Hey guys,

Long time reader & first time poster since 9 times out of 10 a forum search on this site answers most questions.

However: About two weeks ago (after a dead battery replacement) My COMAND unit started flashing the Mercedes Star for a few seconds and shutting down. Forum research revealed that the system either needed to be reset with the STAR or needs a software update or it is is an issue with the MOST network.

So I took it to my independent who thought it only needed to be reset with the STAR. That failed to correct the problem. After he examined the car he thinks that the problem is the main COMAND unit in the front dash; which is going to be a $1,000+ part.

My question is: Before I shell out for the "head unit" (211 870 48 89) could this be software related or another problem entirely? Since I can see the Mercedes logo flash at startup I know the display is fine...and during my thread research I saw that for some people it was as easy as a fuse swap out (I already tried the reset routine pulling fuse #5 in the trunk)....someone had to replace the fiber in the vechile; and someone claimed to be in and out of the stealership in 15 minutes with a software update so my head is going in so many directions...

Can any of you guru's help guide me down the right path?

 

the first thing to do is get the latest software at the dealer. this is common and the flashes usually take care of the problem but....at times it will end up needing a comand unit. even if you buy a comand youll need it to be coded and basically programmed for it to work and it needs to be the right one not just one off ebay. they change part #s and there could be software issues. there are like 4 fuses for the comand and sound system so i would make sure you pull all of them first.

 

Thanks Chassis.

I checked all the fuses and then the indy rechecked them.

I asked my indy about the software flashes; but he says that since the COMAND is unresponsive there is no way to perform the software update because the COMAND unit is shutting down so quickly.

Is this accurate or is there a way to perform the software update while the COMAND is in this state?

I know he has already hooked the car up to the SDS and he is getting fault codes after trying to perform the reset....