My daughter has just passed her test and bought what seemed to be a great car (mercedes Elegance) but a few days later the ECU has gone (?) It was bought from an auction so sadly no warranty. Mercedes have quoted about 1300. She has took a loan out for car never mind a huge repair. Has anyone any experience on this. Can it be done by an other auto electrician.
Any suggestions please

Oh dear...it sounds as though she may not have had a great deal here. Did she get an independent engineers report on the car before buying? The repair can be done by any mechanic, but the parts are still expensive, so it wont be much less money I woudnt have thought. A merc is not a good choice for a first car.....they are expensive to maintain on parts and labour, and therefore the insurance is often high, especially for a newly qualified driver. Buying at auction is a risk for the inexperienced. I would recommend that she gets the best deal she can on getting it fixed, sells it fast, and buys something that is more affordable before something else goes wrong.

I think the ECU can be sent off for repair at a cheaper price but you would still be looking at £500 plus, will have a word with my local friendly garage owner on Monday for you

We have spoken to an ex Merc guy but he says wherever we go the part is still around £1000 but its hit and miss getting them repaired. :(

Hi star,

ECU's can be very expensive, and I'm not certian but I don't think they can / should be repaired

My old car blew 2 ECU's due to water intake, the new part from BMW was £750, but I managed to get a 2nd hand one for just over £100. I haven't got the number on me, but if you Google Intapart in Daventry they might have the part and will send it out as well.

Also, even if the car was bought from an auction, there should still be a short warranty (14 days rings a bell) against defects thats couldn't be tested at the auction, it might be worth speaking to the auction house and asking.

Good luck - I hope you manage to get is sorted out.

Claire

What a shame, you can sometimes get a great buy at an auction - it looks like your daughter was just unlucky. I'd do as Hairyloon suggested and search around for a second hand one. A friend bought an xm ecu on ebay for a tenner :-) Check scrap yards locally and on the net and perhaps even join a merc internet forum - someone may have one lying around.

We have now googled and found somewhere that does repair your own so it does not have to be recoded. Its about £300 but comes with a 2 year warranty so might go for that. OH spoke to Auction and basiically sold as seen
Thanks for your help guys