Chris109 Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 (edited) I have a security camera in my garage. It told me of an 'event'. This has happened a couple of times this week. Lights come on all of a sudden. This is at 2:30 am. The days of me coming in at that hour are loooong over. On this particular night, it also happened at 2:25 am. Is the car trying to do an update? Or my deceased parents trying to tell me something? lites.mp4 Edited January 9, 2021 by Chris109 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 (edited) Hi Chris. Only things I can think of, other than an electrical gremlin issue, would be...Do you keep a keyfob in the car? If not, how far do you keep the keyfobs from the car itself? Or how far away are the keyfobs stored/hung up etc? Somewhere in the house close to the car, or even in the garage? Perhaps hung up on the other side of the garage wall inside the house? And/or...while I realize it is extremely unlikely...Any chance something touched the door handles? It should not be anything related to a SYNC update, because after the engine has been off for 30 minutes, the SYNC update system goes to sleep. Can't speak for your parents. ?? Edited January 10, 2021 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusionff Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 (edited) You know who you gotta call... ...Lincoln Ghostbusters. Edited January 10, 2021 by fusionff rubyinla and Robert Iggy Cerami 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris109 Posted January 10, 2021 Author Share Posted January 10, 2021 I never keep the keys in the car. They are in the house. Same place I always have them. No one is near them. As for someone in the garage, I also have a motion activated light that comes on if any movement is detected, and that light is not on when the car lights up. Unfortunately, I accidentally formated the sd card so I do not know if the car started. As I've said, this is very recent. 3, maybe 4, times in the past 2 days. As for spirits: This is in the room where my mother passed away in 2004. redo spirits.mp4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramf411 Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Interesting... When one approaches with a keyfob, the vehicle will light up and stays lit for a lot longer than what the video suggests. What makes it more weird is that the handle lights turned off and on but the headlights attempted to turn off but did not when the door handle lit up again. Couldn't be a keyfob proximity but perhaps "someone" "somehow" is physically toggling the lock and unlock button on the keyfob. Maybe cleaning the keyfob buttons helps - they may be stuck or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris109 Posted January 10, 2021 Author Share Posted January 10, 2021 2 hours ago, kramf411 said: Interesting... When one approaches with a keyfob, the vehicle will light up and stays lit for a lot longer than what the video suggests. What makes it more weird is that the handle lights turned off and on but the headlights attempted to turn off but did not when the door handle lit up again. Couldn't be a keyfob proximity but perhaps "someone" "somehow" is physically toggling the lock and unlock button on the keyfob. Maybe cleaning the keyfob buttons helps - they may be stuck or whatever. Looked at my camera 'alerts'. It happened 4 times on the 8th: 2:25 am, 2:30 am, 7:38 pm, and 8:03 pm. I didn't have the camera on last night, so don't know if it happened again. I'll be putting it out again today, so I'll know if the 'others' are back and trying to tell me something. ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramf411 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 I'm wondering what a Lincoln service personnel would say about this ? Do you plan on letting the dealership know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris109 Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 17 hours ago, kramf411 said: I'm wondering what a Lincoln service personnel would say about this ? Do you plan on letting the dealership know? Yes. They are one of my biz customers so I see them a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris109 Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 (edited) Well, the ghosts are back again. I came home about 8:30pm. The lights came on 10 minutes later at 8:40, then also at 8:48, 9:01, and 9:16. I never asked the dealer about it cause they hadn't gone on by themselves since I posted originally. One thing that I'm curious about. I had stopped off for food pick up and noticed that the outside lights were on as if the car was started. Since I never leave it running unattended, I was thinking if I accidentally started it. I was inside the business near a large window but only about 15' from the car. When I moved away from the window a couple of feet, the lights went off. When I moved near the window again, they went back on. This happened a couple of times until it didn't do it again. So, not really sure how or when the lights are supposed to go on, I just went near the locked car in my garage and the lights did not come on when I approached. I even remote started it, and the lights came on as they usually do. I guess it's time to make the appointment. If there is a problem, would it be covered under the Premium Care extended