Tooling down the interstate today when suddenly my digital speedo blanks out and some red marks appear. Unable to see what it is in the bright sun and no shoulders for 10 miles. Driving sniffing for smoke and listening for clanks and bangs, knowing something horrible is about to happen. Pulled off an exit, stopped and still unable to read the small red letters on a black background without shading the instrument cluster. The emergency? A rear tire was down to 32 psi. What a stupid, potentially dangerous way to tell me that. What's wrong with the "Correct Air Pressure" message, in white lettering, that pops up on occasion. Do they really test these cars and all their systems in the real world before building them or just in a computer? Let the buyers do the QC on them.

 

The tire could have been rapidly losing pressure an on its way to failure. Blame this on the lawyers and accident chasers who wold welcome an opportunity to sue if the message were not taken seriously.

 

My ***** is not with the idea of the warning, just the totally inadequate way it's presented. Impossible to read in bright sun which I bet would open MB to more lawsuits than not having one. How about the person who runs off the road into a tree trying to read the nearly invisible warning. If you haven't seen one pop your tailgate on a sunny day and drive about 4mph and watch the speedo. How many people can clearly read that?
By the way, how do I get the tire icon on the tach to go away? I thought it would after airing the tires but no.

 

You have to reset the pressure sensors after warning light and refill.

http://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalA...l/2014_GLK.pdf

pg338

 

I've seen this message only once at night it was visible but like you said it might not be visible with sunlight.

 

Thanks but my manual (2011) only has 299 pages and I don't know how to rapidly page through the online version except one at a time.
OK, I found it on page 273. However I don't want to use the new pressures as the trip point values or they will be going off every two days. Is there a way to see what the current trip points are before resetting them? Does anyone know what tolerences are programmed in? i.e. If I set one to 36 psi will it go off at 35 psi or 34 or where?

 

Unless mine is particularly dull it's invisible in sunlight. Try opening your tailgate and drive just a bit, about 4 mph, and see if you can see the warning. In bright sunlight of course. I'd like to know if others can see it.

 

Sure ill get back to you soon.

 

Seems clearly visible to me, my windows are tinted very dark. Maybe that makes a difference?

 

May well be. Mine are factory clear. Thanks. Anyone else?

 

I've never really had a problem seeing it....have the tinted glass also.
Just curious, did you have sunglasses on?

 

With and without. Just like the little red indicators on the heat/air controls. Can't begin to see them on sunny days. Maybe one of you might try it with your windows run down please.

 

The red messages are of lower contrast than the white messages, which naturally makes them more difficult to read, especially at a glance while driving. That said, I personally haven't had problems reading the red messages in sunlight with or without sunglasses. Some people have different abilities to see color and contrast or have different sensitivities to sunlight, though, so it may very well be more difficult for you than it is for me or others. Despite the fact that I can read them, I happen to agree that red text on a black background is not the best way to present an important message that needs your attention while driving.

 

I'm sure you're correct which means the whole sophisticated warning system is useless to me and others, in fact as I mentioned potentially dangerous causing an accident while trying to read a message that should prevent one. I have no problem seeing little red lights on anything else like phones, etc. Good law suit fodder. One more check on my dissatifaction list with this car. My admiration for MB engineering has been seriously eroded which will manifest itself in future purchases.

 

Hmmm, ... I can read the orange letters in sunlight.

Is it possible that your instrument lighting is turned down. I turn down mine to level 1 at night as it,s too bright and bring it back to level 5 for daytime.

Goto Settings, Lights, Brightness Display/Switches <OK>, use Up/Down to select light level and then <OK> to select.

 

Hadn't thought of that. I rarely drive at night anymore. I'll check on it.

Unfortunately I don't get a brightness adjust or anything like it. Just turn daytime running lights on and off, things like that. As usual I can't find anything about adjusting lights in the book. I'd be surprised if they allow you to turn warning lights down or off, although as I see more engineering goofs, shortcuts in this car I shouldn't be.

 

Actually I found it on pg 227 of the owner's manual ... doesn't turn them off, ... just dims the display. I drive 80% of the time at night so I have the button sequence down to muscle memory now.

 

My 2011 has a little knob on the dash that dims them. I understand Ford is going back to knobs and switches on some cars. People fed up with all the gee whizzery touch screens and all that. Takes something like 10 or 11 seperate button pushes just to set the clock. Ridiculous. Raining too hard now to go try it.