Using Cruise Control in Your Mercedes

When driving your Mercedes, you may enjoy pressing the pedal to the ground and experiencing the rapid acceleration of your vehicle. However, this rapid acceleration can cause your car to have a poor fuel performance. Using cruise control allows your Mercedes to have more stable acceleration. Learning about cruise control and its benefits can help you understand why this is such a valuable feature to have in a vehicle.

What is Cruise Control?

Cruise control is a popular automobile feature that allows your car to travel at the same speed for extended periods of time. Once cruise control is set to a specific speed, it stays that way until the driver changes it. A cable connects to your vehicle’s throttle valve to enable it to operate at a constant speed. An actuator that is connected to a pivot moves the cable to set your car to the specified speed. When driving for long stretches, the use of cruise control can provide a more comfortable driving experience for the operator of the car because he or she does not have to constantly have a foot on the gas pedal.

How Does Cruise Control Improve Your Car’s Performance?

The use of cruise control helps your Mercedes have a better fuel economy. Traveling at a consistent speed is much more fuel efficient than letting your speed vary as you drive. Constantly accelerating causes your car to use more gasoline. Using cruise control reduces the amount of accelerating performed by your car and enables it to use less fuel. One important exception to this concept is when you are traveling uphill. When you are driving uphill, the use of cruise control can actually make your car have a poorer performance. Your Mercedes will speed up in an attempt to maintain your predetermined speed, causing it to use more fuel. For the best performance, only use cruise control when you are driving downhill or on a flat road.

How do You Use Cruise Control On a Mercedes?

To set your cruise control, you must use the thin lever that is located on the left side of your steering wheel. This lever is always in the same place, regardless of the position of your steering wheel as you driving. Press the lever up or down to activate the cruise control. Once the cruise control is on, you can press the level up to increase your set speed and down to decrease your set speed. To turn the cruise control off, push the lever forward or press the brake pedal. Pulling the lever towards you permits you to resume cruise control at your last set speed.

What can Cause Your Cruise Control to Work Incorrectly?

A few things can cause your cruise control to function incorrectly. If your tires are not a uniform size, your Mercedes turns your cruise control off as a safety feature. Checking the air pressure of your tires to make sure they are all the same is an easy fix for this problem. If your cruise control is still not working, you may need to replace one of the cruise control components, such as the glow plugs or the amplifier. Make sure that your throttle valve is adequately lubricated, as inadequate lubrication can cause your cruise control to fail.

Though it can be fun to manually operate your car’s gas pedal, using cruise control can give your foot a much needed break when on a long trip. Regular usage of cruise control also helps your car perform better and have a higher fuel economy. When driving your Mercedes, it is simple to set the speed that you want your cruise control to operate at. By learning about cruise control and how to use it, you can have a more pleasurable driving experience when operating your Mercedes.