Flashing light under hood

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Jun 2, 2014 | 11:00 PM
  #1  
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
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Jun 3, 2014 | 01:21 PM
  #2  
I haven't noticed anything like that. Can you take a picture and post it?
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Jun 3, 2014 | 01:50 PM
  #3  
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

Flashing light under hood-photo-2.jpg  

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Jun 3, 2014 | 01:57 PM
  #4  
No idea what that is. If you remove the air box (that sits over the battery held on by three clips) then you might get a better angle on it.
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Jun 3, 2014 | 02:31 PM
  #5  
You are having any issues with the CIA or anything like that are you? Sounds like you may have a bogey on board.
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Jun 3, 2014 | 02:53 PM
  #6  
Maybe it is a tracker like Walter White used in Breaking Bad.

Or The car is from a Buy here pay here lot at some time and has a tracker.
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Jun 3, 2014 | 04:13 PM
  #7  
That does not look OEM to me. IT'S A BOMB!
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Jun 3, 2014 | 10:21 PM
  #8  
Is that battery clamp/cable always there? Maybe there's a battery slow charger hidden beneath the air box?
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Jun 4, 2014 | 01:49 AM
  #9  
Quote: 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
I would ask the dealer service what it is. In my car the only blinking light is the one in the center console when the car is locked.
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Jun 4, 2014 | 02:48 PM
  #10  
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.
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Jun 4, 2014 | 06:04 PM
  #11  
Have you looked under the air box yet? Remember to cut the red wire, not the green one.
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Jun 4, 2014 | 06:55 PM
  #12  
Could be lojack or something, lojack does have a red LED.
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Jun 4, 2014 | 08:53 PM
  #13  
I just checked mine. I didn't see any lights. 2011 E550 P2 4matic.

X-girlfriend tracking your every move?
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Jun 5, 2014 | 01:58 AM
  #14  
Damn dude this is starting to get creepy...
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Jun 5, 2014 | 06:51 AM
  #15  
If the dealer service department cant help, maybe try Jack Bauer, MacGyver or HAL9000?

Please let us know the origin of this beacon.
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Jun 5, 2014 | 09:57 PM
  #16  
Hmmmm, maybe NSA? What do you do for a living?
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Jul 26, 2014 | 07:54 PM
  #17  
Is this dude still alive?
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Jul 27, 2014 | 02:29 AM
  #18  
Quote: Is this dude still alive?
Now that you mention it.. OP needs to deliver!!
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Jul 27, 2014 | 09:17 AM
  #19  
Quote: Now that you mention it.. OP needs to deliver!!
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.
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Jul 27, 2014 | 10:06 AM
  #20  
Quote: 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.
What if the car was a loaner at the dealer and they installed a tracking device and forgot to remove it when the car was sold? Or better yet, if your wife asked her uncle to install one...? I would really seriously find out what it is as there is not supposed to be any flashing lights under the hood.

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.
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Jul 29, 2014 | 09:32 PM
  #21  
subscribed for the answer..
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Jul 30, 2014 | 11:47 AM
  #22  
Big brother is watching
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Jul 31, 2014 | 08:23 PM
  #23  
Quote: 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.
So almost 2 months later from your post that you wanted an answer for, you still havent acted upon it? Then why post in the first place??
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Aug 26, 2014 | 06:19 PM
  #24  
Quote: So almost 2 months later from your post that you wanted an answer for, you still havent acted upon it? Then why post in the first place??
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.
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Aug 26, 2014 | 08:13 PM
  #25  
Quote: 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.
No worries! Glad to finally know what the heck that was. And good to know no one is tracking you!
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