400E 400E jerking/hesitation/power loss between 4000-6000 rpm

[lightdude95]

Quick update: I checked the magnets and they both work. Engine starts running rougher when 12V is applied to either one.

I also filmed a few things:

WOT_1st_run: Here I am flooring it, for some reason it upshifts too early 2->3 (happened only once though, always revs to redline when I floor it), but most important thing to notice here is the sudden slower climb in revs as soon as the engine gets above 5500rpm before shifting into 4th.

70percent_throttle_low_power: This video is filmed after the 1st run. You can see that while I'm pressing the accelerator quite far, the engine is very sluggish until it reaches about 3500-4000rpm, after which it suddenly regains power.

WOT_2nd_run: This clip is filmed after the second one, as you can see oddly enough full power is gained again across the entire rpm range...

 

[195910]

Yes check the adjustment.

 

[gsxr]

Just confirming... did you install brand-new Bosch fuel pumps? Or just different/used pumps?

 

[lightdude95]

Just confirming... did you install brand-new Bosch fuel pumps? Or just different/used pumps?

Brand new ones

 

[lightdude95]

Yes check the adjustment.

Will do, getting the new throttle cable tomorrow so I'm gonna do it right away then.

Also: the 'play' in the rod I was talking about (A0010706375) wasn't really play... Took the rod out today to clean and grease the joints and I noticed that it was divided in two pieces with a slotted connection, so there's meant to be a bit of play on it. Good thing too hence I couldn't get a new one after all.

 

[gsxr]

Brand new ones

Brand new Genuine Bosch, or new off-brand?

Just based on the video, especially the 70% throttle vid where you are missing 100hp across the rev range, it looks like low fuel delivery. But you can't prove that without a fuel gauge visible while driving.

 

[lightdude95]

Brand new Genuine Bosch, or new off-brand?

Just based on the video, especially the 70% throttle vid where you are missing 100hp across the rev range, it looks like low fuel delivery. But you can't prove that without a fuel gauge visible while driving.

All new genuine Bosch. If necessary, I could get a fuel pressure gauge, hook it up and tape it to the windshield while driving.

Isn't it weird though that suddenly when revs increase (thus more fuel is needed) the power restores itself?

 

[gsxr]

The whole problem is weird. But with intermittent faults, you can have this scenario. When I've had old, failing, intermittent fuel pumps they can act similar to this. Normal power most of the time, then it drops, and can come back 100% normal temporarily. But you shouldn't have this with new pumps, unless there is some other intermittent fuel-flow restriction.

Since fixing the sensor problems, have you tried driving with the MAF disconnected again? That's easy and free, may be worth a try...

 

[lightdude95]

So I installed a new throttle cable today and adjusted it as the workshop manual tells me to (for models with ASR). Car is much more responsive now and 'feels' like it has more power, but that is of course because of the throttle opening much further whenever I press the pedal. Main problem still exist though. I can try testing without the MAF again for sure.

Btw on the throttle cable there are 2 adjustment nuts. One where it sits on top of the engine and one near the gas pedal. I did all the necessary adjustments with the one on the engine and left the one near the pedal completely open (aka turned counterclockwise bringing the nut closer to the pedal and further from the firewall). The adjuster nut sitting on the back of the engine is almost at its end though, but everything is adjusted correctly. In the manual it doesn't mention in which 'standard position' the nut near the pedal has to be in. Should I turn it so it sits in the middle of the thread, or is it good as it is now?

 

[lightdude95]

Today I drove the car with the MAF disconnected, no change.

Connected MAF again, disconnected CMP (hence the defective CMP dtc is still present); car accelerated very erratically but the cutoff at 5500 rpm was gone...

Later this day I was driving on the highway (all sensors hooked up) and floored it WOT with kickdown enabled, expected cutoff presented itself again around 5500rpm which in this case was around 220km/h. Still kept going WOT and accelerating VERY slowly hence a lot of power was gone. Suddenly asr light came on, car went into classic limp mode until I got a chance to turn it on and off once I was off the highway.

Edit: Almost forgot; also swapped camshaft sensors with my friends 400E which I know is good for sure and cleared codes, still no change and CMP dtc showed up again.

 

[195910]

hmm, this might be useful. Time to check the DTC again.

 

[lightdude95]

hmm, this might be useful. Time to check the DTC again.

