• The Forums are now open to new registrations, adverts are also being de-tuned.

ICE problem

Graham7

Graham7

Active Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2020
Messages
76
Location
Newcastle
Car
C220 CDI
I have a 2013 W204 C220 and am having a problem when I turn on the radio or cd player. I'll attach a picture but basically the problem is sometimes I get a message saying

"Device cannot be activated. Energy consumption too high"

If I keep trying to turn on the radio eventually it will stay on but it is annoying. I don't know if this is connected but the stop/start function doesn't seem to work either and has not done so since I bought the car 18 months ago. I'm not bothered by that as I don't like that function and would turn it off every time I drive anyway.

I hope someone can help or give advice. Thanks in advance.
 

Attachments

  • ICE 1.jpg
    ICE 1.jpg
    228 KB · Views: 10
Well seem to remember that this could be the main battery or the Aux battery,a friend has the same car as you the aux battery is in the boot.
 
zipdip said:
Well seem to remember that this could be the main battery or the Aux battery,a friend has the same car as you the aux battery is in the boot.
Click to expand...
Thanks zipdip. It did cross my mind that it could be a battery problem and both batteries are probably originals so I'll get them checked.
 
I've come to the conclusion that the problem is that I'm doing mainly short journeys so the axillary battery is not getting a chance to fully charge so I'll see how it goes.

I was looking on the net for somewhere that could test the battery and went to Quick Fit. What a joke!!
The guy came to have a look and said that my car did not have a battery in the boot so I showed it to him. He then said he didn't think he could test it because it was a 6 volt battery. No, I said it's 12 volt. He connected his meter then said that he could not get a reading because it was the wrong type of battery.

I gave up and went home.
 
Graham7 said:
I've come to the conclusion that the problem is that I'm doing mainly short journeys so the axillary battery is not getting a chance to fully charge so I'll see how it goes.

I was looking on the net for somewhere that could test the battery and went to Quick Fit. What a joke!!
The guy came to have a look and said that my car did not have a battery in the boot so I showed it to him. He then said he didn't think he could test it because it was a 6 volt battery. No, I said it's 12 volt. He connected his meter then said that he could not get a reading because it was the wrong type of battery.

I gave up and went home.
Click to expand...

I have a battery tester, but it only works with the main battery in the engine bay, I get funny readings when testing the auxiliary battery in the boot.

That's the unit I have:


So it seems that for some reason testing the auxiliary battery isn't straightforward. Have you trued measuring the battery voltage?
 
And, if the auxiliary battery is faulty, then Start/Stop should stop working as well - does the green ECO symbol ever come-up on tbe dash while driving, or is it always yellow?
 
markjay said:
And, if the auxiliary battery is faulty, then Start/Stop should stop working as well - does the green ECO symbol ever come-up on tbe dash while driving, or is it always yellow?
Click to expand...
Thanks for your advice Mark.

I've just been to my archery range, 20 miles there and 20 back again. I got the radio working after trying it a few times but could not get the USB to play, just got the same message again when I tried.
I can't say that I've ever noticed the ECO symbol changing colour, always seems to be yellow but I may not have noticed it change.

The start/stop does not work. When I started the car this morning I noticed that the light on the start/stop switch was not lit and it wouldn't light when I pressed it. On returning to the car to come home it was lit but still does not work. It hasn't worked for a long time so could point to the battery. I don't like start /stop so it's not a miss but as you say, it could be symptomatic of the problem.

I've tried looking for a replacement auxiliary battery but it seems they are hard to find. I haven.t tried Mercedes yet, I imagine they will charge the earth.

I have one of those voltage testers that plug into the cigar lighter. On the trip up to the range it was showing around 14.5 which I thought was a bit high. On the trip home it showed just over 13, which is, I assume more normal.
 
markjay said:
Don't preclude issues with the MAIN battery - did the chap at Kwik Fit check also the battery in the engine bay?

The auxiliary battery is common, MB use FIAMM but that are several other brands.

E.g.: Banner Aux14 Auxiliary Battery-FITS Mercedes-C-Class( W204) 200-350 CDI | eBay
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link Mark.

The battery fitted is a FIAMM, which I assume is the original. He didn't check the main battery, he just seemed to want rid of me asap.

I'll book a free test at Halfords and see what they say. I really appreciate your help.
 
Those testers that inject an AC signal into the battery to test the impedance can be misleading - I’ve seen one fail an almost new battery that was perfectly ok.
That said they have their place and can give some idea of the health of a fully charged battery (and to contradict what I say, I have one in my toolkit.)
Imho the best way to test a battery is to fully charge it, leave it for a few hours to let any surface charge (and explosive gases) disperse, and then use a high rate discharge tester - just a low resistance with a voltmeter across it.
This will give a good idea of the condition, and will also show if a cell has gone short circuit as it ‘boils’ under load and you can smell the ozone.
Available on popular auction sites.

Edit: thinking about it, they do give a result that lets you decide whether or not to replace the battery while a high rate discharge tester result needs to be interpreted unless the battery is completely shot.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for that Ted.
I've spoken to a local National Tyres depot and they say they can test both batteries and just to call in, no appointment necessary so I'm going tomorrow morning. 👍 .
 
I thought I would give you nice, helpful chaps an update.

