'extra' key button thread... chapter 3
11-21-2002, 02:03 PM
#51
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C230 Sports Coupe
its kinda kool. is there a way to adjust how hard the trunk will pop up?
11-21-2002, 02:06 PM
#52
Out Of Control!!
I was able to unlock it this morning, after the much-discussed numbing of the thumb.
So, let me get this straight: if I hold it down longer (without losing a thumb, of course), it'll pop up? I do remember someone with the correct button mentioning that in a thread months ago.
Final q: played with the key a little yesterday. So, if you tweezer out the white plastic card, does the key simply split into two halves?
This is a pretty cool find, almost as good as the easter egg in GTA3 where you get all weapons.
So, let me get this straight: if I hold it down longer (without losing a thumb, of course), it'll pop up? I do remember someone with the correct button mentioning that in a thread months ago.
Final q: played with the key a little yesterday. So, if you tweezer out the white plastic card, does the key simply split into two halves?
This is a pretty cool find, almost as good as the easter egg in GTA3 where you get all weapons.
11-21-2002, 02:53 PM
#53
Even with the sedans, you have to hold the button down a second or two to get it to unlock... says so in the MANUAL...
Now, the coil springs in the sedan's trunk actually make the lid raise. You don't have those in the Coupe, just struts, right? As posted previously, you don't want that hatch to pop-up on the Coupe, as the hatchlid could pop-up violently and slam into your overhead garage door or other obstacles. The top hinged hatch in my Dodge Caravan works the same way, which is to say, it just unlatches... you have to raise it manually (maintaining control with your hand). It keeps me from braking the glass in the hatch... same with the Coupe.
Let's not ask for the moon, folks. It's not Christmas, yet!
Now, the coil springs in the sedan's trunk actually make the lid raise. You don't have those in the Coupe, just struts, right? As posted previously, you don't want that hatch to pop-up on the Coupe, as the hatchlid could pop-up violently and slam into your overhead garage door or other obstacles. The top hinged hatch in my Dodge Caravan works the same way, which is to say, it just unlatches... you have to raise it manually (maintaining control with your hand). It keeps me from braking the glass in the hatch... same with the Coupe.
Let's not ask for the moon, folks. It's not Christmas, yet!
Last edited by MB-BOB; 11-21-2002 at 02:56 PM.
11-21-2002, 03:21 PM
#54
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It still doesn't make sense why they would build a faceplate to cover the third button. If they didn't want the button there they could've not built it like that.
Plus the fact that the mechanism to pop the trunk is also installed in our cars...just doesn't make sense...
Plus the fact that the mechanism to pop the trunk is also installed in our cars...just doesn't make sense...
11-21-2002, 04:47 PM
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Originally posted by curioused
It still doesn't make sense why they would build a faceplate to cover the third button. If they didn't want the button there they could've not built it like that.
Plus the fact that the mechanism to pop the trunk is also installed in our cars...just doesn't make sense...
It still doesn't make sense why they would build a faceplate to cover the third button. If they didn't want the button there they could've not built it like that.
Plus the fact that the mechanism to pop the trunk is also installed in our cars...just doesn't make sense...
First the key: The unit cost of the plastic casing can only be marginally different whether it has 2 or 3 buttons, so that's not the reason. The "fixed" cost of the tooling for both plastic casings is needed anyway, considering that they already chose not to have the feature. The "fixed" cost of design, engineering, tooling, etc. for another PCB is considerably higher than anything else, even if one of the PCB's is the same but with less parts. You save more by having a single expense in this area than with the potential savings in unit cost (parts, labor, etc.)
So the overall cost of having two keys with the same "insides" would less than that of having two entirely different keys. This is a form of postponement.
A similar thing happens with the opening mechanism: lower overall cost to have one single electro-mechanical part for all cars, than design and tool an electronic one for most cars and a totally different, mechanical one for the coupe (and apparently the wagon).
Bottom line, for some mysterious reason the folks in marketing chose not to give us this feature, and the folks in engineering "hid" it in the most economical way they could think of. Pretty clever if you ask me.
Last edited by Nola; 11-21-2002 at 04:58 PM.
