Cruise control

[W77]

Hello everyone. I've just bought a 2000 C180. This is my first automatic car with a cruise control so I don't know if I'm doing it right. I was doing about 60mph and I tried to push the cruise control button or arm to set it on and the green button came on but when I let go the gas pedal the speed started to slow down. Does it mean that my cruise control is not working? It has also a speed limiter and it is working. Can anyone advice me of what could be the problem, is it a really big problem. Also, is it worth buying those comprehensive warranty which is not from mercedes.

 

[jimsinessex]

Pressing the cruise control stalk in will toggle the control between cruise and speed limiter so you actually taking it out of Cruise mode.
To engage cruise the light should be out, then move the stalk up or down vertically to engage. To adjust setting move up up for speed raise, down for lower.
To disengage push the stalk away from you or touch brake.
Persevere, it will become second nature eventually.

 

[W77]

Thanks jimsinessex. I'll try that.

 

[philharve]

2000 C230 kompressor cruise control operation

I have a query concerning the cruise control fitted to the above vehicle. I assume the operation is not that dissimilar to the C180 of the same year.

I, too, am new to automatics and the C230 Kompressor Sport has cruise control which I occassionally select by mistake when searching for the other lefthand stalk control. How do I know when cruise is selected?

On page 31 on my M-B Driving Owners Manual C-class is depicted the lefthand stalk used to provide cruise control. This control has four movement: up, down, forwards (towards driver) and backward (away from driver). There is no 'in' or 'out' operation to the stalk.

Call me thick but I don't believe the narrative describing the operation of the control alongside the picture of the stalk is correct. If it is, perhaps it's badly worded. Maybe it's the translation of German into English that's the problem.

Does moving this stalk control up increase road speed and does momentarily flipping this control up program the speed reached into the cruise computer?

Conversely, does moving the control down decrease road speed and does momentarily flipping this control down program the speed reached into the cruise computer?

Does moving the control backwards deactivate the cruise control?

And does moving the control forwards resumes control at the programmed speed?

This seems logical but that's not what the narrative describes. Maybe I haven't grasped how the control is supposed to work.

Regards PHIL

 

[concordepilot19]

If it is the same as my 2000 C220 CDi, then it works like this :

1. Manually reach your cruise speed and flick the stalk up or down to hold that speed.

2. Whilst in cruise, flicking the stalk up or down will increase or decrease the held speed by 1 km/h.

3. Whilst in cruise, holding the stalk up will apply quite a lot of extra throttle and the speed at which you release the stalk becomes the new cruise speed.

4. Whilst in cruise, holding the stalk down cuts the throttle and the speed at which you release the stalk becomes the new cruise speed.

5. Whilst in cruise, pushing the stalk away or dabbing the brakes disengages the cruise control but memorises the last held speed. Having disengaged cruise and reduced speed, flicking the stalk towards you at a speed of more than 25mph causes the memorised speed to be obtained and held. (This can be quite scary if you have lost a lot of speed after disengaging as the amount of throttle applied is proportional to the lost speed and can cause kickdown).

I've had three cars with cruise and the Merc is the most accurate and safest. It doesn't lose more than 1mph on a motorway hill, nor gain 1mph going downhill.

Can't convince my wife to use it though, ever !

 

[jimsinessex]

Philharve said:
On page 31 on my M-B Driving Owners Manual C-class is depicted the lefthand stalk used to provide cruise control. This control has four movement: up, down, forwards (towards driver) and backward (away from driver). There is no 'in' or 'out' operation to the stalk.

Phil:-
It sounds as though there is a version that does not include a Speed Limiter.

Have you got a light on the stalk, if you have then pressing the stalk towards the steering column will toggle between Cruise and Limiter.

To answer your other question, there is no indication when Cruise is engaged, this can catch you out if you touch the brakes brieflyand Cruise disengages, the rear view mirror then gets very crowded.

BTW I am talking about an auto, I believe the manual g/box could be different

Jim

 

[concordepilot19]

The only time I find cruise control is slightly less safe is when you are in lane 3 on the motorway and Mr Pratt in lane 2 swerves in front of you. In a non cruise control situation, your reflex is to back off the accelerator to avoid crashing. In cruise however, you've got to actively disengage it or dab the brakes. Oh well, the manual says not to use it when the road is busy....so that rules out England then !

