amf77

Hello. On our 2018 W213........is there a way to program the seat so that when you exit the car, the seat moves back automatically, and the steering wheel moves up?......conversely, when you open the car door, the seat should move back, etc.......,and when you start the car the seat moves forward into "driving position". This is how my Porsche seat functions, and it is very handy. Just wondering if this can be done on the Merc......Thanks.

ua549

The seat won't move but the steering wheel should rise.

The_Judge

Apparently the only work-around is to program one of the three seat settings to move the seat all the way back. Of course, that means you have to press that button to get out, then press one of the other two buttons to move the seat back to your driving position. This is another oversight by MB. Every other non-MB car give had in the last 15 years or so has had this function fully automated.

Cao Black

To further compound this oversight by MB, they require that you press and hold the programmed seat buttons. I love the appearance and the driving experience, but I would like to see some "pre-driving" changes (improvements). Seats would be high on that list. Good would be a simple press, without holding, a desired seat button, and better would be programmable entry/exit options based on the key fob being used. Next would be an option to permanently set Eco start/stop and Dynamic driving to your desired setting also based on the key fob. And finally, I would like more pronounced detents when swinging the doors open. If you're moving the seat and possibly the steering wheel to make getting in and out easier, so would insuring that the door doesn't get in your way

ua549

I do not believe this is an oversight, rather it is a safety issue with seat movement that cannot be stopped once initiated. That said, I wouldn't benefit from the seat movement feature because I drive with the seat all the way back. I wish there was another couple of inches of driver legroom.

ThomasJL

Mbracer26

Take you car in for the door tension, a recent TSB was released by Mercedes that promises a fix.

Cao Black

Maybe oversight isn't the right word. Choose one you prefer. The one excuse i absolutely refuse to accept is "safety", and that is because both the windows and the trunk lid do not require press and hold. Safety is built in.

ua549

The safety factor is with children (or others) in the back seat. Once the seat automatically moves back, there is no way to stop it. As it is there is less than 6" between the back of the front seat and the front of the back seat. A child could easily be injured if the seat automatically moves back when a front door is opened. This is not conjecture as it has happened and been litigated.

Windows have built in safety features - anti trapping - to prevent injury from a closing window. There are no passengers in the way of a trunk lid opening.

DFWdude

If your Porsche is a 2-door with the vestigal (i.e., useless) rear seat, then the driver seat moving back is fine, since you very seldom have anyone sitting back there.

My older (4-door) Mercedes has the fully automatic, retracting seat, etc. Early on, I de-programmed the seat movement option, because I was constantly pinning rear seat passengers in their seats, and I never seemed to develop the habit of letting everyone else exit the vehicle first.

My W212 has only the wheel memory function, and it suits me just fine.

Cao Black

I believe that the same technology that prevents injury during window and/or trunk closing could be adapted to seats...and may well be on other vehicles, I'm not sure. Overhead garage doors have it. Elevator doors have it. Come on Mercedes.

P.S. Try placing a delicate, bulky or heavy object (like 800 lbs. of weights, for example) in your trunk. If you step forward (for leverage or balance) with one leg it is easy to activate the sensor that starts closing the trunk lid. In seconds you must decide to save the delicate object and be crushed by the trunk lid, or to save yourself. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but...
There is a thread somewhere in this forum that asks about deactivating the sensor for that very reason.

ua549

If it hits an object, the trunk lid reverses to its full open position. If the driver's seat reversed, it could trap a driver between the seat and steering wheel. Take your pick; trap a person in the front seat or the back seat or don't automatically move the seat.

Cao Black

Let's agree to disagree. Seats could (easily) be programmed to stop, rather than reversing direction, and not crush anyone.
One thing we probably agree on is that this has more to do with legal cowardice than customer convenience and/or technology.