All my ignition lights turn off when I switch ignition on

Subscribe
Sep 11, 2023 | 11:14 AM
  #1  
ANYONE HELP PLEASE

mercedes s class 2006

when I switch my ignition on after a few seconds everything turns off sometimes flickering and car won’t start. If I turn ignition and engine on straight away it works and stays on. Anyone know anything about this or had this problem before?
thanks
Reply 1
Sep 11, 2023 | 08:55 PM
  #2  
moved to W221 forum...
Reply 0
Sep 12, 2023 | 05:58 AM
  #3  
not heard of this error before

BUT I'd start out checking BOTH batteries - these cars use so much current just to get the ignition switch on in the run position, its not funny
I wonder if there's a feature to try and get the car to start and do the cluster off the front battery when the back one is as good as dead

behind the rear seats (accessed via the boot) is a massive 23kg battery that does all the interior stuff and they are often forgotten
get the trim out and stick a volt meter across both batteries if either are less than 11.5 V sort that before wasting time on complex stuff
Reply 1
Sep 19, 2023 | 11:48 AM
  #4  
Ignition
Quote: ANYONE HELP PLEASE

mercedes s class 2006

when I switch my ignition on after a few seconds everything turns off sometimes flickering and car won’t start. If I turn ignition and engine on straight away it works and stays on. Anyone know anything about this or had this problem before?
thanks
Looks like the ignition switch is playing up ,
Reply 0
Sep 19, 2023 | 11:59 AM
  #5  
Probable bad battery or batteries...... If consumer battery in trunk is more than 9 years old, consider replacement. If starter battery under hood is more than 4 years old, consider testing voltage. BOTUS has written about ways to revive a consumer battery if you want to try. After checking voltage also scan for codes. W221 is particularly sensitive to low voltage.
Reply 1
Sep 19, 2023 | 01:15 PM
  #6  
I don't have WIS in front of me; how is it supposed to work? Does a contactor connect the starting battery at the moment engine crank is requested? At ignition on? What if the starting battery is low, is it able to use the aux battery to crank? If the aux battery is dead, will it couple in the starting battery? I think the answer to that last question is no, by design. Signs point to a bad aux battery that was probably going back for years but since it doesn't crank the engine, the symptoms kind of hide (until it doesn't even have enough to connect the starting battery briefly, which needless to say is WAY too late).

I only knew my aux battery was failing because my dome lights would shut off with the doors open. Oddly the car never seemed to complain in another way.
Reply 0
Sep 19, 2023 | 03:57 PM
  #7  
Quote: I only knew my aux battery was failing because my dome lights would shut off with the doors open. Oddly the car never seemed to complain in another way.

Interior Lights automatically cut out after x minutes (feels like up to 7 to me), there is actually a later software iteration for the UCP that cuts the Interior Lights in daylight using the rain light sensor info. But its diagnostic capability is less than another update that leaves them on like the original
Reply 0
Sep 19, 2023 | 05:16 PM
  #8  
I'm talking like under 30 seconds. Or 20 seconds. Not normal.

My 05 CTS-V didn't run the dome lights during the daytime out of the box. Really threw me off until I realized what it was doing.
Reply 1

MB World Stories

The Best of Mercedes & AMG

Explore
story-0

6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

 Verdad Gallardo
Sep 20, 2023 | 06:21 AM
  #9  
I was watching a youtube video where he called it a dome light - yet he was looking at the footwell lighting, when he said it - and as car's don't have a single dome in the middle any-more - its rather odd that inaccurate name stuck in the USA...

they are interior lights and (door and boot open-warning lights)
Reply 0
Sep 20, 2023 | 08:26 AM
  #10  
My 2003 Hyundai Elantra was running fine and dandy. This evening, I was sitting in my vehicle with the motor off paying attention to the radio for a couple of moments. At the point when I turned the way in to the beginning position, there was a tick and all lights switched off. Then, at that point, quiet. After a little, the lights would return on regularly, until I turned the way to "begin" once more.




192.168.100.1 192.168.1.1
Reply 0
Sep 20, 2023 | 08:41 AM
  #11  
Quote: I was watching a youtube video where he called it a dome light - yet he was looking at the footwell lighting, when he said it - and as car's don't have a single dome in the middle any-more - its rather odd that inaccurate name stuck in the USA...

they are interior lights and (door and boot open-warning lights)
If I say "dome lights" literally every US citzen knows what that means. As you probably know, we aren't too focused on "proper" things and in many cases you won't get too far with a lecture about it. But it's entertaining and we can all get along so it's all good.
Reply 0
Sep 20, 2023 | 09:25 AM
  #12  
Quote: ... As you probably know, we aren't too focused on "proper" things and in many cases you won't get too far with a lecture about it. But it's entertaining and we can all get along so it's all good.
I agree this site is far better than most at being polite and sensible (in my experience its something to do with the Merc theme, as the other one I go all behave well too...)

this is meant to come from an entertainment / learning perspective - rather than a rant - but in your words its contains the fuel that tips Brits over the edge - till they go into tell mode...

much of the world has been through many thousands of years of fighting, rectifying, learning, growing, debating, reasoning, resolving and standardising stuff till it was all pretty well sorted. How and why we all got here was the due to the hard work, genius and stubbornness of thousands of years of work across many countries, where their foremost intellectuals debated and developed sound reasons for most things... hundreds if not thousands of years later a disgruntled, less well educated bunch struggled to set up a new colony they called America. As the world unified on English as a global language, it meant they were lucky enough to have this as their first language. And then the evils of marketing got in the way, and rather than assisting quietly offering a voice of reason and support - it seems its just dragging the world sideways with mistakes - and we risk one small country inflicting the wrong way of doing nearly everything on everybody - whereas there was a better more sensible way that's wrongly being forgotten
Reply 0
Subscribe
Currently Active Users (1)
 
story-0

6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

Slideshow: Not every Mercedes design becomes timeless, some feel stuck in the era they came from.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:09:07


VIEW MORE
story-1

Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

Slideshow: Yes, Mercedes built manual cars, and some of them are far more interesting than you'd expect.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-02 12:36:58


VIEW MORE
story-2

Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 11:19:28


VIEW MORE
story-3

8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

Slideshow: Before curves took over, Mercedes mastered the art of the straight line, and some of those shapes still look right today.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-25 12:05:49


VIEW MORE
story-4

Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

Slideshow: The 190E Evolution II shows how a homologation necessity became a six-figure collector icon.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-22 17:53:47


VIEW MORE
story-5

Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

Slideshow: Mercedes is turning one of its core nameplates electric, and the details show just how serious this shift is.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:58:06


VIEW MORE
story-6

Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

Slideshow: Faster charging, longer range, and a controversial steer-by-wire system define the latest evolution of Mercedes-Benz EQS.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-15 10:35:34


VIEW MORE
story-7

5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

Slideshow: These overlooked Mercedes-Benz models never got the spotlight, but they quietly delivered more than most remember.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-13 19:35:45


VIEW MORE
story-8

Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

Slideshow: A well-used 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300D with more than one million miles is now looking for a new owner, and it still appears ready for more.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-10 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-9

10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

Slideshow: From bulletproof sedans to surprisingly tough SUVs, these Mercedes models proved that the three-pointed star can go the distance.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-08 09:55:49


VIEW MORE