercedes and Siemens/VDO collaborated and implemented a bold new strategy that spanned all models. The new strategy used a universal instrument wiring harness and a new square connector that every model would use. Obviously, the instruments themselves changed from model to model, but the connection was meant to be the same.This change also marked the beginning of a new concept in the automotive world, which was to utilize the CAN information serial bus to pass signals in the vehicle. Up to then Mercedes only used a low speed CAN bus in the engine compartment. The new design used a low speed CAN for all sensor inputs and high speed CAN everywhere time critical information was needed. The increase in complexity reduced wiring, and therefore reduced costs. The downside was the complexity proved to be harder for the average owner to service their own cars. The days of basic resistive-type sensors and dedicated wires to the instruments were over. Other European manufacturers soon followed suit, but it would take another decade before American manufacturers adopted the design in some of their models.
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In MY 2000 the W140 changed into the W220, and Siemens/VDO introduced a new digital line of instruments. They also again redesigned the wiring implementation on the W220. The new connector used even less wires and used a single high speed CAN bus throughout the car. Complexity reached dizzying heights for the W220, by converting all sensors to information carriers on one main high speed CAN bus super-highway. The concept immigrated to other models in later years, which is where Mercedes has evolved to today.Increasing complexity yields several benefits, other than decreasing production costs. It also gives Mercedes exclusive vehicle repair rights, as technician training and proprietary testing equipment virtually eliminates any other entity from servicing their vehicles. |
2000+ W220 Instruments |
My instruments say "EXH TEMP" on the bottom, what does that mean?
The bottom of the instruments have colourized light strips that indicate functions installed in the vehicle. These are custom tailored to the specific vehicle depending on what options were installed from the factory. The North american standard issue light strips can be seen below.
"EXH TEMP" is a sensor on the exhaust manifold used as a smog option in some countries. Typically Japanese cars will have this feature. When vehicles get exported into other countries that feature may be disabled.
Email : Info@MBCluster.com