11-21-2002, 05:07 PM
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Originally posted by Nola
Bottom line, for some mysterious reason the folks in marketing chose not to give us this feature, and the folks in engineering "hid" it in the most economical way they could think of. Pretty clever if you ask me.
Bottom line, for some mysterious reason the folks in marketing chose not to give us this feature, and the folks in engineering "hid" it in the most economical way they could think of. Pretty clever if you ask me.
11-21-2002, 05:17 PM
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2002 C240 6-spd (ret)
Hey fellas, I avoided reading this thread for a while. Cool that you have the "hidden" button. Here's a similar story: Years ago, I bought a Yamaha CD player -- one of the first models in 1985. It had a remote control with mostly basic functions. Several years later I bought a newer Yamaha CD player with a much more advanced remote. Anyway, I found that if I pressed the "open/close" button on the new remote (which was not present on the old model), voila! - the drawer opened on the old CD player!! The function had been there all along, they just didn't give the user access to the function...
11-21-2002, 05:27 PM
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'01 C240/6
Well, if you want guesses as to why its not included in the Hatchback key, here's what I would guess.
1. On the sedan, when you pop the trunk, it automatically rises open. MB wouldn't want to have an automatically rising Hatch on the Hatchback - too much potential for the Hatch rising up and smacking something.
2. If the Hatch doesn't rise automatically, having it unlock with the key isn't that useful. You have to reach down and open it manually anyways, and opening the latch isn't much more work.
3. Consumers would probably complain about it "Gee, I press the button but the Hatch only unlocks, but doesn't open. Must be broken."
4. It would be kind of a cheesy feature to talk about in the brochures, etc. - a Hatch that can be unlocked with the key, but you still have to put your packages down to manually open it. Kind of a half-@ssed thing, and they probably preferred not to not have a half-@ssed "automatic" hatch.
1. On the sedan, when you pop the trunk, it automatically rises open. MB wouldn't want to have an automatically rising Hatch on the Hatchback - too much potential for the Hatch rising up and smacking something.
2. If the Hatch doesn't rise automatically, having it unlock with the key isn't that useful. You have to reach down and open it manually anyways, and opening the latch isn't much more work.
3. Consumers would probably complain about it "Gee, I press the button but the Hatch only unlocks, but doesn't open. Must be broken."
4. It would be kind of a cheesy feature to talk about in the brochures, etc. - a Hatch that can be unlocked with the key, but you still have to put your packages down to manually open it. Kind of a half-@ssed thing, and they probably preferred not to not have a half-@ssed "automatic" hatch.
11-21-2002, 06:28 PM
#61
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Originally posted by SoCal240/6
Well, if you want guesses as to why its not included in the Hatchback key, here's what I would guess.
1. On the sedan, when you pop the trunk, it automatically rises open. MB wouldn't want to have an automatically rising Hatch on the Hatchback - too much potential for the Hatch rising up and smacking something.
2. If the Hatch doesn't rise automatically, having it unlock with the key isn't that useful. You have to reach down and open it manually anyways, and opening the latch isn't much more work.
3. Consumers would probably complain about it "Gee, I press the button but the Hatch only unlocks, but doesn't open. Must be broken."
4. It would be kind of a cheesy feature to talk about in the brochures, etc. - a Hatch that can be unlocked with the key, but you still have to put your packages down to manually open it. Kind of a half-@ssed thing, and they probably preferred not to not have a half-@ssed "automatic" hatch.
Well, if you want guesses as to why its not included in the Hatchback key, here's what I would guess.
1. On the sedan, when you pop the trunk, it automatically rises open. MB wouldn't want to have an automatically rising Hatch on the Hatchback - too much potential for the Hatch rising up and smacking something.
2. If the Hatch doesn't rise automatically, having it unlock with the key isn't that useful. You have to reach down and open it manually anyways, and opening the latch isn't much more work.
3. Consumers would probably complain about it "Gee, I press the button but the Hatch only unlocks, but doesn't open. Must be broken."
