Bubba1

Every day some stupid warning comes up!
Even after driving the car at length. WTF!!

I had a friend who traded in his car because he got so sick of this. Now the dash light has come to stop driving immediately…after I’ve been driving the car most of the day!!

Anybody found a solution that actually permanently solves this ridiculous issue??

Frenetic

That sucks. You have my sympathies. I junked my GLE because of countless build quality issues but I lucked out that it didn’t have the dreaded 48-volt battery issue, well, I say that from only owning it for five months and 2.5k miles, so who knows what lies ahead for that thing.

I’m grateful I have no build quality issues other than some overspray on the front bumper cover, that I suspect was done after production. I was willing to gamble on MB again because I firmly believe a lot of my issues were due to the wretched production quality at that Alabama plant. I got fed up going to the dealership so here I am. I won’t touch anything out of that plant even if they paid me. I just hope that temperamental battery stays appeased for the duration of my lease. Edit: and MB was the only place that would take my GLE in trade lol. No one would even consider it.

Good luck. In hindsight, I should have dumped my GLE a lot sooner.

Bubba1

I’ve had it for 12 months. No issues except for the last month. I was travelling, the car sat still but was regularly driven by a friend every 10 days. This lasted for about 6 weeks. I got back and the crap started. Unacceptable for a car at this price point.
Its going in-for it’s 12 month servicing A…. they better solve the problem.

bishop64

Yeah, 12-month is too long a period for a bug to stay dormant. If it was an old bug, it should have come out much earlier.
For the driving-every-10-day, was it at highway speed and for 60-minute plus? It would not help much if it was just a 15-min drive around the block.
Also, was the car always locked after driving during that 6-week period? Some members here said the battery could be drained if it is unlocked.

I do not remember many complains here about W223's 48-volt system. I think, if the (battery) system is in good condition, even zero driving for a 6-week period should still be OK. Perhaps the system was already a little on the weak side and then this 6-week period just precipitated the issue?
Anyway, let the dealer do the diagnostic.

Bubba1

Thanks Bishop, good suggestion. Otherwise Bentley may be getting a call. Lol!!

crabman

So far my car has been going just fine with sporadic driving. I've left it at the airport a couple times for a few weeks, had it in storage for longer trips, etc. Not sure that this issue is common? As Bishop was saying I don't recall seeing a lot of complaints about the 48v system.

Bubba1

Hope your luck continues. How long have you had your car Crab?

bishop64

I took delivery of mine in Aug 2021. Mine is a so-called 'first year model' (actually, technically speaking, the first model year is 2020 where a small number of 223s was manufactured in December and sold as MY2020) and so supposedly contains more bugs than subsequent model years.

But, luck or not, mine also does not exhibit any issue with the 48-volt system. I had seen ''Start Engine to charge battery'' (or something like that as I do not recall the exact wording) message a few times as I do not drive that much and most of my driving is city driving. So, I habitually drive for about an hour on highway speed every 2 weeks or so.

crabman

Last October.

Mbw2468%

I think the key is to make sure the is locked or mostly electrical off, as Crabman has enlighten me. Short hops doesn't help. I believe I read that staring these cars, that's 20 minutes of driving to replenish the battery.

After time I've learned to enjoy my car, a 2023 S580, and think it's a great car. Two things I've figured out, #1 it's meant to be driven, and #2 not to question the how's and why's but let it tell you if there is a problem or otherwise. I think tweaking the MBUX is very intutitive once you get the hang of it but not much help from the manual, almost useless. I suspect most MB owners are not on this site and they enjoy their cars more.

superangrypenguin

But S classes are god's creation. Say it ain't so!

chassis

Sorry to hear. Not surprising. MB is putting out beta product starting with the V167 and continuing into W223 and EQS. I wouldn't touch these products with any length pole.

Keep an eye on the soon-to-be-launched AMG GT SE Performance. Hopefully for owners MB will get it right. Using past performance as a predictor of future results, I think it's going to be painful for owners.

W205C43PFL

I heard the W223 uses a different version of 48V batteries and from a different batch or manufacturer? Same goes with the W206 for example. Did your dealership ever willing to help you out by 1. doing some testing 2. Installing software updates 3. Replacing the battery under warranty

If not, I would try a different dealership since they are all independently owned so they all operate somewhat differently.

Bubba1

So I drove the car all day no more warning signs. Go figure!!

W205C43PFL

Ah so the typical electrical gremlins.

SW20S

Another lonely night huh?

BenjaminKohl

I'm curious what market that is in. I've seen US market S Classes built as early as July 2020 (chassis numbers in the 2400s) that were marked as 2021s with the M as the 10th digit of the vin number. I though teven in Europe, China etc. even summer 2020 builds (technically still pre pro cars) were 2021s.

kenromero

I’ve had the “Start engine to charge battery” light up also. The 1st time it popped up I bought the CTEK trickle charger and that took care of it. It lit up again on Sunday after I washed it so I have it attached now. I prefer not to drive it in the rain. I clean and polish it myself and the road dust and rain leave their identity on the finish. Just tried CSI Q-7 detailer. An excellent product for sheen and protection. It’s a ceramic product

bishop64

A little late reply....anyway....this was in Hong Kong. I visited the local dealership around July 2021 and began to arrange the buy. My sales consultant asked me to consider a few 223s of MY 2020, which were on sale but I refused and wanted a 223 of MY 2021.