Just got them for ya:

Pin 4: 17

Pin 6: 30 (I shorted pin 6 to ground to try and test it with ASR disabled, maybe that's why this code showed up)

Pin 7: 2 (this one is new...)

Pin 17: 6

So frustrated about the defective cmp error on pin 17, and of course the other issues...

 

[gsxr]

Pin 4: 17 = No CAN data transmission with EA/CC/ISC (E-GAS/EFP) control module (N4/1)

Pin 6: 30 = This almost always appears when limp mode occurs, generally it can be ignored

Pin 7: 2 = If that is analog/blink code #2, it can be any of a dozen issues, but generally also occurs with limp mode

Pin 17: 6 = CMP again.


Do you have spare modules to swap out for testing?

 

[lightdude95]

Pin 4: 17 = No CAN data transmission with EA/CC/ISC (E-GAS/EFP) control module (N4/1)

Pin 6: 30 = This almost always appears when limp mode occurs, generally it can be ignored

Pin 7: 2 = If that is analog/blink code #2, it can be any of a dozen issues, but generally also occurs with limp mode

Pin 17: 6 = CMP again.


Do you have spare modules to swap out for testing?

Thanks Dave.

Yeah I could ask my friend for his modules. There's no chance of blowing his ecu's on my car I hope, right?

I was also wondering, would this be caused by a faulty crankshaft position sensor? Even though there's no code.

Would it also be worthwhile to replace the brake light switch and the NSS? Not just as preventive maintenance, but really a possible cause of this problem.

 

[gsxr]

I think the chance of damaging modules is very, very low in this situation. Your car is running, just not running properly.

I don't think the crank sensor would be at fault. I'd expect a code from it, OR the engine would just die, or not start. I've never heard of a flaky crank sensor causing what you describe.

If you are getting limp mode... it wouldn't hurt to replace the brake light switch (cheap & easy) and NSS (not cheap, less easy). The brake light switch won't affect engine operation, but the NSS can.

 

[lightdude95]

I think the chance of damaging modules is very, very low in this situation. Your car is running, just not running properly.

I don't think the crank sensor would be at fault. I'd expect a code from it, OR the engine would just die, or not start. I've never heard of a flaky crank sensor causing what you describe.

If you are getting limp mode... it wouldn't hurt to replace the brake light switch (cheap & easy) and NSS (not cheap, less easy). The brake light switch won't affect engine operation, but the NSS can.

Ok thanks for the intel. I'll swap the e-gas module and see what it does. A new brake light switch and NSS will also be installed in the near future.

Btw: I ordered the insulator caps behind the rotors as well, all bosch. You never know right?

 

[lightdude95]

This just popped up in my head, it MIGHT be useful information: after the drop in power happens, the tone of the engine becomes lower, more bass. Starts to sound like an American V8. Any ideas?

 

[lightdude95]

Update: rotor insulators and cam magnets + armatures replaced, problem still persists. Car does feel like it does have more power in the lower rev range. Old insulators looked fine too. What I did notice inside the cam magnets was lots of soot/sludge buildup. There was enough room to let the armature move inside it, but damn was it dirty.

Next up: testing with another e-gas module and also installing a new brake light switch.

 

[lightdude95]

Update: put in e-gas module from 400e of my friend, car behaved exactly as before... So it's not the module.

Just to be sure that my car hadn't damaged his module, I put it back on his car and went for a drive, it drove perfectly, exactly as a m119 should behave...

At this point I'm tired of throwing money at the car without any significant results, as anyone would be I assume. Idk to which extent a new NSS would help. Would the throttle position sensor in the pedal be worth changing?


Almost forgot: installed new brake light switch a week or two ago as well, didn't help either.

 

[195910]

This just popped up in my head, it MIGHT be useful information: after the drop in power happens, the tone of the engine becomes lower, more bass. Starts to sound like an American V8. Any ideas?

This usually happens when the ignition timing is off (emergency running) or when other input signals are missing (MAF, vacuum..)

Any chance of taking the car for a live scan ?

 

[lightdude95]

This usually happens when the ignition timing is off (emergency running) or when other input signals are missing (MAF, vacuum..)

Any chance of taking the car for a live scan ?

Yeah I was also thinking of doing that, I assume they can read a lot of real time sensor values with a star diagnostic kit and hopefully will be able to find the culprit like that.

Would it be worth swapping the LH module too, as I did with the E-gas? Since it could be ignition related as you say.