4. It would be kind of a cheesy feature to talk about in the brochures, etc. - a Hatch that can be unlocked with the key, but you still have to put your packages down to manually open it. Kind of a half-@ssed thing, and they probably preferred not to not have a half-@ssed "automatic" hatch.
11-21-2002, 07:30 PM
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'01 C240/6
Originally posted by BlackC230Coupe
Just to let you know almost every reason you just said does not make to much sense because: Not all Mercedes (sedans) when you press the trunk release does not always make the trunk open all the way. This can all be adjusted by the dealer if you wanted. Heres and example, on my 2002 CLK430 when i press the trunk release the trunk flys open like a rocket, my friend has the exact same car same year and everything, and when he presses his trunk release his just pops slightly up, then you need to manually lift it. So they dont all pop up like yours (and mine on my other car), alot do and alot dont. My mom used to have a E320 and a E430 and they both never poped up completly eaither.
Just to let you know almost every reason you just said does not make to much sense because: Not all Mercedes (sedans) when you press the trunk release does not always make the trunk open all the way. This can all be adjusted by the dealer if you wanted. Heres and example, on my 2002 CLK430 when i press the trunk release the trunk flys open like a rocket, my friend has the exact same car same year and everything, and when he presses his trunk release his just pops slightly up, then you need to manually lift it. So they dont all pop up like yours (and mine on my other car), alot do and alot dont. My mom used to have a E320 and a E430 and they both never poped up completly eaither.
Please tell me there is at least one person here that can see that, and see why BlackC230Hatchback's post demonstrates a MAJOR flaw in logical thinking. Please. Give me at least a glimmer of hope for the C class community.
11-21-2002, 08:12 PM
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Audi A5 Sportback + Cannondale Prophet
The Flaw in BlackC230Coupe's argument is that he claims that for sedans and other coupes, you can have the dealer adjust the force with which the trunk pops if you want to. This is not possible in the C Class Coupe even if we wanted. Hence, the argument is not valid.
However, he may have meant that MB could have used springs and struts, and set them so that it only opens partially. What I mean is this would have been a more robust argument. See what I mean?
However, he may have meant that MB could have used springs and struts, and set them so that it only opens partially. What I mean is this would have been a more robust argument. See what I mean?
11-21-2002, 08:24 PM
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'01 C240/6
Originally posted by Nola
However, he may have meant that MB could have used springs and struts, and set them so that it only opens partially. What I mean is this would have been a more robust argument. See what I mean?
However, he may have meant that MB could have used springs and struts, and set them so that it only opens partially. What I mean is this would have been a more robust argument. See what I mean?
Anyways, technically, MB may have been able to use springs and struts to only open the hatch partially - although that may start to get kind of involved. You'd need a mechanism that could detect whether the trunk has been unlatched manually, and could therefore be allowed to swing to full open, or whether it was unlatched remotely, and therefore would need to swing open only partly and then stop. That would start to get a little complicated, esp. for a marginally useful function on a car in a price class that does not require it - a lot easier to just get rid of the remote function.
11-21-2002, 09:20 PM
#65
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Originally posted by SoCal240/6
Just because the trunk on certain individual MB sedans and coupes (real coupes, like the CLK) doesn't function as it is supposed to does not mean that my guess doesn't make sense.
Just because the trunk on certain individual MB sedans and coupes (real coupes, like the CLK) doesn't function as it is supposed to does not mean that my guess doesn't make sense.
And why dont you understand what i ment? I mean that even if the trunk on the C230 COUPE only opens slightly and requires you to manually lift the trunk does not make it wrong because alot of cars sold brand new from MB dealers do not have the trunk completly fly open by its self. So therefore it would not make the C230 COUPE wrong if the trunk just slightly poped open.
Do you understand now? or do u need this translated into 1st grade terms? As its pretty easy to understand as is.
But even though the C230 COUPE does not have any possible way in stock for to have the trunk pop completly open would still not make it wrong since other MB vehicles come that way.
Last edited by BlackC230Coupe; 11-21-2002 at 09:22 PM.
11-21-2002, 09:56 PM
#66
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2002 C230 Coupe(M111)
SoCal will do anything to put down the C-Coupe
Its pretty obvious why the feature is there.
