cone

Hi, I would like to know if is possible to update SLīs sofware for has new features as 2004 SL model, I mean, auto folding exterior mirrors when you lock doors and SBS stop and SBS hold.
Regards

Mustard

Why would you want the mirrors to fold in when you lock the doors?

And how vital is the SBS hold function?

Cone, I would doubt they will release a software fix given that the idea is to incentivise the sale of 2004 models....

blueSL

I doubt you can get software upgrades, especially for the brakes. Besides, I can do without any more SBC interference, thank you.

There's a real danger that too much electronics, software and servo-everything just leads to an anodyne driving experience. Fine for cars like the S class but less so for the SL/AMG cars IMHO. SBC may be great at stopping the car, but it lacks the last ounce of braking sensitivity. I also think the adaptive throttle sometimes has a mind of its own.

That's why, against most sensible logic, I keep my F355; the SL55 will beat it any day in a straight line, in the wet, in the build quality, technology, longevity and reliability stakes and especially in maintenance costs. But, on a sunny day when you're in the mood, it's sublime.

cone

Hi, today I was at my dealer, he spoke with a technical department from MB, it seems possible to update my 2003 sl to 2004. When I have an answer I will tell you about.
Regards

Mustard

Thanks Cone. I will be very interested.

But what is the reason for folding in the door mirrors?

I too think the SBS is complex enough, and do you like it?

Seems a very artificial feel to me.

Could do without too much more electronic wizardry - we just had two Dell laptop hard drives (IBM travelmates) fail in one week - if its the same degree of reliability on these braking chips we are in real trouble.

cone

Allways, when I park my car, I fold exterior mirrors. On my 2003 S 320 cdi it is automatic, I found practical that feature. I confess you, I prefer my S brakes than SLīs.

vraa

Mustard, remember those laptops had more than just one job to do. Thousands and thousands lines of code were made to do what ever you wanted it to do. The folding mirror may take a couple and will be easy to implement and sustain stability (if they do it right.)

I do hope the folding mirrors come along with some other options and have it avalible as an OPTION in some type of screen. Same with the SBC features. Some people like this, some people like that, let them choose.

blueSL

I agree it should certainly be a user selectable option.

I would not under-estimate the complexity of the software in the SL. With so much distributed intelligence - there are something like 42 different control units in the car, all connected together on two networks - there must be a real issue of preserving compatability between different engineering levels of each component.

The real difference comes in the testing and certification requirements. If our Windows XP systems crash (if?), we just blame Uncle Bill and his motley crew and reboot. If your brakes fail because of a gratuitous software change put in by some geek, DaimlerChrysler would be sued to hell and back. Therefore what might appear to be a simple few lines of code change "if locking the car and the user has selected the option and the mirrors are not already folded, then fold them" has far reaching issues in terms of testing, documentation and certification.

Mustard

Vraa, good points, but in the end we discovered it wasn't the thousands of lines of code that let us down, it was a physical failure of the read/write heads!

My point was if Dell (!) can't guarantee reliability of hard drives in one year, how the hell can MB guarantee the complex relationship between electronic actuation of braking and the physical requirements. Its why they have back-up systems, I know, but it still makes me sweat every time I brake, since the failure of the electronic system apparently requires an electronic indication to instigate the mechanical back-up!

As others here point out, and as I understand it, MB's coding and the actuation via their duplex wiring looms is far more complex than we imagine - the relationship between our in-car commands and the various electronic functions in their cars is a programming nightmare, simply because its all down one (or two) channels. Its the reason why I couldn't have ABC on my SL350.

We've gone too far already on a reliance on electronic dependence in modern cars- time to review it because I simply don't see (or feel!) any real advantages in this car. The SBS braking is sometimes logical, sometimes totally wacky - it is not natural or inductive - its quite unreal and I don't like it...