 

[195910]

Yeah I was also thinking of doing that, I assume they can read a lot of real time sensor values with a star diagnostic kit and hopefully will be able to find the culprit like that.

Would it be worth swapping the LH module too, as I did with the E-gas? Since it could be ignition related as you say.

I can tell you that the equipment is worthless unless someone knows these cars, most of the technicians working at the dealership are born after the cars were made!

Have you tried cor de jong in NL ?

 

[gsxr]

For the CAN fault (code #17) on pin 4, yes, you should swap in a different LH module for testing. See if the same code appears on the spare LH module.

 

[lightdude95]

I can tell you that the equipment is worthless unless someone knows these cars, most of the technicians working at the dealership are born after the cars were made!

Have you tried cor de jong in NL ?

True... I was going to bring it to an independant guy that I heard is really good with mb cars in Belgium. Is Cor recommendable too?

 

[lightdude95]

For the CAN fault (code #17) on pin 4, yes, you should swap in a different LH module for testing. See if the same code appears on the spare LH module.

Thanks, will give it a go.

 

[195910]

True... I was going to bring it to an independant guy that I heard is really good with mb cars in Belgium. Is Cor recommendable too?

I have no experience with any of them, I do my own diagnostics work (tried a few M-B/Bosch centers and found out they knew less than I do)

Do check that they have the needed equipment and that it works! I had that issue too : /

 

[lightdude95]

I have no experience with any of them, I do my own diagnostics work (tried a few M-B/Bosch centers and found out they knew less than I do)

Do check that they have the needed equipment and that it works! I had that issue too : /

Thanks will do, just need to find someone who can do more than just read what's on the screen, someone who really knows these models in and out.

 

[lightdude95]

For the CAN fault (code #17) on pin 4, yes, you should swap in a different LH module for testing. See if the same code appears on the spare LH module.

Changed LH module, no luck. At this point I'm getting more and more suspicious about the cps... see this thread:

SOLVED: Uneven idle, hesitating when accelerating, power is down (Faulty CKP) | Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

So I tried to measure duty cycle (while I'm waiting for Star) the old fashion way. First I tried the X11-connector at the left fender (pin 2 and 3), but my multimeter reads zero (set to duty cycle). Then I went to the X11/4-connector (38-pin). Nothing - it reads 0%. Really? Can this be...

www.500eboard.co

 

[lightdude95]

Installed new cps, no change. I read some codes again and I got the following:

pin 4: 17

pin 6: 30

pin 7: 2, 3, 6, 14

pin 8: 6

pin 17: 6, 28

Annoying e-gas module canbus communication keeps popping up...

Besides that, several codes point in the direction of the "closed throttle position switch", which I believe is the one at the top of the pedal (not the kickdown switch but the one actually on the pedal).

Would that cause such behaviour and is it worth changing out?

 

[gsxr]

A digital scanner would REALLY help narrow down the faults on pin 7. If you have not changed S29/3, try replacing it. Same with S16/1. The data exchange errors are bizarre, since you already swapped E-GAS modules with no change.


Pin 4: 17 = No CAN data transmission with EA/CC/ISC (E-GAS/EFP) control module (N4/1)

Pin 6: 30 = This almost always appears when limp mode occurs, generally it can be ignored

Pin 7: 2 = Multiple possibilities, generally occurs with limp mode
Pin 7: 3 = Multiple possibilities, mostly ETA related
Pin 7: 6 = NSS (Starter lock-out/backup lamp switch (S16/1))
Pin 7: 14 = Closed throttle position switch (S29/3)

Pin 17: 6 = CMP again.
Pin 17: 28 = E-GAS module data exchange malfunction

 

[lightdude95]

A digital scanner would REALLY help narrow down the faults on pin 7. If you have not changed S29/3, try replacing it. Same with S16/1. The data exchange errors are bizarre, since you already swapped E-GAS modules with no change.
(snip)

Thanks

Will change both switches starting with the throttle switch and keep you up to date. If those won't help I'll schedule an appointment for a digital readout.

 

[lightdude95]

Hi guys

CTP sensor did nothing. Next up NSS.


what I noticed the last couple of days is that the idle when getting getting out of gear in N or P does not go back to 600 but stays on 500 and engine rpm fluctuates and after a while has a hard time not stalling. Doesn't happen all the time, but very random. Moving shift lever in and out of gears helps get it back to 600 sometimes.