The C-Coupe is made mostly from C-class and SLK hardware...all the latching mechanisms have the release solenoid, and all the remotes are built with the same internals. The different casing cost virtually nothing.
I think its was rather foolish to 'lock out' the remote release...several reviews have complained about the lack of an internal or remote release for the hatch.
My wife's Probe GT didn't 'pop the hatch open' when you hit the release, it just sat there. I'm sure many other cars with a sloping hatch operate the same way.
The C-Coupe is made mostly from C-class and SLK hardware...all the latching mechanisms have the release solenoid, and all the remotes are built with the same internals. The different casing cost virtually nothing.
I think its was rather foolish to 'lock out' the remote release...several reviews have complained about the lack of an internal or remote release for the hatch.
My wife's Probe GT didn't 'pop the hatch open' when you hit the release, it just sat there. I'm sure many other cars with a sloping hatch operate the same way.
11-21-2002, 10:18 PM
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2010 C300 4matic
Originally posted by BlackC230Coupe
[BI mean that even if the trunk on the C230 COUPE only opens slightly and requires you to manually lift the trunk does not make it wrong because alot of cars sold brand new from MB dealers do not have the trunk completly fly open by its self. So therefore it would not make the C230 COUPE wrong if the trunk just slightly poped open.
Do you understand now? or do u need this translated into 1st grade terms? As its pretty easy to understand as is.
But even though the C230 COUPE does not have any possible way in stock for to have the trunk pop completly open would still not make it wrong since other MB vehicles come that way. [/B]
[BI mean that even if the trunk on the C230 COUPE only opens slightly and requires you to manually lift the trunk does not make it wrong because alot of cars sold brand new from MB dealers do not have the trunk completly fly open by its self. So therefore it would not make the C230 COUPE wrong if the trunk just slightly poped open.
Do you understand now? or do u need this translated into 1st grade terms? As its pretty easy to understand as is.
But even though the C230 COUPE does not have any possible way in stock for to have the trunk pop completly open would still not make it wrong since other MB vehicles come that way. [/B]
11-21-2002, 11:07 PM
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'05 c240 4matic wagon
My thanks to Mercedes for second-guessing its customers, but I'd still prefer my trunk to unlock remotely, thank you very nicely.
I can still push it open using my knee when carrying stuff in both arms without the need to put it down on the rain-soaked pavement. That should be a no-brainer. I've gotten pretty good at operating elevators using my knee.
Now, if someone could hack the tunnel mode function to close the roof in one fell swoop, the car will be near-perfect to me. If that friggin' "rain-sensor" would stop acting in full-on mode (grrrr - don't quite have the electronics licked yet, nicht wahr, Herr Ingenieur? Perhaps shoulda stuck to Diesel engines, was? Time zu kopieren von den Japanern, ja?)
I can still push it open using my knee when carrying stuff in both arms without the need to put it down on the rain-soaked pavement. That should be a no-brainer. I've gotten pretty good at operating elevators using my knee.
Now, if someone could hack the tunnel mode function to close the roof in one fell swoop, the car will be near-perfect to me. If that friggin' "rain-sensor" would stop acting in full-on mode (grrrr - don't quite have the electronics licked yet, nicht wahr, Herr Ingenieur? Perhaps shoulda stuck to Diesel engines, was? Time zu kopieren von den Japanern, ja?)
11-22-2002, 02:31 AM
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Originally posted by SoCal240/6
Well, if you want guesses as to why its not included in the Hatchback key, here's what I would guess.
1. On the sedan, when you pop the trunk, it automatically rises open. MB wouldn't want to have an automatically rising Hatch on the Hatchback - too much potential for the Hatch rising up and smacking something.
2. If the Hatch doesn't rise automatically, having it unlock with the key isn't that useful. You have to reach down and open it manually anyways, and opening the latch isn't much more work.
3. Consumers would probably complain about it "Gee, I press the button but the Hatch only unlocks, but doesn't open. Must be broken."
