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ECO green light operation

76K views 33 replies 19 participants last post by  mike_747 
#1 ·
I'm curious about other owners with the ECO, engine stop feature at red lights, etc. I've had my new car for 3 weeks and this light only seems to go Green about 2% of the time.
Is this normal? Granted I don't drive a lot, only about 350 miles in 3 weeks but this feature seems to be of little value as it rarely goes green.

I'm wondering if I may have a warranty issue here?

thanks for the feedback.
 
#2 ·
I have a 2014 E350 with ECO function.

I agree with you, at least in short trip commuting, that Green ECO light rarely goes on. Sometimes it will go on and off at the same stop light.

The manual says that it will go on "when certain conditions are met", but nowhere can I find what those conditions are.

Yours sounds like ours, if that helps.
 
#3 ·
If this is the case it is pretty worthless. I've had times where I'm at a long light and the ECO turns green (90% thru the stop duration) and stops the engine within 3 seconds of me leaving as the traffic light is now green. And I've had it go green on the highway then yellow for no apparent reason. I talked with the service people and they said 20 parameters need to be met for it to go green. He listed them and they were all pretty simple items, like the steering wheel is pointed straight ahead, the car is at operating temp. etc. It is so annoying I'm thinking of just turning it off rather than be teased. I wonder how much credit the feds. gave this system towards the mileage rating for this car??
 
#4 ·
The ECO light goes yellow and the engine does not shut down when the battery is not fully charged. When the battery is at full charge, the ECO light goes green and the engine will shut down when you come to a complete stop with your foot on the brake. You can also turn the ECO feature off. I notice the light stays yellow longer when I have not driven the car for a while or when it is above 85 degrees and the air is going full blast with the seat ventilation on. Twin Cam
 
#18 ·
Thank you! This will make it much easier to eliminate this annoying scourge.
 
#13 ·
what perplexes me is why when I driving on the highway and the green light goes on it then goes off for no apparent reason? I haven't for instance turned on the A/C or any other power consumer. Seems if it goes on, and nothing changes with respect to the other parameters, it should stay on until the feature is activated. In this regard, there is no logic that I can see. So for instance it makes sense that after the engine has been turned off via ECO then re-started that the small battery would be temporarily short on charge and the system would go yellow - this makes sense.

I still think the stars and planets must be in alignment for this to work :)
 
#14 · (Edited)
Oil temp would be a concern as well as turbo lubrication needs if you have a turbo.

I think the only thing you can do is ignore it. They put the eco icon in a bad spot.

Come to think of it, I can't fathom why the eco mode would turn the engine back on if I unlatch my seatbelt. I pulled the loaner GLK350 in the service drive, the engine auto kill happened, I put it in park and as soon as I unbuckled my seatbelt, it started back up only to have me hit the engine off button anyway. It was annoying because it was there when I didn't need it and when I was in traffic, it was never available.
 
#19 ·
ECO button

I find the ECO device which cannot be permanently disabled the most annoying system I have ever had on a vehicle.
As I was purchasing the car at MB of San Diego, both the salesman and service rep both told me the ECO could be permanently disabled and to bring the car into the shop the following week.
I found on my next visit that the ECO cannot be permanently disabled. It must be manually disabled every time the driver starts the car.
The MB USA rep told me that the engineers are smarter then I and that I should just get used to the manual operation of the ECO system.
This is the most annoying device I have ever had on a vehicle. To have the engine stop running when the car comes to a stop is not why I bought the car.
Nor would I have bought it if I had known the ECO button could not be permanently disabled.
Other manufactures, BMW, Nissan, etc. that install ECO buttons leave it to the driver to activate the system, NOT MB.... They seem to know what's best for the buyers of their vehicles.
Soon the ECO button will be installed on the S Class. I wonder how that will go over with drivers of $100,00+ cars. Turn on the car then shut off the ECO system, a two step process. Somehow that makes sense to MB.
Recommendation, DO NOT BUY AN MB WITH THE ECO BUTTON. Since all MB's will have ECO buttons......
Ethics aside, MB has lost it's way with their ECO button.
I tried to return the vehicle. You can imagine how that went. Now I'm stuck with this thing I hate to drive.
Integrity is lacking at MB of San Diego. Somehow I held MB on bit higher plain, silly me.
 
#20 ·
I realize I'm being less than helpful, but I still have to say I like the feature. Maybe down the road problems will appear -- maybe re-start will become sluggish -- and then I'll re-think my position. But right now I think of ECO as just another one of my car's innovative technological features and I enjoy the heck out of it.
 
#21 ·
I'm not saying the feature is good, bad or? Though I hate it when the engine stops after I forget to turn off the ECO.
I'm miffed by the fact that unlike other car companies the MB ECO system can't be permanently disabled. The MB button should be for turning the ECO system on, not off.
I was told by the MB staff that it could disabled when they knew it couldn't.
I want a choice of how my car responds in every situation.
It's not MB's place to make that decision for me at any level. They've gone around the bend with this p.o.s.
Plus the car is only ok. Nothing great on any level.
Thanks for the reply.
 
#22 ·
Something occurred to me, so I'll just toss it out for consideration. Suppose MB were aiming for some specific emissions-reduction target in order legally to market the car as low-polluting? And suppose it turned out that ECO allows certain cars to meet the goal, but only if it's turned on? And further suppose that MB can claim the emissions efficiency only if its cars default to ECO mode. Yes, drivers can turn it off, but unless its cars start up with ECO enabled, MB can't advertise or maybe just can't persuade the EPA that its cars meet some specified target. Something related to reduced taxes on the car? Maybe? I'm guessing here, as I, too, wonder why ECO defaults to "on." I don't actually care, but I do wonder.

