Flashing light under hood
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 25
Likes: 2
From: Chicagoland, IL
2011 E550 4matic
Flashing light under hood
I was just filling up my windshield washer fluid and noticed a red/orange flashing light over by the battery charging terminals (where you'd put jumper cables). It's not very bright. You most likely wouldn't see it if it wasn't dark. Anyone know what this is? Anyone else have this going on? I did a search and couldn't find anything. The car is driving fine, and I have no alerts from the ECU. I'm not that worried, but it almost seems like it's flashing a code. 4 quick flashes, slight pause, 4 quick flashes, etc... 
2011 E550 P2
2011 E550 P2
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 25
Likes: 2
From: Chicagoland, IL
2011 E550 4matic
Here's a picture of it. This is under the hood (obviously), passenger side, by the battery terminals. The lights down in there somewhere. all I see is the glow.photo 2.JPG
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 1,293
From: Southern US
2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
I was just filling up my windshield washer fluid and noticed a red/orange flashing light over by the battery charging terminals (where you'd put jumper cables). It's not very bright. You most likely wouldn't see it if it wasn't dark. Anyone know what this is? Anyone else have this going on? I did a search and couldn't find anything. The car is driving fine, and I have no alerts from the ECU. I'm not that worried, but it almost seems like it's flashing a code. 4 quick flashes, slight pause, 4 quick flashes, etc...
2011 E550 P2
2011 E550 P2
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 25
Likes: 2
From: Chicagoland, IL
2011 E550 4matic
No, the cables are for a battery trickle charger I was using. I have a 4 1/2 and a 3 1/2 year old that sometimes like to turn on the reading lights in the back when they're getting in and out of their car seats. If it's day time, I won't notice it. I rode my motorcycle to work a couple of days last week and didn't discover the lights for a few days. The battery wasn't dead, but I wanted to "top it off" to be sure.
So, no one else here has that light? It's pretty faint. You have to look closely.
So, no one else here has that light? It's pretty faint. You have to look closely.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 25
Likes: 2
From: Chicagoland, IL
2011 E550 4matic
Haha! Sorry. I love this forum, but I'm not a daily reader. Answer: I still don't know. To be very clear, it's a super dim light. So dim I thought it had stopped until I really looked. I think it's a LED on a board of some sort. I'll try to get an answer for you. I bought this car from my wife's uncle (he works at a MB dealership in chicago). Bought it with 9K miles, one previous owner that my wife's uncle knew, so I don't think there's a nefarious past.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 1,293
From: Southern US
2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
Haha! Sorry. I love this forum, but I'm not a daily reader. Answer: I still don't know. To be very clear, it's a super dim light. So dim I thought it had stopped until I really looked. I think it's a LED on a board of some sort. I'll try to get an answer for you. I bought this car from my wife's uncle (he works at a MB dealership in chicago). Bought it with 9K miles, one previous owner that my wife's uncle knew, so I don't think there's a nefarious past.
And I would dig myself under the hood to see what it is. You should be able to take a picture or video of it if you can't get your head in position to see it.
If you can't do any of this yourself I would take it to a different dealer than where you bought it to keep the uncle out of it when they find out what is blinking.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 325
Likes: 3
From: Boston
2010 E550
Haha! Sorry. I love this forum, but I'm not a daily reader. Answer: I still don't know. To be very clear, it's a super dim light. So dim I thought it had stopped until I really looked. I think it's a LED on a board of some sort. I'll try to get an answer for you. I bought this car from my wife's uncle (he works at a MB dealership in chicago). Bought it with 9K miles, one previous owner that my wife's uncle knew, so I don't think there's a nefarious past.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 25
Likes: 2
From: Chicagoland, IL
2011 E550 4matic
Answer is, it is a tracking device. Previous owner had a lojack kind of service that has long since lapsed. The flashing light was indicating no service. I just took my car in this morning for it's 3rd service and I asked the service manager. They removed it. Took about 3 minutes. Truly sorry for the super delay.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 325
Likes: 3
From: Boston
2010 E550
totally agree and i'm sorry. I'm not much of a contributor to this forum. I posted this originally to see if someone had a quick answer. When they didn't, it got back burner status and I'm sorry.
Answer is, it is a tracking device. Previous owner had a lojack kind of service that has long since lapsed. The flashing light was indicating no service. I just took my car in this morning for it's 3rd service and I asked the service manager. They removed it. Took about 3 minutes. Truly sorry for the super delay.
Answer is, it is a tracking device. Previous owner had a lojack kind of service that has long since lapsed. The flashing light was indicating no service. I just took my car in this morning for it's 3rd service and I asked the service manager. They removed it. Took about 3 minutes. Truly sorry for the super delay.