I also wanted to have everyones opinion on the video in attached. Two distinctive noises in my opinion:

First one is the light tapping noise. Is this normal or not? (engine has the aluminium oiler tubes, could the seal rings be shot? or bad lifters?)

Second noise is when I open the oil cap, more like a knocking sound, could this be the chain or something? When I opened up the bottom end a while ago, there was like 1 small piece (about 3cm) of guide rail in there and nothing else, so I suppose the majority of the rails are fine. Sound also like comes and goes? Note that I put my cellphone mic almost in the oil fill hole, so it's really close. It is far from this loud when you just stand near the engine, even with the oil cap off.

I know these engines have almost zero chain failure rates, maybe the tensioner is bad?

Vid is with engine at operating temp. (85 °C)

Hope y'all are having a nice sunday, contrary to me and this machine
Sam

 

[195910]

Did you manage to diagnose the car ?

If not this is a waste of time.

 

[gsxr]

If the NSS is not working properly, the idle RPM's will not always be correct for the gear position.

In your video, the initial noises all sounded normal, UNTIL you removed the oil fill cap. The rattling sound near the end is not normal. Have you pulled the valve covers yet? The chain rarely fails, the tensioner is oil-pressure fed and also rarely fails.

 

[lightdude95]

@195910 Have yet to take the car for a diagnosis, during working days I'm very busy so I only got the weekend, during which the dealer doesn't work (I know a lot of people there so I managed to get the number of a mechanic who knows a lot about these cars), so I'm hoping to make an appointment within the two coming weeks.

@gsxr Not yet, I have all the gaskets, o-rings and also the upper chain guides as I am planning to pull the covers and change all those goodies. Again, need to find the time for the undertaking. If the chain stretch turns out to be fine, what else could the sound be?

 

[lightdude95]

Hi guys

Been a while, but I finally managed to take the car to the dealer for a diagnosis, explained everything to them and left the car there for 4 or 5 hours. When I went to get it, they told me that they basically had not found a single fault code and all live data was up to spec. I made sure to ask them several times, even took the head mechanic out for a drive with me and I showed him the issue, but he said whatever it is, it doesnt show up on the computer (they used the HHT). Only thing he noticed was sometimes a small "variance" in the MAF values. But nothing he'd consider an issue.

I don't know, how come I got codes with my blink code reader, but they didn't find any with their HHT? Also what the heck? Is the maf faulty or not? Feel like I am still getting nowhere... He also said that if I could find a spare maf, I could swap it and see if that cures it...

Happy holidays
Sam

 

[195910]

I was Kinda expecting that.

Previous owner of my triple Black 500E had it diagnosed in the Arlon dealership, The diagnosis was completely wrong but with a +2000 Euro bill
The over paid clowns did not even bother to route the wiring properly and the Air box was not seated right. He even failed to find that EGR, air pump and Tank evap were all not working ! Some diagnosis.

They know nothing about these cars.

 

[lightdude95]

I was Kinda expecting that.

Previous owner of my triple Black 500E had it diagnosed in the Arlon dealership, The diagnosis was completely wrong but with a +2000 Euro bill
The over paid clowns did not even bother to route the wiring properly and the Air box was not seated right. He even failed to find that EGR, air pump and Tank evap were all not working ! Some diagnosis.

They know nothing about these cars.

Yeah I really don't get it... He said "this is the first 400e we had, mostly they're all r129's and 500e's" after which I told him they have the exact same engine so whats your point? He just told me they didn't have a lot of experience with these models (no idea what he meant)... lol what a guy...

What baffles me is that they weren't able to get any of the digital codes even though I got analog ones, how is that even possible?

Best part: at the end of the convo they asked me to give them a call when I figure out what it is, so they can know how to deal with it if someone comes in with the same problem in the future


Guess I should apply for Chief Technical Officer there hahaha


Kind regards
Sam

 

[Kyiv]

Yeah I really don't get it... He said "this is the first 400e we had, mostly they're all r129's and 500e's" after which I told him they have the exact same engine so whats your point? He just told me they didn't have a lot of experience with these models (no idea what he meant)... lol what a guy...

What baffles me is that they weren't able to get any of the digital codes even though I got analog ones, how is that even possible?