warranty? And I just looked at the app. I just put 10 gals of gas in. App says fuel level is 0%. But, that shouldn't surprise anyone. At least anyone in... ANTARCTICA??? It's gonna be cold in upstate King Cuomoland, but not THAT cold. Edited February 5, 2021 by Chris109 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 (edited) Hi Chris. Can not explain everything, but can explain this: The lights coming on when you got close to the car (with IKT fob in your possession) while in the store was normal. It was also normal when it no longer lit up after a few times. It is part of the "Lincoln Embrace". Think of it as welcome lighting. And after a few times approaching the car close enough to illuminate the welcome lights but not starting the car (again, with the IKT in your possession), the welcome lighting will no longer illuminate. This is to save the battery. And it is all normal vehicle behavior for your MKZ, Out of curiosity...How close are the keys kept to the car, in linear feet, straight through the walls, when the car is parked in the garage? Can not explain the gas or Antarctica things. Edited February 5, 2021 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris109 Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 15 hours ago, bbf2530 said: Hi Chris. Can not explain everything, but can explain this: The lights coming on when you got close to the car (with IKT fob in your possession) while in the store was normal. It was also normal when it no longer lit up after a few times. It is part of the "Lincoln Embrace". Think of it as welcome lighting. And after a few times approaching the car close enough to illuminate the welcome lights but not starting the car (again, with the IKT in your possession), the welcome lighting will no longer illuminate. This is to save the battery. And it is all normal vehicle behavior for your MKZ, Out of curiosity...How close are the keys kept to the car, in linear feet, straight through the walls, when the car is parked in the garage? Can not explain the gas or Antarctica things. Detached garage. Keys are at least 50-100 feet away. As for the welcome lighting, when I went into the garage a bit later with the fob and the car doors locked, the lights did not come on until I touched the handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 (edited) Hi Chris. I'm stumped. As I said, I can only detail what behavior is "normal" and should be happening. Such as when you were in the store and the "Welcome Lights" came on each time you got close to the window by your car...then stopped coming on. Unfortunately, I can't explain why your car is misbehaving and doing things it should not be doing. ? As far as what happened in the garage: That can happen if the Welcome Lighting had already been triggered multiple times without the car being started. It is a battery saver feature, to avoid the battery being drained by someone inadvertently walking by the car repeatedly during the day, continuously triggering the lights and draining the battery (as I explained above). However, of course, I do not know the details of how long the car was in the garage, how often the Welcome Lights had already been triggered, etc etc. So I can give no judgement or opinion on whether they were behaving correctly or not. This is a conundrum. Edited February 5, 2021 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris109 Posted February 7, 2021 Author Share Posted February 7, 2021 On 2/5/2021 at 2:31 PM, bbf2530 said: However, of course, I do not know the details of how long the car was in the garage, how often the Welcome Lights had already been triggered, etc etc. So I can give no judgement or opinion on whether they were behaving correctly or not. What? But, I thought you were the: bbf2530 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 4 hours ago, Chris109 said: What? But, I thought you were the: Hi Chris. No...even if I ever had any of those dreams of grandeur, my wife convinced me otherwise long ago. ? shtaka and R2D2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris109 Posted February 18, 2021 Author Share Posted February 18, 2021 Sooooo, I stopped off at my 'stylist' to rid my head of the grays, and noticed the car lights were coming on again. The car was about 100 feet away, and my keys were about 10 feet away from me. The lights were going on and off for about 2 minutes straight. Then they stayed off. Then went on and off again. The car was not being started. Almost as if someone was taking the keys, getting near the car and backing away, just like when I was in the pizza joint. I have had the car for 2 1/2 years and have not changed out the battery. I did have an oil change and asked them if they would check the battery, but the service manager said it takes about an hour for a full check. I'm wondering if I should just get a new one anyway. I did ask the dealer about getting one from them and he told me $300 for one of theirs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, Chris109 said: Sooooo, I stopped off at my 'stylist' to rid my head of the grays, and noticed the car lights were coming on again. The car was about 100 feet away, and my keys were about 10 feet away from me. The lights were going on and off for about 2 minutes straight. Then they stayed off. Then went on and off again. The car was not being started. Almost