wmhjr

Agreed, however one would think that based on the date of the bulletin and the fact that my W211 has a build date of Feb '08, well....... (not to mention the others who have also said it does not work on their vehicles)

Let's hope that konigstiger comes up with some good news.

AMGTTV8

So after talking to some guys downstairs and doing some research, this function is only available on european units with a form of distronic that is not available here in the US...Apparently the stalk for the cruise control is even different on our cars than the european ones that have this capability.

To make a long and vague story short, it doesnt work and is not functional on our cars...unfortunate I know, I really wanted this to work...

konigstiger

Not disputing, and kind of figured so but how did MBUSA come to release a bulletin for it implying availability and documenting a specific malfunction fix thereof?

No mention of Distronic or stalk association in European manual:

HOLD
- when pulling away, especially on steep slopes
- when maneuvering on steep slopes
- when waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancelled and HOLD deactivated when you depress the accelerator pedal to pull away.

Activation conditions
- the vehicle is stationary
- the engine is running
- the driver's door is closed
- the parking brake is not applied
- the bonnet is closed
- on vehicles with automatic transmission*, the selector lever is in position D, R or N

Activating HOLD
Make sure that the activation conditions are met.
Depress the brake.
Depress the brake again quickly until HOLD appears in the display.
HOLD is activated. You can release the brake pedal.
If depressing the brake pedal the first time does not activate HOLD, wait briefly and then try again.

My contact will not return from Germany until the 24th - curious to find out Montvale’s official explanation of DTB release.

MB Fanatic

I believe this is incorrect as this doesn't have anything to do with Distronic. Only on the S/CL does distronic interface with brake hold function.

silberrosa

W211 USA definitely does not have it and never has and likely never will. Yes, they had it on ECE models but the legal environment is a bit different there. The R230 also has this on ECE models. However, the USA MY09 S-Class will have this feature representing the market introduction of this feature on an MB. Let's hope the next E-Class gets it.

Diesel Benz

I agree, HOLD does come on (Euro) cars that do not have distronic or distronic plus. Actually I don't see any connection with distronic, even on the S/CL, can you clarify? The car does stop with Distronic Plus and remains stationary until driver taps the cruise or presses gas pedal but the "Hold" indication does not come to the cluster in this case.

Otto

At least, mine does not have. This topic was discussed before, the alternative solution is use "W" or "C" mode (2nd gear start) to hold your car on a slope.

This is a pure cost issue in US W211 -- It is not a legal issue. My Audi Q7 comes with a hold feature. I think MBUSA should provide this feature for a safety reason. (My 2 cents is -> If you have to press brake on a slope to prevent your car rolling back -> your car is NOT a luxury car -> you are doing an action which should be done by your car.)

murman

Boy, this thread is confusing me.

Aside from the HOLD feature being indicated in the display, how does this system differ from the existing "hold" feature in our cars, or at least mine, 'cause my car seems to have this hold feature (excluding the HOLD indication in the display).

I can take my foot of the break on a level surface, and the car won't move until I hit the gas. Alternately, on an incline, I can take my foot of the brake and the car will not move backwards down the incline.

Isn't that the "hold" feature being discussed here?

amdeutsch

I believe that this thread is discussing this feature with regular brakes only. I might be wrong but your brake setup differs from later MYs based on your info provided under your avatar.

murman

True, that. I do have SBS (but don't have distronic).

Diesel Benz

I assume your car is not from the US (I cannot be sure, last time I got US immigration stamped to my passport at Vancouver ). Could this be different for Canadian cars?

I have to say I do not remember for sure about the W211, I tend to remember my car indicating HOLD at the IC display. My W221 definitely has that. Actually this is from the W211 Euro manual:
HOLD

• when pulling away, especially on steep slopes
• when manoeuvring on steep slopes
• when waiting in traffic

The vehicle is kept stationary without the driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancelled and HOLD deactivated when you depress the accelerator pedal to pull away.
Activation conditions

• the vehicle is stationary
• the engine is running
• the driver's door is closed
• the parking brake is not applied
• the bonnet is closed
• on vehicles with automatic transmission*, the selector lever is in position D, R or N

Activating HOLD

Make sure that the activation conditions are met.
Depress the brake.
Depress the brake again quickly until HOLD appears in the display.
HOLD is activated. You can release the brake pedal.


If depressing the brake pedal the first time does not activate HOLD, wait briefly and then try again.



The incline case does not need to be the Hold feature but if you say you can make your car stay in place, gear on, at level surface, this sounds like Hold. Do you mean it moves forward except if you specifically activate Hold with the brake pedal (press first to make the car stop moving and then press with more force again shortly and release the brake pedal)?

