What drains your CAR BATTERY in 2022 - you didn't even notice | 🛑 Tips & Tricks!

Recently, I encountered this car battery problem with one of my customer's cars. And then, I realized this PROBLEM is WIDESPREAD in 2021, and many of you may have the same issue with your vehicle. Most importantly, you don't even know that you're creating this problem by yourself! And it doesn't matter what make and model of your car. It can happen to any vehicle. In this video, I will explain this problem and how to solve it, because I want to make sure it will never happen to your car!
Let me explain what happened to one of my customers, Steve, who complained about his relatively new car. First, he started to have problems with his SmartKey. He said that the battery inside was dying very fast, and he has never had the key, where you need to replace the battery so quickly. Nobody took him seriously, and they kept replacing his batteries.
But sooner, the bigger problem started to surface! Now the battery of the car was getting weaker as well! Every morning when Steve was starting his car, there was an apparent hesitation to start. During the following 3-day weekend, Steve hasn't started his car at all. And when he went to start it, after 3 days, his car didn't start because the battery was dead!
Steve called AAA roadside assistance to jump-start his vehicle, and the guy told him that Steve's battery is good, but something is draining the juice when his car is turned off. So he decided to bring it to the service department to check it out.
The service technician inspected Steve's car battery, performed all the tests... and didn't find any problems. The battery was good, kept the charge, and didn't show any signs of drainage. $150 later, Steve was on his way home.
After not driving in the next weekend, Steve's car battery died again. This time he had his car towed to the dealership, complaining about what kind of crap did we sell him?
The service technician inspected Steve's car battery again, performed all the tests... and didn't find any problems again. The battery was good, kept the charge, and didn't show any signs of drainage. But it was dying at the same time! My head was about to explode!
Anyway, I concluded that if nothing drains his battery at the dealership, maybe something drains his battery... inside his house! Maybe there was some kind of ghost, coming at night and drinking all the juice out of Steve's battery. There must be some kind of explanation, and I decided to visit Steve at his house to investigate what the hell is going on!
Watch the full video on what happened!
You can also skip the video to the parts of your interest directly here:
00:00 Widespread car problem in 2021;
00:49 Vehicle SmartKey fob problem;
04:07 Why does the car battery go down in 2021?
05:18 How does your car's SmartKey work?
06:38 Keyless-Go in the big parking;
06:48 Keyless-Go battery problems parking at airports;
07:10 New problem with car batteries;
07:15 Keyless Go history;
08:03 Car battery cause of the problem;
08:49 How to avoid your car's battery problems?
09:12 How to disable Keyless Go the easy way?
LINKS:
Browse all my stuff in one place at MBZMaster.com/

[@TheVetusMores]

Not only entertaining and informative, this just might be one of the most _important_ MBZ videos I've ever seen!

[@Brian_L_5168]

You fixed problems dealers can't and you present this issue in such an entertaining way & more importantly, educating the general public 👍. This proves again dealership can't solve anything even with their vast resources & access to internal MB records, sad. Glad people like you still exist, thank you SIR !🙏

[@timberwolf7240]

Since buying a Mercedes Benz, this has become my favourite channel on youtube.

[@wallstreetchampion3991]

Your videos have help me a lot I have the E350, S600 and my wife have the C300 we love the Mercedes Benz. My wife and I would always put our keys in the same cabinet drawer in the kitchen and when we walk into the garage the cars will wake up beep and lights flash even when the keys are in the drawer. The way I fix the issue was separating all the smart keys further away from the garage in different rooms now our cars rest easy

[@ahayes2349]

You are THE MAN. Thank you so very much for taking the time to share your wealth of knowledge. If only I had found your tutorials sooner, I would have cried ten thousand less frustrated tears.

[@low-budgefudge2164]

I love the way this video is set up, and the handshake thing, really helps you learn and understand way better. Ty so much.

