I just got my new wagon a few weeks ago. I was getting PPF and tint done a couple weeks ago and the guys had my car inside unlocked for like a week and the battery kept going dead over and over and I was receiving notifications on the app. They charged it and when I picked it up it was fine. I did notice while I was installing the exhaust flap module that the air compressor (I think that's what it is) would come on all the time while the car was unlocked ,slightly disconcerting when you're laying under the car.

It seems when I had it locked overnight the battery stays fully charged. When I dropped it back off at the PPF place because they had to do some more work they of course left the car unlocked again which I asked them to lock it, now the battery is back to a critical level again. Has anyone noticed this? It seems that if the car is left unlocked the compressor goes on and off all the time. Is there something else I may be missing? This seems like a problem. I'm not looking forward to what I find the next time I leave it at the airport for a few days.

Thanks

 

I had the same thing when mine went in for PPF and also at a service. Doesn’t seem to affect the car and never had any actual issues other than the annoying app notifications that my battery is low

 

My battery was replaced at the 2nd B service a few weeks ago. My complaint was that the Eco start/stop feature had become inoperative generally. I have a 4 mile drive to/from work and this wasn't enough to keep the battery charged. If I took a long trip it would start working again for a while then quit agin. Same thing if I put it on the charger overnight. Works for a few days then stops again.

Service guys checked the battery and confirmed it was failing some diagnostic.

Has been working OK since getting the car back, but then again it's been raining so I've been driving other cars in the meanwhile, but hopefully its fixed.

Car is going in again tomorrow to have the cell phone/cup holder lid on the center console replaced - not sure if this is just the lid or the whole console. I have the Carbon Fiber trim and the the day before I went to take the car in for its 2nd B service the lid suddenly stopped latching closed. I did see a small L shaped wire laying in the cupholder which seemed to imply some part fell out.

They'll also update the maps while the car is in tomorrow.

 

Must be the short trips why the battery went so early. Might be worthwhile to keep the car on a batter tender at night so the new battery lives a longer life. I think they have ones that plug into the cigarette lighter to make it a little more easy to deal with.

 

It's weird. I think if the car is left unlocked the air compressor for the suspension just keeps kicking on and off constantly. It drains my battery from full to critical in about 24 hours, just from leaving the car unlocked.

 

I don't lock my car in the garage at night and that doesn't seem to be a problem. I will see a please start engine message on the display if I go away for business trip for a few weeks.

 

This is not normal, suggest visit to the dealer for full diagnostics....

I leave my car unlocked in garage for days and no issues

 

I get the critical battery level warning every now and again also. I do not believe that it is a result of keeping the car locked or unlocked. I have left the car for periods of 2-3 weeks while traveling and when I returned the car started right up. However, if I am in and out of the car without driving it for an extended period of time or simply driving the car for short periods running local errands I have noticed battery charge issues--"start stop" engine cut off doesn't work (couldn't really care less about this function) and the battery never gets fully recharged. More importantly however constant opening of the doors/trunk etc and getting in and out of the car is a sure battery killer. For example, I was working on my car last weekend and was continually opening and closing the driver side door-- getting in and out of the car as well--I took a few short 5 min local trips to run errands but that was the total sum of my driving. Monday afternoon I got the battery charge critical warning message via the Mercedes Me app. Here is why I believe that happens---(1) the air balance suspension seems to sense the weight change when you enter the car - the compressor appears to be activated to level the suspension do to the weight change, (2) getting in and out of the car activates the motors for the soft close doors and the seatbelt tensioner motor adjust the seatbelt, and last but not least (3) the dashboard and interior lights all come on and seem to stay on for quite a while. This, from my experience causes the battery level to drop precipitously.

My guess is that as they were working on your car they were getting in and out of your car activating all these systems. They were also likely leaving the doors open for extended periods of time resulting in the interior lights and dashboard screens being left on for long periods. .My big concern is that while these cars have Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) batteries (which can recover better from deep discharge than older lead acid batteries) they can still be degraded/ruined by constant deep discharge/recharge cycling. I have an advanced NOCO charger/battery tender that has special circuitry for AGM batteries --I installed a quick connect to my battery so it isn't a big deal to hook it up but I hate having to remember to plug it in and the wire from the charger to the battery is strung across the garage which is a bit annoying for my wife whose car is also in the garage. By the way she has a AMG C43 which has never once had a battery level issue.

 

Hmmm yeah that all sounds right. I’m 99% sure it’s the air suspension and this is definitely a design problem.

 

[QUOTE=kinglenario;7927763]Hmmm yeah that all sounds right. I’m 99% sure it’s the air suspension and this is definitely a design problem.[/QUOTE]
Design flaw is a serious issue, are you sure about that?
How come nobody else reported battery drain due to air suspension?

Have you checked with your dealer?

 

The thresholds are high for battery critical. You could probably leave it weeks like that and it would still start. Does sound like a weak cell in the battery though. My cabriolet has the same kind of thing. It goes critical in a matter of days where as my wagon takes weeks. Same 2019 e450s one a Cabriolet and one a wagon. They’ve checked my battery at the dealer and say it’s good. I don’t get why the difference though between my cars. Neither has the air suspension. I can imagine if my cab had the air suspension it would go critical real quick. One more power drain.

