MBStar

The Parktronic Red LED alarm has not recurred since Friday, when they
replaced the the (now) rear (moved from the front) sensors, with a set of 4
new ones. The "hot" new software fix from Germany did not sovle the
problem. Initially I was getting the sudden, unexplained Parktronic audio
and visual alarm only in the front, but after swapping the sensors front to
back, and uploading this new software, I was getting the alarm also in the rear.

So now I am left with the embarrassing Navigation system (a $200 Garmin
Nuvi shows the approaching cross street names, unlike the MB OE Navi), and
a completely useless Linguatronic that cannot recognize the names I stored,
even if I play them back from my Dictaphone. Not to mention the lack of any
traffic info overlay on the Navigation Maps.

And like I thought, the GM of my dealership DOES think all this is my own
fault...."bad karma" - he says!.

Well here you are, while I like the way it dives, handles, and the sweet V8, I
am not a happy owner....

lukemcv

That's not too many issues... It is new to the market ... it is also a gorgeous car.

Built in Sat navs never compare to portable ones ( for some stupid reason) even though they cost more.

Sorry to hear you're unhappy. Give it more time though !

E550-Coupe

sorry to hear that dude. my e coupe so far is being good to me. i hope i don't run into same problems. otherwise MB has serious issues

MBStar

How is your Navigation working in Clagary? When you are in the map mode, do
you have all the street names displayed? How about the upoming cross street?

stogie1020

MBStar,

What other OEM Nav systems have you used that showed every cross street? I currently have an Acura (looking to pick up a E550 Coupe) and Acura has always had one of the better Nav systems. It does not show the street name for each upcoming cross street unless I am zoomed ALL the way in to such a level that I would lose sight of where I was going on the map.

E550-Coupe

Nav works pretty good as far as i know. and you are right! not all the street name displays it. but then again, if you zoom in far enough they will show.

MBStar

Stogie 1020, I hate to admit it, but I have been a loyal MB owner (19 cars since 1986)
so I have limited experience with other cars. My CL550 (C216)
showed most close by street names at one zoom level or another, just like your Acura.
My wife has a honda product and all the nearby street names and also the name of the next upcoming
streets will dispaly depending on the zoom level.

My E550C shows virtually no street names at ANY zoom level, and certainly no
upcoming cross street names at ANY zoom level.
See the picture of my NAV:

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ml#post3781017

E550-Coupe, would you verify/confirm that when you zoom in, all the nearby street names show up?
I would really appreciate it! Thanks very much.

Stuttgart-UT

Sorry to hear but please don't make a drama!

USE YOUR WARRANTY and go to the next Merc dealer and let it fix...
maybe your navi is defect...

I_Love_MB

Correct....Best option is to change the whole Navigation system under warranty instead of repairing it again & again.. You have a right!!

E550-Coupe

sorry for the late reply,
i checked my nav, and calgary street is named after numbers. like 1st SW, 59 Ave etc... and it shows up pretty good. but i did notice that if street name is long like university Ave, then i doesn't show. i'd better check with dealer about that.

MBStar

I think not as sorry as I am....
Why should I have to drive from dealer to dealer with a 3 week old Mercedes?
Maybe my Navis is defect, but MB says it is not. They know they have very
poor Navi and at best can hope that Navteq (which I believe provides the Navi maps)
will produce a fix in a year or two

Besides, you are located in Mercedes Land, home of some of the strongest
automotive consumer protection legislation. My friends in Berlin tell me that had this problem
occured for the third time, they would have left the keys at the dealer
and got their money back. With that for incentive, the manufacturers
take service satisfaction to a different level.

In this country though, it is different - the arbitration process is run and funded by the
manufacturers "association", it is cumbersome, and stacked against the consumer.
So arrogance prvails: "there can't anything wrong with the MERCEDES, so it
is the customers unreasonable expectation, sick imagination or more likely,
His FAULT!"

Having said that, I still drive a Mercedes!

MBStar

I'll tell my dealer you said so....

sunnySD

I wouldn't criticize a car for bad OE Nav because I think $200 Garmins are better than all the ones from the car manufacturers. For me personally, the OE Nav units are more eye candy than useful. Larger screens but not as useful as portable GPS units. Most of the time, just using Google Maps on my cell phone is good enough and accurate.

I think the problem with the OE ones in cars is that they stay the same for 5 years and even though the 2010 E's Nav is new, it's probably from a design started 3 years ago, not yearly updated like Garmin. Can you imagine using a 3-4 year old Garmin and trying to compare it to this year's model? I think this technology is changing too fast for car manufacturers to provide state of the art.

MBStar

You have a point, in a way: A car is should not be judged by the Navi alone! Granted!

