Hey all. I’m new to the ML350. It doesn’t look there's a thread listing cool features, tips, and tricks for the W166 (I’ve tried various searches and looking at the first ten pages or so of the forum, so please forgive me if I’m repeating covered ground here). This is my attempt to start one with some of my favorites. I know that for many of you these are obvious and well-known features, and I’m not saying these are not contained in the user’s manual or available online. They are just cool things I like, and I’m hoping to learn about additional cool features from others on this forum….

1. If you accidentally leave the car in gear “drive or reverse” and you try to exit the car, it automatically puts itself in “Park.”
2. “Hold” feature (at least in 2013) – at a stop light, push the brake pedal to the floor and then take your foot of the brake. The brake will remain engaged until you touch the gas pedal.
3. I like the A/C plug under rear passenger seat (P1 package)
4. You can set the outside mirrors to automatically fold when the car is put in park (P1 package) – I’d rather they folded as I approached my garage (narrow opening), but alas I’d need a mirror-folding elf for that…
5. Can stream audio from Pandora, Spotify, Downcast and other apps on the iPhone using either Bluetooth or the media attachment.
6. HVAC system has vents in the glove compartment – great for keeping things cool in the summer, but be sure to close the vents in the glove compartment in the winter if you don’t want stuff in there to get really hot when you turn on the heater!!!
7. Pull out the ash tray if you don’t smoke – it leaves another nice little storage compartment.
8. Hold right paddle shifter to return to normal auto mode.
9. You can change the color and brightness of interior ambient lighting if you have it.
10. With Lighting package, if you are stopped and switch on the turn signal, a relatively bright light shines at a right angle to the side you are about to turn (sort of an extreme version of the ordinary active lighting that occurs when you are driving around turns).

Anyway, that's my first ten. I hope we get many, many, many more from everyone else!!!!

 

Re 4: I prefer the mirror to stay extended as I drive into/out of the garage. Reason - Mirrors are easier to fix rather than door skins.

Enjoy your car!

 

I have a 2012 ML350 with the P2 stereo package. If you put a dvd in the Command screen slot like you do a cd, you can watch a movie on the front screen - as long as the car is on accessory only and not in gear. I would not sit there for a two hour movie of course (chances are the battery would die by then anyway) but it is great if your passenger is waiting for you to return from the store.

I often go to the store for about 20 minutes of shopping while my passenger waits in the car. She loves Celine Dion and has all her concert videos. She pops one in and watches Dion perform three or four songs while I am in the store. Of course, once you start up and leave the screen goes blank for safety reasons. However, you can still hear the audio portion of the dvd even if you can't see it. I think that is a pretty cool feature and a lot of people don't know about it.

 

And if you get the Video In Motion module you [your passenger of course] can watch DVDs while in drive.

 

Thanks 9Lives, I just not sure how #10 works. I have the lighting pkg, and I have been looking for that function but can't seem to get that to work.
GenericSN, can you give me more info about the "Video In Motion module"? Thanks!

 

[QUOTE=FunMB;5478541GenericSN, can you give me more info about the "Video In Motion module"? Thanks![/QUOTE]

Here's their site but they don't have the 166 ML listed yet. I'd contact them and see what's up. Many members on this board use this module with great success.

BTW I read that you can't run nav at the same time as running a DVD in drive.

http://www.midcityengineering.com/video-in-motion