Finally figured out the door handles
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2021 S500 (Mojave Silver), MB S400 (wife), BMW 750Li (passed on to kids)
Finally figured out the door handles
After having the car for over a year and constantly having difficulty opening the door from outside by ridiculously tugging (sometimes repeatedly) on the door handle I've finally figured it out by coincidence. All I had to do was simply touch and very lightly pull on the handle's inner right side (drivers door perspective). All this time I've been pulling from center of inner door handle with a bit of force which wasn't ideally working.
Oh how the small things in life bring us joy
Oh how the small things in life bring us joy
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23 S580 Executive
lol, I think we all overthink things from time to time. Plus the lever type handles have been out of style for a while, most are lifters nowadays. I think people have become accustomed to lifting straight up while pulling rather than pulling the rear portion of the handle outboard as you describe. Plus they're electric so you have to put the slight delay in there to allow them to unlatch before you pull them with intent to open. Mrs Crab has trouble with them. I'm old so I adjusted right away to what used to be the way doors opened.
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From: Corona Del Mar, CA
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
I don’t want to have to learn how to open a car door. Something as basic and important as opening the door should have remained 100% intuitive. In my opinion, the 223 door handles are a failure in every respect—and that’s when they are brand new! Can’t wait to see how they age. Can’t wait to read of out-of-warranty repair costs. They had perfect. They should have left “perfect” alone.
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23 S580 Executive
In principle, I agree, but what he describes is as much muscle memory that was killing him as anything else. It wasn't all that long ago that cars, the fridge, all kinds of things opened up the way this car does, by levering out from one side. You remember this as well as I do and it isn't really better or worse than what people are used to nowadays, it's just different. Mine have given me no issues and I kind of find it cool that they pop out although I would have rather they spent the money giving me something useful instead of a cool but worthless looky-loo.
I am glad I don't have to deal with this car out of warranty but then I'd say that with or without the door handles and about pretty much all new cars. We're making them all throw away with the tech load that no one will be able to fix down the road and of course that's not an accident.
I am glad I don't have to deal with this car out of warranty but then I'd say that with or without the door handles and about pretty much all new cars. We're making them all throw away with the tech load that no one will be able to fix down the road and of course that's not an accident.
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From: Philadelphia area
2022 - S580 and 2019 Porsche Carrera S Cabriolet
I don’t want to have to learn how to open a car door. Something as basic and important as opening the door should have remained 100% intuitive. In my opinion, the 223 door handles are a failure in every respect—and that’s when they are brand new! Can’t wait to see how they age. Can’t wait to read of out-of-warranty repair costs. They had perfect. They should have left “perfect” alone.
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AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
There is actually only a negligible impact on aerodynamics with these done handles. They primarily blend better into the newer designs. I don't recall the exact data but according to AMS (German Car Magazine) the range effect of the door handles on the EQS only added a mile or two. Nothing to write home about.
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From: Philadelphia area
2022 - S580 and 2019 Porsche Carrera S Cabriolet
There is actually only a negligible impact on aerodynamics with these done handles. They primarily blend better into the newer designs. I don't recall the exact data but according to AMS (German Car Magazine) the range effect of the door handles on the EQS only added a mile or two. Nothing to write home about.
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23 S580 Executive
We talking range or mpg?
Unrelated is that I've been thinking they may be getting better. Quite a lot of complaints about them when I showed up here but they've died off and I've seen few from the new guys (like me) that recently picked their car up. I know my opinion would be different if they had been troublesome but they've been flawless and it's hard to complain overmuch over something that hasn't caused me any grief.
Unrelated is that I've been thinking they may be getting better. Quite a lot of complaints about them when I showed up here but they've died off and I've seen few from the new guys (like me) that recently picked their car up. I know my opinion would be different if they had been troublesome but they've been flawless and it's hard to complain overmuch over something that hasn't caused me any grief.
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W221 S550
I don’t want to have to learn how to open a car door. Something as basic and important as opening the door should have remained 100% intuitive. In my opinion, the 223 door handles are a failure in every respect—and that’s when they are brand new! Can’t wait to see how they age. Can’t wait to read of out-of-warranty repair costs. They had perfect. They should have left “perfect” alone.
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From: Hong Kong, China
2021 S450 4Matic
MB does not seem to elaborate on the mileage benefit (how small or big) of the retractable door handles but on the aeroacoustics benefit.
In short, MB says ''The new, seamless door handles (standard) are better sealed on the inside than conventional designs.'', thus contributing to being more quiet than previous models.
In long, read these articles about the new S-Class, particularly the two articles on the aerodynamics and the new seamless door handles.
https://media.mbusa.com/releases/rel...1#aerodynamics
In short, MB says ''The new, seamless door handles (standard) are better sealed on the inside than conventional designs.'', thus contributing to being more quiet than previous models.
In long, read these articles about the new S-Class, particularly the two articles on the aerodynamics and the new seamless door handles.
https://media.mbusa.com/releases/rel...1#aerodynamics
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AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
This will likely be the same on the S-class. Don’t expect a measurable mpg difference.
