Sorry if this is a dumb question but I couldn't find the definitive answer from the manual or online.
Does the smartkey / Keyless-Go feature the walk-away auto lock, or do I have to either touch the lock indent on the door handle or hit the logo on the key fob?

I've come to appreciate the auto-lock feature when simply walking away on my old BMW and when I tried the same on my S580, it wouldn't lock even when i was like 30 yards away.

Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance!

 

There are no bad questions. As for your question, sadly the answer to your question is it does not have that, you must either lock the vehicle with the app remotely or lock while you have the key and beside the vehicle.

 

Thanks for answering that.
No wonder I couldn't find it in the manual.
That's a bummer. The 'Comfort Access' on the BMW is so convenient... it's a shame MB couldn't offer that feature.

 

Should be on every car with keyless. The idea that some don't want the car to lock itself, so it shouldn't be there, is sophomoric at best: It can easily be an option you toggle on/off, and the locking itself is free, it doesn't cost you anything to unlock. No reaching for the keys, thumbing a fob, etc.

I can see not wanting it, I don't agree, but folks have a right to do things their way, and I have no grief with that. Saying no one should have it; comes from a place called stupid. I don't like anyone who hails from stupid.

I put this on my survey, also the acreage in cheap looking black shiny plastic, no infinite hinges, etc. IMO, be the squeaky wheel. It worked with getting some hard buttons back, and that's a much more expensive problem to addresses. This one just needs the logic added in, and a toggle in the menu.

 

I agree.
That's why it really baffles me why MB didn't put this simple feature in with the smart key.

 

I guess MB believes in a different approach. If you leave the car unlocked and walk away, you'll get a notification on your phone after about 1 minute or so letting you know that the car is unlocked and then you can lock remotely from the phone. They could give an option for automatic locking for those who want that, but maybe they've determined that few of their customers would use that, so who knows.

I've also noticed that many don't realize that you can lock an MB by touching anywhere on the outside of the door handle. You don't have to aim for the indented square on the door handle as is the case with other brands. For example I just lightly brush the back of my hand against the door handle to lock as I walk away. Perhaps that's the other reason MB doesn't feel a need for automatic locking. Automatic unlocking is even less necessary since you end up having to grab the door handle anyway to open the door, so there isn't even an extra step required to unlock it first. It all happens as you grab the door handle, and you can use the hands free kick under the rear bumper to open the trunk if you have your hands full.

Personally I prefer explicitly locking my car. Either as said by brushing up against the door handle or use the lock and close button on the trunk lid if I'm getting something out of the trunk before walking away. I've had a BMW on a trip a couple of years ago and every time the fob came near it, it unlocked and then locked again. Seems wasteful, plus I always ended up looking back to confirm that it locked. Similar to my home. I have smart locks and a geofence. I can conveniently unlock the house, but I have it set up to require confirmation, so that my house doesn't automatically unlock if I just stroll past it, and potentially fail to lock as I walk away. Proximity by itself doesn't mean that I intend to enter the house or car, so automations that trigger solely based on proximity and not intent are fundamentally flawed.

 

That's fine, you don't want to use it, and you don't use it, so all is good in the world of superswiss. I've had it off and on, going back more than 20 years, and it has never failed. I'm more than comfortable taking my chances. Again, one little toggle, everyone wins. You don't get that too often.

 

Dude, get off your soapbox. That's not at all what I said. I just shared my personal preference at the end and I even proposed that MB could add the option. Don't have to get all nasty.

But just to add, one little toggle is not that simple. Every software feature has to be implemented, especially what happens behind the toggle, then continuously tested with every new release, then supported once in the hands of customers who may call customer support if it's not working for them or they are not understanding how to use it etc. That all costs money. Every feature request undergoes prioritization and resources are allocated accordingly. There are gimmicks, nice to haves and features that truly improve life/productivity, so it's up to MB to decide where they put their resources. I understand you like the feature, so take it up with MB. Submit the feature request and keep pestering them about it. They are the only ones who can make it happen. Don't get your panties in a bunch if others see this feature more as a gimmick than something to get worked up about it.

