Question for 3-zone climate control R350 owners or AC experts
08-20-2017, 06:31 PM
#1
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R350 BlueTec
Question for 3-zone climate control R350 owners or AC experts
Is anyone with an R350 with the three-zone climate control able to operate the rear zones from the driver's front panel?
We bought a CPO 2012 US-version R350 and have never been able to control the rear climate zones from the front analog panel.
Two dealers have told us that the US version was not built to do so, regardless of what the owner's manual says and unlike the digital Canadian model.
According to the manual, at the front panel one overrides the rear control panel by pushing the "Rear off" button and the red LED lights up.
The manual says the rear zone is then controlled by the front panel's analog knobs for air flow and temperature.
The wording is confusing since the manual says that "Rear off" refers to the Rear Control Panel being off (disabled), not the whole system being turned off.
Instead, in our car when one pushes that "Rear off" button all air conditioning is turned off: no air whatsoever in the rear of the car.
Both dealers say the manual is wrong, and the button was designed to do exactly that: turn off all rear air, without there being a way for the driver to ever control the rear of the car.
Furthermore they say that if Mercedes had not discontinued the car after the short 2012 production run, they would have figured out a fix.
I can't believe Mercedes would have built any car that way.
If there is a disabled person or uncooperative kids in the back of the vehicle, there is no way for us to override their panel and control the climate.
Practically a safety issue.
We find it more likely that our front panel is merely broken.
Is there anyone on the forum who actually owns this vehicle and can report whether they can or cannot control the rear zone from the front?
Thank you!
We bought a CPO 2012 US-version R350 and have never been able to control the rear climate zones from the front analog panel.
Two dealers have told us that the US version was not built to do so, regardless of what the owner's manual says and unlike the digital Canadian model.
According to the manual, at the front panel one overrides the rear control panel by pushing the "Rear off" button and the red LED lights up.
The manual says the rear zone is then controlled by the front panel's analog knobs for air flow and temperature.
The wording is confusing since the manual says that "Rear off" refers to the Rear Control Panel being off (disabled), not the whole system being turned off.
Instead, in our car when one pushes that "Rear off" button all air conditioning is turned off: no air whatsoever in the rear of the car.
Both dealers say the manual is wrong, and the button was designed to do exactly that: turn off all rear air, without there being a way for the driver to ever control the rear of the car.
Furthermore they say that if Mercedes had not discontinued the car after the short 2012 production run, they would have figured out a fix.
I can't believe Mercedes would have built any car that way.
If there is a disabled person or uncooperative kids in the back of the vehicle, there is no way for us to override their panel and control the climate.
Practically a safety issue.
We find it more likely that our front panel is merely broken.
Is there anyone on the forum who actually owns this vehicle and can report whether they can or cannot control the rear zone from the front?
Thank you!
09-02-2017, 08:30 AM
#2
Super Member
Hold my bear so I can get a post grad degree. Yep the control is very confusing... Let me take a look and try to figure it out.
I have a Canadian model.. hopefully it is the same.. But yes there are some slight differences in several areas. I guess based on legal issues.
BTW your Mercedes guy is clueless. The car is still being built in the US. by AM General. All shipped to China.. you can find it on the MB china side.. there are R400s now!
I have a Canadian model.. hopefully it is the same.. But yes there are some slight differences in several areas. I guess based on legal issues.
BTW your Mercedes guy is clueless. The car is still being built in the US. by AM General. All shipped to China.. you can find it on the MB china side.. there are R400s now!