 

[jberks]

Basically true
I do 95 miles a day and last used mine 2nd Jan. Doubt it will get another go until the summer holidays.
I got caught out by the cruise control once, years ago . set it to just under 80 on the M62 coming out of Hull. a couple of miles later I eased the throttle down to slide past another car that I was tripping over and picked it up to around 90. Thought nothing of it and carried on back to Leeds. 45 ninutes later I backed off allowing the car to slow up behind a car on the slip road.
Just as we eased in to the gap, slowing nicely, needle dropping below 80 ...the nose picked up and shot forward towards the back of a Fiat . A very quickly applied dab on the brake cured the issue but I had completely forgotten that the cruise was still on.

 

[philharve]

Cruise control operation

My thanks to you all for your contributions.

I get the feeling that you have to be very careful when and where you use cruise control. There appear to be situations where its use could cause an accident. It is therefore important I fully understand its operation before using it in earnest.

In reply to each of your contributions ...

To 'concordepilot19' ...

Your description of the cruise control operation most closely matches that described in my manual, except for the 1km/h increments of which there is no mention.

Incidentally, my C230 Kompressor Sport is an automatic. I have no idea whether there was a manual option.

To 'jimsinessex' ...

There is no mention in my manual of a Speed Limiter.

There is no light on the end of the stalk, at least nothing lights up when I operate the stalk. Neither is there a mention of a light in the manual so I assume the driver has to remember when cruise control is engaged.

A colleague who regularly uses cruise control in other makes of car reports that 'cruise engaged' is often NOT accompanied by an indicator; you simply have to rely upon your memory. If you forget ... well, now I know what could happen, thanks for all your warnings.

How does my colleague judge when cruise is engaged? He momentarily removes his foot from the accelerator pedal and senses what the car does next. I must try this sometime ... when I understand exactly how my cruise control works.

To 'jberks' ...

I am beginning to wonder if cruise control is of any real benefit? It clearly has its drawbacks. Seems to me its real benefit is on uncrowded motorways/autobans, something I have yet to encounter in the UK.

REGARDS Phil

 

[davidsl500]

cruise control is a wonderful feature once you have got the hang of it.

I find it very useful on those suburban 30mph and 40mph limit roads where there is a speed camera every 500 yards. I still look down at the speedo to check the reading as I approach a camera but no longer find myself touching the brakes "just to make sure".

Its easy to tell when cruise is on - because your foot is not on the accelerator! There is also supposedly a benefit in fuel consumption from using cruise as we all tend to be a bit heavy on the accelerator and then "lift off" to control the speed.

The resume feature needs a little bit of care but is cancelled when the ignition is switched off - so at least you dont have to remember where you set it the day before! If you are not sure where you set it on the journey then just get up to the speed you want and set it again.

I could tell you a little story of someone that set there cruise speed on the redline in top gear at the electronically limited 155mph then slowed to 35mph and hit the resume to see what happens...yep good fun but not for the fainthearted ! and it certainly wasnt me...honest..

 

[philharve]

My apologies to 'concordepilot19' ... upon re-reading the car manual more fully I have discovered reference to 1km/h increments, though why anyone would want such fine speed control escapes me.

I therefore conclude that the cruise control of the C220 CDi of the same year, W (2000), does indeed operate in the same manner as my C230 Kompressor Sport (auto). I have my answer. Thank you all for your contributions.

In reply to 'davids1500' ...

Creeping passed speed cameras at a steady speed might be one reason for having such fine accelerator control. I have two speed cameras on a short stretch of road I use to get to/from work. Unfortunately I have to brake in the vicinity of the cameras because there are multiple road junctions. If it had been a straight piece of road then I could see using the cruise control could be used to prevent accumulating points on ones licence.

'Cruise control saves fuel' because it avoids using the foot-operated accelerator! I'll buy that. I'll remember that tip on my next long journey.