 

Sometimes I think of android versus ios, especially back then, ios is much more limited and has less features so less can go wrong, android on the other hand offers so many features, customizations which raises the chance of glitches, bugs, crashes. Might be the same here with infotainment systems. Probably why MB also removed so many customizations with every iteration of mbux.

 

You're welcome, sorry that the answer wasn't what you are looking for though, otherwise, welcome to the bright side where the "star" shines.

 

No offense taken here, and I certainly didn’t mean to come across as standing on a soapbox or being nasty. If it read that way, that wasn’t my intention at all. There are plenty of features in cars I don’t personally use, but that others love. In neither case does it become a gimmick—but whether it's a must-have really depends on the individual. I didn’t think you were making an argument, and I wasn’t arguing either. My position is, as you already stated (and as I had in my first post): make your position known to MB. Be the squeaky wheel—it’s the only way to have real hope for a feature being added.

I wouldn’t call something like walk-away locking a gimmick in any event. It has a real and tangible benefit that some drivers appreciate. In my mind, a gimmick is a useless bit of fluff—a trick with no actual value. Based on user feedback I’ve seen in forums where the feature is available, it’s often well-liked. Not universally, of course, but definitely more liked than not. That’s probably why it keeps coming up in forums where it’s not available—people miss it when it’s gone.

It reminds me a bit of “phone as a key” over in BMW-land, which is going on right now. Walk-away locking is old tech at this point, but when it first came out, it played out similarly to how phone-as-a-key is playing out now: A lot of folks were wary of it—too new, perceived as unreliable, or the cost/benefit didn’t seem to pencil out. But once they gave it a shot, more ended up appreciating it than not. While walk-away locking is an older feature, phone-as-a-key is today's version of that conversation, and it’s a regular topic in threads. Back then, walk-away locking gave off the same vibe we see now.

Regarding implementation, I had walk-away locking in a Corvette over 20 years ago. GM had already engineered a version for the C4 in the early '80s, though it never launched—reporting at the time said it was due to liability concerns and consumer hesitation in focus groups. While that 40-year-old version never hit the streets, it did go into production with the C6. It worked flawlessly in my experience, and I don’t recall any notable issues from others on the forums at the time. So from a technical standpoint, if GM could engineer a reliable system over 40 years ago with far less advanced technology, I imagine Mercedes could implement it today without much trouble. Again, this goes back to the squeaky wheel idea.

So about that squeaky wheel—coincidentally, around the same time walk-away locking first appeared, I learned something interesting about who reads these forums. Mr. Crab 1.0 had a then-new BMW 5 Series, the second car to get the original iDrive system that debuted in the 7 Series a few years earlier. The interface was forward-looking, but the underlying architecture (I’ve forgotten the acronym) was hugely problematic. The fix for most issues was a reflash that often took days. We posted about it on the forums—explaining the issues, what the dealer had done, and asking for suggestions. We got plenty of responses, but the big surprise was a PM from BMW USA asking us to contact them directly. During the conversation that followed, we learned that they regularly read the forums.

Not long after, the C6 was released with the controversial “doughboy” steering wheel. Someone on CorvetteForum photoshopped the Pillsbury Doughboy into the center of the wheel, and it caught fire—not just on the forums, but even in print magazines. GM took notice. The wheel was changed for the 2006 model year. They later admitted the forums were part of the reason. According to none other than Dave Hill, the Chief Engineer at the time, they do read the forums—at high levels of the organization. It gives them a direct look into the minds and experiences of the people who buy their cars.

So yeah, for me, the squeaky wheel starts here. As I said, I’ve filled out my surveys—I'm doing my part to advocate for change. I’d say again, I apologize if it seemed like I was being nasty. I’m from an earlier generation, and I don’t always communicate as clearly as I’d like online. I don’t say that as an excuse—just as context. I’m trying to get better at it, and I genuinely appreciate being called out when I may be stepping out of line without realizing it. No one wants to be that guy. At least, I don’t know anyone who does.

