Difficulty with SBC Hold

[tonyc220E]

Hi apologies for being a total newbie..

My parents have just bought a manual shift E220 Elegance (Diesel) from an auction (04 plate) and the car is wonderful. However being new to Benz they (and I) find the parking brake a bit fiddly...That said its no big deal but obviously hill starts (particularly in reverse gear) can be a bit hairy.

Now the car does have the SBC Hold feature but I can't seem to find the "sure fire" technique for activating it. It seems to only work when the car is at an incline (which makes sense) but this is not mentioned in the manual. Should I be concerned that it doesn't work when not on an incline?

Secondly although the manual says you need to pump the break twice to actiavate it, I find just pressing the break hard as you come to a stop seems to do the trick?

can anyone tell me if they experience any difficulty or whether there's a magic technique? Also am I doing the brakes any harm by applying them with more force than usual in attempt to get the Hold to come on?

Many thanks people, i can see why people just adore these cars....the gadgets in them defy belief

Tony C

 

[richard]

Once you are stationary, put foot on brake pedal (it probably is there already), and push down.
If foot was there already, release it slightly then push again

Works everytime on my SL - really useful feature

But, the auto-box takes care of hill starts. I used SBC hold at traffic lights

Im not quite sure if I can work out how SBC and manaul work together ..

Cheers

Richard

 

[glojo]

Im not quite sure if I can work out how SBC and manaul work together ..

Cheers

Richard

The manual does describe operation and it certainly does work on level ground.

I suppose you would use the Hold option in lieu of the handbrake when stationary at a hazard? SBC Stop would be interesting.

John

 

[esox]

You can do a hill start on a manual `box and 220cdi engine without having three feet (or SBC...)
The engine has enough torque to hold the car on an incline (and indeed pull away) without touching the throttle pedal.
Assuming parking brake is on,i used to simply slip into first,take drive up/balance on the clutch,release park brake and go...
Just takes a little practice to get used to pulling away with no throttle...
SBC sounds like a gimmick.

 

[tonyc220E]

richard many thanks for that, unfortunately that's pretty much what I'm doing, not sure why it doesn't always work for me. Sometimes I push the brake pedal all the way to the floor and it still doesn't come on....would this be doing any harm to the brakes do you think?

glojo it states in the user manual that the SBC Stop feature is not available on manual box (which makes sense) but SBC Hold is. It does make me a bit concerned that it doesn't work on level ground.

esox thanks for the tip, i think you're probably right in that learning to use the parking brake and hand release lever probably just takes a bit of practise, I assume that there have been decades of MBs that have been manouvered around on steep hills just fine without the SBC feature.....

thanks again for the speedy replies....

tony

 

[glojo]

glojo it states in the user manual that the SBC Stop feature is not available on manual box (which makes sense) but SBC Hold is. It does make me a bit concerned that it doesn't work on level ground.

Hi Tony,
Just had the wife test our SBC on the flat driveway. She simply brought the car to a halt with the footbrake, then exerted extra, firm pressure to the pedal. If SBC has been activated then SBCH will come up on the Multi-Function screen. It might take a bit of practice and above all patience, but it should work.

Folks that criticise SBC are usually those that do not have it!!

If you still have problems, then here is the place to ask.

Take care,
John

 

[tonyc220E]

thanks john, that was very kind of you to try it out!! So I just went out for a takeaway pizza (and why not?) and on the way there managed to get it to work everytime, then on the way back..it wouldn't work!! I notice on a couple of times when it wouldn't engage I could feel (and hear) a little bit of rumbling under the pedal..who knows, perhaps its a slightly dodgy unit on my folks' car.

Anyways last question of the night I promise...the command system and all the AC controls don't seem to be backlit at night...is there a switch/option somewhere on the car to enable the backlight?

Again thanks John, very kind of you to answer my questions. if you ever need any advice on anything remotely IT (my profession) I'll gladly oblige!!

Tony

 

[glojo]

Anyways last question of the night I promise...the command system and all the AC controls don't seem to be backlit at night...is there a switch/option somewhere on the car to enable the backlight?

Hi Tony,
There is a reset button just to the left of the fuel gauge. Turning this button clockwise will increase the brightness of the instrument lighting.

The SBC Hold should work everytime without exception, I would be concerned if it was the vehicle and not 'operator error'

Bye for now,
John