as if someone was taking the keys, getting near the car and backing away, just like when I was in the pizza joint. I have had the car for 2 1/2 years and have not changed out the battery. I did have an oil change and asked them if they would check the battery, but the service manager said it takes about an hour for a full check. I'm wondering if I should just get a new one anyway. I did ask the dealer about getting one from them and he told me $300 for one of theirs. Hi Chris. I forget...Still within the 4 year/50,000 mile New Car Warranty? If yes, make a service appointment and arrange for a complementary loaner at that time. Then let them keep your MKZ and perform the battery test. Perhaps then they can also keep an eye on it to see about the welcome lighting gremlins. And on a side note, $300 for a battery and installation is ridiculous. You can find coupons for Motorcraft batteries on the Ford owners website (yours is not a Hybrid, correct?). Top of the line Motorcraft Max battery for about $119-$129. And installation is ~30 minutes labor. Had one installed in my sisters car not long ago for ~$170. And installed a new battery myself in one of mine. Your welcome light issues are still confuzzling. However, that battery check can be taken care of relatively painlessly, and for less than $300, if it needs replacement. Keep us updated and good luck. Edited February 18, 2021 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris109 Posted February 19, 2021 Author Share Posted February 19, 2021 7 hours ago, bbf2530 said: Hi Chris. I forget...Still within the 4 year/50,000 mile New Car Warranty? If yes, make a service appointment and arrange for a complementary loaner at that time. Then let them keep your MKZ and perform the battery test. Perhaps then they can also keep an eye on it to see about the welcome lighting gremlins. And on a side note, $300 for a battery and installation is ridiculous. You can find coupons for Motorcraft batteries on the Ford owners website (yours is not a Hybrid, correct?). Top of the line Motorcraft Max battery for about $119-$129. And installation is ~30 minutes labor. Had one installed in my sisters car not long ago for ~$170. And installed a new battery myself in one of mine. Your welcome light issues are still confuzzling. However, that battery check can be taken care of relatively painlessly, and for less than $300, if it needs replacement. Keep us updated and good luck. Yup, hybrid. 65k miles. Extended warranty but it probably doesn't cover this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris109 Posted February 23, 2021 Author Share Posted February 23, 2021 Without getting all the way into the small opening, it is a FoMo battery. I bought it as a used car so I am certain it is the original battery. Don't know if I really want to go all in and tear everything down to put a new one in. When it is replaced, does anything special need to be done, regarding computer reset or the like? I know on my old Mitsushitzy, when the battery was disconnected, the car would not run right for a day or two as the computer was trying to relearn it's settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 2 hours ago, Chris109 said: Without getting all the way into the small opening, it is a FoMo battery. I bought it as a used car so I am certain it is the original battery. Don't know if I really want to go all in and tear everything down to put a new one in. When it is replaced, does anything special need to be done, regarding computer reset or the like? I know on my old Mitsushitzy, when the battery was disconnected, the car would not run right for a day or two as the computer was trying to relearn it's settings. hi Chris. There is a Idle Trim relearn strategy that needs to be performed after replacing the 12v battery in the non-Hybrid MKZ. It is detailed in the Owners Manual in the section concerning battery replacement I will assume that may also be the case for the Hybrid. So check your Owners Manual for the appropriate pages. Let us know how you make out and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris109 Posted February 24, 2021 Author Share Posted February 24, 2021 I just said 'screw it'. I paid the $300 cause I didn't want to deal with taking things apart. The GM, who is a customer of mine, even said that it would be best if a dealer did it. He said something about making sure that the computer did the correct reset. We'll see if the gremlins stay or go. 2 nights ago the lights went on and off 5 times in the span of 15 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyoleman Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 I'm on pins and needles here, I gotta know. Did the problem go away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multitask Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 The Lincoln app , for me was not reporting the correct time of day.... (i.e I had it set to start at 4:45AM , and I'm in Los Angeles. If was telling me I was in Detroit, but the time was 7:45) after a couple updates they fixed that ( I had called it in to Lincoln) It now reports the right location and time. ? So it is possible that the app was remote starting it and then it would time out (usually 10 or so minutes after) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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