 

No worries, all good. You are correct, I wasn't making an argument. Part of the reason for my post was to make those aware who didn't know already that with MBs you don't have to fiddle as much and hit that tiny square on the door handle to lock the car. A casual brush against the door handle is all that is required, so I'm not sure how walking away to lock the car is making this anymore convenient, but maybe I'm missing something. Missed features often come from a place of habit. We tend to wanna use a new product the exact same way we used the product it replaced, not realizing that the new product made a certain way of using the old product redundant.

I'm in tech and one of my main criticism of my own industry is that we regularly create stuff just because we can and for the sake of it and for the software developers to justify their paychecks. Features are getting added just to sell a new version of a product w/o real new innovation. Smartphones for example are at this place. Even iPhones that used to be known for being simple and just work are now increasingly buggy due to features being added that probably more than half of the owners don't even use. I love my digital wallet and digital keys. I mostly replaced my physical wallet and all my keys except for the car fob and it's truly more convenient. At the same time I'm looking a Lincoln for example that still have a keypad in the B-pillar so w/o having to carry anything, you can unlock the car with your PIN and I believe even start the engine with the same or a different PIN. How are digital keys that require a separate device better than this? Sometimes we seem to overengineer basic solutions.

 

I think phone as a key works well, but amplifying on what you said, it really hinges on the fact that almost no one is getting in their car without their phone: Since you're taking it anyway, it doesn't carry an extra baggage penalty, and you get to lose the fob.

I knew about the handles, but I agree that many don't. I'm the type that builds my own desktops, roots my phone, works on my car, and I hate to admit it, but I actually enjoy reading (some of) the manual, and the subsequent menu dive that inevitably follows.

The phone platforms are a microcosm of a number of trends in general. They're getting good enough now, both hardware and software, that the phones themselves are well on their way toward becoming a commodity. As in other areas, you have the push toward services, not just for the profit motive, but so OEMs can try and avoid the race to the bottom. There is no way we were going to miss out on someone trying to create a service "you never knew you needed." Then there's the feature bloat you mentioned. It's all about the bullet points of course, these things sell on perceived value, even though they go unused. People will sometimes ask why I run a Pixel Fold when there is better hardware available. They're not wrong, there is better hardware, and some of that better hardware has more features attached. But Pixels have things like the automatic call holding that I use, and value, every day. A Samsung phone will have twice the features, but I wont use most of them, and of those I do use, I value them less.

It's an interesting concept that even among people who enjoy tech as I do, there is a sense that enough is enough, in terms of what we've got. I'm more interested now, in what can tech do for me, and the whiz-bang factor with tech for the sake of tech isn't there anymore. Give me my a self-driving car, something that changes my world. That would move the bar; big time. I tried out Waymo the last time I was in San Fran, and I loved it. I knew I would, but actually being in the car made it real in the way that no abstract thought of it can. Give me that, not another app that performs some minor function I never "knew I needed" and will sit on my phone unused until I factory reset it when I trade on the next one.

 

I was completely forgetting about the C6's proximity key.
Yes, it was convenient and worked flawlessly. I had an '08 C6 that I thoroughly enjoyed.

When drove the BMW, I never had to touch the fob in my pocket.
With the S580, I have to use the buttons more often than not and yes its annoyance is immediately noticeable since I've only had the car for a couple of months.

 

Yeah, I had an 05, an early one, not early as in value, but in the first 1000, so it had some quirks they sorted out later. The 08MY was a great time to jump in, they fixed a lot of gripes, and didn't remove any content when they did it. I think the why of the system working flawlessly had a lot to do with what it wasn't doing. You touched the pad, slight delay, the door unlocked, and you got in. Later you get out, closed the door, and it locked. Wanted back in, touch the pad, and it opens. Etc. Nothing extra. No puddle lights, no fancy extending handles, it just did its job. I still think it may be one of the best systems I've used, simply because it lacked any attached annoyances.

