MB Medic Mercedes-Benz Repair Guides, Service, How To DIY
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The time, temperature and odometer displays in the instrument cluster on the late 1990s E-Class and CLK use small LCD screens, and as the car ages they can lose pixels, dim or black out entirely. This guide covers the cause and the repair.
Which Cars This Applies To
- E-Class W210: E320, E430 and E55, 1998 to 2002, and the E-Class wagons through 2003
- CLK-Class W208: CLK320, CLK430 and CLK55, 1998 to 2002, and the 2003 CLK convertibles
- C-Class W202: the repair is similar
Common Symptoms
The most common symptoms on the three LCD displays are:
- Missing pixels
- Digital display too dim
- Dead pixels and pixelation
- Distorted readout
- Display blacked out
What Causes It
Missing or intermittent pixels are commonly caused by failing LCD ribbon cable connections. A dim display may be caused by a failed backlight bulb. Diagnose a completely black display before replacing parts. Watch the video below to see how the instrument cluster is repaired.
For more on these cars, see the W210 E-Class in depth review. If you have a later model, the cluster removal is covered for the W211 E-Class and the W220 S-Class and C215 CL-Class.
Before you buy parts, scan every control module, not just the engine. It shows the root fault behind the warning lights and tells you whether the problem is still active. See how to do a full health check.
I have a 99 mercedes E320 can’t read temp miles time on instrument cluster can u fix it.