Longroof45

On several occasions, I've gone to my E450 wagon, which I know I had previously locked, only to find that the hatch was open. That was bad enough when it happened outside, but then the other day when I tried to open my garage door, it lifted a few feet and then stopped. I thought there was something wrong with my garage door opener, but after crawling under the garage door I saw that the hatch was again open and interfering with garage door. The garage door had actually put a little chip in the edge of the hatch door. I can only conclude that the hatch release button on my key fob is being inadvertently triggered while jiggling around in my pants pocket, because it's not like I do anything with it other than tuck it away when not in use. So I'm now treating the fob like it was a delicate Faberge egg, which isn't very practical. I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this problem, and if there is any kind of a fix or failsafe to make sure it doesn't happen again?

W205C43PFL

Sorry to hear about this happening. The only thing I could think of is to put valet lock on when you are not using the hatch otherwise I am not sure.

Egonvdv

happened to me a few times. not because the button is sensitive, but somehow it really gets pushed when in my pocket (probably by other keys)

osk3

Happens literally all the time, and the geniuses at MB give no option to disable the trunk button (either from car or key).. Amazing right?
Best solution I've found is to just run the key battery low so the signal is poor (that way even if you hit the button by accident, it doesn't trigger the unlock).

W205C43PFL

That gives me an idea, I wonder if it is possible to get the old style key (that MB has been using for the longest time) to work with the E-Class? That key at least have buttons that are more recessed (or most importantly more travel when pressed, and requires more effort to press) and it doesn't easily triggered in the pocket. The key used in the E-Class first debuted on the E-Class in 2015 for MY16 cars, for the all new E-Class of that time. Since then, it has trickled down to the C-Class W205 facelift (other than matte vs gloss finish in the front). The all new S-Class W223 uses a completely new key which then trickled down to the all new C-Class W206. In other words the key used in the E-Class has the shortest lifespan in its generation. The GT black series however still uses the old generation MB key (hence why I think it is possible to get the old key working on the newer cars like the E-Class, although obviously this method isn't the cheapest method because then you need to buy keys)

W205C43PFL

It is (sort of possible) but only if it bugs you so much that you rather it is completely disabled. To do so, turn on the valet lock in the glove box when you don't use the trunk/hatch/liftgate.

osk3

I feel like I don't have this button in my car (UK 19 E Cabriolet) - might be wrong though

Longroof45

Thanks for the input, everyone. I guess I'm not the only one. I think I'll just continue to treat the fob like a Faberge egg for now, and maybe check the MercedesMe connect app more frequently to confirm everything is closed and locked. I'm having nightmares of a trunk full of Christmas presents being open, or it being open during a driving rainstorm, or being open inside my locked garage again.And it's a long car and a short garage, so there's no room for error.

W205C43PFL

Does Mercedes Me not send an email or in-app notification to your phone when the vehicle is unlocked? As for when you are being at home I guess leave the key outside from any clothing or suitcase otherwise all you can probably do is take out the battery like someone else suggested earlier.

W205C43PFL

I mean since you are an actual owner of the vehicle, if you don't see the button then it is probably not there for some reason. In that case, no you are definitely not wrong.

Longroof45

I know I've gotten notifications when the car is unlocked but it's not it's consistent. I know I didn't get any notification that the trunk was open when it was in the garage. Yes, I'm doing as you suggest now when I'm at home, hanging it on a hook where it won't get tripped inadvertently. This apparently happens to enough people that you would think MB would engineer some kind of extra step lock or something that wold make it less likely to be tripped by accident.

W205C43PFL

I see. The design of the key is the culprit as it is way too easy to press compared to the old style key. If they keep on minimizing the distance between the button contacting the circuit board, it almost seems like MB have capacitive touch keys instead.
I wonder if the new gen key from the W223 improved it at all?

Longroof45

Speaking of the MercedesMe Connect app, while it seems pretty awesome, I've pretty much been avoiding using it, as I was told by both my MB salesman and sales manager that it saps a lot of power from the battery. I'm doubtful that the app had anything to do with it, but I've had two failed 48 volt batteries this year already, and I don't want test their theory.

W205C43PFL

Yup I remembered and I am truly sorry about that : (, I am glad the 3rd battery is working out for you still so you can properly enjoy the car.

Using Mercedes Me will send a request to the MB's servers to send a request to the vehicle for an updated status. So yes that indeed does drain the battery more. However, the car does ping the servers every 10 minutes or so anyways so it would be draining the battery that way. I guess I could suggest turning on standby mode when you are at home parked in a locked garage to completely disable these communications. The anti theft system would also be disabled, however.

To stop all the communications completely when not in standby mode, it would be to unplug the HERMES module. As it doesn't make sense to turn on standby mode outside (basically anywhere other than the comfort of your home) and disable the anti-theft system, I don't recommend it.

That gives me an idea, you should unplug the HERMES module and sell it to someone since you don't want to use Mercedes Me it might benefit those who do. (Just kidding as it also disables other stuff too)

Edit: Instead of standby mode you could also consider using a trickle charger

Longroof45

Yes, I understand MB is requiring some buyers of 2022 vehicles to sign acknowledgments that they may not be getting the HERMES module. There are some pretty unhappy buyers waiting for their cars and worried they will not be getting all the features they signed up for, like the 12" digital instrument panel. And apparently it's a good bet that they won't unless the chip shortage gets fixed soon.

