Car won’t start - Says Key Not Detected
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Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 61
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From: San Francisco
M3
Car won’t start - Says Key Not Detected
Came to get my car today and the car won’t recognize the key! I can open and close the car, but it won’t start. Message says key not detected place key in the special key place.
so I put the key in the “special key place” in the center console but still no luck! Put new battery in the key - no luck! Went home to get second key - no luck still won’t start.
Anyone has anything like that before? Any idea what it may be ?
so I put the key in the “special key place” in the center console but still no luck! Put new battery in the key - no luck! Went home to get second key - no luck still won’t start.
Anyone has anything like that before? Any idea what it may be ?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 61
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From: San Francisco
M3
Basically the entire Keyless system on the car went haywire. I can open/close the car with the keyfob but if I pull the door handle to open it with the Keyless option it won’t open.
On top of all that, Mercedes Road Service sent 3 tow trucks to get the car to the dealership and all 3 trucks were not able to load the car on the truck because it’s stuck in Parking mode and Parking brake is engaged.
Waiting for a 4th tow truck now. Extremely disappointed. First Merc, 2nd day of ownership and all this nonsense to deal with. It’s extremely dumb for the car not to have an option to use a regular key to start it up. Been stranded here for 7.5h
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From: Russia
GTR
Came to get my car today and the car won’t recognize the key! I can open and close the car, but it won’t start. Message says key not detected place key in the special key place.
so I put the key in the “special key place” in the center console but still no luck! Put new battery in the key - no luck! Went home to get second key - no luck still won’t start.
Anyone has anything like that before? Any idea what it may be ?
so I put the key in the “special key place” in the center console but still no luck! Put new battery in the key - no luck! Went home to get second key - no luck still won’t start.
Anyone has anything like that before? Any idea what it may be ?
if sensor, did you press lock key afterwards and did you press it more than 2 times?
Last edited by dav461; Oct 9, 2019 at 09:51 PM.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: San Francisco
M3
Is there some sequence of locking that can deactivate keyless feature?
Junior Member
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From: Palm Beach, FL
2019 E63S
This just happened to my brother’s car. Same messages he got. The tint shop used too much water on the inside of the rear window shorting out some sensor for the keyless go system. It seeped down into the rear deck lid. Mercedes said it happens all the time and would not cover it. $1300 to fix it. He got the tint shop to pay for it.
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From: Russia
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Thread Starter
Junior Member
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From: San Francisco
M3
This just happened to my brother’s car. Same messages he got. The tint shop used too much water on the inside of the rear window shorting out some sensor for the keyless go system. It seeped down into the rear deck lid. Mercedes said it happens all the time and would not cover it. $1300 to fix it. He got the tint shop to pay for it.
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Joined: Mar 2012
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From: The Palmetto State
19 E63s, ‘24SQ8, wanting another gas guzzling V8
That’s funny. Mine did the same thing when I picked it up from my tint guy. He said it happened as soon as he got in it after I dropped it off. I was able to get it to start after pressing the button several times. I drove it home beeping the whole way that there was no key. I got the second key to check it and then drove it to the dealership. Neither key would work. The dealership finally got it cranked again as I waited and just out of the blue it started working again while they were looking at it. I haven’t had a problem like it again though.
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From: Austin, TX
2015 Range Rover Sport Autobiography; 2019 AMG E63S; 2021 Range Rover HSE Westminister
$1300? Wow. Not necessary at all. Just put the key in the little hole in the console for manual start, problem solved. No messages not beeps. Next give the car like a week to thoroughly dry out and the functionality will return once the water is gone. Mine also did this after the tint shop installed the tint. luckily I knew about this as I had my C63S tinted and it too acted up. I suspected wetness as the cause and did exactly as I explain and worked like a charm. My E63S same shop did the tint and same thing happened again, but I already knew what to do. No sweat. If you rush to dealer theyll start replacing things that only need a little time to dry.
