Ooh, I didn't know it did that...

[Roy C]

The Marco Polo is a complex beast - it's a premium car, with all the complexity that brings, plus all the camper van gubbins. There are a couple of posts where people have learnt about something they didn't realise the MP could do, like self-parking. So what other things have you found out with your MP that maybe others don't know about and might find useful?

I'll start the ball rolling with the "secret" way of applying the handbrake.....

If you come to a stop at traffic lights, or wherever, you can then give the brake pedal an extra push and this keeps the brakes on even if you lift your foot off the pedal. As soon as the lights go green put your foot on the accelerator and the brakes release and away you go. It doesn't sound like much but it's nice not to have to keep your foot pressed on the brake pedal. I suspect this is a feature of a lot of Mercs but nevertheless it is not something you would necessarily stumble upon.

Anyone want to share any more non-obvious features or tip and tricks they've picked up?

 

[mptripsaway]

Use the Mercedesme app to plan journeys from the comfort of your armchair and then just send it to your MP........simples!

 

[Roy C]

With all the hot weather when I get into the car the a/c fan goes to max to cool the van, as you’d expect. What I do like though is when I use the voice control to phone home it turns the fan down whilst I am speaking and then turns it back up automatically.

 

[KDM]

Use the Mercedesme app to plan journeys from the comfort of your armchair and then just send it to your MP........simples!

I've never been able to connect wifi or bluetooth in my 2018, except for connecting to my cellphone. I think me is a nice app, but this part isn't working for me. Any ideas on connecting the vehicle to the internet? I'd like to download the user's manual, mines in German and install me in the car.

 

[mptripsaway]

Do y

I've never been able to connect wifi or bluetooth in my 2018, except for connecting to my cellphone. I think me is a nice app, but this part isn't working for me. Any ideas on connecting the vehicle to the internet? I'd like to download the user's manual, mines in German and install me in the car.

Do you mean that your user manual in "command online" is in German?
In terms of connecting to the internet I just paired my MP to my phone, set up Bluetooth tethering and the MP then connects to the internet using my phone data signal. It's only as good as your data speed and I find anything less than 4G is a waste of time really.

 

[Martin]

Great idea for a thread, Roy!

Here's one I just this minute discovered (after 2 years...). The last few trips I'd be having trouble getting the seats horizontal, causing some discomfort when sleeping. It wasn't out by much, but just enough. So, preparing for a long trip, I read the manual more closely and discovered a "secret" reset button at the back, and near the base, of the left-hand rear seat.

The button (black) is just to the right of the seatbelt tensioner and isn't visible as it is covered by a fabric flap. The photo shows it with the fabric flap hanging down (the beige thing at the base of the photo). I suspect it isn't necessary to lower the flap. By sticking your hand under the seat about 30-40cm from the left and feeling around, you should be able to find the button. I lowered the flap because I'd done so before when I fitted seat covers, but it was awkward first time since, although it appears to be held on by velcro, there are a couple of screws that hold a plastic bar at the top of the flap in place (you can see one of them). The bar is just a stiffener and isn't really needed (just as well as I broke mine when adding seat covers thinking the velcro was just a bit stiff....).

Anyway, just press the button and the seat seems to recalibrate itself, returning to vertical. Then next time you lower the back it becomes perfectly horizontal. Bliss!

Anyone else tried this?

 

[Brian Drought]

On mine the reset button is on the front, just to the right of the drawer. If you open the drawer fully you can see it...

 

[Epigram]

On mine the reset button is on the front, just to the right of the drawer. If you open the drawer fully you can see it...

Mercedes must have changed this on later models. My reset button is at the front, behind the through load drawer. Quite easy to get to, to touch but not to see. Once you know where it is!
Being a lazy toad I use the reset button all the time to bring the seats upright in the morning. It doesn’t need to be held on continuously so I can get on with tidying up. Make sure there are no obstructions!

I don’t know why Mercedes don’t leave a small hole in the front of the through load cover to make pressing it easier. But, hey! Finding the seat reset button is a compulsory challenge for all new Marco Polo owners.

I had fun locating the rest button using the instructions in the manual. From memory the manual says to remove the through load cover. I found the reset button by feeling but could not open the through load cover. The catch was stiff and the picture shown in the manual is from the inside! There are posts here identifying the through load cover as a source of rattles. The through load space is next to useless so my cover is back in place with the catch stiff. I doubt if it will come off again.

 

[Gabrg3]

Great idea for a thread, Roy!

Here's one I just this minute discovered (after 2 years...). The last few trips I'd be having trouble getting the seats horizontal, causing some discomfort when sleeping. It wasn't out by much, but just enough. So, preparing for a long trip, I read the manual more closely and discovered a "secret" reset button at the back, and near the base, of the left-hand rear seat.

