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Just picked up a CPO 2016 GLC 300 on Wednesday. This morning I went to take Wifey to work and it wouldn't even think about starting. No ticking or other sounds. Dash and lights and door locks work, just nothing from the Start button. Tried both keys as well, still nothing. I tried jumping it, but it did nothing. It's like someone cut the wires from the ignition. Command works fine, tailgate goes up and down fine. Music plays. Doors lock and unlock fine. Turning the key does zip.
Spent a bit of time on the phone with the technicians at the dealer. We went through some troubleshooting steps to no avail. They're suspecting a bad ignition. The vehicle appears to recognize the keys as it tells me "Don't Forget Your Key" when I get in and, as I said, the doors lock and unlock. The dealer is arranging a flatbed tomorrow. Good thing we weren't traveling for the holidays.
And now I'm wondering how we're going to get it out of the garage and onto the flatbed. The transmission stick is useless as well without being able to access more than the basic power level.
Hi, does the dashboard show it's in 'P', Try and select the button on end of drive selector. Check Battery Terminals for security. Also check fuse #205. Prise off end of Dash panel on same side as steering wheel, (that's for ignition switch). Good Luck.
Have you tried removing the push button and inserting the key?
Do the brake lights light when you depress the brake pedal?
Yes, I've tried both keys in the slot. Using the key has the same effect as using a tongue depressor in the slot. It does nothing. An MB tech from the dealer and I went through a bunch of stops over the phone, like opening the hood and all the doors, then closing them and locking/unlocking the car. The locks worked, but it didn't solve the problem. I haven't tried checking the brake lights, but the headlights won't come on. The parking lights will, though. Basically anything that requires the key to be in any position but 0 is not working.
Originally Posted by Bomber 209
Hi, does the dashboard show it's in 'P', Try and select the button on end of drive selector. Check Battery Terminals for security. Also check fuse #205. Prise off end of Dash panel on same side as steering wheel, (that's for ignition switch). Good Luck.
Yes, I see the P and the red Park. I cannot release the parking brake, though. The battery terminals are fine, as the car has whatever power is available when the key is not in use. The radio and tailgate and so on all work, for instance. I'll check the fuses where I can.
My main concern now is how they're going to get this out of my garage and onto a flatbed when the parking brake won't release and it can't b shifted into neutral. Formula One cars have an emergency button to put the cars in neutral so the rescue guys can move the car. MB might consider some sort of manual release mechanism like that.
Finally got it on a flatbed to be taken back to the dealer. The driver had a power pack and tried to jump start it, but he got the same response I did when turning the key, which was nothing. He was able to use a free hub on one rear wheel as you can see in the pic. He really should have had 4. Luckily my garage floor is smooth concrete and dusty/sandy. With some plastic skates under the wheels, we were able to drag it back to the flatbed. Major PITA, though. So here's the car I've owned less than a week.
My guess is that this is a one in a million glitch that has never appeared before and will never appear again, and even after it's fixed nobody will ever be able to say definitively why it happened. Consider that you have a whole lot of electronics gizmos in these cars interacting with each other in ways and under conditions that can't always be predicted. Stuff's bound to happen.
Just the other day I had something similar, though the consequences were not nearly so serious. I pulled into a gas station, filled up my GLC 300, locked it and went in the store for a few minutes. When I came out, I unlocked, got in, pressed the button and - nothing! Opened the door and the alarm went off! Tried it again, same thing. Got out, locked the car, waited a minute or two, got back in, started it and drove off normally. Who knows what combination of gizmo interactions caused that problem? It's happened once in 120k miles and will probably never happen again, hopefully.
Perhaps a faulty brake light switch is to blame???
That's what I was considering when I asked about the brake lights.....not sure if the same switch is used for the ignition to sense the brakes are applied before starting the engine!
However, given some of the other details , I don't think it is the issue.
Assuming the tow truck driver could get the thing off his flatbed with the wheels locked, it should be at the dealer now. I'm hoping to hear back from them today.
They finally ran down the problem. They say the Electronic Ignition System (EIS) went bad. Apparently it's a rare thing. They don't have the part and it requires a copy of the registration and my drivers license to order as it's part of the anti-theft system. With the holiday next week, I'm looking at Thursday before I get it back. I certainly hope this is a one-off and not some chronic issue with the car. This has to be a pricey thing to fix.
12-23-2019, 08:22 PM