To balance the picture, I think the Distronic Plus is amazing. Every time the
alarm went on it beat me by a split second in predicting a potential collision.
And all that without a single false alarm. Distronic is a an example of Mercedes'
technical leadeship and its supremacy in the Auto Land. That is what
Mercedes shold be like! This feature is worth the money I paid for it,
and in this respect I am a staisfied customer!

So, if Mercedes can produce such a an mazing piece of electronic
wizardry, why are they asking all of us to put up with the under engineered Navi?

Minuteman

When you buy a Mercedes you tend to overlook the Navigation or even if the quality of the Navigation is poor it generally isn't a deal-breaker. Mercedes-Benz usually does a overhaul on their Navigation system every few years. Distronic Plus is more of a selling point then the Navigation system since virtually all cars nowadays either come standard with Navigation or it's an option.

Personally if you want the best Navigation system I would not look at car companies but technology based companies that either specialize in making Navigations (Garmin) or technology companies like Google.

YYZ-E55

@MBStar

Change your navi setting and don't use "Perspective" mode... that will solve your missing street name issue.

MBStar

And it keeps on DISAPPOINTING:

My Keyless Go fails when cold apparently due to a
battery voltage drop in the cold. They claim it is due to my "driving style":
short work - home trips which do not charge the battery properly.
So this low voltage shuts off my Keless GO!

Yet it works fine after I click the car open / locked with a key, and none of
my previous MB cars' Keless Go failed like that, and there is enough juice to
start and get all the systems to work as soon as I start the car.
And so they say the car "behaves as designed"....That may be the case but I
am sure it is not the way they meant it to behave. But no, "you have to get
used to it Sir!" A marvel of engineering!

What a load of crap that is!

BigHat

Wow. Sorry for your bad luck. I thought MB quality was on the rise. It's a beautiful car though. Almost got one, but the dealer was an a*s and I was on the fence to get another BMW M3 anyway so that's what I ordered. Maybe these 550s verts in 3 years, after they work out the bugs, will get tempting.

highroller550

i had that happened to me a few times aswell......

AJRDU

That has happened to me, but I hadn't tied it to the cold weather until now. My car is garaged every night, but it can dip into the 50's in there. when it get's in colder my keyless go shows "key not detected" but will work fine if i push the unlock button.

steelgrey

It appears to me that the only solution would be to sell the car and get something that has absoutely no idiosyncraces. The quality of the Navigation really depends on the the software/map vendor which I'm sure is not MB. But a car, even if it is beautiful, has what Car & Driver Magazine says is one of the sweetest, best-behaved V-8's they've experienced, is loaded with high tech features to improve your driving experience, is not worth owing if the cross streets don't show and the keyless go does not function in cold weather. I would dump this car as soon as I could.

E350 Coupe

I have to agree the car is not absolutely perfect, and only probably 99% better then most other cars out there, so being that it is such a disappointment I would get rid of the vehicle before the stress of owning it overcomes you.

And I thought only the media was into sensationalism?

MBStar

Ha! Ha! No chance of the stress "overcoming me" but thank you two newbies for your ironic input.
No one needs you to tell us of the virtues of this and other MB cars -
that is why really discerning buyers like me keep buying them. Not because
as graphic designers we find them better looking than the S5.

But that doesn't mean that we should lower our expectations, and stop
insisting that MB live up to its reputation. "Noblesse oblige" meaning if you
are a prince you should act like one! No one expects E550C to be "perfect"
but we do have the right to expect effective and competent response to
post marketing problems.

As for selling the car: have you two looked recently at the resale value of
the MB cars? Sorry, I am not interested in "eating" $25K.
Besides like I said elsewhere in this forum, it IS a sweet engine
(and I don't need Car and Driver to tell me that) and I love the Distronic Plus!

steelgrey

Oh no, now I've disappointed you. I guess I'll always be known as a newbie, who doesn't recognize good design (By the way it's an occupation that pays very well.) and I can't recognize the virtues of good performance and handling without reading it. Hopefully, with therapy I can learn to be a discerning buyer like you. Then maybe I can be a prince too!

MBStar

WOW, you managed to squeeze all of my points into one really smooth
repartie - I am impressed! (Not disappointed!).
I am sure you are a tech guy deep down, and make lots of money designing - no offense meant!
No, you will not have to be forever a newbie - hang around - buy a few
"Benzes", get some of your own experiences with a V8 (not reading C&D -
which incidentally is almost always spot on with their comments and reviews)
and you will get be a Member!
But to be a prince? Well, for that you will have to get a frog to kiss you
right on the lips!

I love my V8! Relax, and lets be friends!