Mercedes' eco-friendly wiring !!! ???

[malc350]

I was recently told by the owner of a CL420 that there were certain years to avoid when buying a Mercedes CL (and others?) as Mercedes apparently designed the wiring loom to biodegrade after 20 years or so.

According to this guy the wiring doesn't wait 20 years but starts to degrade anyway? He reckons the remedy costs around 2 grand which given the complexity of the electrical system in say, an S Class would seem like a bargain.

This sounds almost like the stuff of fiction though he swears it's true and affects cars built approximately between 1993 and 1998.

Is this for real, and if so what cars does it refer to (all Mercedes?) Surely the resale values of cars built in these years would be virtually zero if this was the case?

Also I have never seen in a Mercedes ad anything like "wiring loom replaced by Mercedes" or such like.

Anyone know anything about this?

[steve-p]

On the face of it, that sounds... slightly ridiculous. Imagine the safety implications if the loom started degrading in normal use by design, the potential for fire, failure of the active safety systems, etc.

[steve-p]

I did find some information on this, which mentions 1992 to 1995 specifically, across all models, where the loom can degrade after exposure to high temperatures under the bonnet. It only affects the engine loom apparently, since it's a temperature thing.

[GregE240]

Its true, I'm not sure if they were designed to be biodegradeable, but I know of several people who have had replacement engine wiring looms fitted (under warranty).

It is a known fault, and is covered by a Service Release Bulletin. I don't think cars were recalled as such, probably given a once over when they went in for a service and the loom replaced if it was damaged.

HTH,
Greg

[Church]

Few years ago had a 1993 500 S-class and was told it had this "eco-freindly" loom. Wouldn't fancy having to replace any of it, maybe get rid of the car before problems occur...........

[deva link]

http://users.adelphia.net/%7Einfoage1

[malc350]

steve-p said:

On the face of it, that sounds... slightly ridiculous. Imagine the safety implications if the loom started degrading in normal use by design, the potential for fire, failure of the active safety systems, etc.

I think the idea was to assist in the disposal of the car when it reaches the end of its life. Thanks for the replies. At least it seems like only the engine loom, imagine having to replace the wiring for the entire car.

Don't know how you would be able to tell when inspecting a prospective purchase though...

[sneijder]

The new looms just don't have lead in them, and the CL's had a problem with the door looms stetching after time and causing problems with the windows, maybe that's what your friend is referring to.

[pentoman]

In America wiring looms breaking up are somewhat common in those era cars - even in the W124 chassis (the old square headlight one).

[malc350]

deva link said:

http://users.adelphia.net/%7Einfoage1

Cheers, I suggest everyone reads this as this seems to be the answer...

[steve-p]

Hmmm, 185 complaints from a period (91-96) when 503,050 vehicles were sold in the US doesn't sound too alarming.