Only a Mercedes specialist at a specialized Mercedes dealership with specialized personnel specializing in specialized Mercedes vehicles should open the trunk of this special vehicle. I guess must be very special then!
Keep buying this crap and supporting the companies, soon you won't own a single thing. You will pay the same price for a subscription fee to lease the vehicle but nothing will be yours to own.
Mercedes’ model is to reckon that most of the owners will be leasing companies that clear out leaves etc as part of the three-year deal. After three years it’ll be junked so who cares!
@@Herman6507 With things like this it becomes debatable if they are the best. It may be safe an reliable and a good driving experience but it starts to go downhill when you need to get maintenance done. This may not be too bad cause the hood can still be opened but i bet you more scummy things are to come if people just keep accepting things like that
@@supersimon126 with that I fully agree. My response was more reflecting to the MB quality in comparison to the already very good quality of the usual German topclass rivals.
@@ricoricardo4850 Wrong, that's a problem with modern cars. Electric cars are actually easier physically to fix. You have way more difficulty with ICE vehicles with specialized physical parts and requires far more specialized tools.
@@ricoricardo4850 welcome to the world of diminishing returns and the need to still make sufficient profit to continue as an inefficient multinational.
Nothing in these high tech vehicles you can fix yourself. Regular service places cannot service these types of vehicles. They would require the proper diagnostics tools, training, and facilities to work on this level of vehicle. Very dangerous to work on EVs if you don't have the proper setup. Very high voltages at very high current is involved. I am an electrical engineer, and I also have auto mechanic experience. I would never dare to touch anything on these types of vehicles unless I had the proper training, tools, diagnostics, and facilities.
It’s simple. Merc knows that EVs will hurt repair revenues because they are more reliable. So they want YOU paying a tech $$$ to clear leaves out of the intake.
That’s not it at all. They have problems like any car just different problems. They just don’t want people owning anything. This is a small step in that direction look up “right to repair”. Companies like Tesla and Apple don’t want you to own their products but basically rent them. Just like you stream music and movies instead of owning them. Everything is becoming a licensing agreement. Which leads to never ending payments and profits.
I wish you were right @Mark Brand, but unfortunately that's not it at all. @Ryan D has it right, along with the fact that the problems EV's face are problems you'll never be able to fix yourself. Alongside all of the electronic NIGHTMARES unimaginable which we will never have the tools or software to diagnose/repair, even basic jobs like suspension, brakes, fluids, filters, hoses, & lines will also be impossible without parts availability & knowledge of the procedure. I'd like to think enough experience would enable troubleshooting & "figuring it out", but this is complexity on a scale yet unforseen. If you're not filthy rich in the next decade, you don't drive. Period.
EV's are a potential major problem for the German economy as production is does not require nearly as many highly qualified steps as ICE. The good news is that behind the scenes (and this is really latest info that you may not find widely available on the net just yet), German politics has already realized that. They have also realized that EV's are NOT SCALABLE. So EV's remain a niche market. That is also why Toyota is already curbing their EV program. Even rich countries struggle with the subsidies that are required for the EV purchase and building corresponding VAST infrastructure, let alone developed countries. Scaling would bring a host of other major issues as well. And then the question becomes what for? According to a recent study that was sponsored and released by Bill Gates, all traffic (planes, trains, ships, trucks, cars and anything else that moves) account for 17% of all CO2 emissions. Passenger cars account for 6% of all CO2 emissions. So 'that' much of a help will EV's do solving climate change. Especially since electricity still comes mostly from fossil sources.
@@mrtopcat2 This is what most people don’t understand. Most developed countries don’t have the proper infrastructure for everyone to drive electric. America certainly does not and people just don’t understand the reality isn’t what they’ve been led to believe.
So it's a normal hood, they just scare you from opening it. this isn't stupid or anything. They should get rid of the lug nuts and weld the tires to the axle --wouldn't want anyone getting hurt changing a flat tire.
Just because Musk decided to have a Frunk, and his fans obediently follow, that doesn’t make it needed or desirable. I’m glad Germans don’t follow like sheep.
4:20 Mercedes Benz does actually have specially trained service personnel who hold the hood open while another person works on the system. But you're not supposed to know that either.
@@fortheloveofnoise Wrong again. He's a nameless Oompa-Loompa and he gets paid in raw cacao beans, and sings a catchy tune: Oompa Loompa, do-ba-dee-doo, If you are wise you'll listen to me. Opening your hood is expected On any other car but not on an Electric Mercedes. Oompa-Loompa lookie-and-see Now that your eyes have gazed Say good-bye to all of your warranties!
Knowing Mercedes they have a special tool that fits in the hinge and holds it, just like they removed the dipstick from their transmissions but kept the dipstick tube - only difference is they have the dipsticks in shop and will sell them for $150 ea. Mercedes sucks a$$.
Do you have access to the battery of your smartphone? Or the compressor of your dishwasher even though they are both your properties? Yes, you have access but the average customer is not supposed to deal with that. But if you want to, take the skrewdriver and the video shows how. :)
Nothing in these high tech vehicles you can fix yourself. Regular service places cannot service these types of vehicles. They would require the proper diagnostics tools, training, and facilities to work on this level of vehicle. Very dangerous to work on EVs if you don't have the proper setup. Very high voltages at very high current is involved. I am an electrical engineer, and I also have auto mechanic experience. I would never dare to touch anything on these types of vehicles unless I had the proper training, tools, diagnostics, and facilities.
With it being Mercedes I was for some reason expecting to see some kind of electronic lock that you need to provide some encrypted key or something to disengage the hood latch but I was kind of deflated when it was revealed that they just simply hid the hood release....behind a plastic mold door....with one screw securing it. I'm calling off work because I need to take the rest of the day off to finish facepalming how ridiculous this is. Pay us for this...but don't you dare open it.....WTF
No kidding Bmw loves their specialty tools. Their repair shops also love your money. Convinced my neighbor when getting a new car to get something not Designed in Europe. Get something any shop can work on. it will be cheaper down the road.
