S212 Distronic Plus help

[SargeBenz]

I've searched for web for some help and failed to find anything obvious so I am posting here...

When I engage distronic plus, the graphic changes in the cluster, and I am able to change the distance between myself and the car in front. After a couple of seconds the graphic reverts back to whatever it was prior to turning on distronic plus. Fine. No problem.

Once you are driving and distronic is already engaged, I used to be able to turn the distronic stalk, and the graphic would come up and I would be able to see the distances changing in the graphic as I turned the stalk.

However, 3 months ago, suddenly, for no reason, no graphic comes up when I turn the stalk. I now have no idea how turning the stalk relates to distance between me and the car in front.

Its been to two Mercedes dealerships, and Mercedes UK Technical have been involved. All are telling me that the system is working as it should and if distronic is engaged, turning the stalk to adjust the distance should not make the graphic pop up in the cluster. In which case I have no idea how you can tell the relationship between turning the stalk and distance from the car in front!

So, can someone who has distronic plus, preferably owning an e class around 2015 model year, tell me how their distronic plus acts when the system is engaged and the stalk is turned to change distance ? Does the graphic change in the cluster and show distances changing ?

Many thx in advance.

 

[st13phil]

So, can someone who has distronic plus, preferably owning an e class around 2015 model year, tell me how their distronic plus acts when the system is engaged and the stalk is turned to change distance ? Does the graphic change in the cluster and show distances changing ?

Mine works exactly as you have described, i.e. turning the stalk to change the following distance does not change the display to the distance graphic (from whatever else was displayed).

If you want to monitor the following distance setting, select the Assistance Menu in the cluster, and then the Assistance Graphic option. This will cause the distance graphic to be on the display whether Distronic is active or not.

 

[SargeBenz]

Thx for the reply.

The dealers both said the graphic could be put up semi-permanently, but that requires manual intervention either before setting off or whilst driving.

What I am trying to understand is why I had this useful function before, and now suddenly don't have it.

Seems nuts to me that you can have a stalk able to twist but nothing on the cluster shows what's happening.... that to me is a backward step.

 

[st13phil]

There's no display that tells you what the radio volume is set to either, but you adjust it to suit what your ears tell you is loud enough.

The Distronic following distance is similar. You just twiddle the knob until the following distance looks right. Why do you need a display to tell you what that distance is in feet and inches

 

[SargeBenz]

The only reason I am asking about it, is that is not behaving as it did when I first purchased the car. It is how it behaved for the first 9 months of my ownership.. I got used to seeing the yards change via the graphic when I moved the stalk. Now its not there, I miss it and want to understand what has changed. Simple.

If it was never there when I first purchased the car, I would not be asking the question.

 

[uumode]

I have a C Class which might be different, but I only see the distance between vehicles when you have it on the assistance screen.

If it is not on the assistance screen I just have to feel which notch it is on, like the windscreen wiper and it's settings.

 

[Diesel Benz]

The only reason I am asking about it, is that is not behaving as it did when I first purchased the car. It is how it behaved for the first 9 months of my ownership.. I got used to seeing the yards change via the graphic when I moved the stalk. Now its not there, I miss it and want to understand what has changed. Simple.

If it was never there when I first purchased the car, I would not be asking the question.

Your car may have misbehaved when you first bought it but isn't it more likely that you remember this incorrectly, easily happens if one is not familiar with the car.

Perhaps you did pull the stalk when adjusting distronic distance? If you would like to see the graphics momentarily, you still can pull the lever shortly to engage Distronic (even if it was on already) or you can switch to the assistance graphic like suggested above.

 

[SargeBenz]

I did go through that very same logic myself when it stopped working. If I had the car 9 days, then yes probably user error. However, driving 1,500 motorway miles a week mainly using distronic means I was used to the workings of the car. This was confirmed by a colleague of mine, who also drove the car and used distronic in the way I have previously described.

So logic says I had a malfunctioning distronic plus, that is now functioning as per the spec. Alas, I preferred it the way it was.

 

[uumode]

I did notice (on my C class) that if you increase or decrease the speed on the stalk the assistance screen pops up to confirm your new speed.

I didn't try it today but presumably when the speed confirmation pops up, you can also change the distance between cars and see it displayed?
If this works then it's an extra step by using change in distronic speed to invoke the assistance screen temporarily.

 

[SargeBenz]

I did notice (on my C class) that if you increase or decrease the speed on the stalk the assistance screen pops up to confirm your new speed.

I didn't try it today but presumably when the speed confirmation pops up, you can also change the distance between cars and see it displayed?
If this works then it's an extra step by using change in distronic speed to invoke the assistance screen temporarily.

Yes, you can increase/decrease speed or just resume and the graphic will come up. As you say, that is one more step than I have had for 9 months.

 

[Diesel Benz]

Not arguing how it behaved for you for the first 9 months but I'm asking you not to complain to MB. I don't want them to change it from what it is now.

I don't want to see the graphics every time I change the Distronic distance setting. Now I have the option to see the graphics momentarily if I wanted to and otherwise it does not come to disturb the cluster view. If they changed it to match your preferences, I would suffer.

 

[swale]

Mine doesn't do it either it will only come up if I adjust the speed, and then if I adjust the distance after I can see the distance setting.

I infact think that when you adjust the distance it should come demonstrate that momentarily on the display....but as I say mine does not