I've had my '17 E300 for about a year and a half now. Been a reliable car that gets great gas mileage, is comfortable and quiet. Has a few quirks, but I think every car also has something not exactly perfect.

Recently I've been keeping a list of things that are happening and are not normal.

#1 - The automatic engine shut off/restart does not work anymore. It used to stop and restart at almost every light, but it never does anymore. I don't see the little green light on the dash anymore, however the switch on the console is lit.

#2 - Cruise control is not doing a good job keeping the car in it's lane. If I remove my hands from the wheel and the car goes around any type of corner, it will drift into the on-coming lane. This is not always, but enough where I don't use the feature anymore because I don't trust it. It used to work much better. And the sensors are clean, I keep the car very clean.

#3 - Touching the door handle to open the car does not work anymore. Sometimes if I hold it for more than 10 seconds it might open, but I'm using my remote now to get in. It will lock when I touch the small pad, but not open. This used to work perfectly.

#4 - Once in a while when I start the car, the air conditioning is no longer in auto mode.

#5 -When I play digital media from USB, there is a 1-2 second fade-in for every song. I tried every setting I could, and every USB slot. Weird.

I have an extended warranty until 2024 so I think I'm going to take the car in. Maybe they can refresh the software or something. I still have the original 2017 map software, car has not been to a dealer for 20K miles as I do my own maintenance.

Anyone else seeing little gremlins?

 

Hi
I am sure if you take these concerns to your MB dealer they can refresh it for you / flash the system. They did it to my car for #2 and it's working like it used to

A little bit more detail on #2 -
i also found that with my car, also a 2017. It's not the cruise control that keeps your car centered in the lane it's Active Lane Keep Assist. I also got to the point where it couldn't be trusted and it would go straight over a double line and therefore it could potentially cause an accident. I do note that the car isn't fully autonomous and it's only an assist system but i found that it used to pull the steering wheel more than it used to. My car is optioned with Distronic, Active Steering Assist and Active Lane Keep Assist (which are standard in Australia). I took it in and discussed the situation with them. I was pleasantly persistent with them when they were saying that my car wasn't optioned with ASA and ALKA, and i advised that all E Classes have this included and also my car has the two little buttons for ASA and ALKA. I hadn't turned them off. They reset the distronic, the camera, and radar and now the system is back to what it was like. The system is not designed to be fully assistant in tight bends etc, but i feel it pulling like it used to. I feel the later models and in the latest iteration the software is improved in that regard. (from what i read).

My invoice came with the following commentary after they fixed it: Update software for Mercedes intelligent, MFK, ESP, Distronic and electric steering. Road tested, all ok.

#4 - i thought the air/con stays on your last setting. I do know for the drive modes eg : Eco, Sport, etc, that it has a memory of 4 hours and will retain the mode for 4 hours after the car turns off.

#5 - as a test have you tried putting digital media on an SD card ? Does that also have the fade? Is it fade or delay? I use an SD card (now) and I don't know if i have had a fade issue. If you select > system > audio , is there some option about fade out?

 

I cant really comment on how to fix those issues, but I also have a 2017 and my car no longer start stops either. Please update this thread if the dealer says anything useful, because I think it would be hard to "prove" at the dealership.

 

Will have the annual service in a week, and #1 is among the list of issues I'll have the dealership look at: I'm concerned that if this is not a simple software issue, it could imply problems with sensors or the battery.

Don't know about the others, but #3 and #4 are definitely not right.

 

On a whim I started using my other remote and the door handle seemed to work this morning. Maybe #3 is as simple as a weak remote battery.

And #1 is now working. Amazing, the same day I posted this thread it started working again.

#2, 4 & 5 still faulty. Going into the dealer early next week.

 

#1 The capacitor often referred to as the auxilliary battery is a common fail point across the model line. Something to look at.
#4 and 5 are not normal.

 

Just with #1. Ive had this issue from getting the car early this year as well.
I've just had the car go through a TSB with seat belt issues. "Implausible seat belt detection" was the recall.
The belt buckle was replaced and ever since.. the Stop/Start started to work pretty much most of the time.

 

Mine does the same for #4. I hate it. I usually never take the keys out of my pocket but now have to when i want to unlock or lock the car.

Also, not sure if this happens to you, but the key battery dies every 3-4 weeks. it's crazy.

 

Update on issue #1: did the 2nd annual service, fixed a few trims, asked the dealership to examine the batteries and any part that could affect the stop-start system.

Diagnosis: nothing wrong with the auxiliary battery, main battery not in the optimal shape (probably due to too few long trips this year) but also not shot to bits.
Action: Main battery replaced under warranty. (again it's just two years old)
Outcome: stop start working again in a predictable pattern. But still a bit concerning that a trivial issue like this can lead to this problem.

Hope this helps.

 

@West_Coaster how did you get on ?

 

Well I guess I'm lazy, but I just brought the car in. Stuck steering wheel tilt is driving me crazy.

I have quite the fix it list.