 

[QUOTE=6G Schnell;7927781]Many E63s owners have reported battery drain issues--they probably just do not know why it is happening--or realize/suspect that the air balance system may be part of the problem. As I stated in my earlier post I do no believe it is solely due to the air suspension leveling the car but I do believe it is part of the cause. These cars have an enormous number of different systems that rely on the battery and unless you keep them on a trickle charger, don't drive them at all or regularly take them for long drives the battery just can not keep up.

 

You’re probably right the air balance system has something to do with it. I’ve sat in both cars after they are shut off and especially with my Cabriolet I notice the fan turning on and off and vents opening and closing. I’d say for people that don’t drive their cars much or do mostly short trips battery life is gonna be fairly short if not left on a battery maintainer regularly.

 

I had made a separate thread about battery drain a couple months ago as well. My daily commute is about 7 miles each way and every 2 weeks I need to attach a battery charger otherwise I get battery critical warning messages. Rarely ever use heated seats/steering wheel, etc. I will hear the random high pitched whine of the air suspension going off sometimes when I'm doing stuff in the garage, although I'm not sure how much that contributes to the electrical drain. Mainly I think it's all the fans that continue running for a while after each drive cooling down the turbos or whatever and my commute simply not being long enough to cover that drain.

 

[QUOTE=6G Schnell;7927781]There are about 10 other people with the same problem just in this thread. Is it an equipment problem? Probably not, which means it’s a design problem.

 

[QUOTE=kinglenario;7927888]or maybe a software bug?

 

My battery was replaced after one year under warranty. First, auto on/off stopped working, after it would randomly disable electronic assistance and disable the car.
My opinion - the car just need more powerful battery and its a design flaw. I do drive short distances and like to use heated/vent seats and massage.

 

[QUOTE=2012 merc amg;7927892]Maybe, but if they disable air suspension while the car is parked and you come back after a long trip and the car is sitting on the bump stops, that would be weird.

I had the car all closed up and I was working on the renntech exhaust Flap module from underneath with the key in my pocket and the compressor kicked in about 5 times in 15 minutes. Not only is it killing the battery but also disconcerting when lying under the car 😳

hopefully it’s not a long term issue. Maybe the dealer screwed up the battery by charging improperly while my car was in the showroom for 2 weeks. They had chargers all over the place in the showroom. I will say this, Ive had my BMW X5M for 3 years and have not had the battery replaced or a low battery message from the app. I’ve had the E63s for 3 weeks and have had countless battery critical messages on my app.

 

[QUOTE=kinglenario;7927888]Where have you found 10 people with the same problem? Can you please read and summarize the takeaways from the thread?

You are the ONLY one complaining about air suspension draining the battery.

 

[QUOTE=6G Schnell;7928008]I guess I struck a nerve somehow. The battery drains and a lot of other people have the same problem. The air suspension runs constantly. I don’t know 100% that is the cause but it seems to make sense and many other people in this thread get the battery critical error message often which stops auto start and other features from working. It’s not a great feeling when you buy a $130k car and the battery is critical all the time.

 

[QUOTE=kinglenario;7928022]Let me be clear here: people are complaining about the battery drain, agree. W213, unlike the W212, is notorious for that. The design flaw is battery capacity: lower than what is really needed for this car.
There have been many threads on this topic already. If you read them it boils down to what pikapan and mmmamg posted.

However, nobody complained about AirMatic draining the battery.

Therefore, the fastest way to explain the mystery drain is diagnostic tests by the dealer.
Makes sense?

 

No sorry I don’t agree. You could put a massive capacity battery in this car and it would still drain eventually because the charging system is not sufficient for the draw. And the draw with the car off is very high for some reason, probably from the compressor running all the time which you can hear. Any battery is eventually going to die if the car is off and an electric air compressor runs all the time.

I’m fairly experienced with high end German cars and they are never great with batteries but this is ridiculous.

Question, do you have a W213? Seems all your posts are on a W212. Also I saw a post you created “Both rear tires had excessive wear on the inside and had to replace them, while plenty of rubber on the outside.” This question highlights the fact you know very little about cars and specifically high performance cars. It would probably be better for you to read posts rather than comment blindly at people discussing a battery drain topic like you have a clue.

 

Cool, we agree to disagree! Good luck with searching for gremlins draining the battery in your garage!

Only somebody completely clueless about cars (german, american, japanese, etc.) could make a statement like this: the charging system is not sufficient for the draw. Basically, one would drain the battery by driving the car long enough? Seriously?

Thanks for your kind words, but will stop here as I don't have time for useless speculations!

 

Peoples batteries are draining because their commute is only 5 or 6 miles means the charging system is inadequate. Also because the compressor runs all the time I’m sure adds to the issue. Saying the battery is too small is just false and you don’t know what you’re talking about. In addition you don’t even own this car lol.

The reason your (not w213) cars rear tires on the inside are wearing faster than the outside is because of negative camber which is used to increase cornering ability and is a trade off with tire wear. You should google negative camber and maybe hold back on posting uninformed opinions for awhile.

 

What seems strange to me is I have 2 2019 e450s one a wagon and one a Cabriolet. The wagon is fine. I can park it for 3 weeks no charger and the app will say partly charged battery. The cabriolet after 3 to 7 days will be getting a battery critical message on the app. I still think it’s software related but I’ll have dealer check it out soon.