I'm sure you've set some software flag by opening the hood. This will come into play if you ever need/want warranty work done on your EQS - then you're SOL. All that said, I'm glad you opened that thing up and showed us what's in there. That HUGE air filter thing will likely cost the owner a LOT of money to replace...on a frequent basis!
It's illegal to refuse warranty service like that in the US. MB would have to prove to a court that your actions specifically caused the failure The MMWA was written to prevent arbitrary voids of warranties. It also means that most "Warranty void if removed" stickers are unenforceable in the US.
Not sure why these crackheads need to have this explained to them. If I coughed up my money, I can't even begin to understand how you think you're going to tell me what I can or can't do with my property.
@@Ted_Kenzoku burden is on them to prove you caused the specific issue, not the other way around, you don't need to defend yourself its not a big court issue.
I am SO glad you did this!!! BMW iX ALSO has locked the owner out of the hood compartment with the disclaimer “only authorized repair shops”. I always thought it was a mistake to make Apple the Right to Repair poster child because it left so many other companies out of the discussion. It should have been bigger than Apple. For example John Deere was MUCH worse but only brought into the discussion when a very large UA-camr mentioned them with Apple. Up until then every article, news segment, tech reviewer was about Apple, Apple Apple, while much more expensive and traditionally customizable products were locking owners out.
Very true! I saw a documentary with the John Deere issue and I was mad and I'm not even a farmer. Farmers have a very slim profit margin and to see their equipment manufacturer take them to the cleaners was eye opening.
The fact that you show how to hack the car, break the rules, whatever you want to call it, makes this video valuable. I'd just rip that little door off if that's all it is. The tech would probably thank me for saving them the time. Plus you've proven that keeping the customer "locked out" is actually detrimental to maintaining the vehicle.
Nothing in these high tech vehicles you can fix yourself. Regular service places cannot service these types of vehicles. They would require the proper diagnostics tools, training, and facilities to work on this level of vehicle. Very dangerous to work on EVs if you don't have the proper setup. Very high voltages at very high current is involved. I am an electrical engineer, and I also have auto mechanic experience. I would never dare to touch anything on these types of vehicles unless I had the proper training, tools, diagnostics, and facilities.
@@jerryg50 Bullcrap, if you can't work out how, for example, to repair a CV or ball joint, or strut on a car like this then you shouldn't go around advertising yourself as a mechanic.
Thanks for this. I've specifically looked for videos in the past showing under the hood. I knew it wasn't meant to be opened for any normal reason, so that just made more curious.
Good observation about the leaves. My Honda was actually totalled due to leaves clogging a tiny drain hole under the hood. It rained hard enough to flood the interior of the car as a result. As usual Mercedes has made a car for their customers and not real people that have trees near their cars.
MB messed up there. They should've made the front end one contiguous unit with no actual hood. Then they could charge major $$$ to perform service work since it would take dismantling the entire front clip.
Right to repair is essential to me. It appears that the only easily accessible items under the hood are the coolant levels and removing debris like you said about the leaves.
Nothing in these high tech vehicles you can fix yourself. Regular service places cannot service these types of vehicles. They would require the proper diagnostics tools, training, and facilities to work on this level of vehicle. Very dangerous to work on EVs if you don't have the proper setup. Very high voltages at very high current is involved. I am an electrical engineer, and I also have auto mechanic experience. I would never dare to touch anything on these types of vehicles unless I had the proper training, tools, diagnostics, and facilities.
@@jerryg50 You don't watch enough UA-cam videos Try Superfast Mat or many of the videos of people retrofitting ICE cars with electric motors. There are plenty of people who are competent at building much less repairing these vehicles.
@@dwcheshire yeah, sure, fitting an electric engine to a Beetle or 911 is the same level of tech that is installed in this car. Everything and all integrated and cross referenced with a myriad of data points. You are talking about two different things.
It seems the only cost savings Mercedes has is avoiding the safety two-stage hood latch and prop/strut of a conventional hood, but those missing parts are slightly offset by adding an extra panel covering the release. I assumed the splash guards would be attached to the sides of the hood and it wouldn't be hinged, but instead be bolted on. This is just crazy.
LMAO WTF are you talking about. I have owned several S-Classes and have never seen a bill for anywhere near $5,000 in my life for anything I have had done and they sure aren't going to charge you $5,000 for opening the hood.
Thank you so much!! I just test drove a M-B EQB and the sales person told me I'm not allowed access under the hood. I agree with your assessment. How does one clear debris/leaves if one can't open the hood? Great and to the point.
I think this is a stupid idea. Glad there’s a work around though but are they going to void a warranty claim if you opened it yourself? It’s almost as bad as not even putting a donut spare in a car.
That’s infuriating. And the extra engineering involved to “allow” you to fill the windshield washer tank without opening the hood is just sad. I would never buy something like this, but I suppose that just means I’m not the target market. Edit to add: Also the fact that they think they’ve actually hidden / secured the latch from owners is laughable.
This would bother me because I like to keep my vehicles clean inside and out. Besides leaves getting in, the dust build up would bother me. Probably the cabin filter is in there to that maybe easy to change that the dealer can charge customers a lot for to change with this stupid customer not allowed to open crap.
If an owners manual ever tells me I cant open the hood I'm leaving that lot in the same rig I came in, as you've shown there's always a maintenance item to be considered, even if its just routine cleaning. If nothing else I can't stand the though of a manufacturer sneering down their nose at me like I'm too stupid to look at my cars inner workings, and would leave on principle alone.
@@wendigo6667 There's still a 12v battery in EVs. Not everything can be powered by the traction battery and it also provides backup power for some of the critical systems (steering and brakes for example) in case of traction battery failure.
Thanks for this video. In my experience not cleaning out the leaves and other things in and around the cabin air intake can lead to a clogged cabin air filter and in the end lead to a broken blower motor and many angry customers. I think this is a bad decision on the part of Mercedes has they have been doing as of late. Other manufacturers that have EV related components and the washer fluid allow you access to the hood. Tesla, VW/Porsche/Audi and I think Hyundai. As to holding the hood up 90 degree's, I think the latches near the hinge is the way to go. What Mercedes is trying to do is prevent people from working on their cars.
