Park Assists Disabled on all new Mercedes help!

[Rpp999]

Interesting read, I have just checked my vehicle spec sheet that I received from the dealers and it states that I have Park pilot including parktronic and parking package. All I get up on the screen when I select reverse is the rear camera. Should I be getting more, has mine been disabled or am I just being stupid and have not enabled something.

 

[frostjr100]

Interesting read, I have just checked my vehicle spec sheet that I received from the dealers and it states that I have Park pilot including parktronic and parking package. All I get up on the screen when I select reverse is the rear camera. Should I be getting more, has mine been disabled or am I just being stupid and have not enabled something.

Park assist should bring a display up something like the attached image with a blue radar, mine has been changed to default to the front and 360 camera and if I manually select the top park button I get no scanning blue radar.


cann

 

[frostjr100]

Thank you all for your comments, my main issue with all this is that they are selling the cars with all the advertising still stating they come with features that simply are not working on delivery. They should be made to have something on there website that cannot be missed clearly informing customers what they are getting.

I will wait for MBUK's response in the next couple of days and take it from there.

 

[frostjr100]

If the system is installed but just disabled then it can be enabled again. Maybe commandonline can help.

I will ask commandonline thank you as I am intrigued to know if ti is just turned off in the software , but as Mercedes technicians and a master technician couldn't turn it on over three days before they knew why it was turned off I fear MB have disabled the feature completely in the software.

 

[whitenemesis]

On newer cars any significant coding has to be done online using MB files downloaded from Germany, so I'd be surprised if it was possible without MB Germany's permission?

 

[frostjr100]

I think the OP should ask himself what is he practically looking to achieve.

He is unlikely to be successful in forcing MB to activate this feature (without a lengthy and potentially-expensive legal process).

So he could choose to just wait and see what happens next.

Or he could probe to see if MB are open to a settlement agreement based on an offer of some form of compensation - a partial refund, or a free Service Care Plan, or another year of warranty, etc.

Or he could try rejecting the vehicle on the premise that it does not meet his requirements - e.g., if the OP has a narrow garage and wouldn't have bought such a wide car without the Active Park Assist, or that the availability of this feature was otherwise a significant consideration when choosing this model.

Or he could try legal action or arbitration, perhaps through Trading Standards or the Ombudsman etc.

But in any event, it would be good to understand what the 'legal' issue is exactly - i.e. are car manufacturers simply not allowed to activate this feature under EU regulations, or is it the case that MB chose not to activate it because of either liability concerns or possible future regulation changes etc. If MB are simply not able to activate it due to a specific current legal prohibition or ban, then the only way forward is some form of financial compensation. If, however, MB chose not to activate this feature only because of related legal concerns that they may have, then, well, that's where things can get really interesting from the legal perspective (though in reality it is unlikely to ever get that far).

The closest case to this I can find is detailed in the link below, it seems Tesla have been disabling the autopilot feature in used models, claiming the new owner never paid for the feature.

Tesla finally returns Autopilot to second-hand Model S owner

Teslaâs unsolicited removal of vehicle features appears to have been sorted, but a bigger issue when buying Teslas from third-party dealers is highlighted.

thenextweb.com

 

[barian]

I have been contemplating buying an A class for my wife, but got wind of this change and have held off for the time being. I suspect it is not just the automatic parking feature that has been disabled but anything that involves system generated steering inputs, for example the lane centring and lane change features of the driving assistance package. It is noticeable that the description of the driving assistance features has become briefer and vaguer.
The link to the regulations provided to the OP by MB and included in his first post makes interesting (if lengthy) reading. I think that the "it is all the fault of the dastardly EU" argument is somewhat wide of the mark. I may be wrong, but I think what we are seeing is part of a coordinated international effort to establish common standards as part of the move towards autonomous driving. In any event, the regulations seem fairly unobjectionable and it is not obvious why MB are apparently unable to comply with them. It is pure speculation on my part, but the only potential area of difficulty I can see is in Annex 6 to the regulation, which deals with "complex electronic vehicle control systems". This requires the manufacturer to provide a system description and show how its safety has been assured, supported by appropriate analysis such as a FMEA (failure modes and effects analysis). It would be worrying if MB were either unwilling or unable to provide this information.

 

[Harrythedog]

So will you need the Park Assist disabled before you drive into the EU after 2020 ?
Might be a nice little earner for the MB network

Personally my guess is that it may be the Parking Pilot where you can park the car whilst being outside the vehicle which is being questioned

 

[markjay]

...I may be wrong, but I think what we are seeing is part of a coordinated international effort to establish common standards as part of the move towards autonomous driving....

If that's the case, then it sounds like a very reasonable step.

Hopefully it will also include an international standard for safe use of built-in infotainment systems (user interface), for both manufacturer-designed units and the implementation of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

 

[Rpp999]

Park assist should bring a display up something like the attached image with a blue radar, mine has been changed to default to the front and 360 camera and if I manually select the top park button I get no scanning blue radar.