[@WavyChiWolf]

So I've been having the EXACT same issue with my 2016 CLS 400, decided to come on KZbin to see if I can find an explanation, stumbled across this video and EVERYTHING that was mentioned as the cause of my battery stalling after a few days of not driving was exactly what I was doing. Over night, I hang my key up by my back door and surprise, surprise my car is parked right outside my back door. It makes sense now. I'm definitely going to disable the keyless entry feature and keep my key as far as away from my back door as well. Hopefully this works!

[@MBZMaster]

Just remember, if your battery went down multiple times already, it may never recover and at this point may need to be replaced anyway. Try to keep your key away from a car for 2-3 days of not driving and see if it holds charge. If not, maybe it's too late to save it. But in the future, make sure to keep your SmartKey away from your car, so it won't happen again.

[@Bocajef134]

Excellent, as always.

[@bloomvikung]

Love this style of presentation!

[@rulyw7450]

This just one smart person! This is one you take a problem seriously and do not stop until you fix it. It also shows that hooking up testing devices without deep knowledge of the function does not fix car.

[@davidshepherd3519]

Thanks for your speedy response to my query about c250 auxiliary. Keep up the good work. 👍

[@I6T71XZGtb]

your videos are so helpful and with a nice sense of humor. thank you!

[@robertlincoln7312]

You are very clever. Thank you for this information.

[@jennifersmith6773]

I love watching your videos. Great info. I wish I had bought a car from you.

[@sandyguzman6429]

So educational- thanks so much @MBZ Master. I am dealing with a dead battery right now & was absolutely puzzled. Great tips to get me on the right track once I charge and get my battery going again!

[@MrQflyy]

Awesome tips! Explains so much!

[@kathydaniel-brown8675]

WOW! Excellent explanation!

[@instructionaldgn1]

This is outstanding information. Thank you for sharing!

[@erickabest2308]

😂😂😂🔥🔥 I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS AND EXPLANATION. YOU’RE THE BEST. please don’t ever stop making videos.

[@michaellangshaw7319]

Great tips I didn't know about, thanks

[@jaguar7051]

Thank you so much Excellent knowledge

[@OfficialBigYayo]

I know this is true because when i sit in my cls to smoke when i go to crank it it hesitates like battery failing. Replacing my key fob battery right now led me here because im sittin in walmart parking lot and car wont crank battery too weak lol....NOW I FINALLY KNOW, appreciate it

[@zaysunrisesunset874]

Best advice on keyless smart key fob!!! Thank you

[@stevebell2999]

Brilliant instruction. Thanks.

[@anthonymalla7526]

Thank you so much for your tips on different things that we may not have known about our mercs! I now know a lot more about the different things that you have shown on your precious and valuable videos. Thank you so so much my friend 👌

[@waltersnedeker4418]

Great information! My first keyless go car was my 2017 C43.

[@bosswavegaming8536]

This was so useful, I would never have guessed this was the problem! I just purchased a Merc A250e sedan and it has keyless go. Will definitely follow your guidelines.

[@tonaziomtseka5290]

Very educative. You are doing a great job, enlightening Mercedes Benz fans

[@mymuse111]

I love a smart man, glad you figured it out. Браво! 👏 👏 👏

[@anniaflorent9576]

Very informative thanks

[@comedykeith4592]

Sir I salute you with your wealth of knowledge on Mercedes it has helped me so much setting up my recently purchased 2018 C200 2 door coupe, love you humour too, keep up the good work!

[@jefflai7220]

My 2018 C43 showed warning message “Stop Vehicle, Leave Engine Running” when I start it this morning after two weeks not driving. Will follow your instructions. Very helpful 👍 Thank you.

[@vamred]

Excellent Information

[@Nick-1992-SRB]

Thank you so much man I have a 2021 car and last weekend I took it out side the garage to wash and wax it but I forgot the stupid smartkey fob inside the car after 2 and a half hours detailing the car when I went to start it the battery already drained it's so frustrating especially when you take your car to be fixed and they all tell you that their is nothing wrong with your cars battery I needed a jump start that day.

[@yvesalepin3486]

Very very good!! My first keyless go is my 2014 GLK250 that I bought new and still have. Very happy with it!

[@arzainc1]

Most useful, thank you.

