Adam Fischer

I have an 04 E55. I have had an occasional "convenience features" warning pop up over the last couple months, usually when I have my aftermarket stereo turned up. The car has aftermarket air ride and a amplified stereo so it draws a lot of power. Here's a brief run down of everything I did:

-First I replaced the voltage regulator but still got the occasional warning.

-I then replaced the main battery because I wasn't sure when the previous owner had last replaced it and it didn't have a date on it.

-Then the system stopped charging and I got the red battery warning so I replaced the entire alternator with a DB Electric model ABO0337 from Amazon (new not reman).

-The car was running and charging but the voltage never got above 13.8. I was expecting to see it above 14.

-All of the sudden last night after performing great all day (and my wife was driving it so the stereo wasn't on!) I got the red battery warning. I checked voltage and it's not charging again. Voltage reads at 11.7 and slowly dropping if I turn things on.

-I figured it probably wasn't the problem but I went ahead and replaced aux battery that was 2 years old (I live in AZ so that's a long time).

So now I have two new batteries and a new alternator. The system is still not charging. The belt looks fine and I don't hear any slipping.

Could it really be another bad alternator after only a couple weeks? Is there something else upstream that could be causing the alternator to fail?

I'm not sure what else to check. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

kajtek1

I wonder about your logic.
You measure that alternator is not giving charging voltage, yet you replaced the battery?
Those cars have crazy electronics and I had the "convenience" message for long time (vacations) when the car voltage was still about 14V. Turned out not torqued battery clamp bolt.
13.8V is normal charging voltage when everything is stabilized. Can go to 14V when you start the car and battery is discharged.
Anyway, where do you measure the voltage? Car display often shows 0.5V less than actual battery measurement.

ItalianJoe1

What is DB Electric?

Cheap aftermarket alternators are often garbage, I replace a lot of them at work that fail within a year or are bad right out of the box. I'd suggest a quality rebuild over a cheap new one, or a new OEM as the best solution but I know they are NOT cheap.

Adam Fischer

No, I didn't just change the battery when the alternator wasn't working, let me clarify: I replaced the voltage regulator first because the alternator wasn't charging. I changed the battery after that didn't fix the problem and after I got the red battery warning for the brakes, etc. Also, in AZ we are lucky to get 2 years out of a battery and this one didn't have the date marked. Because of those factors I decided to change the battery while I was doing this other troubleshooting so I could rule that out.
I measured it by the dash display and with a volt meter on both batteries.

Adam Fischer

http://www.dbelectrical.com

They are based in Tennessee, and I bought it on Amazon for $175. The company had good reviews and were recommended on other forums...but I still had that thought in the back of my head that it was a gamble.

Even if it wasn't as good I hoped it would last more than a few weeks. I should have just paid for a reman Bosch I guess, then I could at least rule that out.

mtrevelino

If it was a Bosch regulator that you installed in the last alternator, you could try swapping it out and see what happens. Personally, I think the parts from DB are junk. They had a starter priced at $126 for my diesel, no way would I put that in. And the alternator I found only put out 150 AMPS. Our vehicles need 200+ AMPS.
Mike T.

Adam Fischer

Great idea. It was a new Bosch regulator so I'll swap that over and see how it does. Thanks for the advice!

kajtek1

What makes you guys thinking that Bosch VR will fit into Chinese alternator?
Sure worth trying if it takes few minutes, but out of curiosity I punch my car into db site.
The alternator that popped up will never fit my car.

justinp95

Im having the same issue. Did you figure it out?

tivoboy

I was just testing a 2018 E300, found this feature.. the thing that bugs me is if I put my iphone there (which has no internal NFC for charging Qi really) it constantly wants to activate apple pay, and the screen goes to my wallet and not on whatever is currently displayed - usually google maps..

If there some way to de-activate this entirely in the e class?

Redwood415

Use only OEM Bosch or Valeo alternators with a OEM Varta battery.
We have seen all sorts of issues similar to yours with people using cheap aftermarket batteries and alternators. I guarantee a new OEM battery will last you way longer than 2 years. Typical life here is about 5-6 years+

Jay Petty

Does the w211 really require a Bosch alternator? They both put out 150amps

Redwood415

Yes, use only OEM Bosch alternator, they are not much more than cheaper aftermarket parts.

ot1

hahaha funny ho ho 😂👍

ot1

DB Electric ...Dun Broked

Hariandja

I have a similar issue:
Mine is MB C200 W204 Year 2012 (engine M271)
I turned on the fancy feature to monitor the Voltage and Current on the dashboard.
All the lights, AC, radio are turned off.
- Initial battery voltage: 12.3V (I use new AMARON battery in July 2020)
- A while after starting the engine, the voltage drop to 11.5 V ( I think this is normal)
- Afterward, the voltage increase and reach 14.1V (current above 0)
- I start to turn on the radio, AC, and finally lights, the voltage still showing 13.6-13.9 V (current above zero)
- Shift the automatic tranmission lever from P to R, the voltage drop to 13 V (current drop to below zero around -2A)
- Shift again the automatic transmission lever from R to N, the voltage increase to 13.6-13.9V (the current back above zero)
- Shift again the automatic transmission lever from N to D, the voltage drop again to 12.3-12.4V (the current drop and fluctuate between +1 to -20 A)
After driving the car for about five minutes, the red engine warning light flashing and later car stall
After turn off everything, I ignite again and the engine is OK.
But the car will stall again after driving a while (like 5 minutes).

Do I need to replace the regulator for sure?
Thank you