Diesel Benz

There are other features that MB has disabled for the US market for legal or liability reasons while other cars have not (meaning the feature is allowed but MB did not dear to have it).

But my question would be more on your cost claim. Which parts do you see different on US cars compared to Euro models? There may be a difference but I have not found any. Leaving one dollar part out from US cars would cost more for MB than the saved dollar (when ROW is using this low cost part). I'm guessing this is a SW option, meaning additional cost (even if marginal) when the SW variant is only needed because of the US market.

I would be glad to see the parts difference analysis.

murman

Correct. My car is not from the US.

I've never (conciously) applied the brakes as you indicate to have the car HOLD. All I've done is slowly take my foot off the brake pedal, and 9 times out of 10, the car just sits there. A few times I've thought "gee this must be messing up the guy behind me, 'cause I'm guessing my brake lights might not be lighting up if I don't have the pedal applied".

Diesel Benz

Would you be kind enough to test your car a bit, to the interest of the rest of us? Sounds strange if you get the Hold activated 9 out of 10 times when normally applying brakes.

If you gently press the brake pedal to stop the car, and then release the pedal, Hold should not get activated.

Could you specifically have a look at the IC display if it does indicate Hold.

silberrosa

There appears to be some confusion between two different features. HOLD and Hillholder. Hillholder simply keep you from rolling when at a stoplight. Depending on your MY, this is a function of whether you are in C or S mode. HOLD, which is not on USA cars, is activated as explained earlier, by a second pressing of the brake and will hold the car in place indefinitely. A corresponding message will appear in the IC which says HOLD. MBUSA not having this is certainly not a cost issue - only their concern and interpretation of the legal ramifications. As this will be implemented on the S-S-Class with MY09, I would assume this opinion has changed.

konigstiger

Silberrosa let me approach this in a different way. Simply why did MBUSA release DTB P-B-42.45/97 on March 24, 2008 – 211 as of MY07 “Brake Hold Function Cannot Be Activated” inclusive of several resolves to activate?

ATS

I would love to have this feature. I always thought that it is in the car, it just needs to be enabled.

I really dislike holding my foot on the brake at lights.

Let me know what you guys find out.

wmhjr

OK, I'm calling BS. To be honest, we have no idea exactly why MB chooses to treat us in the US as second class citizens. However, we know for sure that it is absolutely not solely cost. Example: Rear turn down mirrors. There is zero cost whatsoever. The capability is there - it is simply disabled in US versions. If anything, there is additional cost in disabling it. I've given up trying to figure out the reasons that MB does this stuff. I simply prefer to just believe that MBUSA is staffed by morons.

murman

Pried the car out of the wife-unit's hands to try things out.

IC does not display anything.

Car does not roll backwards on an incline, stays still when taking the foot of the brake on level surfaces, but the brakes DON'T hold when on a decline. So, maybe I am just experiencing "hill-holder"?

murman

No kidding. I would DEARLY love to hear them explain (without trying to break out in bales full of laughter) why we can't have RDS.

amdeutsch

3 initials are the reason: JDP

Too many owners/consumers don't RTFM, don't understand, dont comprehend, etc and therefore give negatives on ratings. Do that in a domestic and they shrug their shoulder. And lets not forget the wisdom of DOT in some instances.

$0.02

konigstiger

According to MBUSA engineering, this DTB was released in error “HOLD” does not apply to USA vehicles. Furthermore, the function cannot be activated in SDS. BIG SURPRISE! The understanding is that the DTB will be unpublished soon.

FYI: The MY09 S-Class will be equipped with “HOLD” therefore it makes sense that the 212 will also have it.

wmhjr

Just my opinion, but I don't believe this. I guess I mean that they just might make the very stupid decision (IMHO) to kill features because their implementation is flawed, documentation poor, execution lacking - in order to not have a lowered quality rating. However, it still falls into the "cut off your nose to spite your face" category of ignorance and arrogance. That means that their position is that US consumers are too stupid to deal with the same implementation that everyone else can.

DOT? Nope. None of the issues we're talking about are remotely assocated with any regulatory/safety DOT issue.

Mackhack

Not even with a Developer Mode SDS since this would only be a software option not a hardware option correct?

Mackhack

I wanna bring this topic up again since so many asked me about it and I was curious about it too. The cars sold everywhere are primarily seen and compared built the same for the entire world. Many features are controlled by the country settings in different ECUs (micro controller basically).

If this feature with a SBC system is available in Germany then why not in the US. If one is able to change the country settings shouldn't it be possible to gain this feature here in the US?