[@safaahmuhammad1250]

very informative

[@mahendrachawan7294]

Fantastic tip, i just have this issue on my MB R 350 , just hit on the right Video so helpful !!!!

[@juliojimenez5736]

Excellent , thanks much appreciated.

[@malikablair3853]

Wow... Fantastic info

[@yev5408]

This is a very good video.

[@rolandsingh]

Thank you Immensely, Mr.MBZ, for this Video - it is a real 'eye opener' for myself, and I've been driving for well over forty-six years!! ❤💯%❤ Roland Singh, Canada 🇨🇦

[@steverusk3911]

This answered the issue I had... the Ghost in the Garage!! smart keys left too close to the Cars. !!!!!! Thank you so much.

[@amsonjean-pierre3642]

Very helpful thank you

[@brianhertwig777]

MB C350 2008 Thank you for the tips, time to go fix a couple of issues

[@peterfisch6491]

that video was great and interesting I did not know that FOB can drain tour battery once again great video.

[@maryjanemedlock8459]

WOW this is great information

[@MrSandhopper]

Thank you this has solved my problem.

[@MrBelltex]

Perfect i really enjoy this video tank you

[@DaryoushAbbasie]

Fantastic as always. Mercedes E43 AMG

[@yellowboxster06]

Entertaining and useful.

[@adriananahle691]

Just got my first MBZ and just want to say THANK YOU!. you have helped me sooo much understanding my car better than the manual.

[@MBZMaster]

You bet! Browse all my stuff in one place at MBZMaster.com/

[@viveksam77]

Thank you so much for such informative videos of Mercedes Benz.. It's very much helpful for new users to have lots of tips in just one click..

[@ucukaoma4551]

Brilliant video! You can’t believe how much I have spent on new batteries for a stored vehicle that I stopped driving 7 years ago, nickel battery retainer and all! This is surely the cause of the dead batteries..

[@runelang5387]

THANK YOU!.

[@EitayCohen]

You are right that in MB it disable the keyless go on the remote control to stop talking with the car, but the car is still searching for the key when it is near and on. You can check it if you disable the keyless go with one key, but if you bring from far the second one that is on before you get near the car, when you get close to the car the will open without pressing anything. So you are disabling the remote, but not the car.So if you will park in a big parking lot, the car would still search for an active key near by. It is true that if the only key around is disabled it will not drain the battery, since no other key is around.

[@MBZMaster]

Correct, but the drainage of looking for a key is extremely minimal, comparing to the battery drainage of when the connection with the key is established.

[@EitayCohen]

@MBZMaster Yes, I agree that like I said, if the key is off and there is no key on around it will be OK.

[@FirestarterX3m]

Thanks for the revealing information!! My first car equipped with Keyless is my actual GLK 350, in fact I came to this video because my batery died "for no reason" after 3 days of no use and this video was an eye oppener for me because I used to store my key pretty close; problem is being a 2013 GLK I can´t disable the Keyless Go by double click and I can't find any other way to dosable it.

[@michaellestrange4617]

Very educational

[@3_Gold_Coins]

Thank you for the reminder to charge my battery

[@howardhurey9894]

Good to know! Thanks!

[@olaogun3368]

Very good video. Toyota Prius 2009

[@MBZMaster]

Thank you! 👍

[@k1ngdomdefense404]

Glad that I looked at this video before calling the dealership. I put my C 250 up for the winter. I went to start it and it's dead. I know what to do now. Thanks.

[@DLN-ix6vf]

MERCEDES BENZ ! ( 14 years ago ) lol good info though ; never thought any keyless go key would activate my MB gotta watch all this new technology THANKS

[@Miamiartpop]

Thank you so much You wrote a lot I'll keep u posted !

[@jamesjrdollenmeyer8301]

Great info. I have a 2011 E 350 coupe. It is a totally under rated car. I bought it second hand and never got the dealer run down. This channel is very helpful. Thanks!