Before going to National Tyres, which I ended up not doing, I went to my local MB Specialist to see what he had to say.
He put the car on his diagnostics machine and said I needed two software updates. One on the dash and one on the radio. That is where my problems lie so hopefully these will fix the problems. Fingers crossed!!

He didn't charge me for the diagnosis but the updates will cost £80 when he does them on the 26th October. IMHO MB should supply these free of charge but if it fixes the problem I'll be a happy chappy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ted
Did the software update fix the problem? I'm having the same error pop up. I don't have anything plugged into my USB ports so not sure what's causing it. I am having a problem with water collecting under the rear passenger seat so not sure if that's suddenly messing with the electrics but it's so irritating - the message flashes up and stops the radio from playing every few minutes 😡
 
No, the software update did nothing and had no effect on the problem. It was a waste of money unfortunately. I still have the problem and it is exactly the same as yours. the radio will play for a few seconds then up pops the message.
I have my own theory on what the problem is. I use the car primarily for short journeys. The only decent run it gets is when I go to my field archery club in a wood 20 miles away, so 40 miles round trip. On the outward journey I leave the radio off, just have the clock on so that my phone is connected for hands free. On the return journey the radio or usb will play without a problem so I'm pretty sure it is because the battery is not getting a sufficient charge most of the time.
I'm not sure if a good charge would fix the problem or if I need a new battery. The problem being, if I change the battery but not my driving habits will the problem resurface at a later date. I don't have a garage so I can't recharge the battery.
Apart from the said problem I have no other problems. The car starts and runs fine so I'm stumped, but if I had to put money on it I would bet it is the battery. Of course there are two batteries but I think it is the main one under the bonnet.
Sorry to hear you have the same problem but if you find a fix please let me know and. of course I will do the same.

Good luck.
 
Graham7 said:
No, the software update did nothing and had no effect on the problem. It was a waste of money unfortunately. I still have the problem and it is exactly the same as yours. the radio will play for a few seconds then up pops the message.
I have my own theory on what the problem is. I use the car primarily for short journeys. The only decent run it gets is when I go to my field archery club in a wood 20 miles away, so 40 miles round trip. On the outward journey I leave the radio off, just have the clock on so that my phone is connected for hands free. On the return journey the radio or usb will play without a problem so I'm pretty sure it is because the battery is not getting a sufficient charge most of the time.
I'm not sure if a good charge would fix the problem or if I need a new battery. The problem being, if I change the battery but not my driving habits will the problem resurface at a later date. I don't have a garage so I can't recharge the battery.
Apart from the said problem I have no other problems. The car starts and runs fine so I'm stumped, but if I had to put money on it I would bet it is the battery. Of course there are two batteries but I think it is the main one under the bonnet.
Sorry to hear you have the same problem but if you find a fix please let me know and. of course I will do the same.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
MB can be very reasonable for batteries actually! My money would be on the main battery too. Take it to a local MB specialist indie - which Newcastle are you? Someone on here may recommend one
 
Gollom said:
MB can be very reasonable for batteries actually! My money would be on the main battery too. Take it to a local MB specialist indie - which Newcastle are you? Someone on here may recommend one
Click to expand...
Yes I'm pretty sure it is the main battery as it is the original so 9 years old.
I'm in Newcastle upon Tyne and I know of one indie which is the one who said that the fault was caused by the need for a software update. lol
 
Lawksamercy, does no-one have a friend with a battery charger?

There's no reason to throw away a hundred quid battery just because you've run the battery low.

WhatsApp some friends and find a nerdy bloke - probably someone in an anorak and a bobble hat and get them to lend you their battery charger. If you don't know how to open the bonnet, ask "Nigel" to do it for you.

Fully appreciate that it's difficult if you don't live somewhere where you can park off-street, or have a friend who has a driveway that is off-street, but it's worth a try.

Greta will love you for it.
 
Graham7 said:
Thanks for your advice Mark.

I've just been to my archery range, 20 miles there and 20 back again. I got the radio working after trying it a few times but could not get the USB to play, just got the same message again when I tried.
I can't say that I've ever noticed the ECO symbol changing colour, always seems to be yellow but I may not have noticed it change.
........
Click to expand...
start engine, 20 there......stop engine....start engine 20 back - not as good as a 40mile non-stop trip.

If I don’t drive my car for an extended period and do not have it on the charger while standing, it will easily take 90 minutes (a lot on motorway) of driving before the Eco is available again. My understanding is that the main battery will be charged first and then the auxillary battery.

Considering that your trip to Archery had some effect, I suggest you try a long drive and see if that works before you need to do too much tinkering. Unless the tester puts a load on the battery, you will not really get a proper indication of it’s condition.

If you are considering buying a home charger, check if you have AGM batteries (likely), you would need a charger with AGM mode. I would recommend a CTEK (MB rebrand them and sell them as MB chargers) they (besides the quality) have better charging algorithms than cheap Chinese chargers.

The batteries are possibly going on 10 years old and could be at the end of their life.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Similar threads

A
Radio/Sat Nav unit advice
Replies
1
Views
317
C320
C
N
red battery display
Replies
4
Views
814
Niro06
N
C
Replaced aux battery but stop/start still not working
Replies
17
Views
2K
Gazwould
Gazwould
BIGEL
Telephone problem
Replies
3
Views
395
TC350
TC350
Romeoplusq
W212 COMAND knob rotation
Replies
12
Views
767
Romeoplusq
Romeoplusq
Back
Top Bottom