Beached Benz AMG: Dealer Quotes $20,000?! - Part 1 (PHAD Thanksgiving Special)

Get your turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes ready...and save some room for yummy EURO dessert!
This 2010 Mercedes Benz E63 AMG was towed by the owner on a flatbed from 4 hours away.
After spending 3 MONTHS at his local Mercedes dealership, an intermittent stalling problem turned into a complete NO-CRANK situation!!
Here we go...
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Ivan

[@jamespn]

Priceless quote, “After it left the dealer, it became a brick.”

[@hhn2002]

This should be pinned 😂

[@throttlebottle5906]

more fitting would be "after the factory, it became a brick". if I had to guess, it started acting up at the ten year mark.

[@jimhaines8370]

I think the title of opening scene would be Nightmare in Pine Hollow. An old guy I used to work for along time ago learned mechanics in the Army went Panama and was working on trucks and jeeps. He always said when ever somebody didn’t know what was wrong with a vehicle they would say it needed a wiring harness knowing it would take months to get there and they would probably be gone. I guess nothing ever changes

[@mph5896]

Yup. I have never seen the need to replace a harness unless it’s burned.

[@blueribb99]

When fixing desktop computers was a thing, most techs that couldn't diagnose down to the bad component would say "bad motherboard". I enjoyed fixing those computers the most because it was usually something else besides a bad motherboard.

[@tomvleeuwen]

I think quoting 20k is just a way for the dealer to say "We don't want to work on this car". If you accept the quote anyway, they at least have enough budget to fix the issue.

[@ccole9080]

@@tomvleeuwen maybe an incentive to have the customer grease the skids into a different vehicle by giving them a decent trade, fixing the p o s and making another sale

[@bleebleblahble8833]

The belated- Halloween special

[@BillyJ57]

Ivan I had a friend who is now gone. He was one of the best Mercedes mechanics in the country. The dealers keep a very detailed history to all service done on these cars. His name was Barry and Mercedes flew him to Germany to give him this award.

[@buckhorncortez]

What is "this award"?

[@BillyJ57]

@@buckhorncortez I had it in his obit but can't find it now He lived in Erlanger Ky and worked for Cincinnati Mercedes dealership.

[@gmansecond4103]

@@BillyJ57 Remember Erlanger, KY well from Dixie Hwy to Donaldson to Turkeyfoot. Cross the street to Garvey and you are in Elsmere. As we used to say, BACK TO CAIN'S WITH IT BOYS. Cincinnati has went down the shiter the last couple decades. Man, the 70s were cool.

[@mikefoehr235]

His award was extreme patience to work on these robotic trash cans

[@bradr539]

@@buckhorncortez billable hours 😁

[@superminer66]

Ivan is a brave dude...Much more brave than most...I'm here cringing at every turn.

[@charlesadams41]

"Continued in Part 2." What a cliff-hanger!

[@Mikeywil0003]

Excited to see Part 2. This entire part had me thinking that the dealer left a bulkhead connector unplugged. I noticed that some of the interior was taken apart. Makes me wonder what they were messing with

[@Johnathan_Waters]

I'm a Mercedes benz specialist, and I have to say, you are GOOD! You learned in a very short time what it takes most technicians YEARS to work out. Maybe you should become a specialist in a particular field/make! Can't wait for Part 2! ALSO a small tidbit of info about the "ISM". These go bad all the time, and can have issues like what you're seeing. Most of the time, just the electric motor inside the ISM will fail, and the car won't shift (at all). However, if the control electronics for the ISM itself fail, then you could see the kinds of "bricked" symptoms you're seeing! My money is on the ISM, or associated wiring!

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Thanks for the comment Jonathan! This is just the tip of the iceberg haha

[@somerandomguy3868]

Finally a car you can sink your teeth into, I love that AMG has one person assemble their engines start to finish and put their name on it, these are great cars with way too many modules, I see a failed chip and or some mundane harness issues

[@cluelessbeekeeping1322]

If only it worked!

[@ckm-mkc]

It's mostly for PR - the majority of the fastener tightening is done by robots....

