Be careful Joe and do not jump straight to this---TEST first!!!!! This is a know problem, but may not be yours. Jimmy

 

Sorry to necromance an old thread, but I think this is whats going on with me right now.

I stopped into local walmart before to grab a few things before work, came out to the car and fob did not want to unlock car, unlocked the drivers door manualy and set the alarm off.
Tried starting the car, which didnt work, thought the fobs batteries might be the culprit so went back inside to buy new ones. Well this did nothing and running out of time before I had to be at work I called up my old man to give me a lift.

So now im at work reading about the situation. Car is an 05 limited with 60k, and im wondering if my issue may be just battery related? Really wont know anything til I can get back to it in the a.m. after work when I can try disconnecting the battery. Suggestions / comments? Only owned the car for bout 2weeks so still learning about it, and why the heck dont they put this info in owners manuals ><

 

Sounds like the problem that I had with two different Crossfires. Disconnect the battery and wait about 3 minutes so the car can power down. Then reconnect and you should get 3 tries if it is this problem---each will be short burst---after 3---nothing again. If this happens, your SKREEM module has gone bad. CAUTION---you only have 30 tries TOTAL---after 30 the ECM thinks the car is being stolen and will "blow" itself up which you/ the stealership will also have to buy a new ECM to get the car running. TELL THEM THIS---PUT IT IN WRITING!!!! I did and THEY blew the ECM up on one of my cars, and since I had it on the work order, I did not pay for it----THEIR PRICE=$1800+!!!!!

The batteries on this car MUST be fully charged, but if this can out of the blue and the battery checks out---then the above could very well be it---TWO times with me out of six Crossfires!!!! Check MB World---it's on that site too. GOOD LUCK!!!! Jimmy

 

An this is what concerns me, I was prepared to test this stuff out when I went to get the car this morning after work, but when trying the fob first thing, it unlocked right away and started up with no problem as if nothing had happened.

I drove it to a nearby autozone , thinking to purchase a new battery, but their tester showed over 12volts coming from the cells and 14+ coming from the charging system. We checked it a few times during the time i was there, car both running and not. Also to be honest, I didnt have $180 they wanted for the "recommended replacement" and didnt give me other options than that.

So at this point I dont know what to think. Car drove from the autozone to my folks place and then to my own with no exibitable problems, so im not sure what i should be looking to trace down. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

Did you read this whole thread?

Read post number 14 and 16.

 

Rakcah is right---read my 14 and 16 post---Like I said, I have seen this twice before. If all is working now, you can not check anything, but having own repair shops for 10 years, I know that cars DO NOT fix themselves. Both of mine started with 3 and 4 weeks intervals and then went to total no starts. If the battery is over 3 years old it needs to be replaced anyway---sorry for the bad news, but this car HATES low voltage---many others problems can pop up---just read on here. The $180 will be cheap compared to a misdiagnoses---trust me on this one!!!!!

Now back to this problem, just wait and see. Could be weeks. Good luck and let us know! Jimmy

 

Thanks for all the input. Im making plans as is now to take care of both possible culprits with one stone. The battery after the next paycheck, and contacting the auto dealership (which btw, do most people here have better experience with the Chrysler shop or the MB? I have both in town) to see about getting the Skreem replaced and what their cost estimates will be.

So we shall see what happens with that.

Sorry for the noobitis, and i did go back and re-READ the whole thread (as opposed to gloss over >.>) Im chalking it up to a panic strike of having something freak out on another car just after purchase, this seems to be a recuring bad karma trend for me

 

Even though I own a real Mercedes they will NOT service the Xfire. You can call the one in your area to see. We have 3 and their response was we only service cars with a star on them. But the good news is an independent Mercedes mechanic will do a good job on the SKEEM. They are not cheap. Labor can be expensive. They have to take the dash off.

 

Well I got a new battery, and guess what. Same problem. The alarm goes off, and you can't turn it off.

Please please please please, can someone post the part number for this POS part and how and what must be done exactly to replace it. Meaning, is it just the instrument cluster? Or must the entire dash come out. Because if that's the case I'd rather sell the car. I will put it in myself.

I know for a fact that my Chrysler dealer will F this up, no doubt. I will get the car back and more than likeley the skreem will still not work, but probably my dash light, cigarette lighter, and radio won't work as well as having several new scratches on my leather.

I don't understand what mentality the shop guys have
Ike this is acceptable. No pride in their jobs, it's pathetic.

Please help.

 

according to the service manual, you only have to remove the instrument cluster to get to the skreem, not the whole dash.

