I started this thread in case there are others who are unaware of this safety feature and might find it interesting, as well as as a way to get to know their Mercedes better. I searched the forum and couldn't find anything specifically posted about Automatic Park, also known as Automatic Transmission Park-Lock, Automatic Park-Lock, Park-lock, Drive-Away Protection, etc.
This post probably won't matter to you if this isn't you and you're already familiar with Automatic Transmission Park-Lock.
The subject was brought up in the "What Have You Done To Your Merc Today?" thread by an anonymous user from MSN2004. I must express my gratitude to him for shedding light on this safety feature that Mercedes has implemented; I must admit, even after owning and driving these cars for more than 20 years, I was unaware of it. đđ
Also, I'm fully aware that this feature isn't to everyone's liking; in fact, some people think it's the very opposite of useful when doing moves like reversing a caravan, where you need to lean out and/or look behind while driving. Although I wouldn't say it happened while driving a Mercedes, I have witnessed such things happening on private property, so it's not entirely out of the ordinary.
I personally think Automatic Park is a fantastic safety feature; Mercedes developed it as a roll-away prevention system, and it activates when the driver does anything that could cause the car to creep, roll, or lurch. However, as the old saying goes, "one man's meat is another man's poison," so you can't please everyone.
Then what exactly is this "Automatic Park" that I've been raving about? To put it briefly, it is...
When the door is opened while the car is still in Drive or Reverse and the driver is still sitting, Mercedes will automatically shift into Park.
From 2010 and later models, the majority of Mercedes vehicles have this feature: * Controls for changing gears electronically (central toggle or column stalk) * Self-parking electronic brake a seat-occupied detector
The door-open safety interlock can be used.
If your Mercedes is equipped with Park-Lock, you may tell by looking at the following:
* It has park-lock, yes. You can access it using the electronic gear selector on the steering column. * It has Park-Lock, yes, thanks to a little electrical toggle that reads "Electric." A large physical lever for turning power on and offâmechanicalâNO, it does not * A stick shiftâno parkâno, it doesn't