Best part: at the end of the convo they asked me to give them a call when I figure out what it is, so they can know how to deal with it if someone comes in with the same problem in the future


Guess I should apply for Chief Technical Officer there hahaha


Kind regards
Sam

You're in Belgium, per your profile, so that's your dealer experience there, correct?

 

[195910]

Best part: at the end of the convo they asked me to give them a call when I figure out what it is, so they can know how to deal with it if someone comes in with the same problem in the future

Seriously ?! Who is the big and expensive dealership ?

After seeing the invoices from the 500E (16,000Euro in 10 years) , I knew why these youngtimer M-B disappeared from this region. You guys just pay the dealer premium without the quality repair.
Rear struts on the 500E were replaced in 2012 by M-B, but they didn't bother to do the right procedure which caused the rear of the car to sag after sitting a few days, and was hard for the first few minutes of driving. I did the filling procedure myself and now its at proper ride height and super comfy.

 

[lightdude95]

You're in Belgium, per your profile, so that's your dealer experience there, correct?

Correct, well only one of the many dealers here. Never went to a garage with any of my cars, let alone a dealer.

 

[lightdude95]

Seriously ?! Who is the big and expensive dealership ?

After seeing the invoices from the 500E (16,000Euro in 10 years) , I knew why these youngtimer M-B disappeared from this region. You guys just pay the dealer premium without the quality repair.
Rear struts on the 500E were replaced in 2012 by M-B, but they didn't bother to do the right procedure which caused the rear of the car to sag after sitting a few days, and was hard for the first few minutes of driving. I did the filling procedure myself and now its at proper ride height and super comfy.

Well I'm not gonna throw names because all their other services (including parts and sales) have been very good to me over the years and I've received lots of discounts on parts, pretty much "just because I go there a lot", which has saved me hundreds if not thousands. Plus they only charged 1 hour of labour while they were looking for the issues for over 4 hours. And the staff is actually very nice.

So in my eyes it's the first time they really made an "oopsie", but then again: you shouldn't expect this from an MB dealer I agree...

Anyways I'm not giving up, gonna fit the maf of my friend's 400e and see what that gives. I'll keep you all updated.

Merry Xmas guys
Sam

 

[lightdude95]

Hi guys

Small update, something I noticed today: I told you guys before that sometimes the rpm in idle isn't right (500 in P and N instead of 650 and 650 in all the other gears instead of 500).

So today it happened again, and I fiddled the gear selector front and back a few times (from D to N and back) and behold: rpm went back to 650 in N. So I'm pretty sure the NSS is faulty from this observation... I'll replace it as well. Kinda weird because the dealer told me the HHT showed correct readings of the NSS, but I'm guessing it is obvious now that they are not a trustworthy source haha.

Not sure which one I'll do first though, MAF test or replacing the NSS. All depends on when my friend and I have time.

Kind regards
Sam

 

[gerryvz]

HOW-TO: Replacing Neutral Safety Switch (NSS, S16/3) | "HOW-TO" Tutorial Articles

GSXR edit: The neutral safety switch (NSS) is also referred to as the starter lock-out/backup lamp switch, and is switch S16/3 (or S16/1) in MB documentation. All, Today I had to replace the neutral safety switch (aka starter lockout switch) on my wife's 1995 E320 wagon, which uses the 722.3X...

www.500eboard.co

 

[lightdude95]

HOW-TO: Replacing Neutral Safety Switch (NSS, S16/3) | "HOW-TO" Tutorial Articles

GSXR edit: The neutral safety switch (NSS) is also referred to as the starter lock-out/backup lamp switch, and is switch S16/3 (or S16/1) in MB documentation. All, Today I had to replace the neutral safety switch (aka starter lockout switch) on my wife's 1995 E320 wagon, which uses the 722.3X...

www.500eboard.co

Much appreciated Gerry, thanks!

 

[lightdude95]

Hey guys

A0005456206 is not available anymore from the dealer.

A0005454906 is though.

Are these two NSS's the same? In other words: can I replace the first one with the second one?

Kind regards
Sam

 

[gerryvz]

Hey guys

A0005456206 is not available anymore from the dealer.

A0005454906 is though.

Are these two NSS's the same? In other words: can I replace the first one with the second one?