W205C43PFL

Hence why I joked about selling the module but ya I do feel sorry for those who got their car recently and can't use the full features : (

Longroof45

2021 hasn't been a good year for MB (or any other car company, of course), with many recent buyers unhappy with the 48 volt battery failures and other buyers unhappy that MB can't deliver the tech as originally advertised. It almost makes me feel sorry for MB, and I'm certainly sorry for the buyers.

W205C43PFL

Likewise

superswiss

I have to say this seems strange. I have the same key fob for my '19 C63S coupe, and I've never accidentally popped the trunk. A quick accidental press of the button doesn't open the trunk. I have to press and hold it for like 1-2 seconds before the trunk opens. So you have to literally sit on the key for a bit. The trunk button is also at the thinner end of the fob and right next to the panic button, so it would seem much likelier to accidently press the lock/unlock buttons and equally likely to accidentally trigger the panic function and have the car alarm go off in the garage.

Granted I don't walk around the house with the key fob in my pocket, why would I. Also if it is in my pocket, then its the only thing. I don't carry other keys anymore. My phone is the key to my house etc. and if MB ever adds support for Apple CarKey, then I won't have to carry the fob anymore, either.

In case you didn't know, if you press the lock button twice on the fob, it deactivates the fob, so you may wanna try that. It will reactivate if you accidentally press the unlock button, but it's an extra step.

W205C43PFL

Thanks for your comment, superswiss.

Interesting, I wonder if they tweaked it for the facelift W205's key. Since this style key first debuted on the E-Class back in 2015, it is not surprising that enhancements were made over the years. I don't think the part number of the facelift E-Class' key is different to the pre-facelift either. The W205 facelift key however should have a different part number because of the gloss vs matte finish. I remember your key is the glossy one being the C63s.

Does it take the same amount of time to trigger the panic button compared to the open trunk button? I guess other than that, if the unlock or lock buttons were pressed like you stated, the customer wouldn't know because they might have auto lock on. Which means their vehicle is no longer unlocked when they return. For those who have acoustic lock feedback off, they wouldn't hear the key pressing lock either. Otherwise it certainly is strange why other buttons are suffering from the same.

As for the digital key, I believe there was some collaboration on the Android side at some point:https://news.samsung.com/global/sams...on-at-ifa-2016
Lately Google announced support and BMW decided to collaborate as well.

Was there ever any similar announcement from Apple?

If I recalled correctly, Mercedes Me in certain countries actually had digital car key as an option using NFC (that way, it doesn't really have to rely on Apple for iOS side or Google for Android side), I am not sure what countries it was rolled out in though. Or maybe I remembered it wrong.

Longroof45

Great tip on deactivating the fob! That's exactly what I was looking for (i.e., something to make it a little harder to accidentally trip the trunk). Thanks!

superswiss

As far as I know, only the AMG 63 key fobs are glossy and also have the AMG crest and AMG logo on it, so they definitely have different part numbers. The 43/53 fobs and below are matte and have no crest or logo on them, so pretty sure they are the same parts. I've had non-AMG loaners with the matte fob and they worked the same. Had SUV loaners and had to press and hold the trunk button in order for the liftgate to open.

To be honest, I've never tried the panic button, but yes the owners manual states to press for approximately one second, so same as the trunk button. Correct, if the unlock button is pressed accidentally the car locks automatically again after 30 seconds or so if none of the front doors are opened. So yes, you wouldn't know if it was briefly unlocked.

Yes, in Europe MB offers the NFC digital key with Android phones, but no announcement yet on Apple CarKey. Only BMW as far as I know supports it for now. The NFC digital key kinda sucks, though, because it requires to hold the phone up to the door handle and place it in a dedicated spot to start the car. The iPhone 11 and 12 support UWB (Ultra Wide Band), which is the same technology that the key fobs use, so you only need to have the phone in your pocket and everything works just like with the key fob, including the handsfree trunk opening. It also doesn't require the NFC reader in the door handle, which I believe is missing from US spec models for example, so MB could in theory add Apple CarKey support to the Mercedes Me app for existing cars as long as you have an iPhone 11 or 12.

W205C43PFL

Thanks again for your reply superswiss.

W205C43PFL

I see thanks for the information.

Longroof45

Well, I tried deactivating the fob by hitting "lock" twice but unfortunately the hatch still opens as soon as I hit the hatch unlock button (i.e., no 2-step process required). You are correct, however, that it should be a lot harder to accidentally trigger the hatch opening, because it really does require that you push and hold the button before it raises. Obviously, some other key or object must have pressed the hatch unlock button continuously while in some tight pocket for the hatch to open up accidentally. I think that from now on, when parking in my garage I will just check my MercedesMe Connect app to confirm all doors are closed and locked before I open the garage door. If it has been accidentally raised again, I can close it using the key fob. It seems like a lot of trouble but I guess in the scheme of things it's not such a big deal.