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2012 GL450, 1998 E300, 2014 GLK350, 2004 Ram 2500 with the Cummins
disabling auto start/stop
I've had quite a few people inquire about disabling the auto start/stop function on their vehicles. Had a 22 GLE350 in today and performed engine oil/filter and transmission service. The lady had asked me to disable the *** so I did (Autel system). After disabling it I was unable to measure engine oil level so I enabled it long enough to check level. Why these two functions would be tied together is beyond me other than you have to keep the car running while checking oil level. Does anyone know if this will also disable the low oil level reading? The car is only at about 50k miles. I told the lady after about 5k get with me and I'll enable it long enough to ck oil level.
I'm old school and my fav MB is my 98 E300 but for traveling the country I take the 14 GLK350. A couple of things I liked about the GLE was the amount of room around the engine/transmission area. I don't like the different size tires front to back (the rears look pricey), I don't like not having a dipstick and especially all the BS electronic stuff. Can you imagine how much that instrument cluster screen is going to cost in 20 years. Oh wait, MB will make it NLA in 5 so that won't be a concern. Heck when I put the GLE in the shop that afternoon I left the hood open and about 9:30 that evening the lady called and said her battery was going down so I went up and closed and locked it. I really don't have any interest in communicating with my car via my phone. I like to turn the key to communicate with my cars.
Last edited by engatwork; Apr 16, 2026 at 06:33 PM.
2012 GL450, 1998 E300, 2014 GLK350, 2004 Ram 2500 with the Cummins
So far I think this was the best way to do it without putting out emissions. This was from a Continental Engine on display at the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Museum in Indiana. Note the placard - Cheap oil should never be used. oil level indicator
Last edited by engatwork; Apr 16, 2026 at 08:14 PM.
When you say you had to re-enable start/stop to get an oil measurement, was this just so the engine would run while the car was stationary, or was the engine running and the oil display was mysteriously missing? Start/stop is supposed to be over-ridden when the hood is up for servicing.
2012 GL450, 1998 E300, 2014 GLK350, 2004 Ram 2500 with the Cummins
As long as start stop was disabled it was stuck oil level unavailable. The hood was shut, doors were shut and engine idling. Once I enabled start/stop I could then get an oil level reading.
Two more questions -- do you recall if the oil display disappeared before or after you did the service indicator reset, and did you use the Autel to do the reset?
2012 GL450, 1998 E300, 2014 GLK350, 2004 Ram 2500 with the Cummins
Originally Posted by streborx
Two more questions -- do you recall if the oil display disappeared before or after you did the service indicator reset, and did you use the Autel to do the reset?
I disabled it then did service which included transmission fluid/filter change. I did oil change next then attempted to measure it and all I was getting was oil level unavailable. I did use the Autel system to reset. One thing I noticed too is that the Autel has to be connected to the net to get to some of the functions.
Were you using the workshop menu to see the oil level measured in real time or the service menu oil level available to everyone? The one in the service menu is a calculation and takes some time to populate. The one in the workshop menu is immediate. Many people have disabled *** and I don't believe anyone has reported that the oil level becomes unavailable.
Thanks for the details. Before I acquired an OBD scanner capable of permanently disabling s/s, I had it disabled by disconnecting the battery's negative terminal current sensor. This causes the s/s system to think the battery can't sustain repeated engine starts, so s/s is disabled. I drove for 3+ years without any detrimental effects. I acquired a Launch scanner about 2 years ago with the ability to code off s/s, so I did this and reconnected the battery sensor. Then, several months later when I did an oil change, I used the Launch scanner to reset the service indicator. Ever since, the instrument panel oil level sensor has reported "unavailable". I never made any association between the two functions, and now wonder if this is a bug in the vehicle software or with the scanner's coding. I might try re-enabling s/s and see what happens. Either way, it reinforces my reluctance to mess with recoding features and functions as entertainment.
Thanks for the details. Before I acquired an OBD scanner capable of permanently disabling s/s, I had it disabled by disconnecting the battery's negative terminal current sensor. This causes the s/s system to think the battery can't sustain repeated engine starts, so s/s is disabled. I drove for 3+ years without any detrimental effects. I acquired a Launch scanner about 2 years ago with the ability to code off s/s, so I did this and reconnected the battery sensor. Then, several months later when I did an oil change, I used the Launch scanner to reset the service indicator. Ever since, the instrument panel oil level sensor has reported "unavailable". I never made any association between the two functions, and now wonder if this is a bug in the vehicle software or with the scanner's coding. I might try re-enabling s/s and see what happens. Either way, it reinforces my reluctance to mess with recoding features and functions as entertainment.
Interesting. This could indicate that the method used by Launch and Autel to disable *** isn't the same as using Xentry/dts/vediamo.
Were you using the workshop menu to see the oil level measured in real time or the service menu oil level available to everyone? The one in the service menu is a calculation and takes some time to populate. The one in the workshop menu is immediate. Many people have disabled *** and I don't believe anyone has reported that the oil level becomes unavailable.
The goofy bar graph display is the one that now reports as "unavailable". The workshop measure that reports in liters is still functional. I never regarded the bar graph display as particularly useful, so its loss has never annoyed me enough to pursue why it disappeared.
Interesting. This could indicate that the method used by Launch and Autel to disable *** isn't the same as using Xentry/dts/vediamo.
Without further investigation, it's hard to say if its the car or the scanner, but if Xentry doesn't cause this interference, the fault cause seems tilted toward the scanner. All of these Chinese scanner brands seem to rhyme mysteriously -- my Launch and Topdon units are curiously similar.
......
Heck when I put the GLE in the shop that afternoon I left the hood open and about 9:30 that evening the lady called and said her battery was going down so I went up and closed and locked it. I really don't have any interest in communicating with my car via my phone. I like to turn the key to communicate with my cars.
I would have put a charger on the car as a service. Then advised the customer to drive longer trips, at least occasionally. And/or get their own battery maintainer.
The goofy bar graph display is the one that now reports as "unavailable". The workshop measure that reports in liters is still functional. I never regarded the bar graph display as particularly useful, so its loss has never annoyed me enough to pursue why it disappeared.
I just checked my 2024 GLE450 today. I used the service display option in the drivers screen. That bar graph showed up regardless of which setting the stop/start was in.
I just checked my 2024 GLE450 today. I used the service display option in the drivers screen. That bar graph showed up regardless of which setting the stop/start was in.
Are you using the switch next to the ignition button to enable/disable? My disappearing bar graph might be associated with having permanently coded s/s off using an OBD scanner. My enable/disable s/s button never worked. The dealership where I purchased the vehicle is in a notoriously liberal community in which people worship trees. I always suspected the dealer disabled the s/s button in accordance with local environmental sentiments.
Are you using the switch next to the ignition button to enable/disable? My disappearing bar graph might be associated with having permanently coded s/s off using an OBD scanner. My enable/disable s/s button never worked. The dealership where I purchased the vehicle is in a notoriously liberal community in which people worship trees. I always suspected the dealer disabled the s/s button in accordance with local environmental sentiments.
Autel does not do "real coding". It messes up more than it fixes because it steals from Xentry and makes unpolished procedures. Best to take the car to a real workshop or get a remote Xentry diagnosis to undo what was changed.
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