What I wish is that I could use my car's cruise control without also dealing with that lane tracking assist feature. I love everything about my car's cruise control except fighting with that steering wheel.
 
#23 ·
'BMW, Honda, Nissan, and several other companies have ECO buttons, all are activated 'on' by the driver not 'off' as the MB is.
IF MB has a problem with meting EPA standards with their engines and the only way they can get them certified is to install a full on ECO system, then I'm in worse position then I thought.
Actually, the MB ECO system can be turned manually, it just has to be done every time the driver starts the car.
The real issue is that Sean, the salesman, was deceptive in his narrative regarding the ECO system.
Again, I emphasized to Sean that the ECO system could be permanently deactivated and he and the service rep agreed that it could.
These are not people who can be trusted to represent the vehicles they sell accurately.
I don't want the car. They offered to buy it back at a 20% dissent to them. I guess it really is only with the $48,000 they offered. To me it is worthless.
Thank you for the response.
 
#24 ·
After initially learning of this Eco Start/Stop feature while shopping for our 212, I have to admit, I wasn't too pleased, and would also have preferred that it could have been permanently disabled.

Although I still find it a nuisance at times, I've developed a habit of turning it off each time I start the car and, if I forget to shut it off, I'm soon reminded the first time I come to a stop and it shuts itself off.

There's been lots of discussion about this technology on these and other forums, and some have expressed some rather strong negative feelings. Obviously, it didn't stop me from buying and, except for this slight inconvenience, I'm very pleased with the car overall.

If I had been misled, intentionally or not, by both the Salesman and Service Rep at the dealership, and then insulted by the M-B USA Rep who claimed that M-B's engineers were smarter than I am, I might be pretty annoyed. Certainly more than I am by this feature.

However, if I began to feel like I was now stuck with a car that I hated to drive, a car that is only ok, nothing great on any level and worthless to me, I might be considered to be over-reacting due to some other agenda that went beyond my dislike of the Eco feature that can be so easily disengaged.

In either case, if I felt this strongly, maybe it would be time for me to contact M-B USA again; in writing. I'm just saying!
 
#25 ·
the BMW eco system is activated on when you crank the car. you have to push the button to turn it off. Or the ones I have been in are setup up this way.

Every car by 2017/2018 will have this feature. its due to the 50+mpg 2025 national avg the car makers have to meet. I currently have 2 cars (13 GLK and a 15 GLA) that have it and its not that bad. only issue I hate is going thru a drive thru. I just reach down and turn it off. any other time its active. You get used to it or I have. its like any thing that is new. You just have to get used to it. I hate the new setup of the comand. The old setup was a lot easier to navigate than the new. I don't care if it has a pic of my car that spins, opens doors, etc.

I have way more complaints with MB ( I am a MB tech) than this eco stuff. Like options. Why is keyless go an option. it should be standard. a 12k Nissan car has "keyless go" as standard. Now they have keyless start option and keyless go as option. this makes no since. Lets just confuse the customers/sales/service even more. Why do they have 5 different radio options. give you 2 choices and let it be.

ALSO ^^^^ to the one about steering assist you can deactivate that thru your cluster If I am not mistaken.
 
#26 ·
Every car by 2017/2018 will have this feature. its due to the 50+mpg 2025 national avg the car makers have to meet. .
Yes, you are correct ! It's all thanks to Obama for mandating the much higher CAFE standards. In an effort to meet these standards, ASS is one tool that we will all have to put up with.

At least the MB ASS is much more intuitive and operates smoother than the BMW system. Furthermore, the 'defeat button' in the W212 is readily visible on the central dash unit, while the one in the BMW 3 Series is hidden behind the steering wheel spokes, which makes it very difficult locate if one wishes to turn off the ASS while driving.
 
#27 ·
My wife leased a '15 BMW 535i GT. It has the defeat button right under the start button. If you select it, it stays defeated until you select it again. No need to turn it off every time you get into the car. Mercedes should be able to do it too.

My friend has a '14 E350. He noticed that after two days of no use the light would turn on right upon start up, then off for a couple of minutes, then back on. If he uses the car daily this does not happen, it will stay on constant. Would anyone kindly let me know if this is normal, so I can pass it on to him? Thanks so much!
 
#28 ·
I like the idea of a defeat button so I wouldn't have to switch it off each time I start the car.

Regarding the light, mine comes on with each start whether doing start/stop errands or leaving the car in the garage for a day or more...and each time I try to remember to switch it off as it's really annoying when the car shuts off every time I stop. Seems to me all that starting and stopping can't be too good for the engine either!
 
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#32 ·
inconsistant

I first experienced eco mode in my rented A1 when I traveled Scotland in summer 2013. With gasoline at $8/gallon I didn't mind eco mode. Consider this technology imported from Europe - go figure driving an euro car.

That said, I took delivery of my 2014 in December and notice the eco doesn't activate often. I hope this is due to the cold, and not a defect.
 
#33 · (Edited)
I first experienced eco mode in my rented A1 when I traveled Scotland in summer 2013. With gasoline at $8/gallon I didn't mind eco mode. Consider this technology imported from Europe - go figure driving an euro car.



That said, I took delivery of my 2014 in December and notice the eco doesn't activate often. I hope this is due to the cold, and not a defect.


Batteries are affected a lot by cold weather. (My wife has a plug in hybrid that confirms this). I am not surprised you are reporting this from your location.

When we visited Europe my wife noticed petrol was "reasonably" priced at 1.7x on the signs, until I explained to her that that was per L, and not per gallon, plus the stronger Euro...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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