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From: San Francisco
M3
$1300? Wow. Not necessary at all. Just put the key in the little hole in the console for manual start, problem solved. No messages not beeps. Next give the car like a week to thoroughly dry out and the functionality will return once the water is gone. Mine also did this after the tint shop installed the tint. luckily I knew about this as I had my C63S tinted and it too acted up. I suspected wetness as the cause and did exactly as I explain and worked like a charm. My E63S same shop did the tint and same thing happened again, but I already knew what to do. No sweat. If you rush to dealer theyll start replacing things that only need a little time to dry.
well it’s being fixed now. $1450 and will be good as new
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2015 Range Rover Sport Autobiography; 2019 AMG E63S; 2021 Range Rover HSE Westminister
wow thats nuts.the center console thing is physical. Maybe amount of water was just too much as that sounds extreme.
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From: The Palmetto State
19 E63s, ‘24SQ8, wanting another gas guzzling V8
Well dang it I spoke too soon. It happened twice this morning and I had to push the start button several times the first time and I finally started. The second time it told me to put the key in the special spot and it still took several attempts to start it. I’m hoping it’s because it sat for over a week while I was out of town on vacation. I’ll try again later.
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M3
Well my keyless module got wet and shorted out. So dealer replaced the module and car is running ok now.
If anyone runs into this problem and want to save yourself $1500 here is a part# for the module - 222-900-00-16 . It's very inexpensive and should be relatively easy to replace.
If anyone runs into this problem and want to save yourself $1500 here is a part# for the module - 222-900-00-16 . It's very inexpensive and should be relatively easy to replace.
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From: Southern California
2018 E63S AMG
Maybe window tint installers should be made aware of this issue. Strategic placement of some paper towels or whatever would be a lot less expensive and trouble than buying and installing a new module.
I just keep my rear shade lowered and that's been OK for me so far.
I just keep my rear shade lowered and that's been OK for me so far.
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From: Washington, DC
2012 Ferrari FF, 1992 911 C2, 2019 e63s wagon (no longer lives at the Baltimore VPC)
Similar to what happened to me. They claim that a wire was shorting and I do believe they said that the wire was in the rear headliner. Perhaps this wire was in the tailgate?
https://mbworld.org/forums/w213-amg/...t-working.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/w213-amg/...t-working.html
Thread Starter
Junior Member
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From: San Francisco
M3
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From: Southern California
2018 E300 Sedan, 2013 C350 Sport Sedan, '99 E320
Just got my 2018 E300 tinted today at Signature Glass Tinting in Costa Mesa, CA. I went with the 15% CTX Llumar. After trying to get my car to start, the exact same thing happened to me. Glad I found this forum, I was so panicky and impulsive that I scheduled an appointment to the dealership because my car wouldnt detect the key. After putting the key into the special place in the console, it will turn on. I guess I'll wait a few days for the tint to dry before I go into the dealership. Any other advice you guys can give me? thanks so much
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From: SoCal
2018 E63S ED1 / 2019 GLE63 S Coupe / 2016 GT S (GONE) / 2013 C63 (GONE))
Just got my 2018 E300 tinted today at Signature Glass Tinting in Costa Mesa, CA. I went with the 15% CTX Llumar. After trying to get my car to start, the exact same thing happened to me. Glad I found this forum, I was so panicky and impulsive that I scheduled an appointment to the dealership because my car wouldnt detect the key. After putting the key into the special place in the console, it will turn on. I guess I'll wait a few days for the tint to dry before I go into the dealership. Any other advice you guys can give me? thanks so much
Appreciate any help.
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From: Toronto, Ont, Canda
go fast grocery getter wagon
What ended up happening with this? Did it start working again or did you have to replace? I just got my 2018 sedan and dropped it off for full Xpel and tint and now I am having the same problems since picking it up yesterday. Door handle sensors do not work but I can lock and unlock with both fobs. Once inside I can get it to start by placing the key in the spot by the cup holder but I get the Key Not Detected warning.
Appreciate any help.
Appreciate any help.
try to charge up your battery to full strength and see. Your detailing shop may have ran down your battery by leaving the doors open perhaps for many hours.
