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Crazy night. Alarm went off in car and self locked glove box where keys were.
Had to tear open glove box with my bare hands. I'd got in my car after going out to dinner and like usual put my keys with FOB in the center console along with my wallet. Not going to do that anymore. I guess since the FOB was in the glove box the car did not read it and assumed it was being stolen. I never even knew there was a lock on the center console box, yep. I guess when the car doors lock it must lock too, because it was locked solid, the button that's pressed to open it would not move any at all to my dismay. Anyhow, at that point the alarm is going off, horn beeping and all the ambient lights flashing different colors, looked like a strip club or something. I was hitting the start button and nothing, alarm still going off and it was attracting some attention.
I still had my cell phone so I went to the Me connect app to try and unlock the doors, I was pretty much locked in at that point and getting nervous. When I hit door unlock on my cell phone app, nothing. The door unlock button on the door did not work either. So I then called the Mbrace number. The young guy told me there that all the electronics in my car were gone and the car would have to flat bedded to the dealer. I told him I need my wallet and my house keys. He said, well your not going to get those until tomorrow when the dealer opens up and they look at the car. He said they were sending a flat bed truck to pick up the car here in Venice FL. Luckly at that point the horn stopped going off but the red alarm light on the dash was still flashing and I noticed the door had unlocked thank god. So I got off the phone with him and I had friends waiting for me to get back to my house and a big day tomorrow and thought I can't deal with this.
I'm really strong and I grabbed the center console top by the side and proceeded to tear it off and there were my keys and wallet in there. I then laid the FOB with my keyring on the center console near the mouse pad and hit the start button. The car started right up. I drove home and everything seemed fine, not sure if I messed up any wires that go in there but no lights or anything unusual. Now what I'm wondering is if Mercedes is going to cover the damage I did but really was not left with an alternative doing what I did, I'm disabled so even getting a ride home would not have been easy as I use a wheelchair. I was not about to leave my keys and wallet in the locked center console with all my credit cards and cash. Anyhow, I'll keep you all up to date with what happens on this one. I'm sure they are definitely going to have to order the broken plastic parts from Germany, no way would they stock them. I think I'll be ok in continuing to drive the car during the time it takes to get the parts, makes me sick though, the car only has 1200 miles on it. I'll never be putting my wallet and keys in that center console again, it could lock and not open and then you got a problem. I felt as if the car was possessed by the devil or something, it was like that moving "final destination" and was kind of creepy. Makes me realize how computer dependent these cars really are and how when they malfunction it can make life pretty tough.
I think MBrace needs to train there people better. The car certainly was not dead and that guy there made a bad situation a lot worse. It's probably good I used my hands rather than a big screw driver as the two doors to the center glove box are still ok and had I shoved a screw driver in between them those would have had to be replaced too. You can see in the picture how the front portion just lifted right out and the plastic broke. I put the towel over the center console as I need to put in a wheelchair each time I get and that protects the wood.
Last edited by 2012 merc amg; 01-09-2019 at 10:29 PM.
Not really sure why, it's never done this before. I had to damage the center console door to get the keys out that were locked inside of it. I normally get in the car, put my keys in the center console and hit the start button and off I go, not so tonight for whatever reason when I hit the start button nothing happened and I hit it a couple more times and thats when the car went into alarm mode and the doors locked and all the ambient lights were flashing different colors and the horn was beeping on and off. It kinda reminded me of that movie "Christine" When I hit the button to open the center console doors it was locked solid so getting my keys out was not an option at that time. Like I said I never even knew that door locked and the guy from Mbrace told me as I was talking with him with the horn going off and the lights flashing that there is no lock on that center console door. There definitely is a lock on that door as I found out tonight. Like I said, I think some workers at Mbrace need more training, for one thing he told me the electronics in my car were dead and they were not, it just was not reading my FOB for whatever reason, he said with the key being in that box it should be reading it, not like I had the key wrapped in foil or anything.
Last edited by 2012 merc amg; 01-09-2019 at 10:49 PM.
I think they all probably have locks on the center console that lock when the doors are locked, I had no idea. Anyhow, never again in the future will I put my keys in there, not a good idea. If the car malfunctions like mine did your in a bad situation. I'll probably ask the dealership if there is a way to disable this lock, if so doing things the way I always did would not be a issue.
I would be really surprised if that center console locks on the sedan. Im thinking it locks on the Cab because those buttons for the roof are in that area. Im going to go check now
Yes the wheelchair fits on the passenger side wheels in back seat. If I have a passenger I lift the chair into the rear seat. Even easier with the top down. Yes pretty sure all the e classes have locking center console boxes. Even the E300s. Found it in the std equipment list. “Locking illuminated center console box”.
wow quite an ordeal.
btw did you get a message/text that the alarm went of and/or is mercedes informed abt this?
i've always wondered about that, and the manual is not clear abt it
My phone worked fine. Read the story again. I was on the phone with Mbrace. The car unlocked once the horn stopped beeping while I was on the phone with Mbrace. When I did retrieve the keys from the glove box the flashing alarm light on the dash went off and the car started and drove as normal and I called Mbrace back to cancel the flat bed. I did get a text message about an hour later asking if the flat bed had showed up even though I’d cancelled it. The woman on the phone when I called back could not even find a record that they were even sending a flat bed. The whole thing was a very strange experience and no I was not drinking last night. I had dinner with some friends at a vegetarian health food restaurant.