You and the fine Mr.Rossman should do an interview about Right To Repair as he is getting initiated into the automotive world and I feel you guys could discuss some interesting subjects. With that said I am not his fanboy as him and I disagree on a great many things but I can respect a person for their ideas and get past that to have decent thought provoking interactions🤙
As a car technician I can say not having access to basics like antifreeze tank(s) is almost a crime, especially on electric cars which are very sensitive to excess heat. Rather than providing those "special" instructions on the manual they could simply say there is a risk of electrocution under the hood and place some stickers under the hood itself to point those hazards. I still believe you need to be an "cocky autist" to buy a Mercedes, Audi or BMW. The holy trinity of expensive unreliable shitboxes.
@brotinger_1 very detailed and true about what you say but in my personal opinion electric cars are still in a crude state even today for 2 reasons: range and recharge time. I can't stand waiting 25-40min (on fast charging - when available) for every 500km at most considering most EV drivers will not give up on their ICE habits on highways. No one wants to spend more money for getting a new but limited life style: you won't pay 40-60k for a car that you can only use in city... because for the same amount of money you can have a car that will get you everywhere and when you are out of fuel it takes less than 5min to fill your fuel tank. More clean air? The first biggest source of pollution ww is creating electricity itself so... recharging any EV or whatever device that has a battery won't make such a big difference... the compromise was already been done before you plug your cord into the socket lol. I don't think even E. Musk ever said that EV cars are green. I'm not against EV don't get me wrong, I'm only saying current batteries technologies needs to radically change and ww electric energy sources needs to change. (80% of it is made by burning fossil fuels) Have a nice time.
@@mattbrew11 I wasn't whining, I was simply stating my opinion because commenting encourages the algorithms to promote the video. You're the one that's being a whiny little ass and assuming people's financial states.
I have loads of fir trees that are constantly losing needles, which then go all over the place and especially in the bit between the hood and the windscreen. This is a huge fail for Mercedes, coming from someone who has 2 AMGs on their driveway. No, thank you. The ugly shape and this stupid bonnet makes these cars a non-starter, unless Mercedes reverses these decisions.
You clearly don’t understand. Only a professional Mercedes service technician is qualified to remove leaves and debris with specific implements, for suitable compensation. :)
IF you are concerned about such things, you probably are in a ghetto and have bigger concerns than buying a car that might serve as a urinal for your ghetto trash neighbored. ;)
@@WW-wf8tu pretty much all of London is full of these cars and all of London is pretty much a trash can along with all other big American Cities. People in the rest of the world wouldn’t even buy these overpriced garbage vehicles
Absolutely , the doorway for windscreen washer fluid was clearly thought of by an accountant looking at ways of justifying using official repair shops instead of going to your ev registered local workshop, there’s even a bs message that it’s to protect you from battery off gasses (but everyone knows it’s just a stupid ploy to stop 3rd party hepta filters being changed by a local ranger style repair angel ) if you loop closely even e class gas struts could be fitted to keep it open . What makes it worse is Mercedes copied it over to the eqe as well
Not a fan. I like a lot of the new EVs coming out. At the same time, I'm not a fan of the fact they seem hell-bent on making them unserviceable (or difficult to service) by the consumer. Thanks for the vid TFL!
No, EVs can be very serviceable. Most people don't seem to understand it. Of course you are dealing with 400v systems. But typically there is a maintenance disconnect. You could remove the battery tray, open it, and replace cells or modules. It already happens, and for a longer time for hybrids too. However, this Mercedes is not intended that way, and is probably more difficult to work on.
@@roland9367 I get what you're saying. I'm not just talking about the batteries and electrical repairs. It can be difficult to get parts for Teslas. They want you to do the service through them. Getting the parts should be easy.
@@wade7959 Yes I agree. This Mercedes and Tesla aren't the best examples. But companies can repair a hybrid battery for some years now. And if you have a Nissan Leaf, you can get extender batteries or replace the whole battery by a newer one. That way an old 24kWh Leaf can become an 80kWh car :) But in general, most of these battery boxes are the same. They can be opened, and cells or modules can be replaced. Sometimes it will not even require any tools. Electric motors and inverters are much harder to repair, I would think it is more likely they will need to be replaced. However, that is the great thing about driving an EV, it is a very very reliable drivetrain. Meaning that in practice you can buy good motors and inverters for reasonable prices, from crashed cars and so on. Also fun for EV conversions.
I agree with you. It's utterly ridiculous for a manufacturer to sell you a product and then assume they have a right to restrict what you do with it. Also, the washer fluid port is easily the ugliest part of the exterior design.
Can you do a video about the dos and do nots, the can and can'ts of what you can do with press fleet vehicles? Is there anything a manufacturer prohibits you from doing, or have you ever damaged relationships with brands from a bad review? Or is any and all negative criticism welcomed, because it tells them what to fix in their next redesign?
Hee Hee you must be new around here… there’s a whole saga in which they pissed off Subaru who never gave them them a press car again 😂 they also pissed off Ford by sharing leaked Bronco photos
@@bob15479 Nope, not new. been watching since 2010. I did know about Ford. My comment was asking if a relationship was damaged from a bad review, meaning content they create, not from damaging a vehicle or leaking photos
@@fantomtuba well they did sorta give a bad review on that Subaru since it went into limp mode on the trail. Hard to say exactly what action made Subaru mad tho
The Benz dealer wants to charge you $200 for leaf removal. Good luck to anybody buying a 2nd hand Mercedes in the future. The original owner will take a big hit on cars value in the first 5 years, but who cares, he can afford it. It's the 2nd owner who will spend his or hers life savings keeping this thing on the road.
If nothing else, I guess this saves weight not having hood struts/springs. It’s interesting that there appear to be two latches with a cable going to each one. Also interesting that there’s still a hood insulation pad. I wonder if that’s to cut down on pump noise, electric motor sounds, or just to make the panel sound more substantial and vibrate less. Great video, as always!
Yes they will they have been working on it for some time now. Look up “right to repair” many companies are lobbying to make it impossible to “own” their technology. They want you to rent from them like streaming music. You will not own anything in the future only rent.