#1 - Steering wheel tilt stuck all the way up - Will move in and out, but not up/dn. Makes a clicking noise when I try. Has been intermittent for a few months.
#2 - Coolant warning - reservoir tank was empty, probably have a coolant leak somewhere
#3 - ECO stop/start not working - Already notified it's most likely the battery
#4 - Command screen sometimes is black when car is started, have to restart it to make it operational
#5 - Climate controls sometimes lose memory - start the car and sync is off, blower on, etc, not the way it was when car shut off
#6 - Lane keeping not working as well as when new - car will sometime go into opposing lane around a slight corner.
#7 - When using a USB for music, it always skips the first 1-2 second of a song
#8 - Asked for cost on updating Map/GPS

They are doing recall 2020110019 Flash SRS control.

Should have an update in a few days.

 

Update:

#1 - Steering wheel tilt stuck all the way up - Will move in and out, but not up/dn. Makes a clicking noise when I try. Has been intermittent for a few months. - They reset the sensor and it now apparently works fine. Covered under warranty
#2 - Coolant warning - reservoir tank was empty, probably have a coolant leak somewhere - Pressure tested system, said no leaks. Covered under warranty
#3 - ECO stop/start not working - Already notified it's most likely the battery - Want to replace the main battery, ~$400. Will do that myself.
#4 - Command screen sometimes is black when car is started, have to restart it to make it operational - Want to update firmware, but not covered by CPO warranty. $250
#5 - Climate controls sometimes lose memory - start the car and sync is off, blower on, etc, not the way it was when car shut off - Same as above
#6 - Lane keeping not working as well as when new - car will sometime go into opposing lane around a slight corner. - Reflashed firmware to latest version under warranty.
#7 - When using a USB for music, it always skips the first 1-2 second of a song - Part of firmware update not covered under CPO warranty
#8 - Asked for cost on updating Map/GPS - They want $350, will pass.

Going to try and negotiate the flash of command, would like this update.

They are doing recall 2020110019 Flash SRS control.

 

For the ECO stop/Start, have you tried charging your main battery overnight with an AGM charger? I use a CTEK MXS 5 on both of my cars every few weeks since they aren't driven as much these days.

 

My car is a daily driver so I have to imagine the battery is starting to fail, it's ~ 5 years old. $431 is a bit much for a battery replacement, so I'll take care of that myself.

 

I'm going to pay the $261 and have the command firmware updated, hopefully it fixes the screen issue, mp3 playback issue, and climate memory. They will refund me if it does not fix these issues.

 

If your COMAND is at the original software level, you'll find it works much faster and smoother after the update.

 

There are some posts on this portal that mention the need to register the new battery after replacement, similar to BMW. Have you looked into that?

 

Change the battery first. These cars do weird things when the battery starts to get old. First my auto start/stop feature on my ‘16 GLE400 stopped working and a few months later all kinds of stuff started. The air might not always come on. The command system would not come on when the car was started. When adjusting the fan speed on the air or heat it would jump 2 or 3 places. Keyless entry might not always work. Then when I changed the battery, everything went back to normal. Heck, even auto start/stop came back. I didn’t miss that feature.

 

From the small amount of research I've read, as long as you connect an external 12 volt source to the red and black jump start terminals to keep the car powered while you swap the battery the car won't know it has a new battery. Things go south if you unhook it without power on those terminals as it loses some of the memory functions. I have a small Jetski battery I'll use to keep the car powered up during the swap.

Honestly, I am thinking of waiting, I do not like the start stop ECO feature and like having it not working. I've noticed that in my particular driving scenario the ECO has zero effect on gas mileage. I get 28.2 - 28.4 every time I fill up for the last few years like clockwork. ECO mode has not worked in 6 months and has made no difference. And my car is not jerking around every time I stop.

 

Yes, memory retention (keep alive) is definitely the way to go. I plan to use an OBD port memory saver because it reduces the chances of accidentally bumping and disconnecting power from the battery terminals. It’s also a good idea to keep checking battery state of health with a simple device and replace it before it fails. The last unknown is the method of new battery registration if one doesn’t have an MB diagnostics tool like Xentry. There are many allusions but nothing specific that I found so far. Good luck!

 

Car was returned to me today, $262 for the Command update. I will swap the battery later, enjoying no ECO start/stop currently.

So far I don't see a big change in Command, few menus are different, noticed some fonts are different, but too early to tell any real differences yet. MP3 playback is fixed! I can now hear the first 2 second of songs.

Starting to think I need to move away from this car and MB. Fellow in inline before me scheduled a service that included fluid changes, transmission service, spark plugs, etc and was close to $2K. $2K for maintenance on a car is just ridiculous. Imagine if he needed brakes front and rear, he could be out $4-5K. No other car I know of has a mandatory transmission flush at 60K for $770, they all run to at least 100K miles on transmission and spark plugs. Why does MB engines need new iridium plugs at 50K, both my Corvettes go 100K on a set of plugs. I just feel these cars are setup to sell to older retired people with deep pocket books and don't know better. Not sure why I'm paying such a premium for this car.

 

I've had Audi and BMW vehicles that are much more maintenance intensive than Mercedes. My last BMW, a 540i needed engine oil seals every couple of years.

 

Lol, that's absurd!

 

If you're tired of the eco start/stop function and want to disable it, you can do so with our programmer.
Check HERE for coverages.