Oh dear ... what if you engaged cruise control on the approach to a speed controlled area, with cameras, having forgotten that you last used cruise the day before on the motorway to set the upper speed limit, 70 (say)? What would be your defence in court if the car suddenly accelerated beyond the imposed limit? Perhaps the cruise speed should be set to zero upon switching off the car. Maybe it is on some makes of car? I don't know about M-B.

I was once caught by a manually-operated speed detector held by a policeman and he wanted to know if my car was an automatic. If it had been, would he have inquired whether it had cruise control? The question is academic because the incident happened many, many years ago. I wonder if any of the MBOA members are policemen and would care to comment on this issue.

It seems to me that knowing what speed cruise is set to is vitally important before engaging it. Maybe this feature could be built into the stalk control causing the programmed speed to be displayed?

REGARDS Phil

 

[concordepilot19]

The fine control +/- 1km/h is useful for perfectionists who like 70 mph to be set without the needle sitting annoyingly just above or below the mark ! Also, you can flick it 5 times and reduce your speed by 3 mph and so on.

As for speed cameras , or the 40mph roadworks on the M25 near Heathrow, it's great for getting through without penalty, as long as Mrs Miggins in front isn't braking to 25 mph just to be sure.

The set point for the cruise speed is always returned to zero with the ignition off.

If you have forgotten which speed was last held, just engage the cruise at your current speed rather than resume. You can always attain your new, higher speed and then engage again.

 

[philharve]

Cruise contril with Speedtronic

I thought I had the answer but I didn't. There has been an unexpected development.

I let another M-B owner look at my setup and he said it has cruise control with a Speedtronic speed limiter. This system is also described in my manual but the stalk is of a different design to that depicted in the manual. I'm wondering whether this particular control was fitted as original equipment or was taken from another model of M-B. It doesn't use symbols, it's in English.

At last I have the answer I was looking for.

My thanks to all contributors.

REGARDS Phil

 

[pascal]

Well Phil,
You will know if you have no 'IN-OUT' towards the steering wheel, with a
little light on the stalk. You say you dont, so you dont have speedtronic,
and you are right and your friend is wrong.

When you switch off your engine the cruise shoud disingage, and reset. If
not it is very dangerous. It might have been replaced????

I find that the cruise is great for the open road, or quite roads with cameras.
When driving with cruise, you shouldn't have your foot on the accelerator,
so all you have to do is tap the brake to decelerate.
The only time a prob may arise is when you accelerate to overtake and then
easeoff. It should go gently back to the set speed. If you are continously
changing speed over a stretch of road, turn it off, and then click resume
when away from traffic.

The problem over here is that we have gone to KPH last month. So the
camera near me used to be 50mph and most people went through it a few
miles under that.
Now that its 80KPH (almost the same speed) lots of people slow to a speed
nearer to 40MPH, because they are erring on the safe side.

I have only used the speedtronic a few times, and would never use the
more pernament setting, as described in the manual.

PS Phil, I was sure that speedtronic was standard on all Cs for that year
(those with cruise that is) and as you mention your manual does not show
the old version. :?: :?: :?: :?: :?:

 

[jberks]

i find the speedtronic limiter excellent when there are cameras about and traffic, or there is a police car behind me. I can trickle along in the traffic and actually pay attention to the road rather than just watching the speedo like everyone else and it will keep me smugly on the right side of the law. I was also impressed when going down a hill with the limiter set on, when it actually changed down to keep the speed under the limit. I guess this is why the only include this with the autos. I probably use it more than the cruise as you rarely get the chance to keep the cruise on for any length of time, and even with my 'underpowered' 240, I can find myself doing speeds I would not like to explain to the police. Set it to 85 on the motorway and I won't find myself creeping towards 3 digits. It also disengages with kick down so it won't leave you stuck in an emergency.
One of MB's better ideas. I haven't seen it on any other makes though.

Interestingly, I have a GPS that gives a true speed reading, so whilst the cruise or limiter may be set to 80, you are really doing closer to 75. Something to remember when you are approaching a 40mph camera, you're pretty safe with the speedo up to about 49! Its a great opportunity to overtake as most slow to 38 indicated - 35 real.

 

[philharve]

Cruise with Steptronic, or not?

Hi pascal, jberks

I thought this thread had terminated. Never mind, all contributions greatly appreciated.