As Mercedes electrifies their fleet, this car's going to go down as a bizarre first step. No way they'll keep engineering ways around hood access all the way down into the A-class.
surprisingly enough the EQS is the only one with this odd measure, the EQC/B/A all had normal hood latches where they normally sat in the equivelant cars.
I had an A class as a hire car. I knew that I was going to cover 3000 miles in the next few days. I thought that it would be a good idea to check the oil. Mercedes "good luck with that" Yup. No dipstick.
Thanks for showing how poorly designed the EQS is compared to Lucid. How is it possible that Lucid and Tesla and even the Ford F-150 lightening can have massive storage space in the front and Mercedes have nothing? The Lucid is a way better luxury EV sedan than the EQS.
Let's be real here, no one in the market for a brand new luxury sedan gives a rat's ass about their right to repair... on the other hand, the DIYer who buys one of these for 10 grand 20 years later might be disappointed. But why would Mercedes care about them?
"Access by the customer is not permitted." I don't care who Mercedes think they are. They don't own the car after the purchase. They can't tell anyone what they are and aren't allowed to do or touch.
There is a good reason that many people consider a Lexus (which is pretty much a Camry putting on airs) a better Luxury car than Mercedes. I suppose Mercedes is OK if you have the money to change cars every 1,000 miles. They tend to run pretty well until the first service is due.
I find it interesting how all of the efforts from manufacturers to deny right to repair can be circumvented in a simple manner. I remember back in 2000 or even 2010 the cars seemed so incomprehensibly advanced and yet working on them is completely possible. I'm sure in 10 years there will be workarounds and even fixes to jailbreak modern cars to the point where working on them is tolerable.
I recently purchased a 2023 AMG EQS Manufaktur edition and the Hood Release lever is not covered by the panel you had to remove. I agree the consumer should be able to access to clean the debris like you found.
If you buy something, it is yours, period, which means you can do anything you like. Granted, most people who can afford high end cars don't work on them and they probably don't care, but that's not really the point. The idea that a manufacturer is trying to control an object they no longer own is a dangerously slippery slope. You can make an argument for leases but not purchases.
I’m actually surprised they put in a traditional hood release rather than making it scan tool driven. For what it’s worth, this isn’t anything new. The Porsche Boxster hasn’t had user serviceable engine access since its inception. Remote access for oil, coolant and washer fluid is in the trunk. I’m not saying that I agree with it, just saying it isn’t new. Additionally, adding a cover over the hood release and saying that you shouldn’t open the hood unless you are qualified is not a threat to right to repair. Mercedes does that in plenty of other ways, this isn’t one of them. The fact that you were easily able to open the hood is proof of that. Frankly, as a (former) professional auto tech, many vehicle owners really should just leave their hood closed and bring their car to a qualified professional. People who don’t know what they are doing have a strong tendency to make problems worse (we’ve all heard of people putting oil in their coolant, water in the oil, leaving bolts loose on their brakes, etc). It’s not an uncommon thing, so dissuading them from trying to service their vehicle themselves when they have no idea what they are doing is not really a bad thing in my professional opinion. People who know what they are doing will be able to open the hood quickly and easily.
Hood is unavailable because there is a risk of touching 400 VDC that could easily kill you. Additionally, those parts are getting very hot and could burn you. You could have figured it out if you would read the warning markings in the manual ;)
Modern Luxury cars are pigs with lipstick. They look nice, but under the leather and screens, they're the same cheap plastic you find in every other car...you just have to pay 4x as much.
But... it does open? so they just wanna scare ya without actually prohibiting you. Doesn't sound tooo bad (although still sucky). I'm more surprised that so many legacy auto makers don't think a frunk is something people want.
It’s to protect the service revenue of dealerships who overcharge for maintenance. Tire rotation, brake fluid flush, filter changes, and coolant checks are part of 20k maintenance. The all important coolant needs to be checked. Gotta keep the dealership afloat. Once the warranty expires, I would permanently remove the black plastic cover hiding the lever.
I would never purchase a vehicle that did not give me access to all parts of it. Maybe that's why Mercedes has one of the quickest ownership turn around of any vehicle.
Do you have any info on replacing the front camera lens or camera for the EQS? Mine just broke, I don't recall being hit by anything but the lens is shattered. I asked the dealer how much, expect a ridiculous quote. Appreciate if you know of any videos that show how to DIY. Buying the camera will need be from Mercedes unfortunately.
Only a Mercedes specialist at a specialized Mercedes dealership with specialized personnel specializing in specialized Mercedes vehicles should open the trunk of this special vehicle. I guess must be very special then!
🤣
That means it WILL cost a fortune as you're at the mercy of dealership
With Mercedes’ special tools
Upon receipt of specialized fee.
I’m sure it also comes with very specialized fees
The extra effort Mercedes went through to hide the hood release and add an additional slot for wiper fluid is beyond me.
Yep! And just imagine they pass the cost down to the consumer and get away with it.
😂😂😂😂 right, just adds complexity and unnecessary reliability issues.
Because they can.
Plastic piece of crap.
@@GF-mf7ml That’s how the make their profit, after sales.
Imagine not being authorized to open the hood of your own car 😂
Imagine not being authorised to used whole battery and motor power - what the hell...
Keep buying this crap and supporting the companies, soon you won't own a single thing. You will pay the same price for a subscription fee to lease the vehicle but nothing will be yours to own.
Words fail me. Maybe that could work if you gave it to me for free. Maybe.
Mercedes’ model is to reckon that most of the owners will be leasing companies that clear out leaves etc as part of the three-year deal.
After three years it’ll be junked so who cares!
You will own nothing and be happy.
Theres no way their hidden latch would keep me from opening the hood but i guarantee it will prevent me from buying their car
All OK with your comment and most of the other verdicts here, but sure I would buy Mercedes! The best or nothing after all.