That was the other strange thing was I never got a text or email saying the alarm had activated. I do have all notifications turned on too.
Last edited by 2012 merc amg; 01-10-2019 at 07:31 AM.
That is an horrible experience. Your blood pressure just have skyrocketed during the experience. From now on, I'll only keep my keys in the cupholder.
Anyway as bright spot, the car started and you are unhurt. The plastic may have gouged you.
Hang in there.
thanks. Really bad experience. The car only has 1200 miles on it and really like the car but I guess stuff happens. I do hope they cover this under warranty as the car put me in a really desperate situation. I’ve spent over a half million on Mercedes cars over the past ten years so I’d think they’d treat me right. Never had anything like this happen before. I’m hoping they can do the steering wheel nut recall at the same time the car is in the shop. This recall only affects RWD Cabrios produced before oct 4 2018. My car is a late August build. It does affect some other models too.
I am certain that they will do you right. If you have a good relationship with the dealer and MB, count on it. As an example, I had an old Porsche with the CF steering wheel that started to delaminate way after warranty. My dealership got corporate to replace it arguing that it was defective from manufacture. And, that was a crazy expensive part as I recall.
That’s quite unnerving so sorry for the questions. When I said the phone didn’t work, I meant to unlock.
I’m looking forward to getting my 450 next month, but maybe I’ll have to leave the key in my pocket while driving.
Good luck dealing with the dealer.
Pocket is a good idea if you have your own home. However, living in NYC, I have a garage and valet. Consequently, I have on occasion (okay, more often than on occasion) left the car without leaving the key. So now, I tend to put the key in the cupholder when I leave the car in the garage and try to remember to take it out when I leave the car outside the garage.
I really think it had something to do with the Mercedes Me App. I'd been having problems with it and things were not loading and think maybe the App was trying to start the car when I was in the car and conflicting with the key. I'm not planning on using the app again. It was not working at all on my Wagon other than to read tire pressure and doors open/closed and fluids. On the Cabrio, it was spotty, sometimes worked and other times not. I think maybe things were loading when I got in the car, it's about the most logical conclusion I come to with what happened. The car seems fine now other than the broken center console and I have a 9:40 appointment tomorrow to get that looked at, I suspect they are going to have to order the plastic parts for that from Germany. So maybe next week or the week after get it fixed and hopefully the recall done at the same time.
I really think it had something to do with the Mercedes Me App. I'd been having problems with it and things were not loading and think maybe the App was trying to start the car when I was in the car and conflicting with the key. I'm not planning on using the app again. It was not working at all on my Wagon other than to read tire pressure and doors open/closed and fluids. On the Cabrio, it was spotty, sometimes worked and other times not. I think maybe things were loading when I got in the car, it's about the most logical conclusion I come to with what happened. The car seems fine now other than the broken center console and I have a 9:40 appointment tomorrow to get that looked at, I suspect they are going to have to order the plastic parts for that from Germany. So maybe next week or the week after get it fixed and hopefully the recall done at the same time.
Maybe the Me Connect App and you aren't meant to be friends. Since mine finally came on-line, it's been very reliable and easy to use. I don't keep my keys in any console or in my pockets. I have a Tumi key ring, that clips to a belt loop, but is on a retractable metal cord. It stays neatly where I want it when not in use, but pulls out fully to do things like unlock the door to the house, then zips back to its resting position.
I have a Tumi key ring, that clips to a belt loop, but is on a retractable metal cord. It stays neatly where I want it when not in use, but pulls out fully to do things like unlock the door to the house, then zips back to its resting position.
Rod, but of course you do! I daresay you probably haven't misplaced a thing since your dog ate your homework in grade school!
The dealer ordered the plastic parts for the center console today and it's not all that big of deal. I'll have to go back in a week or so to get it put together, right now the door is off the center console. The service writer at the dealer speculated that the key may have not been read in there is because I have so many keys and the wagon key on the keyring and maybe when the keys dropped into the box the other keys landed on top of the FOB therefore blocking the signal and when the alarm went off I was screwed because it does lock electronically when it goes into alarm mode. I was hoping they'd be able to do something with the slight gap on the front fascia from the curb but nope they are going to leave it alone, it is hardly noticeable. He said to fix it they'd have to pull it all apart and it would be like 500 bucks. I do have a friend who owns a body shop up north, I'll have him look at it next spring when I get to RI. The facia just needs to be pulled back like a 16th of an inch or less to the front fender, 99 percent of people would not notice that little extra gap. Guard your front bumpers guys and gals and beware of putting your keys in the center console box. Lesson learned.
01-09-2019, 09:55 PM
