OK,

I'm a-gonna ask y'all, cuz I'm starting to think my **** either doesn't work, or I'm going crazy.

I have ventilated seats (and heated, and active, and drive dynamic). The heated option, the drive dynamic, etc. all work great. This is the second or third time I've tried the ventilated seats. I hit that button and kept it on three blue bars for at least an hour. I didn't feel a ******* thing. It sure as hell didn't keep my *** any cooler.

And that sun-tracking feature that helps your quadrant of the digital climate control compensate for direct sunlight depending on where your vehicle is in relation to the sun? I understood it to mean if you're driving northbound on the west coast in the afternoon, the sun is outside your driver's side window and glaring into your side of the cabin. Your left arm and left leg are in direct sun (cooking you slowly). I understood the sun tracking of the climate control would recognize this and increase your quadrant's cooling power to compensate for the direct sun glare you were receiving.

Well, if it's supposed to do all that, it too sucks. Except for reading about it in the brochure and the manual, and the button on the dash for the ventilated seats, I can discern no difference. They may as well not even be there.

Is it just me, or do others have these issues? Does anyone have them that work noticeably well?

PS--Just so this thread doesn't go off topic with all kinds of people posting, "Hey my car doesn't have that option, does it come with E320s too? Or is it part of the sport package??"

I Don't Know. If you have these options, you know you have them, and it is from those with experience regarding these options from whom I seek guidance.

Sorry to be so blunt, but I cooked in my car all day, and I'm a bit short on patience and long on frustration at the moment as I type this post.

Thank you,

EDJ

 

I don't have the ventilated seats so have no idea if they work.

I was not aware of the complicated functioning of the AC. I guess I will have to read about it. Seems to me that the whole automatic mode of the climate control does not seem to work well. I find myself running it in manual mode most of the time.

I would like to hear how this is supposed to work. Of course, I just want someone else to tell me so I don't have to read the book and try to understand what they are talking about:p

Ed

 

"..."Sun shining on the right rear passenger? The 4-way solar sensor tells the system to compensate automatically."

...."Seat belt sensors allow the climate control to concentrate first on occupied seats."

A subtle reason to buckle-up.

 

I have the AVS but not drive-dyamic seats. This is the momentary flash of time every year when Houston gets San Diego weather, so I've only used the cool function once, and that was at lunch. I was aware that there was a type of cooling occurring; it was more of a soft neutral air flow more than a cooling per se.

Ask again in a few weeks when it's in the 90s with 90% humidity. I'm sure I'll have an opinion about the capabilities of the seat cooling at that time...

 

I wouldn't say the seat coolers actually make your back and butt cold. It's more like it keeps it comfortable... or it least it should. Also, when you have the 3 blue lights on (the highest setting), you should be able to hear the fans going. Other than that, you can't really feel the air much.

 

I agree with the previous post, the vent option make the seats more "confortable" not cool. I think it works but I have not tried them on a 90+ degree heat.

I agree with the "moving" climate control thing, not sure if it works.

On the topic of "does this work for you" (am I doing what you said I shouldn't? but):

How about the easy exit feature where the steering wheel and seat moves on exit. Can't get that to work.

How about setting the seats, mirrors and ac to each key. Can't get that to work.

How about hitting the ac recycle button and all windows and roof closes. Can't get that to work.

How about the massage feature on the contour seats. It's not there.

Sorry for going off in other directions. I don't hate the car at all, but there is some serious false advertisement going on.

 

EDJ-
I do not have the 4 zone climate system, but still understand that the sun tracking is supposed to work.
Yesterday my wife and I were returning from LA to SF Bay, via I5 mid afternoon. Outside temp was 92. I was driving so sun was beating on me, temp control set at 72, and was comfortable. Wife in passenger seat had to set temp at 77 to keep from freezing, so I share your concern on the ability to track sun and adjust cooling.

 

The seats are Ventilated Not Cooled. Thus meaning that suction is taken from outside air and into the seats. They are supposed to stop ur back from sweating. It just allows for air to circulate in a closed area (Between your back and Seat) It is in no way a cooling system.

 

If the seat is way back, will not happen.

Quote:

How about setting the seats, mirrors and ac to each key. Can't get that to work.

Should work, turn it on from the settings menu and program the things with both keys and they should be independandnt.

Quote:

How about hitting the ac recycle button and all windows and roof closes. Can't get that to work.

Its not hitting, its pressing - Keep it pressed until everything closes then when you dont want the air recycled keep it pressed until all the windows and roof are back to its original position.

Quote:

How about the massage feature on the contour seats. It's not there.

Sorry for going off in other directions. I don't hate the car at all, but there is some serious false advertisement going on.

The massage feature is not with the contour seats - its with drive dynamic - Mercedes states it can change the features at any time without prior notices.. all big companies do that.

 

Thanks for the replies, I'm glad it is not *just* me who is experiencing difficulties making the "most advanced car ever on the road" work properly.

And I agree, I have never been able to make my easy exit feature work, nor do the seats/mirrors change when my wife's key is used in my car and vice versa...despite having used her key to set her settings in my car.

The most advanced car on the road needs two things:
A technical writer for their brochure that explains things clearly, and a technical writer that doesn't over-exaggerate the benefits of a minor feature that probably doesn't deserve seperate discussion because it it neither works nor is a real feature (such as the sun-tracking adjustability of the climate control).



Boy oh boy, my dealer is gonna hate me. I just keep writing **** down on my little note pad in the car of items I'm going to have them look at, fix, explain, make good on, etc. when I go in for my first regularly scheduled maintenance visit.

EDJ

 

The easy exit feature seems to be a problem with a lot of us. I could not get mine to work at first and had the dealer look at it. It worked for a while and now does not.

I cannot get the "on" selection to select on the menu. Anyone have a solution to this problem? Is this the same thing the others are experiencing?

Ed

 

Dropped my car off at the dealer today to have them look at the "easy exit" feature that is not working.

Also, had them install the "flash update for delayed acceleration" that MB208 (Dave) posted on the tech forum. Not sure if I have a problem. I just felt it can't hurt. Will let you know if I see any difference. Service advisor says it makes a big difference.

Ed

 

Joe, what is 'easy exit', and by the way, does it come on 320's?

 

The "easy exit" runs the seat back and the steering wheel up when you turn off the key. When you put the key in it goes to the position it was in when you turned off key.

It is for fat people, I think:p Seriously, when my wife drives the car the seats stay in a very forward positionand it is very hard to get in to even get the key in to run the seat back.

I think it is on all of the E-series cars.

Ed

 

Ed,

Is the delayed acceleration issue when you first step on the gas, like from a stop light it seems to vroom up to 10 miles an hour and then drop shift into gear before it really starts moving?

Mine does that. Drives me nuts.

Thanks,

EDJ

 

Joe.......According to the thread below, there seems to be a varied range of symptoms. The main symptom seems to be a lack of power under full and mid range acceleration. Like I said, I am not sure that I have this problem but thought it could not hurt to have them do it while I had my car in.

I have had a delay but don't know if it is the same thing. I hope I can see a difference when I pick it up this afternoon.

Check this out:

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...threadid=33313

Ed

 

Thanks Ed, I checked it out!

EDJ