Hi,

Thanks to everyone for responding to my teleaid question. I spoke to MBUSA and they are refuting that the DAS can disable the malfunction message. Bernard (one of the 2 techs for MBUSA), says that teleaid is integral to the cars safety system and as such cannot be disabled. He said just ignore the message. He also said that the phone option in the DAS is totally unrelated to the teleaid.

It is not a big deal since the message disappears after start up. I just am annoyed that it is always prompting me to sign up and warning me of a malfunction. I am not going to pay for teleaid. I don't need it. I did not even know it existed when I decided to get the C32.

I guess I am wierd but I don't think this is acceptable. Any thoughts (aside from signing up)?

Thanks!!

I really don't see the problem with signing up for the first "Free" year. Just cancel it before the year is up if you don't want to pay for it. The worst case scenario is you get charged $150-$250 the following year. To me, that price is worth getting that annoying "1 Malfunction" off of the dash. If the cost is really a negative factor to you, set it up then cancel immediately. You got a C32, so $150 shouldn't really be a problem.

Thanks Boo. I am gonna subscribe for the free year. Cost is not the issue. It is the principle of the matter.

Thanks again.

Scott

You don't have to tell me twice about "Principle". I'm the same way.

The bigger issue is that they refute that it can be done. Luckily the issue will be resolved by signing up for the service. However, if you still need to get it removed for whatever reason (like if you don't want to sign up), just go to your dealer and hand them the print out of the thread. IT WORKS. I really don't care what the tech says, tele-aid is optional equipment. Just avoid MBUSA and speak with the service techs in person at the dealership. They know it can be done and you have proof. If they do not know how to do it, you have just showed them how.

This is ridiculous. I would call MBUSA back and tell Bernard that you have proof of how it can be done. He cannot refute this.

I handed the paper to my tech just to prove him wrong. He was giving me BS from the time I talked to him on the phone to the time I came to pick up some new batteries for the smart key. Finally, he stopped in mid-sentence (giving me a BS tele-aid story) and just nodded at the paper and handed it back to me. If that is not an admittal, I don't know what is.

Otherwise, service has been really good

My stepmom and my dad were cruising along, when suddenly,some bozo pulled out right into them. Her 3 month old E320 was totaled. Their car was hit, spun around, and hit again. Airbags deployed in order, each time the car was hit, a different airbag on that side deployed. Neither of them suffered any serious injuries, point being- Within seconds they were contacted through tele-aid, asked if they could get out of car, were they O.K. ? Don't worry, help is on the way. Within minutes, police, fire, and ambulance arrived at the accident scene. That, to me, is worth a lot more than the $245.00 yearly subscription. If you are keeping your car, there is a big discount for signing up for a 5 year stretch. IMHO worth having at any cost

Sure, it may be useful, but again we are commenting on MB's attempt to annoying you into purchasing it.

Getting a bit POed that we seem to know a lot of stuff "Master Technicians" don't. The denials are the hard part.

I doesn't really bother me when the car first comes out they don't know all of the little details, but WTF. Can't somebody at MB put together a manual that at least shows the settings and menus w/in the DAS? I understand if they dont want to give it to the general public, but maybe they should pass it around among themselves.

This whole topic is a nobrainer.

Let me guess, MBUSA got you to talk to Bernad and Neil ?

They seem to know everything that DAS can do, but do not admit it. However, we seem to come up with many of the solutions before they do because of our message boards.

EXACTLY!!!!!

Same Doofus! Bernard or Bernad or Gonad. Whatever he is called. I did not like him. I felt like he was spewing corporate BS to me.

It is clear that there has to be a submenu. I refuse to believe that there is no option to disable the teleaid. It is bullcrap. I am pissed about this lying.

Scott

I just had a long talk with the service manager of the dealership where I got the car. I explained that they are either going to disable the malfunction indicator and turn of the SOS red light, OR they will be paying my subscription. I do not want teleaid. I declined the Comand and GPS when I chose the car, I do not need teleaid. I have zero desire for teleaid.

I don't believe for a second that in my densely populated New Jersey area, that teleaid will get me accident support faster than it would happen anyhow. The possibility of me getting in a severe accident, unable to dial for help, in an area where there is no one to help or call 911, is extremely slim. Certainly not worth the $480 plus airtime that they want. It is my right to enjoy the car without this annoying message and red light.

The worst thing is the runaround. The lies about that it can't be turned off. I was told by one person that this is due to liability reasons. That they would be disabling a "safety" feature. Uh huh. One that I declined in writing!

If I find out that it is possible to turn off the teleaid, I WILL go after Bernards head. I don't like being lied to. More of my "principles"!

Scott man, you don't need to find out. I hate to reiterate, but my dealer has aleady done this for me. No malfunction now. All it took my was knowledge of the menu's existence and the complied.

Let's get the message to MB corporate that this is BS.
"Fail" the service on their report card to MB.

The tech should be aware of all the menus. Either they are aware and are lying=fail, or they aren't and need training=fail, simple as that.

For some reason those report cards are very important, and you will probably get everyone's attention.

Update. This is straight from the Teleaid/MBUSA Telemetric people:

Question: If the customer declines service how do we remove the "1 Malfunction" message from the IP?


Answer: The "1 Malfunction" message will always remain on the IP if the customer declines the service. Legally it must appear as an indication to the customer that the service is not activated. If you scroll down that menu, you can see it says, "Tele Aid Not Activated" if you need to clarify the malfunction message for your customer.

TELEAID has a lot more to offer than just 911-type assistance.If your car is taken,it's location can be found whenever the car is running.I also inadvertently found that the tow alarm gets immediate attention as well...lowered the car off the jack with the doors locked and set off the alarm.After turning the alarm off,I heard the phone ring-it was Mercedes calling to see if everything is OK. This happened in my closed garage.
Recently a lady in Houston was yanked from her ML320,and the carjacker took off in it with her two small children.TELEAID let the car be tracked,and the kids could be heard in the car without the carjacker being aware of it.The police were told where to find the car,and did so.
In light of what we're already paying for insurance,the additional
$240/year isn't much more.Could save your life,or the life of someone else important to you.

I agree since you can afford a 50-130K Car you can Afford the 250 per year for that kind of service. I wish I had teleaid this past winter when our navigator caught a flat in the middle of no where when it was -2 out being without a cellphone the Navigation systems emergency feature just had a number to call to get help but it didnt actually call for you I was diappointed.

That 250/year can get me so many cd-r's! Just because one has the money now doesn't mean they can just spend it like that. When you are working hard and reorganizing everthing for that last couple dollars and then you make it to the top its hard to justify that kind of money. Even more so when your son pressured you into buying a car you had no intention of buying!

Well its a very nice feature some can go with out it but its a life saver for some. 250 a year isnt that much if you look at it for the features you get you can get your car back, your kids back, can save the car from gettin towed or stolen.

I see where your coming from. My dad wouldn't however. If I had the choice of buying a new Mercedes or just being able to push my dad into the direction I would get Tele-Aid.

Yep you can have your car for 10 years and never need tele-aid then that one day comes around and all of sudden you wish you would have purchased it.

I hope that day never comes..

And bring the thread a little more back on track to the original intent.. somewhere..

Lets say that day does come, is there a possibility that one can still use Tele-aid but it costs a substantial fee?

thats a good question just like when your cell phone isnt activated it still can use the 911 feature.

The emergency feature WILL NOT work on Teleaid unless you are a current subscriber.