View attachment 105563cann

Thank you for your reply and info. I do not have that screen. Strange.

 

[glojo]

If that's the case, then it sounds like a very reasonable step.

Hopefully it will also include an international standard for safe use of built-in infotainment systems (user interface), for both manufacturer-designed units and the implementation of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

And don't forget augmented reality (It sounds like a TV program)

 

[BTB 500]

Current-gen cars (with MBUX) have OTA software feature provisioning, meaning that features can be enabled or disabled remotely at the whim of MB.

And I think previous-gen with NTG 5.5 as well - this is ours:

 

[glojo]

Current-gen cars (with MBUX) have OTA software feature provisioning, meaning that features can be enabled or disabled remotely at the whim of MB. The OP's situation is a salutary lesson for us all regarding that.

So reading that link then looking into the 'Mercedes Me Portal' we can see what has been updated or modified? (question)

 

[frostjr100]

I have received the following update from Mercedes, as far as I can see they have removed the word Active, I am not sure how the car should operate with just park assist? They have also confirmed that my car should have it so why can't it be turned on?

Thank you for contacting Mercedes-Benz Customer Service.

I have confirmed with our Marketing Department that Active Park Assist has correctly been removed from all Marketing communications. The functions which you refer to are still available. "Parking Assist with PARKTRONIC and "Parking Package with 360° camera". However, Active Park Assist has been discontinued as per EU Regulation UN R79, as described in our previous correspondence.

The "Active" part of the Park Assist feature has been discontinued. Moving forward a car will no longer actively search for parking positions at low speeds.

I can confirm that your Mercedes-Benz GLC still maintains the Active Park Assist feature. It is recorded on the car’s Specification Sheet as Code: 235 ACTIVE PARKING ASSISTANCE

Please refer to your local Mercedes-Benz Retailer for assistance with this function. All our Retailers are privy to the same information as this office. However, should you wish us to investigate this with your Retailer, please inform us of the Mercedes-Benz Retailer involved.


Should you have any further requirements please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

[glojo]

I have received the following update from Mercedes, as far as I can see they have removed the word Active, I am not sure how the car should operate with just park assist? They have also confirmed that my car should have it so why can't it be turned on?

Thank you for contacting Mercedes-Benz Customer Service.

I have confirmed with our Marketing Department that Active Park Assist has correctly been removed from all Marketing communications. The functions which you refer to are still available. "Parking Assist with PARKTRONIC and "Parking Package with 360° camera". However, Active Park Assist has been discontinued as per EU Regulation UN R79, as described in our previous correspondence.

The "Active" part of the Park Assist feature has been discontinued. Moving forward a car will no longer actively search for parking positions at low speeds.

I can confirm that your Mercedes-Benz GLC still maintains the Active Park Assist feature. It is recorded on the car’s Specification Sheet as Code: 235 ACTIVE PARKING ASSISTANCE

Please refer to your local Mercedes-Benz Retailer for assistance with this function. All our Retailers are privy to the same information as this office. However, should you wish us to investigate this with your Retailer, please inform us of the Mercedes-Benz Retailer involved.


Should you have any further requirements please do not hesitate to contact us.

Yup, You can definitely count on Mercedes-Benz UK for a straight answer.

They have definitely removed the word 'active' from all their marketing communications. Look at the Mercedes-Benz UK site and we will see this:

Parking Package with 360-degree camera
without extra charge

• Parking Pilot Turn the stress of parking in tight spaces into a smooth and effortless procedure. Active Parking Assist with PARKTRONIC is not only able to find available parking spaces – it also helps you to enter and leave them. As part of this, it helps you with steering, and on vehicles with automatic transmission also with accelerating, braking and changing gear.
• 360° camera

Optimum parking service on board. Active Parking Assist with 360° camera makes it easier for you to find a parking space and to manoeuvre into and out of parking spaces. The choice is yours: thanks to all-round visibility, you can park your vehicle yourself – or let your vehicle do the parking without stress.

 

[Deleted member 149005]

Well, that is as clear as mud isn’t it..

How can the functions still be available if Active Park Assirt has been discontinued?

 

[BTB 500]

I would guess you get guide lines on-screen which you have to follow manually, rather than the car doing the steering (and changing between forward and reverse).

 

[frostjr100]

Yup, You can definitely count on Mercedes-Benz UK for a straight answer.

They have definitely removed the word 'active' from all their marketing communications. Look at the Mercedes-Benz UK site and we will see this:

Parking Package with 360-degree camera
without extra charge

Yes I know its all over the new s-class literature!

 

[frostjr100]

I would guess you get guide lines on-screen which you have to follow manually, rather than the car doing the steering (and changing between forward and reverse).

I believe it should scan the space and tell you if its big enough for the car, but you have to park it yourself. But mine does nothing, its just a dead screen.

 

[whitenemesis]

I believe it should scan the space and tell you if its big enough for the car, but you have to park it yourself. But mine does nothing, its just a dead screen.

The opposite is what MBUK's response says. It will no longer actively scan for parking spaces at low speeds