[@peterhodgkins6985]

I haven't seen part 2 yet, but I can kinda smell a module swap somewhere while the thing was being held hostage at the dealer. "Yo - Frank- Go grab the zippity do dah module off that dead white AMG carcass over yonder!" lol Can't wait for the rest of this one!

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

I could see that coming when it's a dealer - I know stories, from employees taking parts for personal jobs and charging them on fleet cars, to intentional damage inflicted on not accepted estimates.

[@lvsqcsl]

I remember a video years ago when you, Eric O. and Paul Danner were attending Eric-the-Car-Guy's meet up. Everyone started talking about European cars and how difficult it was to get the information needed to repair them. Looks like the car should "self-identify;" take the VIN and be able to identify what it is. I don't think I have ever seen anything on one of your scanners with pictures you need to match up with the car. If it takes 3 hours to decipher information and determine a course of action, then the customer will need to hit the hip if he wants to drive this car again. I would be interested to know what has been reflashed with the computers, apparently there has been some brainwashing done on the part of the dealer if the car doesn't know which drive system it has installed. As usual, you will plug that brain of yours in and successfully repair this car. Great video!

[@csebastian71]

What did the dealer say was done to the car during its 3-month hostage? This is going to be a fun video series. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

[@LessThanHandy]

Exactly what I am very curious about....

[@8290Wgu]

dealer like to robbery, to many busted person there

[@jusb1066]

He probably had the work experience guy mess around with stuff and no one know what anyone was doing

[@Turbotomass]

Going to ask the same thing. Thought this at the very beginning of video.

[@hikerJohn]

I asked the same question. Part II I guess :o) I love these "Mystery Shows"

[@vwwrenchie314]

Hey Ivan it's somehow appropriate to have a turkey on your Thanksgiving special to work on lol

[@raymondreiff8170]

I have heard of these In transmission controllers going to Shit, Why the Hell do they install a Computer inside the transmission What could possibly go Wrong, Dealer saying it needs a Harness means Don't have a Clue what's going on....

[@reaganlyle5088]

AN AMG?? Let's go! Best one yet!

[@simonsackett]

25:22 "What would be the next step?". In my opinion, an unfortunate fire should be the next step!

[@Panhead49EL]

During unloading I had to remind myself that this wasn't Samcrac and it wasn't okay to tear the front bumper off.

[@aelaan12]

Simply hate these "dealers" that break something and don't want to fix it because they broke it. That is my first indication. Some of the cables not reconnected most likely, implausible data could be because some fuse box switches were connected in the wrong way.

[@blueribb99]

My first thought also. Disconnected cable/s, fuses or relays. I doubt they installed new modules to see if it would fix the issue. A quick visible inspection of the wiring harness might be called for too.

[@zoidberg444]

This should have been the Halloween special because it is sure to be a nightmare. 🙈

[@djmobileauto]

Hi Ivan, the ocean don't have no more room for all those Beach Whales. This is crazy lol

[@larrybe2900]

Wonder what those high priced cars look like now at the bottom of the ocean about a year ago or so? Wonder also if they got any pictures on the sea floor? Maybe no one wants to see it anyway.

[@happy543210]

"It drove fantastic." A phrase every mb owner knows by heart.

[@daveunbranded]

You know I am a huge fan. If you fix this I will be so impressed.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Thanks for the support Dave. There's no other option... I must get it running lol

[@x01e]

I’m half way watching this video and all i can say i would pay to watch this video on pay per view TV. I Love it!!!

[@MoShen-rk9qb]

Ivan you are absolutely the best !

[@Sandmansa]

If you can read the software version, that can indicate if it's been updated or not. But man, this looks like it could become an electrical nightmare. My first guess is, I have a sneaky suspicion that someone left something disconnected at the SAM. I can't wait to see part 2.

[@volvo09]

Sweet car, but boy what a headache when things go bad. Can't wait to see where this car lead you. I'm wondering if the dealer messed with the ECM, maybe threw a test unit in there at one point and coded it wrong? A tech would have to be really dumb (or malicious) to just randomly start changing ECU coding in an attempt to fix a problem....

