elmalo

Just traded in my 2015 S 550 for a 2019 S 450. Discovered that the nav system does not accept some valid ZIP codes and House Numbers. How many ZIPs and House Numbers it does not accept is not known. But if it does not accept valid inputs for the destination it will not guide you to the destination.

The onboard owner's manual does not work. It simply does not open after the first page.

The car spent a week at dealer service and the nav system and owner's manual are still no good. While at the dealer today we checked the nav system and owner's manual on a new S 450 on dealer's lot. The nav system exhibited exactly the same problems as the nav on my car, but the owner's manual opened OK.

At this stage I understand they don't know what is causing the nav system problem. Loading a new database did not change anything. With a malfunctioning nav system the car is pretty useless. That another S 450 also had the same issues with the nav system as mine, makes you wonder about Mercedes factory and dealer quality control. These things should not happen on $100,000++ cars.

Anyone else having these problems with the 2019 S-Class?

obwielnls

The command system is made by Becker (unless it's changed in recent years) and the maps I'm sure are supplied by some 3rd party. Although I did hear that Mercedes was moving to some internal mapping system. If that's happened it would explain why the olders maps worked on and the new ones not. The new maps are supposed to update over the air if they are the new ones..

Nothing's perfect no matter what it costs.

elmalo

This S 450 is my 4th S-class and 7th Mercedes. All the previous MB were perfect from day one. So were my (3) Porsches, (2) Audis, (1) Lexus and (2) BMWs, as well as some other cars. Out of 23 cars that I have purchased over the years, one was a Lemon, and this S 450 is another one.

It does not matter who makes MB's Comand system, data bases or anything else. MB is responsible for the final product and a bad product reflects on MB.

obwielnls

You really are lucky. I've never owned a perfect anything.

elmalo

The Porsche 911s were the most reliable and fun to drive daily beaters I have ever had. Great to the ski slopes in the mountains, great to/from work, and great for Sunday drives at the race track with the Porsche Club. I looked very hard at the 911 again, but these days I like comfort and driving assist so I traded my loaded S 550 for the S 450, which was not a good move the way it turned out.

MBS63AMG

Did you buy both cars at the same dealership???

elmalo

No, the 2015 S 550 was purchased before we moved to FL, the S 450 was purchased from a FL MB dealer.

salamigs

The navigation systems go through an activation process at the dealership as opposed to at the port of entry, as far as I recall. If multiple vehicles are exhibiting the same issue, there may be something wrong in the way they went through the activation process. The user manual seems to be unique though, that one will need some investigation it looks like.

elmalo

My S 450 was not purchased at the local dealer who is trying to fix the problem. So there are two MB dealers in this area who don't know how to activate the nav system. The reason for buying the car from a dealer further away was the options list and the deal.

MTrauman

Just curious—are you able to send the missing zip code address through your phone via Mercedes Me to your car?

elmalo

I have not looked into Mercedes Me yet, so I don't know.

What happens is that "NOT FOUND" pops up on the screen when certain valid ZIP codes and House Numbers are input via the rotary controller. The MB dealer shop foreman tried to input his home and some other addresses which the system could not find either. You never know which ZIPs and House Numbers are rejected so the nav system and the S 450 are useless. I would not use that car to go on anywhere a nav system is a must have.

Am checking out other systems.....the so-called "EXTENDED start/stop system" does not seem to work any better than the start/stop on my 2015 S 550, and is third rate compared with the system on my wife's 2019 BMW. There seems to be some other problems also. This is not exactly rocket science and Mercedes seems to have lost it.

Streamliner

No, I do not think that MB has “lost it,” I think there is a glitch or two in the Command system. Since the OP feels that the car is “worthless” as it is, I suggest that he keep detailed records and, if he has not yet done so, open a case with MBUSA. If the matter is not resolved in a timely manner, he should demand a new car or a return of his car for a full refund, citing the Lemon Law. If the FL Lemon Law is anything like it is in CA, MB will most likely take the car back. If not, there are legions of lawyers who will take the case at no charge to the vehicle owner.

It is unfortunate that things like these occur, but these cars are very complicated and sometimes there are issues.

MTrauman

You should make sure you can enter in addresses in the Mercedes Me app. This may help you isolate the problem. Also what version of Nav software do you have? You can make sure you have the most recent if you have your Mercedes Me system working. You can download the most recent Nav info right into your car via over the air if you are properly connected via Mercedes Me.

I have 7700 miles on my ‘19 S63 with regular use of Nav and Mercedes Me sending addresses to the car. It has been flawless. The ‘19 is the best S I have had to date although my ‘14 and ‘16 S550 4matics were flawless as well including the Nav. So not sure what is happening with yours.

My start/stop on my ‘19 S63 is much better than the ‘16 S550 4matic. I am not a fan of the start stop so most of the time I do not use it. But on my ‘19 it is not even noticeable when it kicks the car back to life which is different from the ‘16 which felt like a big jerking motion.

elmalo

I have contacted the selling dealer as well as MBUSA. In my last mail I reminded them of the Lemon Law. At this time they don't know where the problem is.

elmalo

I think I leave it up to Mercedes to figure out what the problem is with the nav system. If I try to sort it out they may blame me for making it worse. The nav data base is the latest version which was downloaded when the car spent a week at the shop. It made no difference whatsoever. I have suggested them to reload all Comand software which the have refused to do.