@@Herman6507 With things like this it becomes debatable if they are the best. It may be safe an reliable and a good driving experience but it starts to go downhill when you need to get maintenance done. This may not be too bad cause the hood can still be opened but i bet you more scummy things are to come if people just keep accepting things like that
@@supersimon126 with that I fully agree. My response was more reflecting to the MB quality in comparison to the already very good quality of the usual German topclass rivals.
I'm pretty sure it's the price tag that will prevent you from buying their car
you can't afford it anyway
Right to repair is a huge issue and will only get worse if we let manufacturers get away with it.
Welcome to the world of electric cars
@@ricoricardo4850 Wrong, that's a problem with modern cars. Electric cars are actually easier physically to fix. You have way more difficulty with ICE vehicles with specialized physical parts and requires far more specialized tools.
@@ricoricardo4850 welcome to the world of diminishing returns and the need to still make sufficient profit to continue as an inefficient multinational.
@@Neojhun Oh it's you again
Nothing in these high tech vehicles you can fix yourself. Regular service places cannot service these types of vehicles. They would require the proper diagnostics tools, training, and facilities to work on this level of vehicle. Very dangerous to work on EVs if you don't have the proper setup. Very high voltages at very high current is involved.
I am an electrical engineer, and I also have auto mechanic experience. I would never dare to touch anything on these types of vehicles unless I had the proper training, tools, diagnostics, and facilities.
It’s simple. Merc knows that EVs will hurt repair revenues because they are more reliable. So they want YOU paying a tech $$$ to clear leaves out of the intake.
I have the same opinion like you...
That’s not it at all. They have problems like any car just different problems. They just don’t want people owning anything. This is a small step in that direction look up “right to repair”. Companies like Tesla and Apple don’t want you to own their products but basically rent them. Just like you stream music and movies instead of owning them. Everything is becoming a licensing agreement. Which leads to never ending payments and profits.
I wish you were right @Mark Brand, but unfortunately that's not it at all. @Ryan D has it right, along with the fact that the problems EV's face are problems you'll never be able to fix yourself. Alongside all of the electronic NIGHTMARES unimaginable which we will never have the tools or software to diagnose/repair, even basic jobs like suspension, brakes, fluids, filters, hoses, & lines will also be impossible without parts availability & knowledge of the procedure.
I'd like to think enough experience would enable troubleshooting & "figuring it out", but this is complexity on a scale yet unforseen. If you're not filthy rich in the next decade, you don't drive. Period.
EV's are a potential major problem for the German economy as production is does not require nearly as many highly qualified steps as ICE. The good news is that behind the scenes (and this is really latest info that you may not find widely available on the net just yet), German politics has already realized that. They have also realized that EV's are NOT SCALABLE. So EV's remain a niche market. That is also why Toyota is already curbing their EV program. Even rich countries struggle with the subsidies that are required for the EV purchase and building corresponding VAST infrastructure, let alone developed countries. Scaling would bring a host of other major issues as well. And then the question becomes what for? According to a recent study that was sponsored and released by Bill Gates, all traffic (planes, trains, ships, trucks, cars and anything else that moves) account for 17% of all CO2 emissions. Passenger cars account for 6% of all CO2 emissions. So 'that' much of a help will EV's do solving climate change. Especially since electricity still comes mostly from fossil sources.
@@mrtopcat2 This is what most people don’t understand. Most developed countries don’t have the proper infrastructure for everyone to drive electric. America certainly does not and people just don’t understand the reality isn’t what they’ve been led to believe.
So it's a normal hood, they just scare you from opening it. this isn't stupid or anything. They should get rid of the lug nuts and weld the tires to the axle --wouldn't want anyone getting hurt changing a flat tire.
Don't give them ideas
Yes
When you’ve got vehicles like Lucid and Rivian with massive frunks, not having a frunk at all seems like a big letdown.
It's fashionable, not a letdown.
Just because Musk decided to have a Frunk, and his fans obediently follow, that doesn’t make it needed or desirable. I’m glad Germans don’t follow like sheep.
@@tonys9413 who said anything about Tesla or musk? And how is not having a given feature a plus?
There's access to fluids & lines/hoses in there which is more important from a mechanical standpoint. That's why it's there rather than a frunk
Also also there's a very useful HEPA filter under there.
4:20 Mercedes Benz does actually have specially trained service personnel who hold the hood open while another person works on the system. But you're not supposed to know that either.
His name is Joe and he gets minimum wage.
@@fortheloveofnoise poor joe
@@fortheloveofnoise Wrong again. He's a nameless Oompa-Loompa and he gets paid in raw cacao beans, and sings a catchy tune:
Oompa Loompa, do-ba-dee-doo,
If you are wise you'll listen to me.
Opening your hood is expected
On any other car but not on an
Electric Mercedes.
Oompa-Loompa lookie-and-see
Now that your eyes have gazed
Say good-bye
to all of your warranties!
Knowing Mercedes they have a special tool that fits in the hinge and holds it, just like they removed the dipstick from their transmissions but kept the dipstick tube - only difference is they have the dipsticks in shop and will sell them for $150 ea. Mercedes sucks a$$.
I 100% agree - if I own it, I should have access to every area of my property, at will.
I didn’t see anywhere for the “blinker fluid” though 🤔😂
@@christopherwilliams7645 opening a frunk is dangerous? You dumb?
Do you have access to the battery of your smartphone? Or the compressor of your dishwasher even though they are both your properties? Yes, you have access but the average customer is not supposed to deal with that. But if you want to, take the skrewdriver and the video shows how. :)
Nothing in these high tech vehicles you can fix yourself. Regular service places cannot service these types of vehicles. They would require the proper diagnostics tools, training, and facilities to work on this level of vehicle. Very dangerous to work on EVs if you don't have the proper setup. Very high voltages at very high current is involved.
I am an electrical engineer, and I also have auto mechanic experience. I would never dare to touch anything on these types of vehicles unless I had the proper training, tools, diagnostics, and facilities.
@@christopherwilliams7645 That is highly illegal and against federal law.
