Mercedes CDi Estate car...you'l like this

I was waiting at Tescos to fill the van up with diesel this lunchtime. There was a chap with a nearly new Merc diesel estate from the Merc dealership round the corner in front. He filled up...paid...then nothing..the car would not move, and he kept fiddling and looking at things...but still no go.

Embarassed he came and said "I can't get it into gear". It was an auto, so i went to his car door and said "Switch off, put it in P (it was already) now put your foot on the brake, and turn the key..now select the gear".....And it worked

It was half a guess on my part, but these Germans have been putting fiendish devices on their cars to stop useless American drivers from Sueing them..when they "Drive off on their own"

The Driver was a salesman from the Merc dealership

AlfaLincs

Bet he felt stupid

Umm...isn't that how all autos work ??

They won't start unless they are in neutral or park :?

Silly billy sausage thingy

Originally Posted by marlon

Umm...isn't that how all autos work ??

They won't start unless they are in neutral or park :?

Not quite Marlon. You have to have your foot on the brake before they will let you go from P to D on the Mercs now..apparently. He got the engine running, but could not move the gear lever.

AlfaLincs

Isn't that a basic "instruction" of driving an auto anyway though ?

Maybe just me, but I've always held the footbrake when putting one into gear so that it doesn't start driving forward or backward

Oh well, I would have guessed, like you did, that you need to hold the brake if it didn't go into gear

Originally Posted by AlfaLincs

Not quite Marlon. You have to have your foot on the brake before they will let you go from P to D on the Mercs now..apparently. He got the engine running, but could not move the gear lever.

AlfaLincs

AlfaLincs, I'm certain that this has always been the case with MB autos. In my experience of auto Mercs (280TE, 190E, 500SL, SL500, C180), you have always had to keep your foot on the foot brake when moving from P to D, or anywhere in between.

g

Same thing with the Murano. Foot on the break, car in P, turn on the key and then you can change to D and move.

MY old man has always had autos and you have to press the brake to move from P to D but they will start with out any pressure on the brake - dont know about MB though.

Makes sense to put your foot on the brake, because between P and D you have R !!!

This means you would jolt backwards before moving forward, that can't be good.

I never experienced an auto until my batism of fire; Toronto airport, mustang convertible, about 100 yards to the freeway and people beeping behind me (the car got dropped off outside the office which is actually inside the car park; so I was actually holding up traffic as I got my suitcases into the boot!). Bit of a hairy few moments but worked out what to do PDQ, actually now thinking about getting an auto for my day to day commute; much nicer in stop - go traffic