My E400 just started itself...
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Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 39
Likes: 2
From: Florida
2018 E400 Coupe
My E400 just started itself...
So, just now I'm sitting in my kitchen, the car is in the garage, locked. Suddenly I hear the sound of a working engine, I open the garage door and sure enough - the car is started up while still being locked, the garage door is closed, the key is in a drawer inside the house. I put my hand on the handle to unlock the car, the car unlocks and the engine shuts off. Now, my question is WHAT THE HELL WAS IT? I know the car can be stared remotely using mbrace, but I never set that up for this one. Was that hacked by somebody? Was it MB engineers accidentally running a test in the production environment? If the car can be started remotely from the key (can it though?), was it a short in the key? What if it starts when nobody's home or sleeping and works for several hours filling the garage with exhaust gases (back in the Soviet Union they used to kill people and dogs like that)? Any ideas, guys?
Member
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 139
Likes: 15
From: Southern California
E450 Coupe
So, just now I'm sitting in my kitchen, the car is in the garage, locked. Suddenly I hear the sound of a working engine, I open the garage door and sure enough - the car is started up while still being locked, the garage door is closed, the key is in a drawer inside the house. I put my hand on the handle to unlock the car, the car unlocks and the engine shuts off. Now, my question is WHAT THE HELL WAS IT? I know the car can be stared remotely using mbrace, but I never set that up for this one. Was that hacked by somebody? Was it MB engineers accidentally running a test in the production environment? If the car can be started remotely from the key (can it though?), was it a short in the key? What if it starts when nobody's home or sleeping and works for several hours filling the garage with exhaust gases (back in the Soviet Union they used to kill people and dogs like that)? Any ideas, guys?
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Super Member
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 725
Likes: 189
From: Chicago area
2015 E400 and 2015 GLK350
Nobody asked the OP - Does the car have an aftermarket remote start kit installed? Or, could the owner have accidentally activated MercedesMe's remote start app? Could the selling dealer have set it up to show another customer prior to selling it to OP?
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Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 64
Likes: 14
From: Massachusetts
CLE53 Cab
Ain't computers wonderful!
I think that your model has remote start from an app on your smart phone.
This might explain it.
Modern engines produce so little Carbon Monoxide that they might not kill you.
They are also reported to shut off when they have consumed most of the oxygen in the garage.
I'd check my CO detector batteries just to be safe.
By the way, my E350 wagon lowered all four windows halfway as I walked away from it.
Twice in five years.
I think that your model has remote start from an app on your smart phone.
This might explain it.
Modern engines produce so little Carbon Monoxide that they might not kill you.
They are also reported to shut off when they have consumed most of the oxygen in the garage.
I'd check my CO detector batteries just to be safe.
By the way, my E350 wagon lowered all four windows halfway as I walked away from it.
Twice in five years.
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 64
Likes: 14
From: Massachusetts
CLE53 Cab
The frozen north...
In this part of the country, we use our garages in the winter. We try to leave the streets and driveways clear for the snow plows. We don't have a problem with fires, but every few years we lose someone to CO.
We also have a law that prohibits idling. So warming up a car to melt the ice on the windows is illegal. A law we tend to forget when six inches of snow shows up overnight.
My car parks about six feet below my pillow. Yes, I have CO and smoke detectors. Also, any summer only car, has a battery switch and trickle charger.
No, I don't own a Pinto or a Tesla. To be fair, the fires in those cars were triggered by impact damage. They didn't ignite when parked.
We also have a law that prohibits idling. So warming up a car to melt the ice on the windows is illegal. A law we tend to forget when six inches of snow shows up overnight.
My car parks about six feet below my pillow. Yes, I have CO and smoke detectors. Also, any summer only car, has a battery switch and trickle charger.
No, I don't own a Pinto or a Tesla. To be fair, the fires in those cars were triggered by impact damage. They didn't ignite when parked.
Newbie
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
2018 e400 coupe
One possible scenario: the eco engine shut off turned the engine off temporarily when you came to a stop and parked your car.
You noticed engine was off and most likely forgot to press the ignition kill button.
The way way eco works is that the car will start again when temp in cabin reaches a certain level. Car will start to maintain your climate control setting. So after you parked eventually eco would startup.
You noticed engine was off and most likely forgot to press the ignition kill button.
The way way eco works is that the car will start again when temp in cabin reaches a certain level. Car will start to maintain your climate control setting. So after you parked eventually eco would startup.
Last edited by Will_e400; Dec 15, 2018 at 01:07 AM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,489
Likes: 439
From: San Diego, CA
2024 EQE 500
I would think the moment you took your foot off the brake, the engine would fire up as usual. That and I really would like to think that once the door is opened that Eco start/stop would be turned off.
One possible scenario: the eco engine shut off turned the engine off temporarily when you came to a stop and parked your car.
You noticed engine was off and most likely forgot to press the ignition kill button.
The way way eco works is that the car will start again when temp in cabin reaches a certain level. Car will start to maintain your climate control setting. So after you parked eventually eco would startup.
You noticed engine was off and most likely forgot to press the ignition kill button.
The way way eco works is that the car will start again when temp in cabin reaches a certain level. Car will start to maintain your climate control setting. So after you parked eventually eco would startup.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 4,830
Likes: 772
From: Venice Florida
2018 S560
I notice if you just open the door when in Eco and not hit the kill button a red message comes up on the left screen saying vehicle is still operative. More than likely that is what happened. But just as a additional safety measure I always leave the drivers window down just a little and the car unlocked as those are two things that are a prerequisite for the remote start to operate. Obviously if I'm planning on using remote start I leave the windows up and the car locked. Parked in my garage though I'd have no reason to use the remote start.
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