Kind regards
Sam

As noted in the HOW-TO, the neutral safety switch part for the 6-cylinder M104 cars (000 545 49 06) is NOT the same and is NOT compatible with / interchangeable with the NSS for the E500E and other V-8 models (000 545 62 06). The switch as used on the V-8 cars has an extra pin in the flat connector, and has extra functionality that the six-cylinder cars' NSS does not have.


and




MB dealer sites in the US are showing this part as available for $90-100, although MB's Classic Parts site is not showing that this NSS for the V-8 cars is currently available. It's important to note that the US dealers parts catalogs are NOT reliable and should NOT be used as an indicator of availability. The MB Classic Parts site is much more accurate.

MB's ISPPI part system is also showing that this part for the E500E and V-8 models is NLA.



The switches are available as MB parts from aftermarket dealers, and they are also available as a quality (OEM) part on the aftermarket, at least here in the US. The US company "FCPEURO.com" is selling the genuine MB part for the clearance / discounted price of $80, which is a great deal. Other companies such as AutohausAZ also have them.

So, you could order from the US, or you could try to find a new MB switch on European eBay if you need something closer to home.

Cheers,
Gerry

P.S. I re-iterate my advice as noted in the HOW-TO, for EVERYONE on this site who is a long-term owner of these cars:

 

[lightdude95]

As noted in the HOW-TO, the neutral safety switch part for the 6-cylinder M104 cars (000 545 49 06) is NOT the same and is NOT compatible with / interchangeable with the NSS for the E500E and other V-8 models (000 545 62 06). The switch as used on the V-8 cars has an extra pin in the flat connector, and has extra functionality that the six-cylinder cars' NSS does not have.

View attachment 121110
and

View attachment 121111


MB dealer sites in the US are showing this part as available for $90-100, although MB's Classic Parts site is not showing that this NSS for the V-8 cars is currently available. It's important to note that the US dealers parts catalogs are NOT reliable and should NOT be used as an indicator of availability. The MB Classic Parts site is much more accurate.

MB's ISPPI part system is also showing that this part for the E500E and V-8 models is NLA.
View attachment 121109


The switches are available as MB parts from aftermarket dealers, and they are also available as a quality (OEM) part on the aftermarket, at least here in the US. The US company "FCPEURO.com" is selling the genuine MB part for the clearance / discounted price of $80, which is a great deal. Other companies such as AutohausAZ also have them.

So, you could order from the US, or you could try to find a new MB switch on European eBay if you need something closer to home.

Cheers,
Gerry

P.S. I re-iterate my advice as noted in the HOW-TO, for EVERYONE on this site who is a long-term owner of these cars:
View attachment 121112

Hi Gerry

Aha, looks like I read the how-to a bit too fast then, my bad. I did find some OEM NSS's online on ebay as well as on several US sites like you said, but the delivery times are longer (obviously) and I'd like to get this done during the holidays. Then again; if those are the only options I don't really have a choice...

BUT: about 40 mins ago my dealer called me to say that they managed to source a brand new one in Europe and they should get it by the end of this week or the beginning of next week. So that's great news. Bad news: price tag is €170 tax inc... But I told them to get it for me anyway, atleast I'm certain that it's genuine and I'll get it faster compared to an overseas order.

Kind regards
Sam

 

[gerryvz]

This is definitely a part that I recommend going with "Genuine MB" for. In all cases. There are parts out there sold by some of these companies that say they are made by "MB OEM" ... but that can mean almost anything. I think you are wise yes to pay more for the "real" part but to get it soon.

The sad thing is that this is a pretty significant part, that was used in all of the LH-injection V-8 models (W124, W140 and R129), to go NLA from the company. In the future, when the stock of the "factory" MB parts is exhausted, I hope that the parts that are available are of good quality as compared to the MB original parts.

It really does sadden me to see important parts like this continually going NLA. We are well past the days when esoteric interior trim parts of a certain color are going NLA, like the case used to be 10 years ago. Now we are into the NLA for important parts like headlight lenses and neutral safety switches.

Though they are still available from MB today, I also have a brand new factory spare NSS in my parts stock for my G320, which uses the same switch as the E320 sedans. I ordered a second spare NSS this morning, just as soon as I saw your post above, even though I just replaced my E500's original NSS with a factory unit two years ago......

 

[lightdude95]

Yeah I agree with you 100%. It would be a real shame if the quality and driving experience of these timeless automobiles becomes dependant on the quality of aftermarket parts, which can be good of course, but still... It is wise of you to gather these crucial, known-to-break parts while you still can. I guess I got lucky this time.