i was driving in the rain. it seems like everytime i hit a large puddle. is this normal? is it somehow tied to the traction control unit?

 

It just lets you know that either the ESP, ASR, or traction control is kicking in. It is completely normal.

 

It will flash at you if a wheel slips. It will stay on steady if the ESP is switched off. I find it annoying, particularly at night driving in the snow where there is a lot of wheel slip and its flashing a lot.

 

It's a safety warning, telling you that the car's sophisticated systems are saving you from yourself. You can ignore it and fall off the road, or you can moderate your driving to match the conditions. If you move to Houston you won't have that snow complaint very often.

On the other hand, on an SLK32 AMG on a dry road you can keep it flashing for about 10 seconds of full acceleration, which is about all the traffic will allow in downtown Houston. The ML55 AMG doesn't do it as much due to 4WD, but it can put on a light show with proper throttle manipulation, especially going around corners.

The Redhead accuses me of trying to keep the ! light on as much as possible. My response is, "and what's your point?"

 

According to Car & Driver (8/01) the SLK32 does 0-100mph in 10.6s. The traffic situation in Houston must have improved since my last visit.

 

Traffic? We ain't got no steenkin' traffic!

Re Carp and Drivel , it's even better if you put your foot down. My experience with Carp and Drivel has been the biggest advertisers get the best road tests.

I've been trying to send in replies all morning. Only a small percentage are getting through. Same situation last night. Then I gave up. If this forum is this hard to get into I'll take my marbles and go play somewhere else.