I don't want more options - I want to jump into my SL350 and it works. Its like the whole past relationship with Microsoft - a great game of universal chess- can I get this to work as the programmers expected? Can I beat them by pointing out their shortcomings? What can I fine tune?

Stuff that, we want our computers to work and we want our cars to work - first time, every time, all the time.

vraa

I think we also have to bring up another point also. How much of the car (R230) is actually spent as in parts and how much in profits? A high end Xeon computer costs in the low $2000 US, that system is one of THE stablest pieces of machinery house hold man can purchase. Some of the only faults that come up are because of user error.

In this $80,000-$150,000 car there is almost no user feedback directly at the code it self. Also the code of software doesn't need to work on thousands of different hardware types and millions of other types of configuration. I understand where yall are coming from, but something like this seems so simple. Right now maybe the complexity over whelms my small mind () but as for the folding mirrors, it can't be that hard to have it as a selectable option integrated into the cluster menu.

internet_mafia

Why would anyone want to fold their mirrors anyway after parking? It seems so paranoid. I think it actually provokes vandalism. Someone who parks next to the car can easily think that the owner thinks that their car is too good to be "touched" by anyone, and well, you know the rest...........(SCRATCH, PUNCH, KICK)!

vraa:
Jusy because you're dealing with a closed system doesn't mean that the circuitry is simple. To a degree, electricity, in and of itself, is not reliable. A static charge can cause a failure. But interference is probably the main reason why computer systems spontaneously "act up". Why do you think cell phones are not allowed on airplaines? So the real task at hand is to program safe guards into the system - circuitry that corrects/prevents error. But to your point (I obviously don't know the architecture), adding a menu item is a non-issue. I am assuming that the CAN is very low level (IF/THEN/ELSE/NEXT kind of routines).

Mustard:
The detection of "electrical failure" of the brakes is really not that difficult. A "hand-shake" is always taking place between the brakes and the CPU. If the CPU doesn't get a "reply" from the brakes, the CPU knows that something is wrong, and switches to the master cylinder. On top of that, I'm sure that MB has redundant systems that monitor break behavior in tandem to reduce the probability of brake failure to none.

Wolfman

I read in the german AMG forum that the software update for the brakes is not possible due to the fact that it includes hardware changes.

http://www.amg-owners-club.org/board...adid=1973&sid=

(it's a few threads down).

Personally, I would prefer a software update on the brakes not for these new features, but to improve the smoothness of low speed braking and improved pedal feedback...

By the way, Internet mafia, folding mirrors in parts of Europe is absolutely essential! Most streets in these old cities are very narrow and parking is so tight that many people even manually fold their mirrors in when parking their cars overnight. Otherwise they may get blown off from passing cars.

Autofolding mirrors are cool and replacing a mirror on a Mercedes is not a cheap event. Been there, done that

Wolfman

blueSL

Of the three functions listed, the soft stop is to my mind the most important. It's much more difficult to bring the car to a gentle halt than it should be and I'm surprised Mercedes let SBC out after all the testing they must have done, as well as customer clinic-ing.

cone

Yesterday, my dealer told me that is possible to update my folding mirrors for that new feature, will show a new text in the display for set up auto folding yes or not. SBS, not possible to update. BTW, do you have pics of the new exterior mirrors?Do you know if they have perimeter lighting as S or E class?

lorinsertuned

heres my link to the forum for pic of my car.
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...threadid=46141
it shows the front but you can see the S folds in and they have lighting all across. i guess thats what they plan on doing for the 2004 SL. when you hit the lock button they fold in auto. but you can turn that option off you know.

JBSL

Is there a motor to fold the mirrors on US spec cars? If not, no software update would work. If so, let me know.

Thanks.

JB

SL Boy

I suppose its down to individual driving style but I dont have a problem stopping the car. But starting from rest, especially before the engine is totally warmed up, can be jerky.

Wolfman

European SL's have the option for folding mirrors. In the US, they are standard on the CL, but not offered on the SL.

Go figure...

Wolfman