My colleague demonstrated the cruise control + Speedtronic system that's fitted to my C230 Kompressor Sport saloon. It's the stalk design that confused us. My colleague has not seen this particular stalk design in a C-class before. Maybe the stalk was replaced at some time. It looks slightly newer than the other stalk controls on this vehicle. Maybe the previous owner never used it and is therefore in pristine condition; not tarnished by greasy fingers.

There is a small yellow/amber LED on the stalk which illuminates when you press the stalk 'in' along its axis. A 'LIM' indicator, also yellow/amber, lights up in the centre dial when the stalk is pressed. You cannot see this indicator unless the Speedtronic is engaged. The LIM indicator briefly illuminates when starting the car. Indicator test?

With the stalk pressed in, or out, there are 4 levels of movement: up, down, forwards and backwards. By my reckoning that's 10 discrete control states on just one stalk. So, with the stalk 'out' you have access to cruise: with the stalk 'in' you engage the Speedtronic system. Right?

I haven't plucked up the courage to try out cruise or the Speedtronic system because of the warnings issued by other members. However, I will give it a go once I understand how it all works and what to do when the unexpected happens.

My car came with a top-of-the-range radio/casette hi-fi system with a 10-stack CD changer in the boot. This equipment is going to be even more of a challenge to operate than either cruise or Speedtronic. At least there are no risks associated with playing with a new hi-fi unless it takes your eyes of the road.

REGARDS Phil

 

[pascal]

Phil You said

There is no light on the end of the stalk

last week

And then you state:

There is a small yellow/amber LED on the stalk which illuminates
when you press the stalk 'in' along its axis.

today.

What did you think we meant?; A 60w halogen? :lol:

So now you know why the thread has lasted that long :lol: :lol:

The cruise and speedtronic are quiet safe to use, But the auto changer
is a different matter.
Playing the wrong type of music may speed up or slow down the cruise.
It prefers 'middle of the road'.

PS
Just in case you try to sue me, I don't mean that you are to drive in the
middle of the road, with or without Cruise and/or music playing.

 

[philharve]

Speedtronic LED

Hi pascal

The Speedtronic LED is in the centre of the stalk and carefully moulded into the control between the lettering. You can't feel this little LED or see it, except when illuminated. I originally thought this LED might be in the end of the stalk. (Oops, that's given my age away).

60 Watt Halogen? Hmmm. No, I don't think so!

Abba, Travelling Wilburys, Matt Munroe, John Williams, Dolly Parton, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton are OK. Jazz, Heavy Metal are not.

Alternatively, I like to listen to a good mystery (Paul Temple, Sherlock Holmes) or a favourite comedy programme whilst driving. I have hundreds of recordings to choose from.

I do believe what you listen too can affect ones driving. Nothing to racey for me though.

I'll reserve judgement on cruise and the Speedtronic system until I have experienced it for myself.

REGARDS Phil

 

[pascal]

Yes Phil, it is a small light I suppose :lol:

Remember to differentiate between the two speedtronic types described
in your manual

Normal..... Which resets after you switch off the engine.

Pernament........ Which stays selected, all the time.

The former is set with the engine running.

The latter is stored pernamently (until you reset yourself), and can only
be set (or unset) with the shift in 'P' and the key in position '2'. (engine not
running)

I would not recommend this setting at all. But if you do, take note, you
will not be able to exceed this speed at all whilst driving. I am not sure
what the lowest 'speed limit' you can set for your car (mine is 120mph), but
you can set it between that; and the top speed. Must check to see what it
says in my dads c220 owners manual.

The details should be at the end of the chapter on cruise/speedtronic.

It may be useful if you loan your 'beloved' to a teenage son (am not old
enough for that), but you can be sure he would know how to disingage it
before you learn how to set it :lol:

No speedtronic, but 2.8 million miles on the clock
Happy Driving Phil

PS: Refrain from the Transitional Meditation CD's whilst driving though

 

[louisjames]

wil my e class hav that limiter on it? i have the normal 4 way stalk with no indicator on stalk, yet wen im on cruise at 30mph and going down hil it picks up to 5mph more sometimes, but never seems to drop asmuch up hill?