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2022 S580
After having the car for over a year and constantly having difficulty opening the door from outside by ridiculously tugging (sometimes repeatedly) on the door handle I've finally figured it out by coincidence. All I had to do was simply touch and very lightly pull on the handle's inner right side (drivers door perspective). All this time I've been pulling from center of inner door handle with a bit of force which wasn't ideally working.
Oh how the small things in life bring us joy
Oh how the small things in life bring us joy
I haven’t found the door handles to be problematic anyways. Infact I love the way they greet me when I approach the car.
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From: Florida
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From: Philadelphia area
2022 - S580 and 2019 Porsche Carrera S Cabriolet
MB does not seem to elaborate on the mileage benefit (how small or big) of the retractable door handles but on the aeroacoustics benefit.
In short, MB says ''The new, seamless door handles (standard) are better sealed on the inside than conventional designs.'', thus contributing to being more quiet than previous models.
In long, read these articles about the new S-Class, particularly the two articles on the aerodynamics and the new seamless door handles.
https://media.mbusa.com/releases/rel...1#aerodynamics
In short, MB says ''The new, seamless door handles (standard) are better sealed on the inside than conventional designs.'', thus contributing to being more quiet than previous models.
In long, read these articles about the new S-Class, particularly the two articles on the aerodynamics and the new seamless door handles.
https://media.mbusa.com/releases/rel...1#aerodynamics
This is why many other auto manufacturers are moving to this design.
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It’s true MB doesn’t quantity the impact of drag on the door handles, but read this: According to Amey Vikram, a lead analyst at Technavio forautomotive components research, “The retractable door handle design allows radical aerodynamic designing for the side body panel. Retractable door handles are invisible handles that contribute by about 12% to reduce the drag coefficient of vehicles. Retractable door handles eliminate the issue of airflow bulge creation, air flow turbulence generation, and air flow pressure conservation. The decreased drag coefficient will also contribute to increasing the fuel efficiency of vehicles as there will be low drag generation resisting the movement of vehicles through the airflow.”
This is why many other auto manufacturers are moving to this design.
This is why many other auto manufacturers are moving to this design.
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From: Corona Del Mar, CA
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Did ANY dealer EVER explain this procedure to anyone here? Is it mentioned in the owner’s manual? OR, we’re we left to discover this on our own? How long has it been since the first 2021’s were delivered? Just sayin.
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2021 S500 (Mojave Silver), MB S400 (wife), BMW 750Li (passed on to kids)
Regarding the door handle he didn’t know how to operate it properly and assumed that’s the way it worked. I’m sure by now he’s figured it out (hopefully). Manual doesn’t go in that match detail either.
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From: PA
W223 S500 LWB 4-Matic, W222 S450 LWB 4-Matic, A238 E400 Cabriolet 4-Matic
I'm okay with the processor or programed delays but its something that's in the learning curve for sure.
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From: Hong Kong, China
2021 S450 4Matic
One small tip:-
When you place your hand to the inside of the door handle (usually with 4 fingers) to pull open the door, try not to let your thumb touch the outside surface of the door handle as the sensors might get confused with door closure.
When you place your hand to the inside of the door handle (usually with 4 fingers) to pull open the door, try not to let your thumb touch the outside surface of the door handle as the sensors might get confused with door closure.
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23 S580 Executive
None of it was hard and you didn't have to crack a manual but you didn't just drive without engaging any portion of your brain; you had to figure some things out. Nowadays you have to learn a little about the tech to operate a car instead of how to choke it and manipulate the throttle to get a consistent cold start. Not so different.
I first ran into electric doors 2 decades ago. Just like now you had to touch and give it time, that short delay, for the mechanism to activate, and then they would open right up. People complained about them on that forum but it wasn't hard then either; you just had to learn something.
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S580 MAYBACH Z223
When you think about it we used to have to learn how to make it cars work back in the day. Wanted it to start you needed to choke it correctly: This much choke, that much throttle, don't flood it. Getting that interior temp right meant you needed to position the sliders just so along with cracking the wing window and/or side vent the right amount. Some clutches were tricky. My first car wouldn't go into 3rd if you didn't double clutch and every year required a different touch to hit. Next car different program; fiddling required to make it work. Next car, same fiddling, different day.
None of it was hard and you didn't have to crack a manual but you didn't just drive without engaging any portion of your brain; you had to figure some things out. Nowadays you have to learn a little about the tech to operate a car instead of how to choke it and manipulate the throttle to get a consistent cold start. Not so different.
I first ran into electric doors 2 decades ago. Just like now you had to touch and give it time, that short delay, for the mechanism to activate, and then they would open right up. People complained about them on that forum but it wasn't hard then either; you just had to learn something.
None of it was hard and you didn't have to crack a manual but you didn't just drive without engaging any portion of your brain; you had to figure some things out. Nowadays you have to learn a little about the tech to operate a car instead of how to choke it and manipulate the throttle to get a consistent cold start. Not so different.
I first ran into electric doors 2 decades ago. Just like now you had to touch and give it time, that short delay, for the mechanism to activate, and then they would open right up. People complained about them on that forum but it wasn't hard then either; you just had to learn something.
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