[parsi]

Question for those who have the Eco Start/Stop.

When the Auto symbol appears on your gauge display, does the vehicle always shut the engine off when you stop? The behavior on mine seems very random and non-Germanic. Sometimes the engine stops, sometimes not and sometimes after idling for 30-40 seconds it stops, all with the A symbol continually activated.

Thanks

 

[RobbMeeX]

No, you have to push past a certain threshold to engage ESS. I have had a driving situation where as soon as I left a stop, the symbol came on. Frustrating in an eco way.

 

[parsi]

Thanks Rob, congrats on the wedding.

Seems it would make more sense that the A symbol coming on would indicate that you've pushed past that threshold and your engine will definitely shut off when you stop. Otherwise it's unclear what that symbol actually means other then "you're kinda maybe somewhere sorta close to having start/stop activated". Just seems to run counter to expectations.

 

[RobbMeeX]

The A means you're able to engage. Then you can choose whether to turn off in, say, stop and go or being at a light. Press lightly as you might in S n G and you can keep your AC. Or if you're coming to a stop light press harder than maybe 30% and it shuts down waiting for you to release. Make sense?
I think A LOT of the problem is they don't (or didn't for me) have a product specialist to "introduce you" to your vehicle.

Also, thanks.

 

[parsi]

Then you can choose whether to turn off in, say, stop and go or being at a light.

Rob, the missing manual man! I just went for a short drive and it all makes sense now! Of course it seems illogical until you understand that operation is directly connected to brake pedal pressure, which I don't think I'd have ever intuited since I have a very soft braking foot.

I think A LOT of the problem is they don't (or didn't for me) have a product specialist to "introduce you" to your vehicle.

That's a lot of it, I know much more about the vehicle then anyone from MB I've come across so far. Took me three tries to finally get the correct procedure for the back up warning signal. The manual is the other problem. Ten paragraphs on unscrewing the tire inflator protective pressure relief and barometric pressure containment cap, but nothing on the details of operating the expensive stuff.

Just as an aside. I called my dealer last week and explained I had a question about my Metris and the response was "I'm sorry sir but we are a Mercedes Benz dealership."

Thanks a million for hanging out here! :x

 

[inspector121]

Took me three tries to finally get the correct procedure for the back up warning signal.

Do you mean the backup alarm? Mine hasn't been working very well lately. Sometimes it doesn't beep at all. Sometimes it beeps once. Sometimes it works fine. I didn't have any problems with it for the first 3 months.

 

[parsi]

Do you mean the backup alarm? Mine hasn't been working very well lately.

I actually meant getting the alarm to go into night time mode. Haven't had any of the problems you describe but I'm only in a month now so we'll see. I do have a growing list of intermittent electrical gremlins that I'm saving up for my next dealer visit. Sometimes feels like we're beta testers, and sometimes that we're just uninformed (ala this thread).

 

[Greenmanedlion]

I'm impressed by the lack of electrical gremlins on my car (schiesse! I don't have wood trim to knock!)

But I remember when Mercedes had no clue how to do electrics and avoided them whenever and wherever possible- often ludicrously. Two cool examples- the hydraulic power windows they used on the Grosser 600 limousine, and the vacuum powered door locks (I kid you not) on all cars they made into at least the late 90s.

 

[parsi]

hydraulic power windows they used on the Grosser 600 limousine, and the vacuum powered door locks (I kid you not) on all cars they made into at least the late 90s.

Now that's the German engineering I expect!
Seems you're one of those few times being an early adopter paid off, before the code went all rogue.

 

[Greenmanedlion]

Actually, the vacuum system in older cars like I had was interconnected and extensive. And among its features was the engine shut off valve for the Diesel engine (mechanically injected diesels power their own injector and are shut off by starving them of fuel). So when the vacuum system leaked or failed (generally at the 15-year or 250k mile mark) the engine would no longer shut off when you switched the car off.

Mercedes, in their brilliance, actually had a hand operated fuel cut off valve in the engine compartment. To shut off the car (which was now too old to justify a lock fixing repair) you would ritually pop the hood and shut the valve. Im some models it was a "push and hold to shut off" spring valve, and in some it was a manual knob- which I kept shut when I left the car as an anti-theft measure.