The button (black) is just to the right of the seatbelt tensioner and isn't visible as it is covered by a fabric flap. The photo shows it with the fabric flap hanging down (the beige thing at the base of the photo). I suspect it isn't necessary to lower the flap. By sticking your hand under the seat about 30-40cm from the left and feeling around, you should be able to find the button. I lowered the flap because I'd done so before when I fitted seat covers, but it was awkward first time since, although it appears to be held on by velcro, there are a couple of screws that hold a plastic bar at the top of the flap in place (you can see one of them). The bar is just a stiffener and isn't really needed (just as well as I broke mine when adding seat covers thinking the velcro was just a bit stiff....).

Anyway, just press the button and the seat seems to recalibrate itself, returning to vertical. Then next time you lower the back it becomes perfectly horizontal. Bliss!

Anyone else tried this?

View attachment 550

Yup, a particularly uncomfortable night led me to a post by a Spanish guy (I think? ) which led me to this button, and a blissful night’s rest

 

[Epigram]

Something not obvious until pointed out by a Mercedes friend:
If you are driving with the windows open and press and hold down the air recirculate button (e.g. because you have come up behind a smelly vehicle or entered a tunnel) the windows automatically close.
Pressing the recirculate again restores outside air and opens the windows to exactly the same position before they were closed.
Tried this out while gossiping and left a window open all night. Alas there are no rain sensors on the windows!

 

[Steve B]

Something not obvious until pointed out by a Mercedes friend:
If you are driving with the windows open and press and hold down the air recirculate button (e.g. because you have come up behind a smelly vehicle or entered a tunnel) the windows automatically close.
Pressing the recirculate again restores outside air and opens the windows to exactly the same position before they were closed.
Tried this out while gossiping and left a window open all night. Alas there are no rain sensors on the windows!

Not sure how the design teams/senior managers brains work; that must have cost Mercedes in time to think about it and cost in programming it, but something that is not well known or that useful. However, they decided putting an aerial in for the already installed DAB function was just too much (I know its on the new edition, still angry about the lack of future proofing for an expensive vehicle).

I tried out a function a couple of weekends ago, the SOS button! My wife was trying to put a light on in the night and somehow managed to press the button. She wasn't in the van when an operator answered the call, I was woken up by this voice asking if I needed assistance - you know what it like when you are quickly woken up, you're not sure whats going on. A bit embarrassing

 

[Epigram]

Not sure how the design teams/senior managers brains work; that must have cost Mercedes in time to think about it and cost in programming it, but something that is not well known or that useful. However, they decided putting an aerial in for the already installed DAB function was just too much (I know its on the new edition, still angry about the lack of future proofing for an expensive vehicle).

I tried out a function a couple of weekends ago, the SOS button! My wife was trying to put a light on in the night and somehow managed to press the button. She wasn't in the van when an operator answered the call, I was woken up by this voice asking if I needed assistance - you know what it like when you are quickly woken up, you're not sure whats going on. A bit embarrassing

Like Steve B, I have woken a campsite after hitting the emergency assist button when trying to turn on the lights on the centre console. Finding the call cancel on the steering wheel in the dark when the driver’s seat turned round is not easy.
(THere was an emergency involving several pints of beer but a phone call to Mercedes was not the solution.)

I am now so paranoid, I regard the overhead console as out of bounds at night and loop a head torch around the steering wheel.

Returning to the theme of the thread; Yes, it’s an irritation that design and manufacturing resources are wasted on things that are not really needed especially as they are then there to go wrong or have to be revalidated in software updates. The adage less is more comes to mind.

Despite being renound for safety, basic ergonomics are neglected such as making buttons distinguishable by touch so that you do not have to take your eyes off the road to find the right heater/aircon control in a row of virtually identical buttons.

My average size hands cannot adjust the seat backrest without skinning my knuckles on the door pillar, and I have yet to find a driving position that enables me to see the cruise control lever or the 360 degree camera button through the steering wheel.

Perhaps Mercedes / Westfalia, should arrange to be present at or host some MP meets with their design (and sales) teams to gather feedback from owners!

 

[Steve B]

I hit my watch on the door pillar each time I adjust the backrest and we are still having arguments about what button sent the SOS. My wife insists that she didn't press it but pressed the reading light on the end. I am sure the SOS button was pressed but one thing she did point out (and I did it many times to make sure), when you press the drivers reading light the SOS button lights up red, whats that about?

 

[SteveR]

I confess; I also hit the SOS button while trying to go for the interior light. I now use the ambient lighting

 

[JamesWu]

A Mercedes generic function - hold the lock button of the remote key closes the windows, hold unlock button opens the windows.

 

[Method7]

A Mercedes generic function - hold the lock button of the remote key closes the windows, hold unlock button opens the windows.

I have tried several times to do that and it has never worked. Today after reading this I shut all the windows using the remote. How on earth does that happen.