With it being Mercedes I was for some reason expecting to see some kind of electronic lock that you need to provide some encrypted key or something to disengage the hood latch but I was kind of deflated when it was revealed that they just simply hid the hood release....behind a plastic mold door....with one screw securing it. I'm calling off work because I need to take the rest of the day off to finish facepalming how ridiculous this is. Pay us for this...but don't you dare open it.....WTF
Exactly, I thought you need to maybe plug a cable in the port near to where the hood release was!
No kidding Bmw loves their specialty tools. Their repair shops also love your money. Convinced my neighbor when getting a new car to get something not Designed in Europe. Get something any shop can work on. it will be cheaper down the road.
I'm sure you've set some software flag by opening the hood. This will come into play if you ever need/want warranty work done on your EQS - then you're SOL. All that said, I'm glad you opened that thing up and showed us what's in there. That HUGE air filter thing will likely cost the owner a LOT of money to replace...on a frequent basis!
It's illegal to refuse warranty service like that in the US.
MB would have to prove to a court that your actions specifically caused the failure
The MMWA was written to prevent arbitrary voids of warranties.
It also means that most "Warranty void if removed" stickers are unenforceable in the US.
Not sure why these crackheads need to have this explained to them. If I coughed up my money, I can't even begin to understand how you think you're going to tell me what I can or can't do with my property.
@@KJfourIPS go try fighting a massive company in court, you will just end up bankrupt selling your house for the lawyer fees
You’re meant to be leasing the piece of crap - then, it gets junked. There’s always a RTL (right to lease) if you have the means.
@@Ted_Kenzoku burden is on them to prove you caused the specific issue, not the other way around, you don't need to defend yourself its not a big court issue.
I am SO glad you did this!!! BMW iX ALSO has locked the owner out of the hood compartment with the disclaimer “only authorized repair shops”. I always thought it was a mistake to make Apple the Right to Repair poster child because it left so many other companies out of the discussion. It should have been bigger than Apple. For example John Deere was MUCH worse but only brought into the discussion when a very large UA-camr mentioned them with Apple. Up until then every article, news segment, tech reviewer was about Apple, Apple Apple, while much more expensive and traditionally customizable products were locking owners out.
"Right to open hood".
Very true! I saw a documentary with the John Deere issue and I was mad and I'm not even a farmer. Farmers have a very slim profit margin and to see their equipment manufacturer take them to the cleaners was eye opening.
I wonder what @mercedes have to say about this. Marketing department please?
Amen, right to repair is ruining the auto industry
The MSM don't get you with lies, they get you with half truths. Never forget that, and always do your own research.
The fact that you show how to hack the car, break the rules, whatever you want to call it, makes this video valuable. I'd just rip that little door off if that's all it is. The tech would probably thank me for saving them the time. Plus you've proven that keeping the customer "locked out" is actually detrimental to maintaining the vehicle.
Nothing in these high tech vehicles you can fix yourself. Regular service places cannot service these types of vehicles. They would require the proper diagnostics tools, training, and facilities to work on this level of vehicle. Very dangerous to work on EVs if you don't have the proper setup. Very high voltages at very high current is involved.
I am an electrical engineer, and I also have auto mechanic experience. I would never dare to touch anything on these types of vehicles unless I had the proper training, tools, diagnostics, and facilities.
@@jerryg50 regular service places take training and specialized tools too. Nothing going on here that a mechanic couldn't learn to fix.
@@jerryg50 Bullcrap, if you can't work out how, for example, to repair a CV or ball joint, or strut on a car like this then you shouldn't go around advertising yourself as a mechanic.
Thanks for this. I've specifically looked for videos in the past showing under the hood. I knew it wasn't meant to be opened for any normal reason, so that just made more curious.
Good observation about the leaves. My Honda was actually totalled due to leaves clogging a tiny drain hole under the hood. It rained hard enough to flood the interior of the car as a result. As usual Mercedes has made a car for their customers and not real people that have trees near their cars.
MB messed up there. They should've made the front end one contiguous unit with no actual hood. Then they could charge major $$$ to perform service work since it would take dismantling the entire front clip.
Stonks
Don’t give them ideas
Right to repair is essential to me. It appears that the only easily accessible items under the hood are the coolant levels and removing debris like you said about the leaves.
You can change that massive air filter which is probably $50 to buy but $400 to change at the dealer.
Mercedes assume you won’t be taking any interest in the longevity of your $100K machine. Shame on them.
Nothing in these high tech vehicles you can fix yourself. Regular service places cannot service these types of vehicles. They would require the proper diagnostics tools, training, and facilities to work on this level of vehicle. Very dangerous to work on EVs if you don't have the proper setup. Very high voltages at very high current is involved.
I am an electrical engineer, and I also have auto mechanic experience. I would never dare to touch anything on these types of vehicles unless I had the proper training, tools, diagnostics, and facilities.
@@jerryg50 You don't watch enough UA-cam videos Try Superfast Mat or many of the videos of people retrofitting ICE cars with electric motors. There are plenty of people who are competent at building much less repairing these vehicles.
@@dwcheshire yeah, sure, fitting an electric engine to a Beetle or 911 is the same level of tech that is installed in this car. Everything and all integrated and cross referenced with a myriad of data points.
You are talking about two different things.
Looks like the perfect place to put one of those "We've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty" stickers 🤣🤣
It seems the only cost savings Mercedes has is avoiding the safety two-stage hood latch and prop/strut of a conventional hood, but those missing parts are slightly offset by adding an extra panel covering the release.
I assumed the splash guards would be attached to the sides of the hood and it wouldn't be hinged, but instead be bolted on. This is just crazy.
Ya they want you to take it to the dealer to spend $5000 just to open the hood.. smfh!! Screw you Mercedes.. great job Tommy
LMAO WTF are you talking about. I have owned several S-Classes and have never seen a bill for anywhere near $5,000 in my life for anything I have had done and they sure aren't going to charge you $5,000 for opening the hood.
@@venom5809 wait until the air suspension fails and you are dropping $8k.
@@Brandon-ll3ff I don't own mine out of warranty but I have had three and air suspension has never failed on any of them.
@@venom5809 I have. How long have you owned a Mercedes-Benz past the warranty?
@@venom5809 well there you go. Untill you own a Mercedes past the warranty you will see a 5k repair bill.