[@MBZMaster]

You bet! You can browse all my stuff for your car in one place at mbzmaster.com/

[@miakid4159]

Amazing video, my car battery was dying as well, also the battery in the fob was dying. This is my first keyless smart car Mazda 6,2017 and I was just leaving the keys in the car because I have a garage attached to the house. My battery is only a year old but my old battery was having this problem too, so like an idiot I bought a new car battery last year when I probably didn't need it. This keyless fob issue has given me so much problems, I was even thinking of trading the car in for a new one soon. 😆

[@ontheroadaustralia-soleman1911]

Thanks mate

[@StudioFranken]

ML 63 from 2014 and thanks for the tip

[@jimboyle6974]

I always leave my key hanging in the house door lock at night ( inside obviously), while the car is parked outside, maybe 5 metres distance. The car battery never died, I never really gave it more than a day off, but I had to replace the key battery with a 12 month period. Might be unconnected but I going to move the keys at nite to the back of the house and use the disable function too. Great tip. Thanks

[@javaman_54]

ghosts drinking the battery juice 🤣🤣🤣

[@mikhailrylov7652]

2016 C-class , hoping for an AMG next . Love all the hidden features

[@marciamellow1211]

Love you... your FABULOUS !

[@ivanjoseph3015]

Easiest think to do is put your key fob in aluminum foil…..It acts as a quick and dirty faraday cage and works very well….you just have to remember to do it…. 😊

[@MBZMaster]

It's not easier than to press the LOCK button twice (if you have Mercedes), but the foil will also work.

[@douglasashman139]

9:57My first Keyless Go car was 2008 GL550. Our first GL. We loved that car. His name was Georg. Lowering the suspension to Sport position let him carve through the twisties like nobody’s business. And the monster V8, the 21” AMG wheels. Always a party!!

[@MBZMaster]

Good one!

[@ld4974]

Good information. I just bought my wife a newer car and the spare (aftermarket) key fob battery keeps dying within 4-5 days. Her OEM remote doesn't have this issue. I keep the aftermarket fob in the garage which is nearer to the car (although the car is parked outside). I'll move it back further in the house and see if the fob battery lasts longer.

[@greg7010]

Now I know why I have had to replace my smart key battery so often for my 2019 Mercedes GLC300. I never would have figured this out...

[@wolfganglemke6312]

Since 2019 Mercedes has equipped the Keyless Go controller with a movement sensor. When you lay your controller on a desk, a shelf or into a drawer it will fall asleep. No more checking, no more sending, no more hand-shake. This was done mainly to prevent theft through copying the controller-signal with special devices outside the house near your car while you sleep at home with your keys in the kitchen-drawer. But when he (was it Steve?) opens the drawer frequently to pick up some other items or to lay them back the key will wake up each time. Drawer? Bad idea! Put it on your desktop in your home-office or into a box. I have my controller on a shelf with significant distance to my house-door and even further distance to my car.

[@MBZMaster]

That's true. Latest MB Smart Keys fall asleep if not used, but the problem is they are very sensitive to even slight movements, like wind, drawer movements, floor shaking etc... so I still recommend to keep them at the distance from the car.

[@wolfganglemke6312]

@@MBZMaster Exactly! Distance from the car AND distance from house- or flat-door.

[@mohammedrehman4578]

Thanks for your explanation, I has mercedes 450 gls 2017. I learned a lot from your videos specially I can close my car windows with out starting my car. I impressed my children that I can do some voice magic ""Close the windows"".but they don't know i hold the key button. Thanks love from Connecticut USA 🇺🇸.

[@MBZMaster]

Very funny! Sounds like a screenplay for a movie.

[@joanagonzalez-mungia2561]

Omg this happened to me. Dealership thought I was crazy. Especially with the pandemic. This never used to happen before. I think we replaced 4 batteries in a year

[@mikopikomikopiko1187]

Thanks for video.good information.by the way i love Mercedes-Benz.🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮👍👍👍😎😎😎😉😉😉

[@131PILOT]

Very clever! Press twice lock button

[@hanzalafarhan198]

That is the reason why my battery keeps draining and draining again and again thank you very very much for this info.I had the same situation cuz I keep the smart key in my car.I hope this works,if this works you would be like an angel to me.

[@georgeburton6673]

A 2006 S350 was my first car with keyless go.

