wharriso Posted April 5, 2021 Share Posted April 5, 2021 So I had the battery disconnected in my 2017 Lincoln MKZ for several months. After I finally reconnected the battery, I noticed the car no longer lights up when I approach it. Since I don't know what the feature is called I cannot look it up in the owner's manual. Does anyone know what that feature is called or how to set it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scn101 Posted April 5, 2021 Share Posted April 5, 2021 Were your doors locked when you walked up to vehicle? I believe the welcome/approach lights only turn on if the vehicle is locked. wharriso 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 6 hours ago, wharriso said: So I had the battery disconnected in my 2017 Lincoln MKZ for several months. After I finally reconnected the battery, I noticed the car no longer lights up when I approach it. Since I don't know what the feature is called I cannot look it up in the owner's manual. Does anyone know what that feature is called or how to set it? Hi wharriso. There are various reasons the "Welcome Lights" on your MKZ may not be working in your particular situation. It could be that the battery is too weak and/or failing. It could be that the Battery Saver feature is on due to the battery charge being low. This feature is meant to keep the battery from running down. It is also possible that disconnecting the battery has temporarily disabled certain electronic modules. If you leave your car sitting totally undisturbed for at least 8 hours (make it 10 to play it safe), it will reset itself. By undisturbed, that means locked, untouched, do not use the remote, do not approach it with a remote in your possession, do not check the LincolnWay App etc., etc. Totally undisturbed for 10 hours. If the lighting still does not work after that, I would recommend having your battery professionally load tested to see if it is failing. You can find the correct pages for most of this information by looking in the Index under "Battery" and "Welcome Lights". Let us know how you make out and good luck. wharriso 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wharriso Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 On 4/5/2021 at 8:51 PM, bbf2530 said: Hi wharriso. There are various reasons the "Welcome Lights" on your MKZ may not be working in your particular situation. It could be that the battery is too weak and/or failing. It could be that the Battery Saver feature is on due to the battery charge being low. This feature is meant to keep the battery from running down. It is also possible that disconnecting the battery has temporarily disabled certain electronic modules. If you leave your car sitting totally undisturbed for at least 8 hours (make it 10 to play it safe), it will reset itself. By undisturbed, that means locked, untouched, do not use the remote, do not approach it with a remote in your possession, do not check the LincolnWay App etc., etc. Totally undisturbed for 10 hours. If the lighting still does not work after that, I would recommend having your battery professionally load tested to see if it is failing. You can find the correct pages for most of this information by looking in the Index under "Battery" and "Welcome Lights". Let us know how you make out and good luck. I just tried it and the lights work now. I believe it has to do with the battery though. When I reconnected it, after working just fine before I disconnected it, I had to jump it to start the car. These Lincolns need lots of power. My wife drives this car to her job 2 or 3 times a week and its only like 1 mile away. I guess it just has not had time to get a full recharge. I am trying to avoid buying another battery. Hopefully, we can get this thing on the road to give this battery a full charge. Thanks for your advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 12 hours ago, wharriso said: I just tried it and the lights work now. I believe it has to do with the battery though. When I reconnected it, after working just fine before I disconnected it, I had to jump it to start the car. These Lincolns need lots of power. My wife drives this car to her job 2 or 3 times a week and its only like 1 mile away. I guess it just has not had time to get a full recharge. I am trying to avoid buying another battery. Hopefully, we can get this thing on the road to give this battery a full charge. Thanks for your advice! Hi wharriso. You may very well have figured it out. If in these pandemic times, the car is often only driven for 1 mile round-trip, 3 times a week, it is very likely the battery state of charge is low. That is certainly not enough to sufficiently charge the battery. Take it for a long drive as soon as possible. Over 20 minutes, highway type driving, as many accessories off as possible. However, if it is the original factory battery, it is ~4-5 years old. So be prepared for the unfortunate reality that you may need to replace the battery anyway. As you noted, today's vehicles are heavily computer/electronic/electrically dependent, and batteries simply do not last as long as they did in the old days. If we get 3-4 years out of a battery, we got our moneys worth nowadays. That goes for all makes, not only Lincolns. Let us know how you make out and good luck. wharriso 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 I'm glad to hear that your issue resolved itself, but I'm rather surprised that you didn't get one of the several 'low battery' messages that can be displayed. As bbf2530 notes, be prepared to buy a new battery in the near future regardless of circumstances, as they only last 3-4 years these days, generally speaking. Being discharged further reduces the lifespan as well. wharriso 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wharriso Posted April 8, 2021 Author Share Posted April 8, 2021 8 hours ago, drolds1 said: I'm glad to hear that your issue resolved itself, but I'm rather surprised that you didn't get one of the several 'low battery' messages that can be displayed. As bbf2530 notes, be prepared to buy a new battery in the near future regardless of circumstances, as they only last 3-4 years these days, generally speaking. Being discharged further reduces the lifespan as well. Yes, I do get the "low battery" warning from time to time, I just never equated it to what was happening with the Welcome Lights. We are going to take it on an 80 mile round trip on Saturday, hopefully that will resolve the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnewt Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 personally, I would not take the chance I would get a replacement battery I hate when I have vehicle trouble You can take your car into most any AutoZone or the like & they will test your battery with the battery sitting dormant for so long & the having to jump start & the battery messages, I would say it is time for a replacement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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