Take the BMW now, I've got phone as a key, and it works great. I can also do that on my watch, and I did. But the phone usually sits away from the car, the watch could see the car in an area of maybe 20ish feet, around the car, and it stays on the wrist. So I'd get the car unlocking when I went into the laundry room, one of the powder rooms was in range, etc. I eventually took it off the watch, too much annoyance vs the benefit. Overall, I'd take it over the C6 system because I do appreciate having puddle lights, I'm in Seattle, and puddles are sometimes a thing around here. But its not free, you've got the unlocking and relocking when you go by, and all that baggage that comes with proximity systems. The C6 didn't have that, it was an annnoyance free system.

The C6 was great, it did everything well, made driving a real pleasure.

 

I'm curious, why do you find you have to use the buttons on the fob? The only time I use the buttons is when I wanna use the convenience open feature, lowering the windows and opening the sunroof on a hot day while walking up to the car. Every other time the fob stays in my pocket. Walking up to the trunk I can just kick under the bumper and the trunk opens. My car doesn't actually have a switch to open the trunk from the outside, so I always have to use the kick to open whether the car is locked or unlocked, or open the trunk using the switch in the driver's door.

Ah, so you do experience the annoyances that I described such as coming within proximity of the car and the car unlocking even though you have no intention of getting into it or you are not even in the garage, but the other side of a wall. This is exactly what I was getting at. You end up having to deactivate this stuff, at least partially, as it gets annoying in certain situations.

 

Your car has the physical door handles. On the W223 with the electric handles you have to touch the tiny little box, you can't just touch anywhere on the handle like you can with the old style handles. It also can be very annoying to get the car to even present the handles to you...so sometimes you have to use the key

 

Yes, the retractable part of the handles can be annoying, but touching the handle should present them. The whole retracting door handle situation is another topic of silliness, though. As for having to touch the square, that's not the case in my experience. I haven't had to change how I lock when driving S Class, EQ etc. loaners with the new handles. If the handles are extended and the vehicle is unlocked, I was able to just touch the handle anywhere and it locked. It's been a while since I had a W223 as a loaner, but I've had several EQS and EQE loaners. None of them required me to touch the square.

 

Because I don’t drive my S on a daily basis and after a few days the door handles would just quit popping out when I approach the vehicle.
I would then of course have to use the key fob’s unlock button to retract the door handles because it wouldn’t respond to the door handle touch feature.

I think it might have something to do with the digital key being setup on my phone.
I go through my garage when going to work/ getting into my company car and it recognizes me/ or my phone actually, approaching and retracts the handles.
I noticed that after about 4-5 days or so, the car would stop reacting to me approaching.
Maybe some kind of deep sleep mode?

 

It SHOULD present them, but it doesn't always. Often you have to press in on the handle multiple times to make them present. I drive the car every day, the only way to reliably lock the doors is to press in the little square. On my W222 you could just touch anywhere on the handle. Often I lock with the fob as I walk away because its just easier.

 

Wait, so you don’t own a W223 and talk like you understand our annoyances of the flush handle + ‘keyless-go’ system?
Ok, I admit I don’t know what it’s like living with a W222 but you should experience it firsthand before jumping to conclusions.
I can say from experience that the newer (W214, W223, etc.) flush door handles don’t work as well as the physical, fixed door handles with smart keys.

 

I don't think you meant to quote me

 

No, sorry. The post was directed towards superswiss. My bad lol.

 

No worries!

 

@nearwater4me you might have quoted the wrong post, but yes I don't own an MB with the new-fangled door handles, but I regularly drive them as loaners and at AMG events, so I've experienced them many times. I do know what you are talking about. The real issue here seems to be gimmicky new-fangled door handles for no one's benefit that don't work right at times. I agree with you that these new door handles are dumb and I guess auto locking would allow to work around them. I'd say rather than asking for autolocking we should push for those dumb door handles to go away, similar to how many car manufacturers are now going back to physical buttons, because the all touch approach and capacitive buttons was also dumb.