4. It would be kind of a cheesy feature to talk about in the brochures, etc. - a Hatch that can be unlocked with the key, but you still have to put your packages down to manually open it. Kind of a half-@ssed thing, and they probably preferred not to not have a half-@ssed "automatic" hatch.
Well, if you want guesses as to why its not included in the Hatchback key, here's what I would guess.
1. On the sedan, when you pop the trunk, it automatically rises open. MB wouldn't want to have an automatically rising Hatch on the Hatchback - too much potential for the Hatch rising up and smacking something.
2. If the Hatch doesn't rise automatically, having it unlock with the key isn't that useful. You have to reach down and open it manually anyways, and opening the latch isn't much more work.
3. Consumers would probably complain about it "Gee, I press the button but the Hatch only unlocks, but doesn't open. Must be broken."
4. It would be kind of a cheesy feature to talk about in the brochures, etc. - a Hatch that can be unlocked with the key, but you still have to put your packages down to manually open it. Kind of a half-@ssed thing, and they probably preferred not to not have a half-@ssed "automatic" hatch.
2. BMW and Audi has the trunk release and their trunk does not pop open like some MBs do. ML has the trunk release buttom too.
3. I think you would be the only one that will complain that way. Our Beetle and ML both has the trunk release buttom on the key.
4. all of the MBs have half-*** "automatic" trunk release. Only the NEW 7-series has the REAL "automatic" trunk relase. oh yeah, FYI, it close "automatically" too.
11-22-2002, 10:18 AM
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2002 C240 6-spd (ret)
Originally posted by columbus
... If that friggin' "rain-sensor" would stop acting in full-on mode (grrrr - don't quite have the electronics licked yet, nicht wahr, Herr Ingenieur? Perhaps shoulda stuck to Diesel engines, was? Time zu kopieren von den Japanern, ja?)
... If that friggin' "rain-sensor" would stop acting in full-on mode (grrrr - don't quite have the electronics licked yet, nicht wahr, Herr Ingenieur? Perhaps shoulda stuck to Diesel engines, was? Time zu kopieren von den Japanern, ja?)
11-22-2002, 12:40 PM
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Originally posted by SoCal240/6
2. If the Hatch doesn't rise automatically, having it unlock with the key isn't that useful. You have to reach down and open it manually anyways, and opening the latch isn't much more work.
3. Consumers would probably complain about it "Gee, I press the button but the Hatch only unlocks, but doesn't open. Must be broken."
4. It would be kind of a cheesy feature to talk about in the brochures, etc. - a Hatch that can be unlocked with the key, but you still have to put your packages down to manually open it. Kind of a half-@ssed thing, and they probably preferred not to not have a half-@ssed "automatic" hatch.
2. If the Hatch doesn't rise automatically, having it unlock with the key isn't that useful. You have to reach down and open it manually anyways, and opening the latch isn't much more work.
3. Consumers would probably complain about it "Gee, I press the button but the Hatch only unlocks, but doesn't open. Must be broken."
4. It would be kind of a cheesy feature to talk about in the brochures, etc. - a Hatch that can be unlocked with the key, but you still have to put your packages down to manually open it. Kind of a half-@ssed thing, and they probably preferred not to not have a half-@ssed "automatic" hatch.
Most do have a feature to at least unlock and unlatch the hatch/door so that opening it while still having your hands full is somewhat easier. I know I can usually spare a finger to flip the hatch/door up if I had to, but the whole hand to reach under and pul the handle... not always feasible.
I know guys like you would probably complain about the lack-luster nature of this feature, but there's the rest of us who would be more than happy with it.
First loaner I get I am seeing if I can switch the plastic casings... has anyone done it yet?
11-22-2002, 12:42 PM
#74
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Originally posted by taylor192
First loaner I get I am seeing if I can switch the plastic casings... has anyone done it yet?
First loaner I get I am seeing if I can switch the plastic casings... has anyone done it yet?
11-22-2002, 12:58 PM
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white and whiter
Originally posted by taylor192
First loaner I get I am seeing if I can switch the plastic casings... has anyone done it yet?
First loaner I get I am seeing if I can switch the plastic casings... has anyone done it yet?
...i'm all with you, but if you get caught it's your own problem.
