SAguirre

As most of you probably know, I noticed erratic trip meter readouts on my E when I go into one of the menus in the MFD. I finally figured this out after 12 months and having the trip meter change readouts about 4 times. When I showed it to the head mechanic and he had never seen it and wants to try it on other Es.

So this is what I am asking: Could a few of you please try this and tell me if your trip meter gets screwed up? Please!

First, make sure that when you turn on the ignition to position one, you have either the speedometer or the outside temperature displayed.

Second, while you have the ignition key on position ONE, before all the idiot lights turn on, QUICKLY press the trip meter reset button 3 times. This has to be done quite quickly.

Third, if you did this correctly, you will hear a beep and the battery voltage will be displayed on the MFD.

Fourth, scroll within this menu all the way past the “oil readout,” the “dynamometer setting”,” then VIN until you get to the service section. Just to be safe, DON’T USE THE LEFT SIDE BUTTONS ON THE STEERING WHEEL AT ANY TIME!

Fifth, when you get to this menu you have a list of service items . . . is when backing out of this menu ends up changing the Trip meter. I back out by pressing the bottom page button on the left set of buttons.

Every time I back out, my trip meter displays another mileage amount that even the head mechanic in the shop does not know where it comes from! Recently mine is changing to about 550 miles.

If you understand what I am talking about here and want to try this, please take note where your trip meter was before and after this. I am curious if this is normal. I only go to this menu to see the exact oil readout since I have no dipstick. I also found that the trip meter only acts up when I go all the way to the end of the menu (to the service side).

Any information any of you might have about this it would be great! The dealer tried this on a 2003 model, but it had some Teleaid errors and caused this diagnostic mode to get stuck on that issue. The head mechanic is currently waiting to get other cars exactly like mine to test this on.

Thanks,

Steve

khaug

Yup, my trip odo reset from 130.7 to 509.7 when I accessed the menu as you instructed. The new reading is what it showed when it was last reset, and the odo will now continue adding miles to that figure, if it performs as it has in the past.

This has happened to me a couple of times before, but I'm not at all sure it was related to accessing the menu you specified, as I don't think I've done that previously. Just checking the oil level in quarts did not cause the trip odo reading to revert, BTW.

Incidentally, when I got to the menu that caused the problem, I was unable to move the highlight bar with the arrow keys, and had to turn off the ignition to get the MFD back to "normal".

We seem to be figuring this out bit by bit. Please post more as it unfolds.

SAguirre

Thank you so much! Now I feel much better. I doubt that it is an error in the system, but I think that there must be some reason for this. And since there are no instructions for this menu I doubt we will find out soon. At least I will now believe my service manager if he tells me that it is normal.

You think then that the 509.7 reading is what the trip meter got up to the last time before resetting it? My trip meter always went up past the amount I would get out of a tank of fuel. The most I ever get out of a tank is about 525 miles and it likes to hit about 540 miles after I get into the menu.

I too was not able to back out of the system if I went all the way to the service part. I also had to move the key back. I also recall that once I turned on the dynamometer setting and it was very hard to get it back to normal. I had to do something with the key too.

I have also had this happen without getting into this menu. I think it has happened when I tried the 5,3,7 trick on the COMAND. I quit going in that menu because I have lost all my settings once. I have tons of Navigation entries and all my 100 voice recognition telephone numbers set up. I don't want to loose them again!

So once again, thank you for trying this, yet another perceived electrical gremlin that is not really a problem.

Steve

Frank Wiesmann

mine does it too!

khaug

I keep a logbook and checked the figure for the last tank of fuel I bought. The odo reading definitely reverted to what it had been when last reset. That had been my impression when this happened before, but I'd never checked it.

I, too, tried the 5-3-7 trick some time ago and it caused problems so I didn't try it again. I don't believe, though, that the previous episodes of the trip odo reading reverting to an earlier one were associated with my playing with the MFD. However, I may be wrong. Now that I know what can do it, I'll be alert for anything I do that causes it to happen.

When I was a kid growing up, my mom used to say, "Can't you ever leave well enough alone?" Guess some things never change.

SAguirre

You are not the only one who this was told to . I too keep a log book, but I never noticed the trip meter active up until a while later. This made me be quite puzzled by why it did it. However, I bet you are right.

Well, at least we know we can check the oil level in quarts without screwing up the trip meter. I find that knowing the exact level is very nice. I guess this feature is still working on the new cars that have the internal oil read out discontinued?

I guess this is designed this way and we were never intended to see this issue.

As you all know, I have posted about this before, but I would not be happier about finally finding out what is causing this!

Steve