The issue with the Start/Stop is that it does not seem to hold the engine in the "off" position any longer than my 2015 S 550, despite claims of "EXTENDED Start/Stop".

MTrauman

I am not sure I understand your issue with the “extended start/stop”.

I do not believe there was a change in how long the engine stops in the start stop scenario. The time the engine is off depends on many factors the computer measures and those factors I believe are the same from ‘15 to ‘19 models. Are you by chance referring to the “Extended Restart in Stop and Go Traffic”? If so this is improved from your 2015 to your 2019 S Class. The automatic restart has been lengthened to upto 30 seconds in stop and go traffic and works excellent in my ‘19 vs the ‘16 model. I really notice the difference and it was a significant improvement.

elmalo

OK, so the extension means up to 30 secs, which is not enough at traffic lights. A little bigger battery for the start/stop system would have been helpful so that it can keep the A/C, lights, fans, seat massage, etc, running longer. and still have enough juice for re-start. Other than that it works OK, but if MB is serious about fuel saving, it should keep the engine off for more than 30 secs. Those who don't like the start/stop can always turn it off.

In Europe, the S-Class has been for sale for quite a while with the new in-line 6 cylinder which has the starter/generator on the crankshaft between the engine and transmission. The start/stops are un-noticeable and the starter also works as a helper engine when more torque is needed. Don't understand why MBUSA does not import that version. An inline 6 beats a V-6 any day.

MTrauman

LOL! This is not a completely autonomous driving vehicle—how many seconds or minutes would be sufficient for you? Not sure what your expectations are. This features works perfect for what is was intended to do—atleast for me it does. In other words it does what it was intended to accomplish. I am sensing that your expectations here on not in line with reality but I could be wrong. You should carefully read up on the features of the car and make sure your expectations are based on what MB intended.

In a prior post you stated that the car is worthless without the Nav working and yet you have not used Mercedes Me which is the easiest way to enter addresses. I would strongly suggest you get Mercedes Me up and running. That was the first thing my salesman help me with which was to set up the Mercedes Me app since I had a ‘16 and that had MBrace. Sounds like you bought from a dealer that gave you a good price but did not give you excellent service (of course I may be wrong but you are complaining about things that might easily be solved with the right people helping you at the dealers).

elmalo

I took the S 450 to a different dealer to have it fixed. The car was there for a week and nothing was fixed but we discovered another S 450 on the dealer lot that had exactly the same problem with the nav system. They tried the Mercedes Me and a cell phone with Android -- it did not work. At this time they are consulting with Mercedes Germany. This is my 7th Benz and 4 th S-Class, so I think I know enough about this brand. You may want to try the start-stop/coasting system on a 2019 BMW and check-out the steering assist on the 2019 Audi A7 on a road with curves.....it is remarkable that MB can not match those.

MTrauman

All joking aside, it does stink that you are having problems with your new car. I hope you get it figured out quickly. These manufacturers are in a “race” and from time to time one wins out over the other but you really seem to be “raging” on MB. It sounds like you should have bought a different car and maybe a different brand for your needs or simply get rid of the lemon and find a non lemon.

Just rented a ‘19 A7 in Germany and put on about 700 miles. Are you referring to the All Wheel Steer? In less than 12 months the new S Class will also have All Wheel Steer. In May I spent two days at Road Atlanta on the race track with the MB GT R with all wheel steer for the AMG Academy Advanced class—awesome steering and hopefully will be similar to the 2021 S Class coming out in about a year. By the way I really enjoyed the A7 in Germany on the Autobahn. I did get a speeding ticket in the A7 however—it did not solve that problem. I also enjoy the BMW line as I spent two days last year in South Carolina on their track near their factory driving all the M cars including the M760 which is no comparison to the awesome S63. There is simply no comparison in the market to the MB AMG S63 as a four door “supercar”-not even the new GT63S IMHO. MB, especially AMG, is really coming out with exciting products in the future.

elmalo

No, I was referring to the A7 steering assist that drives the car "by itself". All wheel steering is cool because it reduces the turning radius at low speeds and improves stability at high speeds. Porsche Panamera has that as an option.

WRT the S 450 "Extended start/stop system" I was just running an errand. The outside temp is in the mid 90s, and the start/stop system did not shut down the engine once, even when waiting for several minutes at each traffic light to turn green. A/C and seat ventilation was running at full speed and it is obvious that the electrical system supporting the start/stop function is inadequate.

BTW, I have owned this S450 less than 3 weeks, of which 1 week was in the shop that was unable to ix the car. Since there was another brand new S450 on the dealer lot with same nav system issues as mine, one might ask how many more 2019 S-Classes are out there with useless nav systems.

MTrauman

If you want to help your dealer out and self diagnose a bit, either post the addresses or zips here or PM me with the info and I can check them on my ‘19 system. Just want to help if I can.

obwielnls

The AC compressor is still run off the engine. It won't stop at a light until the interior temp has stabilized near the setpoint that you have in the ACC.

elmalo

OK, so that's the problem. The A/C compressor should be driven by an electric motor so that the start/stop system can work in all environments.

AppleFan1

Maybe I'm missing something here but as far as the Nav is concerned, all I do is use the voice command by first saying "enter destination" and then then the address. I also own the 2019 S450 and I find it much improved over my previously owned 2014 S550 on basically every feature.