[@alicemungia1642]

Genius!!!!!❤❤❤🎉

[@roywilliams4903]

Double click the lock button, priceless, thank you.

[@lauras.8729]

Thank you! I just got a cert preowned 2022 GLB today, & was looking at various youtube channels for info. And your videos are so informative. This is my first keyless go car, & I always used leave my keys in my car when I got home. You saved me from dealing with what your friend went through. Question, how far away do my key fobs have to be from the car? We keep our spare fobs in the laundry room which is on the other side of the garage. However, our cars are about 8 ft, & 15 ft away from the cars. Thanks again!😊

[@MBZMaster]

Congrats on your new GLB! 10ft or more should be fine.

[@donnademarino4845]

Great info. I am completely in love with keyless go. Never had a problem although sometimes it locks, unlocks, locks unlocks, when I am near with key in my pocket. Not felicitous when I'm handwashing the car. So annoying. I wouldn't give it up though. Completely spoiled with this great convenience. No more searching through my purse for several minutes then dumping out all on pavement locating my key while lurkers decide to shoot me or worse....!

[@JTSBMW]

When washing the car, just hit the lock button twice and you won't have that problem.

[@gregaiken1725]

ur a genius!

[@sonnysharma5365]

My first car with keyless GO was a W220 S500

[@darrenguy1264]

Brilliant. My app tells me continually that my battery is down on my amg after a few days. I also put my keys into a faraday pouch!

[@MBZMaster]

Try to disable the Keyless Go feature completely, as I showed, and see if the problem persists. If it does, - then the problem is not caused by your SmartKey.

[@sun2406]

Never thought of it. 🙏

[@fuffoon]

I just replaced my 11 year old OEM Varta with a Silver Dynamic Varta. The star-stop works again. The glow plugs heat faster. Hopefully it sees 11 years too.

[@miguelfineza9093]

Learned something new

[@vinseh5555]

I am facing same problem with my Merc Benz 300 in Hong Kong and have struggled over last 4 months . I went to mechanic few times and asked him if I need to replace my battery but he always checked and said battery is healthy and good . And other problem was my smart key's battery running out quickly .I carry a jump start and have to use it twice each day .But now I know and will follow your advise .Thanks a ton to you 🙏

[@MBZMaster]

If you have to use the jumper twice a day, most likely the battery is already compromised to the point of no return, and needs to be replaced.

[@TheStoneReport]

My first Keyless Go car was our 06 E500

[@rayjohnson6342]

I have this problem! I have a 2013 S550 4matic with keyless go. I don't drive it frequently ,however I do start it up weekly. I don't keep my key in the kitchen because I noticed that the door locks would activate when I brushed against the car. So I put them on the table off of the kitchen. Problem solved no! Battery still dies after a few days. After viewing this video I realized that the keyless go for my Navigator are kept in a drawer in the kitchen, about 10 feet from the MB in the garage. I will now move those keys to see if it makes a difference. I'll update you in the future. Thank you.

[@MBZMaster]

Also, don't forget, if battery already drained many times, at one point it will not be able to completely recover and needs to be replaced. But definitely move your other keys away from both cars.

[@delwinfantsr.181]

Very informative at least you did take the time to be very thorough in explaining this Problem, my local Porsche dealership is crap I have to travel almost 2 hours to get professional from another Porsche dealership. Thanks again! Be safe….

[@amandeepsood7978]

You are awesome and make very well done videos. Thank you Please advise - how to turn off of third row reading light with hatch door /tail gate open? We use car for camping and hate when the light stays on in the dark with tail gate open. Thanks in advance

[@MBZMaster]

I don't think you can turn it off because it designed to light up the interior while the rear door is raised, but those lights will turn off automatically after a while - to preserve the battery. So, just put some black masking tape over those lights until they switch off automatically.

[@sun2406]

Wahooo luv it.

[@tonymui1864]

Can you make a video on how to turn off the SOS service light on a 2017 GLC300

[@quarkyman1]

Opel Mokka X, 3 car batteries in 5 years, keys are usually about 4m from car. Just happened again last week.