[@billsimpson604]

Ivan, the problem was that the Mercedes dealer didn't have a notebook. Your battery charger has good fashion sense. I hope that fancy German machine doesn't end up like the Donner party. I liked the dramatic delivery in the darkness. That tow truck driver can tell his friends how he dropped off a dead Mercedes to a specialist mechanic living way out in the woods, because the Mercedes dealer couldn't fix it. Only $20,000 dollars to replace the wiring harness - what a great deal. No doubt they were hoping that bargain price would get rid of their 'problem customer' who wouldn't just buy a new one, like most of their customers do, when told how old their car was getting. And it worked! We are looking forward to part 2, part 3, part 4... Have a great Thanksgiving.

[@robbflynn4325]

Display should read, 'Visit Ivan'.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

🤣

[@scottschulte1157]

You are a modern day Albert Einstein, Ivan. For diagnosing modern day car's. Absolute genius.....and I have only seen the first few minutes of this video!

[@HaroRider03088]

Damn, your a better man than most for taking this on. Can't wait to watch more.

[@johnstancato8785]

I would check to make sure the dealership plugged everything in plugged it in correctly didn't bend no pins and then go from there

[@GeneG-wk2mz]

This turkey going be HARD to Cook 👨‍🍳 Ivan you the best

[@unclemarksdiyauto]

Oh my! This is crazy! So one has screwed it up good and you have to fix it! Your a brave dude!

[@codyarizona4925]

Wow PH, you're a brave man taking on this project. Really vital information to know what the benz dealer tried. It does seem like a module update issue. I don't have much experience on Benz, not many people buy them in my area. I'll be waiting for part 2 !

[@ricfair9919]

Part 3 & 4..

[@blackscotydog]

Looks like the owners dream turned into a NIGHTMARE......Good luck Ivan.

[@jmaxim80]

well said my friend

[@fredautos]

😂

[@chrissmith7655]

Hi Ivan, please keep on with your videos, really enjoy watching what you do and your methods. Many many thanks, from a retired GM, sorry haha, worker Nr Liverpool UK.

[@henryhenry3832]

I really wish I lived close to you, I would bring you coffee and a muffin every time I came to visit/learn from you, you are truly a rear mechanic

[@mag1vl]

Happy Thanksgiving Ivan + lovely wife and family . Enjoy from Australia🙃

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Nice trailer and camera operator :-) From the second scan, it looks like a bus problem somewhere (I'm tipping as I watch). Assuming this fault comes from intention or incompetence (always assume that from a disgruntled dealer), there must be something odd in a bus connection or module somewhere. Great effort digging into this complicated setup (Germans love blackboxes and user level dependent information). Already waiting for Part 2 and the CAN signals - looks like this one will be a gem :-)

[@electrolineservicegreece8267]

oh Ivan ... Euro headache ... But you shine like a star :) Thank you for sharing that kind of video. :)

[@mrkttrdr2919]

wow, picked a Real turkey of a vehicle to diag for this special, this will be one of ur greatest test of patience, will be watching for pt 2,3,4,5 thanks fpr posting Happy holiday🦃

[@katzenpapa]

Please post part 2 tonight!

[@GeminiSeven43]

Ivan you truly are the test pilot of car diagnostics...LOL This is truly a nightmare and I look forward to seeing part 2 (3,4,etc) and find out what the dealer did to botch up this car. Thanks so much and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

[@nv1493]

Doesn't matter what brand - the logic process that Ivan shows has helped me figure out some strange diagnosis issues.

[@jeremyah78]

The DISCERNMENT!!! Printing off those schematics and getting the highlighter out on this one! Just brutal how many points of reference have to used to move through a schematic like that! Truly brutal!

[@georgedominguez7633]

Ahhh where’s part 2 it’s killing me

[@Echo024]

I CAN feel your pain. I’m currently fighting with a ‘15 Genesis which has two of its six data networks going down intermittently.

[@htownblue11]

HOLIDAY SPECIAL TIME AGAIN WITH THE MASTER!!! This is gonna be a fun mystery ride along to solve. “Visit dealer….well he already tried that!”😂😂😅😂

[@JohnSmith-wb6kq]

"Fancy German Beached Whale" baaahahahahahahahahahah - gold, made me actually LOL

[@beverlyroemer5161]

I usual see you in the shop but your house is absolutely beautiful 🤩

[@baxrok2.]

Getting caught up. Interesting AMG case study Ivan!

