are the tire sizes all correct?

 

Yes. Both front and rear tires are correct size according to the door sticker. The tires are due for replacement, especially on the rear. They are right on the wear bar.

 

Any other ideas? Would rather not just throw parts at it. Is there a scanner that will read the codes or do I need a dealer for that? Thanks for the help!

 

Hi Rob, nice to see people are buying used SLK230's. I purchase my 2001 SLK230 in 2000 and it's been garaged kept and has 72K miles. I think it would be hard to sell mine in my area.

On to your problem. My Lateral Acceleration Sensor failed in October 2012. I couldn't read the codes with my scanner, so I took it to my Indy friend to check the codes. He determined that it was the LAS, so I purchased a new LAS, removed the console for access, and drove the car to his shop. He installed the new LAS, cleared the codes, and the problem was resolved.

Good luck.

Dave

 

A standard obd scanner won't read it, but the Mercedes SDS should. When our son's car acted up the Indy charged us $45 to scan. He then replaced the yaw. His issue was random, unexpected braking.

Tim

 

Thank you both for the replies. I should add that the car does nothing different from light off to light on. No sudden braking, no lack of power... just an ESP / BAS light on the dash. I think my best bet is to find a local Indy and see if they can pull any codes.

And as far as tires go... I need them badly. Just found what the weird tire noise was. I have a section of the left rear that is down to the cords (and then some). So, the car is parked until we get some new hoops on the sled.

 

the dreaded BAS/ESP

There are so many things that can cause the BAS/ESP light to come on, that often it ends up being cheaper to take it to the shop and have it scanned, than to replace the possible parts one at a time. If you have access to a specialized Mercedes scanner and can scan it yourself, even better.
Full disclosure: Mine is acting up now. So I bought myself an iCarsoft i980 scan tool and it quickly identified a problem with the Lateral Acceleration Sensor. I bought a used sensor off eBay for cheap, but it looks bad too; it's salvaged off a car as old as mine so I guess it's days are up too.
I had the same exact behavior with my previous SLK, also at 80-90K. That time I took it to a local indie who replaced... guess what... the Lateral Acceleration Sensor.
In both cases, the pattern was that the BAS/ESP light would come on after about 60-90 minutes of driving, and stay on until the car was shut off for a while. Nothing in particular seemed to trigger it; not braking, not spirited driving, not rain, nothing I could figure. Fortunately I never had the "unexpected deceleration" that some others experienced.
So among the possible causes that I've seen or heard about are:
Lateral Acceleration Sensor
Yaw Rate Sensor
Steering Angle Sensor
Brake Pedal Switch
Weak battery
Loose connection at a sensor
Rotational Speed Sensors at each wheel
Tire diameter >3% variance
Brake pressure sensor and vacuum pressure sensor
ABS module

My point is that if you start blindly replacing parts, it will quickly add up to more than it would have cost to have the car scanned, either by a pro or by yourself with the right scan tool. A new Lateral Acceleration Sensor costs about $120, and a Yaw Rate Sensor... don't even ask!
The iCarsoft i980 scan tool was around $120, an investment I'm hoping will pay for itself before long.
Good luck with your BAS/ESP problem, you've got a lot of company here!

 

There are so many things that can cause the BAS/ESP light to come on, that often it ends up being cheaper to take it to the shop and have it scanned, than to replace the possible parts one at a time. If you have access to a specialized Mercedes scanner and can scan it yourself, even better.
Full disclosure: Mine is acting up now. So I bought myself an iCarsoft i980 scan tool and it quickly identified a problem with the Lateral Acceleration Sensor. I bought a used sensor off eBay for cheap, but it looks bad too; it's salvaged off a car as old as mine so I guess it's days are up too.
I had the same exact behavior with my previous SLK, also at 80-90K. That time I took it to a local indie who replaced... guess what... the Lateral Acceleration Sensor.
In both cases, the pattern was that the BAS/ESP light would come on after about 60-90 minutes of driving, and stay on until the car was shut off for a while. Nothing in particular seemed to trigger it; not braking, not spirited driving, not rain, nothing I could figure. Fortunately I never had the "unexpected deceleration" that some others experienced.
So among the possible causes that I've seen or heard about are:
Lateral Acceleration Sensor
Yaw Rate Sensor
Steering Angle Sensor
Brake Pedal Switch
Weak battery
Loose connection at a sensor
Rotational Speed Sensors at each wheel
Tire diameter >3% variance
Brake pressure sensor and vacuum pressure sensor
ABS module

My point is that if you start blindly replacing parts, it will quickly add up to more than it would have cost to have the car scanned, either by a pro or by yourself with the right scan tool. A new Lateral Acceleration Sensor costs about $120, and a Yaw Rate Sensor... don't even ask!
The iCarsoft i980 scan tool was around $120, an investment I'm hoping will pay for itself before long.
Good luck with your BAS/ESP problem, you've got a lot of company here!

Good info here, thank you. I think I will track down a local indy to get it scanned.... but will do so AFTER I put tires on it. The fronts aren't that worn, but the rears are basically no tread, so that *may* be part of it. We'll put new shoes on it and see what that gets us first.

 

It turns out our 2002 SLK 320 (69k miles)has become a restoration project !
I am actually looking forward to doing most of the work/discovery on this car. My thoughts were much different before I was introduced to the information and great helpful people here !
Thank you all !

Needed repairs are roof and trunk actuators, Master Cylinder replacement and brake sensor(s). That'll keep me busy for a few weekends !

Has anyone found a reliable outfit for buying any of the numerous sensors, modules and parts mentioned previously in this thread ?

ie:

Lateral Acceleration Sensor
Yaw Rate Sensor
Steering Angle Sensor
Brake Pedal Switch
Rotational Speed Sensors at each wheel
Brake pressure sensor and vacuum pressure sensor
ABS module
Brake Master Cylinder

My Indy has found that the "Electronic ESP/ABS/BAS control module is the cause" of my BAS/ESP lighting up and automatically & momentarily applying the front brake(s).

I guess he meant the ABS module ?
Thoughts ?

Car needs repainting too. The clear coat is peeling off in sheets ! Anyone else have this issue ? Seems I've seen this on many makes of cars in the southern US.

 

Put new tires on yesterday. Still getting the ESP/BAS light. So it looks like I need to get the thing scanned so I can figure out which sensor it is. Bleh.

 

Sounds like you have your priorities straight, replacing those bad tires first.
Indies will often charge an hour's labor to do the scanning and diagnostics, a good one will take his time and be thorough. Good luck, hope things don't get too expensive.

 

So... Now that I've driven the car for a bit with the new tires, a new symptom. The ESP/BAS light comes on right away when you start the car. Never goes out. Previously, it would take some hard acceleration and cornering to get it to come on. Now... it's just on. So I assume whatever was failing has now completely failed.

Sure wish I had a scanner that could read that darn thing.

 

Yes a scanner is truly required here, find someone nearby who can scan it for you.