INOPERABLE!!! WTF?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 330
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
2012 C63 AMG edition 1
INOPERABLE!!! WTF?
So last night I had my car parked and turned it off, waiting for my son at the train station. After he gets in the car, the car wont start and the battery is dead. 
Literally didnt even have the lights/stereo on, nothing everything was powered off. The battery cranked the engine a little but didnt have enough in it to turn over the engine. So of course I didnt have jumper cables and no one around me did either so I called roadside assistance. (they were at my car in literally 15 mins, so awesome 
) They tested the battery and said all is well and that possibly its the alternator. He jumps the battery and the car starts right up. Upon driving it home, I get a bright red "inoperable" signal on my guage cluster display and the car wont rev more than 2 grand and wont go over 20mph. 
Limp mode???
So I dropped the car off at the dealer last night and thats where it resides this morning. Any ideas as to what the hell happened????? I really dont want to get stranded again...
Thanks guys!
Literally didnt even have the lights/stereo on, nothing everything was powered off. The battery cranked the engine a little but didnt have enough in it to turn over the engine. So of course I didnt have jumper cables and no one around me did either so I called roadside assistance. (they were at my car in literally 15 mins, so awesome ) They tested the battery and said all is well and that possibly its the alternator. He jumps the battery and the car starts right up. Upon driving it home, I get a bright red "inoperable" signal on my guage cluster display and the car wont rev more than 2 grand and wont go over 20mph. Limp mode???So I dropped the car off at the dealer last night and thats where it resides this morning. Any ideas as to what the hell happened????? I really dont want to get stranded again...
Thanks guys!
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 466
Likes: 1
E350
So last night I had my car parked and turned it off, waiting for my son at the train station. After he gets in the car, the car wont start and the battery is dead. Literally didnt even have the lights/stereo on, nothing everything was powered off. The battery cranked the engine a little but didnt have enough in it to turn over the engine. So of course I didnt have jumper cables and no one around me did either so I called roadside assistance. (they were at my car in literally 15 mins, so awesome ) They tested the battery and said all is well and that possibly its the alternator. He jumps the battery and the car starts right up. Upon driving it home, I get a bright red "inoperable" signal on my guage cluster display and the car wont rev more than 2 grand and wont go over 20mph. Limp mode???
So I dropped the car off at the dealer last night and thats where it resides this morning. Any ideas as to what the hell happened????? I really dont want to get stranded again...
Thanks guys!
Literally didnt even have the lights/stereo on, nothing everything was powered off. The battery cranked the engine a little but didnt have enough in it to turn over the engine. So of course I didnt have jumper cables and no one around me did either so I called roadside assistance. (they were at my car in literally 15 mins, so awesome ) They tested the battery and said all is well and that possibly its the alternator. He jumps the battery and the car starts right up. Upon driving it home, I get a bright red "inoperable" signal on my guage cluster display and the car wont rev more than 2 grand and wont go over 20mph. Limp mode???So I dropped the car off at the dealer last night and thats where it resides this morning. Any ideas as to what the hell happened????? I really dont want to get stranded again...
Thanks guys!
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 330
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
2012 C63 AMG edition 1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 330
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
2012 C63 AMG edition 1
Turns out when the battery died, the drive by wire throttle needed to be reset. When power is taken from the car, on occasion, the throttle body needs to be re-programmed or it will only open 10% hence the "inoperable" message...still dont know why the battery died???
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 330
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
2012 C63 AMG edition 1
Yeah but they still have no idea why the battery died in the first place...so yeah it could easily happen again and the drive by wire will need to be re-programmed, again. Im just going to have them replace the battery, maybe its got a bad cell or something. Only 2 years old though!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 20
From: Central Pennsylvania
2012 S350 Bluetec 4Matic, Diamond White, P2
Batteries can go bad. I recently replaced the battery on my motorcycle. It went dead about a week later. If they get dropped during shipping, this can dislodge and/or break the internals of the battery. In many modern cars, when the battery loses charge, many of the systems can reset or go into a "limp-home" mode. Hopefully, your ordeal is behind you now.
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Super Member
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 783
Likes: 1
From: Murrieta, Southern California
Late Built 2005 W-211 E-320 CDI
Which Vehicle
So last night I had my car parked and turned it off, waiting for my son at the train station. After he gets in the car, the car wont start and the battery is dead. Literally didnt even have the lights/stereo on, nothing everything was powered off. The battery cranked the engine a little but didnt have enough in it to turn over the engine. So of course I didnt have jumper cables and no one around me did either so I called roadside assistance. (they were at my car in literally 15 mins, so awesome ) They tested the battery and said all is well and that possibly its the alternator. He jumps the battery and the car starts right up. Upon driving it home, I get a bright red "inoperable" signal on my guage cluster display and the car wont rev more than 2 grand and wont go over 20mph. Limp mode???
So I dropped the car off at the dealer last night and thats where it resides this morning. Any ideas as to what the hell happened????? I really dont want to get stranded again...
Thanks guys!
Literally didnt even have the lights/stereo on, nothing everything was powered off. The battery cranked the engine a little but didnt have enough in it to turn over the engine. So of course I didnt have jumper cables and no one around me did either so I called roadside assistance. (they were at my car in literally 15 mins, so awesome ) They tested the battery and said all is well and that possibly its the alternator. He jumps the battery and the car starts right up. Upon driving it home, I get a bright red "inoperable" signal on my guage cluster display and the car wont rev more than 2 grand and wont go over 20mph. Limp mode???So I dropped the car off at the dealer last night and thats where it resides this morning. Any ideas as to what the hell happened????? I really dont want to get stranded again...
Thanks guys!
DHG
Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 216
Likes: 0
From: Canada
E350 4Matic 2011
Turns out when the battery died, the drive by wire throttle needed to be reset. When power is taken from the car, on occasion, the throttle body needs to be re-programmed or it will only open 10% hence the "inoperable" message...still dont know why the battery died???
Super Member
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 783
Likes: 1
From: Murrieta, Southern California
Late Built 2005 W-211 E-320 CDI
Not on All Models
my parking lights on. More than 48 hours later, my big (the rear) battery was so dead that the
doors would not unlock when I hit the key button on my key fob.
That battery was so dead that even with a jumper, it would not turn over and we had
to use the alternator via the jumpers to charge my battery for a short
while and then, and only then would it turn over and start.
The only things that had to be reprogrammed I did myself such as the tilting mirror on the passenger side
and the tilting steering wheel. My drive by wire was fine, and so were all
my radio stations settings.
BTW, I have a CDI and the battery was so discharged, that the dash
lights would not even glow let alone the glow plugs.
Learned my lesson to pay attention to the notice in the dash that states 'Close the Sunroof' or 'Your lights are on.'
Would have saved me a lot of trouble. I was more than 22 miles (35 kilometers) from Kenora and AAA service.
If it had not been for the nice person who runs that small lakeside business there at Gunn Lake, I would have had a long long wait!
So which models have to be taken back to the dealer to have the Command System reprogrammed when the battery is completely discharged?
DHG
Last edited by Green E-300 DT; Oct 16, 2012 at 11:29 AM. Reason: Spelling error