Thank you so much!! I just test drove a M-B EQB and the sales person told me I'm not allowed access under the hood. I agree with your assessment. How does one clear debris/leaves if one can't open the hood? Great and to the point.
I think this is a stupid idea. Glad there’s a work around though but are they going to void a warranty claim if you opened it yourself? It’s almost as bad as not even putting a donut spare in a car.
If you paid for the hood/bonnet then it’s your property and you have the right to open er up.
Nice work, boys.
Don’t act like you can afford it mario 😂😂
TFL opens Mercedes EQS hood. Next Mercedes bans TFL from receiving their cars for review.
Yep, that is where this is going!!
Sarah-n-tuned reviewed the EQS recently and they opened they hood as well.
And Mercedes watched the video and sent them a letter letting them know their warranty is now null and void.
he lost warranty now
@@dzonikg it's a press car. They may be put on punishment
That’s infuriating. And the extra engineering involved to “allow” you to fill the windshield washer tank without opening the hood is just sad. I would never buy something like this, but I suppose that just means I’m not the target market.
Edit to add: Also the fact that they think they’ve actually hidden / secured the latch from owners is laughable.
The fact they had to built a whole wiper fluid port into the SIDE OF THE CAR negates any benefits of an inaccessible hood to me. (Such as no struts)
Some pro reviewers like Bjørn Nyland did not find it or dare to operate it. 🤷
@@abraxastulammo9940 I would not be surprised if the car records the fact that it has been opened.
Extremely laughable. It's literally where every Mercedes hood latch is, with a clearly visible door hiding it.
Big Brother says no ... Tommy says get screwed , love it
This would bother me because I like to keep my vehicles clean inside and out. Besides leaves getting in, the dust build up would bother me. Probably the cabin filter is in there to that maybe easy to change that the dealer can charge customers a lot for to change with this stupid customer not allowed to open crap.
If an owners manual ever tells me I cant open the hood I'm leaving that lot in the same rig I came in, as you've shown there's always a maintenance item to be considered, even if its just routine cleaning. If nothing else I can't stand the though of a manufacturer sneering down their nose at me like I'm too stupid to look at my cars inner workings, and would leave on principle alone.
This is reason 8,431 why you shouldn’t buy one.
Putting your electric S Class on a flat bed to the dealer in order to replace the 12v lead acid battery is freaking ridiculous.
I wonder if the car can remain storage when the car is plugged in from the back or do you need to use the battery tender for the 12v battery as well.
There is no lead acid battery. It uses lithium ion batteries and they're not under the hood.
@@wendigo6667 There's still a 12v battery in EVs. Not everything can be powered by the traction battery and it also provides backup power for some of the critical systems (steering and brakes for example) in case of traction battery failure.
@@AkinaGhost Didn't know that. Thanks.
They can do it right in your driveway. They just don’t want people to get killed because they are not able to do it properly and set the car on fire.
OMG, the washer fluid fill is truly “over-the-top”! Mercedes-Benz, over-engineering at its finest.
The filler looks like it belongs in a washing machine to put in the liquid soap. LOL
@@georgiahoosier well the principle is the same…
its only a matter of time till someone pees in that....
That little door should have had a captive screw, for the obvious reason … probably gonna be in there a lot🤣
Thanks for this video. In my experience not cleaning out the leaves and other things in and around the cabin air intake can lead to a clogged cabin air filter and in the end lead to a broken blower motor and many angry customers. I think this is a bad decision on the part of Mercedes has they have been doing as of late. Other manufacturers that have EV related components and the washer fluid allow you access to the hood. Tesla, VW/Porsche/Audi and I think Hyundai.
As to holding the hood up 90 degree's, I think the latches near the hinge is the way to go.
What Mercedes is trying to do is prevent people from working on their cars.
Hyundai allows opening of the hood. It seems only MB is doing this anti-repair crap
More than right to repair is right to maintain!!! You gave excellent reasons to open that hood!
I hope you don’t spoil your relationship with Mercedes for this, and then have to do a video apologizing to them like you did for Subaru.
You and the fine Mr.Rossman should do an interview about Right To Repair as he is getting initiated into the automotive world and I feel you guys could discuss some interesting subjects.
With that said I am not his fanboy as him and I disagree on a great many things but I can respect a person for their ideas and get past that to have decent thought provoking interactions🤙
kind of make me wonder what they are trying to hide when they don't want you to "open"
Nice job...guess MB will have a heart attack once they see your video. I can't believe they would lock the customer from opening the front hood.
Crazy what you actually had to do. Thanks for filming it. Yes, we should, as consumers, have access for cleaning and maintenance.
As a car technician I can say not having access to basics like antifreeze tank(s) is almost a crime, especially on electric cars which are very sensitive to excess heat.
Rather than providing those "special" instructions on the manual they could simply say there is a risk of electrocution under the hood and place some stickers under the hood itself to point those hazards.
I still believe you need to be an "cocky autist" to buy a Mercedes, Audi or BMW. The holy trinity of expensive unreliable shitboxes.
👍
@brotinger_1 very detailed and true about what you say but in my personal opinion electric cars are still in a crude state even today for 2 reasons: range and recharge time. I can't stand waiting 25-40min (on fast charging - when available) for every 500km at most considering most EV drivers will not give up on their ICE habits on highways. No one wants to spend more money for getting a new but limited life style: you won't pay 40-60k for a car that you can only use in city... because for the same amount of money you can have a car that will get you everywhere and when you are out of fuel it takes less than 5min to fill your fuel tank.
More clean air? The first biggest source of pollution ww is creating electricity itself so... recharging any EV or whatever device that has a battery won't make such a big difference... the compromise was already been done before you plug your cord into the socket lol. I don't think even E. Musk ever said that EV cars are green.
I'm not against EV don't get me wrong, I'm only saying current batteries technologies needs to radically change and ww electric energy sources needs to change. (80% of it is made by burning fossil fuels)
Have a nice time.
I would really struggle with buying a car where you aren't allowed to open the hood.
No. Thanks.