One thing I read on the MB forum was to check the PSE.

 

What is a PSE?

 

I dont remember what it stands for Pneumatic Something. It might be called something else for the XF but it's located in the same spot as the slk320. In the trunk under the mat and Styrofoam. You have to remove the trim and panels to remove the styrofoam piece.

I'm gonna flip the module upside down like it's mentioned on the MB forum, cause my blinkers aren't blinking again when I lock/unlock with the key.

Apparently, if the module has water damage, it can mess with a number of things like lights, alarms, and locks depending where the water damage on the module is.

PSE - Removal, Refit and Check - Benzworld.org - Mercedes-Benz Discussion Forum

 

Ok so this is a third option after, alarm unit, skreem unit, and now pse. Ugh.

I def don't have water in my car. My ken wood navigation is under there as well and I did some spring cleaning and it dry as a bone.

This is some frustrating ish.

Anybody got part number for the alarm unit? I'll do that myself before I let the dealer any where near the car.

Thanks

 

some part numbers are attached. couldnt get part number for skreem module, but reading some other post it pricey and i think has to be programed by dealer.

jkm41 said in your other thread to pull a fuse, i think it that would be fuse 9 underhood fuse block, but this might interfere with lighting.

Are you able to start the car when the siren is going off?
Next time it goes off, try locking then unlocking the car with key itself not using the buttons, this might mean one of the sensors are bad.

You will have to read your warranty paper work to see if your still covered. It should tell you the date and mileage that you have to meet to still be covered.

 

I had the same problem recently. I called the local Chrysler dealership to ask them if they knew what the problem was. They told me that it sounded like one of the modules and I would have to bring it to them. I called AAA to have it towed to the dealership and when the AAA flatbed tow driver got there, he said lets check your battery. When we opened the hood I noticed that one of the terminals on the battery was corroded and pondered if that might be the problem. After cleaning off the terminal and charging the battery, everything was back to normal. The keys worked, the alarm stopped going off and now a week later...........everything is a-ok.
I wonder why the dealership never mentioned that it could be a dead battery? They went right to one of the most expensive parts to replace!!!!
The AAA guy saved me probably thousands of dollars by not just towing the car like I had asked and checking to see if the problem could be fixed without towing.
If the Crossfire had been towed to the dealer they probably would have charged me for a new module even though I didn't need one and at the very least, if they checked it out and found out that the battery was the problem, they probably would have charged me several hundred dollars in time and labor.
If there is a next time, I will know better.

 

I had the same problem with my brand new 2011 Chrysler Town and Country this morning. Would not lock after going for a ride. Both key fobs would not work at all. one key fob even got stuck in the ignition. I locked it from the inside to call chrysler and went back to open it and alarm sounded. The 1800 number directed me to the dealership. I was told by 2 people in the service dept. that I need to get the module replaced and that I should call a tow truck. I refused to believe this and found this thread after a 20 min web search. Thank g-d! I took the #10 wrench and my ear plugs out and sure enough. After disconnecting the +battery cable for 1 minute... It worked! The alarm did not come back on. The stuck key came right out and now it all seems to be working properly. Thank you for this post. I will repost if it happens again!

 

In reading this thread there has been several mentions of 30 times that the alarm can be tripped before there is a meltdown of the unit. Is this reset to 0 when the battery is disconnected and the problem solved or if the problem reoccurs is there now a shortened threat of meltdown?

 

When you fix the problem, the ECM resets after the car starts---While down, it gives you 10 sets of three tries---After that, the ECM "thinks" that you do not know what you are doing and that you are stealing the car, so it does a "Mission Impossible" and smokes itself---The Germans think this is better than having the car taken into another country in Europe.

 

Same thing happened to us, got it fixed the same way. I've heard this is a programing error that the dealership should fix (under warrenty?) so that it won't happen again.

 

Howdy Folks,

Just wanted to say hello and respond to this thread since i was led here today with the same issue.

I just purchased a 2004 Crossfire 6 months ago. A great car and no problems until today. Went out to take for a spin and neither key would unlock or disable the alarm. Opened door and tried to start and the car shut down. Came home and researched it and was brought to this forum and this thread.

I wanted to give you my fix for what resolved the issue today. Tried the unhooking of battery and that alone did not work. Called my buddy who has excellent car knowledge. He said unhook batter again let sit for 5 minutes. Reconnect (alarm turned on again) and lock and unlock cardoor 3 times. After 3rd unlock the alarm went off and car started right up.

I hope this is able to help someone in the future.

Dave