Hill start on a 1996 C200 (elegance)

[Bella Cullen]

Hi everyone,

I only passed my test a few days ago so I'm a brand new driving also I'm new to the forum and to driving a Merc. I've just bought a 1996 Mercedes C200 and it was dropped off for me today. My problem is I have never had to start a car with no handbrake! I've driven 3 different makes and models of cars whilst learning to drive and never had a problem.

I know that it's got the extra foot brake which is the hand brake equivalent. My problem is I can't get it started, it's parked on a steep hill outside my house and I just can't figure out how to start the thing.

Normally I'd start the engine go into first gear, find biting point and take the hand brake off to set off but I can't seem to do this with my new car and I'm now feeling like I'm a hopeless driver already!

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dec]

Hi Bella, is this an automatic or a manual?

Dec

 

[television]

Hello and welcome,,does your car have an auto or manual gearbox

Dec beat me to it

 

[Bella Cullen]

Hi there,

It's a manual transmission. I've figured out how to take the foot/handbrake section of it off. Someone told me to go into neutral take the parking brake off, go into first gear, find biting point then pull the hand lever off and then you can set off.

The car doesn't appear to rev at all, normally a car even with the parking break on when you apply pressure to the accelerator it revs, am I doing something wrong but it doesn't appear to be ticking over.

The car obviously works as the guy that sold it to me drove 20 miles to get it to me.

I'm really sorry to appear so stupid, I'm really unsure and as a new driver I fear I've bitten off more than I can chew!

 

[television]

You just need a bit of practice on this, on MBs you cannot sometimes heel the footbrake toe on the throttle as this cuts the throttle from working.

There are loads of post on this and here is one

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=25969&highlight=manual+hill+start

and another

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=14357

 

[Dec]

I haven’t driven a manual merc but there shouldn’t be any difference to any other manual car except that the parking brake is set by foot and released by hand.

In neutral, the car should tick over at between 5 and 10 on the rev counter and increase if you press down on the pedal

Your description as to how move off is correct.

Dec

 

[television]

Another solution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On6tIiMXfPw

 

[jberks]

The car doesn't appear to rev at all, normally a car even with the parking break on when you apply pressure to the accelerator it revs, am I doing something wrong but it doesn't appear to be ticking over.

The car obviously works as the guy that sold it to me drove 20 miles to get it to me.

When you say it doesn't rev - what do you mean?
When you ease the throttle down in neutral, what does the engine do?
It should pick up, rev and behave as any other car would. If it doesn't, then there may be a problem.

 

[television]

When you say it doesn't rev - what do you mean?
When you ease the throttle down in neutral, what does the engine do?
It should pick up, rev and behave as any other car would. If it doesn't, then there may be a problem.

On my SL I cannot heel and toe it, if I keep one foot on the footbrake, the throttle is disabled, this does not apply to diesels

 

[Bella Cullen]

Thank you everyone for your help. I think it's just to complicated for such a new driver. I only passed my test on Friday and my husband bought it for me. Had I had the choice I think I would have said no as it's so big!

The thing is it is lovely to look at and has been very well taken care of. Pity I'm not able to get to grips with it.

Thank you again for all your help.

 

[Splatt]

Dont be afraid of the parking brake it releases very smoothly. Just go into first gear , raise the revs a bit and lift the clutch till you feel the bite and hear the load on the engine pull the handle and your away

 

[stuartmac]

Hi Bella,

Perhaps the trick is not to think of the hand 'pull' as a 'parking brake'? On your car, with a 'normal' manual transmission it isn't, it's just 'the handbrake', albeit a bit weird.

My first Merc was a diesel E-class with a manual transmission and, at first, I remember being surprised just how far I had to press the accelerator to get the engine to rev. - it's a lo-o-ng way, so don't be afraid to give it some welly.

So, press the 'handbrake' pedal as far down as it'll go, start the car, clutch down, 1st gear, revs. up, clutch up 'til you feel the biting point, and pull the handbrake handle. First few times it'll probably release with a loud bang but you'll get used to either the noise or how much pressure you need to apply to the 'handbrake' pedal when you park.

One place the Merc 'handbrake' and manual transmission are not at all user-friendly is if you stall. You just have to get used to remembering to apply the 'handbrake' foot pedal before you do anything else, or you roll back. Just bear it mind so it doesn't cause you to panic the first time it happens (MissusMac came back distinctly unhappy from her first time ) and accept it's going to take you a little longer to restart the Merc than it ever did in any other car.

Hth.

Regards,

 

[turbopete]

as above. my 1st 2 mercs were both manual, dad still has a manual merc, and once your used to the system its fine. in fact i often find myself looking for the parking brake controls when im in other cars where they have a run of the mill handbrake! and as already stated by StuartMac above, the pedal does travel a long way before anything seems to happen!

 

[Xtractorfan]

I think for a new driver just passed the driving test it would be an idea to find an empty car park or flat area of ground and practise using the merc type 'handrake'