CharlieX

This has happend a few times to me: I pull up to the store, stop in a parking space, ECO kills the engine before I press Park - then it fires up the engine only to have me turn off the key a moment later.

Anyone else? Seems like it should just stay powered down in Park... unless there's some sort of special "standby" for mechanical systems for ECO mode?

Tugz2012

Start stop only works in Drive, therefore it would make sense for the engine to start again when placed in Park. This is normal and the same with start/stop features in many Hybrids

PilotAlan

I think ECO stays in effect in Park. I had a similar reaction, but then figured out that the habit I had was to put the car in park, undo my seatbelt and open the door, then shut off the engine
(this is a holdover from my days as a cop, where the first priority was to be prepared to get OUT of the car, second was to shut the engine off)

Undoing the seatbellt or opening the door causes the engine to start. I suspect there is a delay built into the "park" switch, where it gives you a few seconds to shut off the engine.

Also, if you open the door, the vehicle puts itself in park. Now I shut off the engine in drive and then press the park button, and if I miss the park button, opening the door puts it in park.

CharlieX

I need to pay closer attention to my sequence of events, but this is what I'm pretty sure I do:

1) pull into space, come to complete stop
2) ECO kills engine
3) Put car in Park (very deliberate, since this is a push button instead of a lever and I'm not used to it)
4) Engine re-starts
5) a few seconds later turn off engine with key
6) Put in emergency brake
7) remove seatbelt
8) open door

So basically in the space of 10 seconds the engine stops, starts, stops. It's not... "aesthetically" pleasing.

GLKKa2H

In the GLK Operator's Manual, section ECO start/stop function, there is a Warning: "If the engine is switched off automatically and you exit the vehicle, the engine is restarted automatically. -", and an i: "Shifting the transmission to position P does not start the engine."

The "Automatic engine switch-off" and "Automatic engine start" is a rather (too) complex story if you ask me. Have you read all four pages to see if anything matches/provides clarification for your case?

CharlieX

Nothing in the manual helps, and like you mention it should NOT start when you go into P.

Maybe I'm releasing my seatbelt... but that doesn't seem right. I can almost certainly say as soon as I press the button for P the engine kicks back on. I'll have to test it out tonight and pay close attention, see if I can remove some of the variables. Perhaps the ECP software needs an upgrade.

JohnMichael

Reading all these post about ECO certainly has made me feel happy I bought the 2012 a few month ago. I see future problems with this system but I guess that is what regulation does for engineering reliability.

GLKKa2H

The table of "Problems with the engine / Possible causes/consequences and ►Solutions" in the GLK Operator's Manual, is interesting reading.

GLKKa2H

Or maybe "the driver's seat belt is removed or the driver's door is opened." before you go into P? It'll be interesting to see.

phil17

I find that if you move the steering around a little as you come to a complete stop the ECO shut off won't happen cause it thinks you are parking. I do this sometimes when coming to a left hand turn in the middle of the intersection, just slightly adjust the steering angle as you slow down and the green ECO will turn to yellow.

Hope that works. Now i just gotta figure out HOLD. works 1 in 5 tries, lol

PilotAlan

Yep, last night I carefully watch what I was doing in what order as I pulled into the driveway. Pulled in and stopped, engine shut off. Put in park, engine stayed off.
My impulse was to unhook the seatbelt (normal order of things for me) which would have started the engine.
I hit the off button then seatbelt then door. So the engine stayed off the while time.

PilotAlan

I actually like it. My commute to downtown (highway then stop and go downtown) nets 24mpg, which is better than the C300 was getting burning gas idling at stoplights and such.
And that's actual consumption from fillup to fillup, not from the computer.

CharlieX

I STAND CORRECTED!

If you leave your seatbelt on the engine stays OFF when you switch to P. I must unconsciously be releasing my seatbelt before I put it into P.

shotgun_banjo

Before the start stop function even came to mb i always have a habit of putting my car to neutral, while in a stop or grid lock, right foot on the brake pedal and manually killing the engine. The whole process of making the car go forward again takes max. of 2 seconds and if you practice it enough and learn to observe the lights and other car's movements you will get your car moving the second the car in front of you moves. I do this on all of my cars even none mbs and it does makes a difference on gas consumption. I remember back in the philippines almost all of the public jeeps there shuts off their engines on red lights to save gas and the sounds of the roaring mufflers feels the air when the other light turns yellow and that was 15 years ago and they still do it right now. I see this technology as a lazy way not to mention the electronic problems it will give you after a while. We are being babied too much.

420tee

Ever watch a UPS driver making deliveries in a strip mall or somewhere where there is business after business? They start the truck, move 10-15 feet, shut it off and make the next delivery. On and on. Must be company policy to save fuel.

JALLEN4

There are millions of cars being built on a worldwide basis that has the start/stop technology. It is a relatively simple operating system and assuming it will cause "electronic problems" in the future is borrowing problems. Suggesting we adopt a manual approach would be a regression and an antithesis to the purchase of a luxury vehicle.

bop11

Does ECO work in reverse? If not, when you stop in drive then shift to reverse the engine starts? Can't remember, do you need to step on the brake to shift to reverse?

kozak79

With push button start, you can just press the power button when you pull in and it will put it in park and shut off the car, without restarting the engine.

dcjwlee

I don't think ECO would work in reverse. When I stopped to park, the engnie stopped then restarted when I put it in reverse.

Yes, you should have your foot on the brake until your vehicle finishes shifting to the selected gear, as per the manual. Any motion while putting the car into P/R/N/D can damage your transmission.

BudC

I agree, it's not as simple as people think it is. I wish the 2013 I've ordered didn't have it. I'll be driving with ECO off because my fuel costs are low and I don't want to deal with the hassle.

I bought a 2011 E550 because I saw what was coming in the 2012's and beyond. Car manufacturers are being forced to switch from a priority of performance and reliability to fuel economy and emissions. My E550 has no turbo, no direct injection with the complex and costly injectors, no fuel in the oil, no worries about valve problems. Just a beautiful, state of the art V8 without the complexity of the newer cars.