My 2002 SLK 320 started acting strangely after my Alternator was replaced. At first my key fob did not open my car, but then it would. Shortly after, if I locked my car with my fob then the alarm went off for a second. Then, while I was driving one day a really loud alarm went off. I pulled over and turned the engine off and that fixed it. Now the running lights come on as soon as I lock the door and there is no way to shut them off! I have unhooked the battery till I sort this out. My mechanic tells me that they found a permanent fault code in the DAS CONTROL MODULE SHORT CIRCUIT TO GROUND.

I called my Mercedes parts department for advice as I know that DAS units are no longer available for my model and year. They suggested that I call a LOCKSMITH who is VSP certified to "virginize" and re-program my DAS to possibly fix the problem....is this a smart tact to take???? Would I need to remove the DAS for the locksmith to do this, or could they just plug in?

If I bought a used DAS from another SLK, would a locksmith be able to do the virginizing technique so that I could use my old key with the new DAS? Or, would I have to try and find a used DAS with the key that went to that car?