My car sat for a while when I was deployed. Drove it a couple times, then it died and would'nt restart. Not intermittent, just dead. I matched the symptoms to this and had a friend re-solder the connections. Now it's the typical intermittent problem. Sometimes it won't start right away, other times it starts fine then dies randomly.

But, I discovered that if I hold the center relay on the board closed, the car will start and run 100% of the time. I already ordered a new relay from a Mercedes dealer, but the post office apparently lost it...

My question is: can I safely drive the car with the relay manually held closed until I get the new part? The plastic ring from a Gatorade bottle cap folded in half works perfectly to hold the relay closed and keep the car running. I used this to get the car home, but I don't know if it was wise or safe.?

Thanks.