[@luisz5443]

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Ivan.. this is getting good like a Netflix series can't wait for the 2nd part.. we all are on our edge of our seats. We all know you got this. 😃👍

[@drewv1785]

Ivan, I have the utmost faith in your ability to uncover the root cause of the problem. I wouldn't be surprised if you uncover some nefarious activity on the part of the dealer. Waiting for Part 2. Happy Thanksgiving!

[@Hybriddiag]

As i said before ivan is magnet 🧲 for messed up vehicles..somehow they find their way to him..thats what i like to watch a challenge job.good luck bro

[@dosiodosev740]

Man , you are fearless taking on complicated applications , amazing, thank you

[@robertdavis6708]

My man Eric O.'s dream car. He loves these beast.

[@vwwrenchie314]

Mercedes Benz..it's outstanding in its field...well in your field..lol😁👍🇨🇦

[@topher8634]

I have been anxiously waiting for this diagnosis since the teaser a month or so ago. Your systematic approach to problems is something to envy.

[@flatdaddio]

When you had to drag it off the truck and the brick was not in neutral, I said. Oh Boy, this is going to be a good one!! 😂😂😂

[@LessThanHandy]

Bet its water in the carb...oh, wait, that's for a no-start lawnmower...😁

[@AP9311]

Wow, what a mess!! Mercedes Benz, that's nice car! Wish it was simple and easy to diagnose! Haha, it never is, lol. Well, I'm sure you'll figure out the problems and get there in the end! I'm sure it is simple problem that causing the havoc!! Great video!

[@tiredoldmechanic1791]

3 months seems to be a very common timeline for repair of Mercedes and BMW vehicles. Always fun when nobody knows what was done previously. One of those, "It worked before it was repaired" cases.

[@W.Khairi]

Looks like u r in for a good one Ivan, and it is definetely something out of my league

[@ghostfox3560]

Ya know... I sort of like that loon when they are next to the old style fence. It's like having a picture perfect thumbnail waiting for every video doing that... In my head, it seems like anyways.

[@kennethbode2017]

what a challenge

[@steveo6631]

Hope this isn't a bad omen... I just inherited a 2015 E400 with 39,000 miles... So far drives like a dream... Looking forward to the rest of this holiday special...

[@kevin9c1]

In my opinion the W211 and W212 are considered pretty reliable vehicles overall. E400 - does that mean twin turbo M276? Should be a pretty solid engine and paired with a pretty late 722.9. You should have a good experience with that vehicle.

[@steveo6631]

@@kevin9c1 Wow, don't know alot about it... It is 3 litre twin turbo... What is w211 or 722.9 mean?....

[@kevin9c1]

@@steveo6631 W212 is a 2010-2016 E-class. 722.9 is the 7 speed automatic, which came out around 2004.

[@deweydodo6691]

This ride should definitely get the turkey award .

[@gary8866]

I watched all of it absolutely great videos so they would have put 20,000 dollars of wiring loom and still broke. You saved him a fortune well done ivan

[@charleshenshaw9099]

You said what the dealership said about what they did to the car. I know that they screwed it up royally. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

[@lvsqcsl]

The low gas level light is on.....par for the course.

[@Bellboy40]

Somebody probably siphoned it out at the dealer.

[@ecaparts]

I would expect Keith to say ‘find the water intrusion’ with this car…

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

He did 🤣

[@Dirtyharry70585]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics Did he ask if it came from Florida? :)

[@bartscave]

You’re a brave man Ivan…..

[@denzelx]

My guesses: 1. Some connector is lose on the network 1.5 One module is spamming the network with garbage 2. They programmed the modules to death 3. Faulty harness 4. Bad Grounds Excited for part 2 :D

[@rovhalgrencparselstedt8343]

AMG = All Money Gone :P ;)

[@blueskiesmobileauto4253]

Thankful for the knowledge as always Ivan! Have a good one!

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

You too Josiah! We're going deep into Euroland with this one 😭😅

[@bleebleblahble8833]

Part 2 Ivan purchases a German Rosetta Stone Subscription

[@larstell]

I spy with my little eye. -a bad ground strap..... 😩😁🍦

[@jadesluv]

Awaiting part #2, you can’t believe the dealer is going to give you the straight story on what they did to the car for 3 months.

