Mercedes

I've had the new car [E350] 4 months now, the previous one had lasted 11 years. The computer upgrades in that time have been considerable. It annoyingly tells you you are too close to the car in front, monitors you for drowsiness and if you won't pay attention would park itself on the hard shoulder. Below 30mph it will supposedly refuse to hit anything and below 10mph spots parking spaces and asks if you want it to park itself. Most annoying.

Yesterday it starts to flash in red on the dash that the rear offside tyre has lost all pressure. So I pull over to check and it's true - complete deflation. Where was I when this happened? M56 going as fast as the speed limit would allow.

Hmm..

Fred

Do you think it could tell me if I'm missing behind or in front on extreme LH targets?

Sounds like a serious piece of kit although I hope it comes with an off button!

On a serious note did you not notice you had a flat before the car told you?

DT

Hi Greg, no indication, not even when pulling up - rear axle probably had less feedback. I'd been on the motorway for 30 miles but I think it was instant [the car didn't detect low pressure first, just 3 x256, 1 x 110] no object found in the tyre. Another few minutes and I could have lost an alloy.

I would imagine, that a car of that awesomeness, would have run-flat tyres, no?

I think not but the Continental didn't disintegrate - I stopped within 400yds still disbelieving the message.

I love mine - onto my fourth Benz now.... three ML's and then I downsized to a C250 - better economy, faster engine. 
 

Modern cars are built pretty damn well, they may well test them at speed with defective/low pressure tyres in order to build in features capable of keeping the car steady.

I once drove 15 miles in a RAV4 on the motorway and town roads believing the clanging noise was from the exhaust  , late braking and murdering roundabouts willy nilly without the slightest suspicion or indication anything was wrong with the tyres, only to find the n/s/r was completely flat and too hot to touch when I arrived.

Another time a customer of mine flagged me down in town to inform me the Clio I was in had a flat tyre ! 

It's likely the Merc has run flats but sudden complete deflation can't be ruled out. Some tyre pressure monitors work via sensors in each tyre that actually detects drops in pressure, other more sophisticated ones detect a difference in speed of rotation of the bad tyre relative to the others. 

Personally, I think the technology is amazing.

Having a device that constantly attaches and detaches the pressure gauge, in between wheel spokes, turning so fast...without missing the valve....it must be like shooting through the prop on a bi-plane...clever stuff

Run flats = tools of the devil  :spiteful:

Horrid things.  I'd much rather put up with the odd puncture (been driving nearly 40 years, only had a handful) than ruin the ride and disrupt the handling. Fine if you're not really into driving, but otherwise an odious invention. 

Mercedes Assist whisked me off to Warrington Mercedes where they found me a tyre in an hour. Not knowing I had tyre pressure monitors, I assumed they were in the valves which immediately made me suspicious that I couldn't use a standard tyre fitter ie I was bound to Mercedes. So whilst quizzing them on the puncture location and object they said the detector is in the rim, the valve only touching it. Obviously they didn't have to talk me into a new tyre, to me the old tyre now had unknown sidewall damage and would soon be in a children's playground.

Finners said:

Run flats = tools of the devil  :spiteful:

Horrid things.  I'd much rather put up with the odd puncture (been driving nearly 40 years, only had a handful) than ruin the ride and disrupt the handling. Fine if you're not really into driving, but otherwise an odious invention. 

Click to expand...

All depends on the car, I dare say a connoisseur could tell with or without in a 911 or similar but the handling isn't compromised with big SUV's, the ride is arguably harder but I believe they dial that out at the design stage. Personally prefer the peace of mind you get on the way to the air port but yes they are a pain price wise.

Mine doesn't even tell me when my washer fluid is empty......

I have been in 40ups new car and can report its that clever it doesn't have a gear stick how that works I have no idea !!!

During our journey it became evident that Mr 40up was actually asleep on the back seat however the superdooper new fangled machine still got us there unharmed, parked up and made us a brew. Modern technology is bloody marvellous

You would not notice a puncture because MB have anti lift, anti squat and self levelling suspension, in other cars you would have hit the barrier!

p.s MB had a car go from sindelfingen to Ulm with No driver in 2005, I was there so driver-less cars are not new :rabbi:

40UP said:

Not knowing I had tyre pressure monitors, I assumed they were in the valves which immediately made me suspicious that I couldn't use a standard tyre fitter ie I was bound to Mercedes. So whilst quizzing them on the puncture location and object they said the detector is in the rim, the valve only touching it. 

Click to expand...

Interesting. I always thought tyre pressure monitors worked on differences in wheel speed ( a soft tyre has a different rolling radius to a fully inflated tyre). Hence once you have inflated all tyres to the same or similar pressure you have to reset the system so the car can establish what the relative wheel speeds are when all inflated and then detect when one is out.

Never suspected there is actually a sensor in the wheel itself ??

Mercedes Number One !

DT

I had same thing happen in my Merc on M25 Reigate in the pouring rain.

Dash went red tyre pressure warning. Stopped on hard shoulder. Checked tyres nothing wrong, reset it and off I went.

What set it off was the concrete road surface the ripples in the concrete causing a severe vibration like going over a cattle grid at speed.

I feel whilst it is good to have this, in this instant it was dangerous to park up in those severe weather conditions on the hard shoulder for no reason.

ips said:

Mine doesn't even tell me when my washer fluid is empty......

I have been in 40ups new car and can report its that clever it doesn't have a gear stick how that works I have no idea !!!

During our journey it became evident that Mr 40up was actually asleep on the back seat however the superdooper new fangled machine still got us there unharmed, parked up and made us a brew. Modern technology is bloody marvellous

Click to expand...

while this would seem a great function I can tell you it's bloody annoying mine has said function and from the time it decides it's going to annoy you till the time you actually need to fill up is somewhere in the region of 2 months! but that doesn't stop the stupid thing beeping at me! 

Another stupid feature is the eco mod which tells me to close the windows as i'm causing too much resistance having them open! who comes up with these stupid ideas!

40UP said:

I've had the new car [E350] 4 months now, the previous one had lasted 11 years. The computer upgrades in that time have been considerable. It annoyingly tells you you are too close to the car in front, monitors you for drowsiness and if you won't pay attention would park itself on the hard shoulder. Below 30mph it will supposedly refuse to hit anything and below 10mph spots parking spaces and asks if you want it to park itself. Most annoying.

Yesterday it starts to flash in red on the dash that the rear offside tyre has lost all pressure. So I pull over to check and it's true - complete deflation. Where was I when this happened? M56 going as fast as the speed limit would allow.

Hmm..

Click to expand...

do the indicators work on your car because I'm pretty sure that is a standard fault on most Mercs......

Service indicator coming on six weeks to service every time you start car.

I was going to buy a new one, I think I'll keep mine as could not cope with all the hassle of the nannying gimmicks.

Nick Selby said:

do the indicators work on your car because I'm pretty sure that is a standard fault on most Mercs......

Click to expand...

Mine might do, but I don't bother - we own the road.