rovermark

Anyone came across this? Suddenly does not work anymore following a winter storm.

Also, at the same time, the Tire Monitoring system message lit up with the message "Check Tyre Pressures Soon". Unsure why this happened as the tires were perfectly fine. I reset the system.

A few days earlier the Radio / Telephony System / Media "froze" - would not work. After the car was turned off and restarted, it worked again.

Also a few days ago, the Adapative Headlight system stopped working. I put it down to a sensor getting blocked with ice (in the mean time it is working again).

Any one with similar issues?

Live Oak

That strange mix of stuff sure sounds like an electronics/computer problem.

Let's hope you are still under warranty!

listerone

I've had my Distronic functions go out on me twice...both during slushy/icy conditions.They came back when those conditions eased.It sounds like your trouble might be more serious.Electrical,perhaps?

rovermark

Still under warranty (car is 1.5 years old), but a hassle because I need to drive 1.5 hours to get to the dealer and take an afternoon off work (only to be told that they will have to order parts).

Live Oak

No loaner?? I'd put the inconvenience on the dealer. They made a lot of money on your car, and part of that is to take care of customers above and beyond the time and parts MB reimburses them for.

My dealer takes my car and in 10 minutes I'm in a Mercedes loaner and I'm out of there going about my business. I've had a loaner for as long as five days waiting for diagnosis and/or parts.

That's one of the reasons we spend $60,000-70,000 on a car. And service by a good dealer.

BTW, your problem sounds really complex and intermittent. Be sure the SA writes down everything --- they tend to listen to part of what you say and write down the first thing they hear, like "TPMS message." Your issue is much more than what the SA might write down, and the techs need to understand exactly what's been happening so they don't jump on just one symptom and not really fix anything.

listerone

Agree with Live Oak.Unless things are different north of the border dealers should have loaners which you can keep for as long as your car remains unfixed.I know that some parts of Ontario are pretty sparsely populated (I driven from Manitoba to Quebec) but,at worst,a long distance to the dealer would be a problem at drop off and pickup.

rovermark

Well, yes, I do get a loaner. I refuse to go to dealerships that will not provide one.

The point though is that I have to spend an hour and half driving to the dealer and an hour and half back (3 hours), only to be told they need to order this or that part and that I should pick up my car in the meantime. This time however I will tell them to fix the problem and keep the car.

YYZ-E55

Almost certainly requires replacement of one of the blind spot sensors in the rear bumper. Very simple repair. You could ask your dealer to verify stock.

rovermark

thank-you, I will do that.

Do you know why the rear hatch will not open beyond 1cm? The dealership in the summer said they have never seen something like this before (initially they did not believe me and told me to reproduce the problem, then when I managed to show them this with repeat malfunction, they said they did not know and that they would replace the lock mechanism. This did not make sense to me, because it does go up, but will not raise beyond 1 cm or so.). I did not end up taking it back to that dealer.

Live Oak

The OP has a wildly unrelated series of electrical/electronic symptoms. Going after just one does not seem to be an effective strategy.

And the latest symptom he presents, the trunk lid motor not engaging, and the apparent reaction of his dealer, suggests that his dealer tries to flummux customers instead of addressing defects --- assuming power trunk lid as he expects is included in his car.

Arrie

The trunk opens by the springs. There is no motor driving it open. When the lock is released it should open with the springs pulling it up.

So, either your trunk lid is too heavy, which it is not unless you have attached some extra weight to it, or the springs are too weak or a spring not connected, i.e. has come loose from end(s).

YYZ-E55

I'm only speaking to the issue in the subject of this thread. Snow impacts the blind spot sensors - I understand it to be a relatively common issue for Canadians.

As for the EASY-PACK hatch - Rover, if you use the remote to open the hatch (rather than the paddle above the license plate), does it work properly every time? As I'm driving a wagon now, I've had the same issue as you a few times recently.

rovermark

Arrie:
Are you referring to the saloon/sedan? For the Estate / Wagon, there has to be a motor opening the rear hatch. It is a controlled opening, and you can hear the motor sound. It is not just springs. There is nothing I have attached to the tailgate / hatch.

With my Volvo, which had almost the identical problem, they traced it down to a "hydraulic motor" that was intermittently working. Mercedes dealer said they would replace the locking mechanism, but that does not make sense to me - it is the motor or struts that lifts the hatch that is a problem, because with a gentle pull, it will continue to open.

YYZ: your information regarding the blind spot sensor is very helpful to me, and thank-you for that. It does not make a difference if I use the key fob to open the hatch, the button on the door, or the hatch release paddle.

If I am correct, there are two parts to this mechanism: the locking mechanism, which will unlock and push or pull the hatch away or towards the lock, and a mechansim which will lift the tailgate/hatch. The lock is probably the cheaper and more easily accessisble, which is why the dealership I had gone to wanted to replace that. With my Volvo, they had to keep the car for 2 days to get to the mechanism.

YYZ-E55

I agree with your assumption that it's motor related and not an issue with the latch, but I'm merely an armchair mechanic Good luck and please let us know the outcome.

Arrie

Ok,

My bad. I thought you drive a sedan. Missed the fact you have a wagon.

About the dealer wanting to replace the lock for a fix is not necessarily a bad idea. The lock has a limit switch that enables the motor to open the hatch. This limit switch is needed to tell the system that the lock really has released the hatch for opening it. This is necessary so that the motor does not try to open the hatch when the lock has not released it yet.

If this limit switch fails the motor will not push the hatch open. Instead you will see it open just slightly what the lock itself does, just what you descripe.

eagle_lex

during snow and slush yesterday i got the blind spot warning and the distronic warning. oddly enough when i arrived home... i also got the tire warning. but i attributed the blind spot and distronic issue being the result of slush over the radar sensor in the grill. as for the tires MAYBE they dipped a few pounds low due to the lower temps... so i just put a few extra pounds in them and ill reset the monitor today. not sure this helps the OP but thats been my limited experience on this topic. im thinking ANY snowy driving is going to cause these warnings as the front end collects slush pretty easy it appears..... ugh.

rovermark

Interesting comment regarding the lock mechanism. I will have them look at this again.

I was moving through 10cm of fresh snow today (the car got a good cleaning from underneath), and the Blind Spot Assist started to work again all day. I wonder, are these sensor affected by dirt (like the bumper park assist ones)? Does anyone have a picture of them and know exactly where they are located? Can they be accessed, or are they in the bumpers themselves? (In other words, can I try cleaning them if this recurs, or is that not possible?)

konigstiger

The Blind Spot Assist monitors events to the rear and sides of the vehicle - monitored by radar sensors installed on the left and right sides of the rear bumper (500 in diagram).

alanme123

Weird.. before I left for vacation my car had the exact same message for some random reason after I washed my car.. Blind spot assist inoperable. I restarted my car and it still showed, but then it disappeared the next day. I thought it had something to do with the car wash but then I wash it myself every time and it never showed up before. Good thing I have my first service at 10k miles so I'll have my dealer check it out once I get back