[@chadow86]

Sounds like the dealership did some swap tronix of their own

[@johnt.848]

The Scanner showed all available options but those greyed out were not fitted. That makes it easier to exclude those from the search for the cause.

[@gjek6355]

Hi Ivan what’s the tablet are using to read faults , I have autel but I’m thinking of a change . Great content as usual , I can sit for hours watching, cheers

[@craiggoodwin9704]

Ivan, you certainly have us engaged. I hope I'll be able to watch Part 2 while having a turkey leg stuffed up my mouth. Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for Sharing!

[@arthurfricchione8119]

Ivan very interesting. I hope part two comes out today. Did the dealer say what they did or did they say sorry can’t tell you? Interested to see how you go about this one. Hurry up part 2 Artie 😮

[@Franz_giblet]

Just when it’s getting good we’ve got to wait for part 2, 😩😩😩 not fair bro.

[@yamaha37776]

YES!! This one is gonna be a dandy!!

[@hughjass1274]

This car reminds me of the quote: “The more complex, the sooner dead.”

[@jackiemay9471]

the way the rear wheels were acting when you towed it off the recovery truck i thought it was four-wheel drive

[@doneill5150]

Hi Ivan. I'd be looking at A80 ISM module. It's built onto the side of the transmission and has a physical lever and shaft to change selection position. It is also responsible for determining whether the vehicle is in P, R, N or D. The vehicle is likely not starting as the 'handshake' between TCM, ECM and ISM is missing. These modules can be refurbished to save programming/commissioning them.

[@Paul1958R]

These kinds of cars = Bonfire of the Vanities

[@thogevoll]

Holy cr*p look at all those modules shown on the topology map.

[@russellhltn1396]

I'd start with checking terminations. If a high speed line isn't terminated properly, you can have all kinds of higgly-piggly. Module A and Module B can talk to Module C, but Module A can't talk with Module B. You can also get corrupted messages (implausible data). It all has to do with signals bouncing off the unterminated end, and messing up the data.

[@edwardsmith9049]

Mr Ivan this is going to be one of your hardest car's that you have work own. The Dealership has a history of the work that was done to the car. I believe you sounds like the dealership just maybe change something in the computer so the car do not run So he has to let them fix the car. My Understanding of some Mechanics is to make as much money as they can. Not all Mechanics just The Ones that gives Mechanics a bad name. If you had some one that could read the computer you would know for sure. Look forward to seeing the next videos. Great content.

[@dannytreadway4561]

Had this happen on a jeep Trailhawk and it was a micro switch inside shifter. Not replaceable. $980 for shifter and fixed everything. It was a brick also.

[@roxanneabbott8424]

Aaak, hate having to wait for part 2, lol!!

[@thesnipersnestandmore7461]

The first thing I noticed the esl didn’t unlock the steering when you put the key in the ignition, it will never start that way!

[@seagullsbtn]

Early on I was wondering if someone in Canada had modified the vehicle to meet a higher level of spec-it wasn't making sense..........But perhaps the dealer did it....and failed to dig themselves out of the hole they had dug. We had a Volvo bought new in US, turns out it was a Canadian spec vehicle that escaped got misdirected to the US. The specs on Canadian vehicles differed from US destined vehicles, causing confusion at the dealer....

[@brentv9901]

This is going to be very interesting. It sounds like you are on the right track regarding with what the dealership messed up. Coded for all wheel drive, car doesn't know what gear it's in, can't communicate with the tcm, definitely could be connected.

[@kerrylewis2581]

Definition of "Implausible": causing disbelief. This is precisely how I would feel as the owner after three months at the MB dealer.

[@additudeobx]

I guess what you're saying is, at the end of the video, is that the dealership denied all plausibility that it caused any implausibility within the network to cause bricking the vehicle.

[@fredautos]

Woaw, /ivan, We definitely any probably gonna Fix this Issues Together!,.🎉 Lets Go

[@dustcommander100]

Can't wait for the next video! Is a 3 month stint at the dealer something that frequently happens? Just seems kinda intolerable, even for a less luxurious vehicle. I mean, if you can do without it for that long......

[@raycurbee6106]

Thanks for giving us knowledge