Changing Digital Speedometer Settings

[spinaltap]

I've only had my new A-Class for a few days, but one 'quirk' that I find annoying is not being able to change the digital speedometer (in the lower portion of the digital display) from kph to mph - and, yes, I have gone through all the settings, and read the comprehensive owner's manual.

When the car was delivered, the salesman made a point of stating that it was not possible to change the settings for this particular parameter.

When driving, however, I find it distracting to glance down to read my speed in kph rather than mph (even though I also have the analogue mph dial).

Is there any fix available for this - or do I just have to put up with it?

 

[verytalldave]

I believe it can be changed to read in MPH, but it needs to be taken to someone who has a star unit. It cant be changed by you. Your dealer should be able to do it for you quickly and without charge. The salesman may not know this, but a guy in servicing should.

 

[richard]

You need to go see Alfie to have the 'UK' mode deleted so it behaves like Europe - then it will display MPH or outside temperature display depending what you set, and then the display that currently shows your temperature will display the opposite.
If you want KM/H then you can set it to KMH briefly but the fuel computer changes over to litres etc

Richard

[EDIT, dealers can not do this !]

 

[spinaltap]

On further reading, page 106 of the owner's manual (in the very small print, at the bottom of the page), states - "Vehicles for the United Kingdom: the digital speedometer always displays km/h".

This seems very bizarre. Why aren't Mercedes capable of programming UK operating parameters in their products?

 

[Wookiepelt]

On further reading, page 106 of the owner's manual (in the very small print, at the bottom of the page), states - "Vehicles for the United Kingdom: the digital speedometer always displays km/h".

This seems very bizarre. Why aren't Mercedes capable of programming UK operating parameters in their products?

I believe the reason for this is that the rest of Europe uses km/h so when a UK Merc is driven into Europe, you always have a way to cross check your speed in km/h and cannot plea ignorance if catch speeding... 70miles/h is very different from 70km/h!

 

[richard]

The clusters are SCN coded - which means that the star diagnosis automatically asks MB central computer system for the paramaters to put into the cluster. The central system sees 'UK car' in the database ("VeDOK") and always turns on UK mode in the cluster and disables the menu.
- on the older cars without SCN coding (i.e pre the current shape ML) the Star Diagnosis still does not have an option for unsetting the UK mode once its set (amongst a number of other things the dealers arent allowed to touch such as fuel computer settings. size of fuel tank settings etc as they would only have accidents and create lots of support calls for the central MB tech desk no dount)

There is a engineering mode in Star diagnosis that if you speak German and understand what the appropriate settinsg to you can turn it off. Dealers can get access to this mode with a monthly changing password that they can only get if they need to sort out a specific car with a specific coding problem - but the dealers are just not going to tweak the settings in German to turn the UK mode off and re-enable the menu items you need.

Richard

 

[Baron_Samedi]

Hi,

If the UK mode is deleted by, say Comand and the car is taken to the dealer for service, is there any danger that the hard work is undone when the dealers computer talks to the car?

Ta

Gary

 

[whitenemesis]

Hi,

If the UK mode is deleted by, say Comand and the car is taken to the dealer for service, is there any danger that the hard work is undone when the dealers computer talks to the car?

Ta

Gary

No, at least it hasn't happened to any of the coding mods on my car.

 

[richard]

Hi,

If the UK mode is deleted by, say Comand and the car is taken to the dealer for service, is there any danger that the hard work is undone when the dealers computer talks to the car?

Ta

Gary

Only if the dealer SCN codes the cluster, which they will never do unless they need to, and they only need to if the cluster is being replaced. The dealers know very well not to software-upgrade or SCN code anything unless they really have to.

Richard

 

[Smatt]

My local independent does not have STAR, but something like it- ?Carsoft or similar. He played around with it on my CL203 & managed to disable UK mode, so that I can choose between temp or km/h - I much prefer permanent temp display.

 

[spinaltap]

I've had a formal response from Mercedes on this matter....

"Vehicles built for the United Kingdom Market, are homologated in different ways to those vehicles supplied to other countries. In relation to the speedometer display, vehicles destined for the United Kingdom are programmed and designed for the analogue speedometer to show in Miles Per Hour and the digital display in Kilometres Per Hour. This then allows the user to travel in countries that require KPH to be on display without the need for modification.

With this in mind Mercedes-Benz do not recommend that the homologated form of the vehicle be changed, and Mercedes-Benz will not accept any responsibility for any legal implications that result because of this modification. It is the sole responsibility of the owner to make sure the vehicle is road legal for the country in which is being driven. In addition, should you wish to have your Mercedes-Benz Dealership change the display on your vehicle, you will be charged each time".

 

[whitenemesis]

So, what's to stop the driver (who has had the UK mode deleted) from selecting to display kph in place of the outside temp? With just a couple of button presses, whenever he wishes to drive abroad?

No need to get MB to change the display, surely?

 

[MrT]

So, what's to stop the driver (who has had the UK mode deleted) from selecting to display kph in place of the outside temp? With just a couple of button presses, whenever he wishes to drive abroad?

No need to get MB to change the display, surely?

Nothing, but the email is saying that if the cops stop you in a country where you must have a km/h speedo and you have temp display activated (inadvertantly or purposefully) then the won't bear any responsibility for the consequences.

 

[whitenemesis]

Nothing, but the email is saying that if the cops stop you in a country where you must have a km/h speedo and you have temp display activated (inadvertantly or purposefully) then the won't bear any responsibility for the consequences.

And quite rightly so! We are all grown-ups

 

[Mr E]

On further reading, page 106 of the owner's manual (in the very small print, at the bottom of the page), states - "Vehicles for the United Kingdom: the digital speedometer always displays km/h".

This seems very bizarre. Why aren't Mercedes capable of programming UK operating parameters in their products?

To comply with ECE 98 reg 39 para 5.1.2, for vehicles sold new in the UK then the speedo must show mph and kph.

As an OEM, there are penalties for either producing vehicles that don't comply to homologation or allowing that to be changed within the official network. So MB would be putting themselves at risk if they did not have a permanent kph display or "allowed" dealers to make the change.

 

[whitenemesis]

To comply with ECE 98 reg 39 para 5.1.2, for vehicles sold new in the UK then the speedo must show mph and kph.

As an OEM, there are penalties for either producing vehicles that don't comply to homologation or allowing that to be changed within the official network. So MB would be putting themselves at risk if they did not have a permanent kph display or "allowed" dealers to make the change.

I thought the reg was it had to be able to display mph and kph, not that it had to permanently?

 

[Mr E]

I thought the reg was it had to be able to display mph and kph, not that it had to permanently?

Here's the paragraph concerned (5.1.4; exactly the same as 5.1.2 but with specific vehicle types):

"In the case of vehicles of categories M, N, and L3, L4 and L5 manufactured for sale in any country where imperial units are used, the speedometer shall also be marked in mph (miles per hour); the graduation shall be of 1, 2, 5 or 10 mph. The numerical values of the speed shall be indicated on the display at intervals not exceeding 20 mph and commencing at 10 or 20 mph. The indicated numerical speed value intervals need not be uniform."

The view taken by most OEMs is that both should be displayed to the driver (shall also be). However, the regulation explicitly talks about a dial - I can't find any amendment or alternative reg so I would assume that for a fully digital display (rather than a needle and dial) you would only need to display one or the other.