Youd never be able to afford this car
@@mattbrew11 Your point is?
@@prerunnerwannabe that you are whining about something you couldn’t ever purchase.
No. Whining. Thanks.
@@mattbrew11 I wasn't whining, I was simply stating my opinion because commenting encourages the algorithms to promote the video. You're the one that's being a whiny little ass and assuming people's financial states.
@@mattbrew11 What an idiot.
I have loads of fir trees that are constantly losing needles, which then go all over the place and especially in the bit between the hood and the windscreen. This is a huge fail for Mercedes, coming from someone who has 2 AMGs on their driveway. No, thank you. The ugly shape and this stupid bonnet makes these cars a non-starter, unless Mercedes reverses these decisions.
Mercedes only sells to garage owners. 🧐
@@abraxastulammo9940 , one sometimes leaves a car on the driveway for convenience
You clearly don’t understand. Only a professional Mercedes service technician is qualified to remove leaves and debris with specific implements, for suitable compensation. :)
@@genericreference6969 the car battery is a lipo and not a lead battery. If it gets changed like a normal battery it will explode and cause a fire.
You will buy it :-)
I MUST KNOW - does the washer fluid fill port lock, or can a drunk hooligan passing by use your Mercedes EQS as a urinal???
That’s funny!
IF you are concerned about such things, you probably are in a ghetto and have bigger concerns than buying a car that might serve as a urinal for your ghetto trash neighbored. ;)
Now I am tempted to go push the port on the side of my neighbor's EQS and find out. LOL
@@WW-wf8tu pretty much all of London is full of these cars and all of London is pretty much a trash can along with all other big American Cities. People in the rest of the world wouldn’t even buy these overpriced garbage vehicles
@@michaelbassett5105 Sure they would...if only to show "I am rich and green and you are not!"
Absolutely , the doorway for windscreen washer fluid was clearly thought of by an accountant looking at ways of justifying using official repair shops instead of going to your ev registered local workshop, there’s even a bs message that it’s to protect you from battery off gasses (but everyone knows it’s just a stupid ploy to stop 3rd party hepta filters being changed by a local ranger style repair angel ) if you loop closely even e class gas struts could be fitted to keep it open . What makes it worse is Mercedes copied it over to the eqe as well
Don't buy European cars....stick to Japanese and American.
@@fortheloveofnoise not even American nowadays unless you’re looking for a pickup truck
So what happens when there is a fire and the fire department needs to open the hood? NTSB should be outlawing this car.
Feeling like this video is gonna have bigger implications than first thought?!🙏👍🏻👏
The Mercedes police are on their way. 👮♀️
Not a fan. I like a lot of the new EVs coming out. At the same time, I'm not a fan of the fact they seem hell-bent on making them unserviceable (or difficult to service) by the consumer.
Thanks for the vid TFL!
When a toy breaks you just throw it away...
No, EVs can be very serviceable. Most people don't seem to understand it. Of course you are dealing with 400v systems. But typically there is a maintenance disconnect. You could remove the battery tray, open it, and replace cells or modules.
It already happens, and for a longer time for hybrids too. However, this Mercedes is not intended that way, and is probably more difficult to work on.
@@roland9367 I get what you're saying. I'm not just talking about the batteries and electrical repairs. It can be difficult to get parts for Teslas. They want you to do the service through them.
Getting the parts should be easy.
@@wade7959 Yes I agree. This Mercedes and Tesla aren't the best examples.
But companies can repair a hybrid battery for some years now. And if you have a Nissan Leaf, you can get extender batteries or replace the whole battery by a newer one. That way an old 24kWh Leaf can become an 80kWh car :)
But in general, most of these battery boxes are the same. They can be opened, and cells or modules can be replaced. Sometimes it will not even require any tools.
Electric motors and inverters are much harder to repair, I would think it is more likely they will need to be replaced. However, that is the great thing about driving an EV, it is a very very reliable drivetrain. Meaning that in practice you can buy good motors and inverters for reasonable prices, from crashed cars and so on. Also fun for EV conversions.
I agree with you. It's utterly ridiculous for a manufacturer to sell you a product and then assume they have a right to restrict what you do with it. Also, the washer fluid port is easily the ugliest part of the exterior design.
Can you do a video about the dos and do nots, the can and can'ts of what you can do with press fleet vehicles? Is there anything a manufacturer prohibits you from doing, or have you ever damaged relationships with brands from a bad review? Or is any and all negative criticism welcomed, because it tells them what to fix in their next redesign?
Hee Hee you must be new around here… there’s a whole saga in which they pissed off Subaru who never gave them them a press car again 😂 they also pissed off Ford by sharing leaked Bronco photos
@@bob15479 Nope, not new. been watching since 2010. I did know about Ford. My comment was asking if a relationship was damaged from a bad review, meaning content they create, not from damaging a vehicle or leaking photos
@@fantomtuba well they did sorta give a bad review on that Subaru since it went into limp mode on the trail. Hard to say exactly what action made Subaru mad tho
Great job. I have ordered a 580, scheduled to be here in a couple of weeks. Now I know how to open the hood. Thanks.
Congratulations Tommy for opening the hood and now Mercedes will never give you any car to review
If the owner is not permitted to open the hood then why is there a label on the hood release lever and fluid caps identifying what they are for?
Push the lever near the hood hinge either side! Push it real good.
Thank you! May come in handy when I take delivery of mine in 3 weeks.
the merc and bmw designers have lost their minds,but the ones aproving these are even more crazy
The Benz dealer wants to charge you $200 for leaf removal. Good luck to anybody buying a 2nd hand Mercedes in the future. The original owner will take a big hit on cars value in the first 5 years, but who cares, he can afford it. It's the 2nd owner who will spend his or hers life savings keeping this thing on the road.
The older Tommy is the more he looks like his dad.
If nothing else, I guess this saves weight not having hood struts/springs. It’s interesting that there appear to be two latches with a cable going to each one. Also interesting that there’s still a hood insulation pad. I wonder if that’s to cut down on pump noise, electric motor sounds, or just to make the panel sound more substantial and vibrate less. Great video, as always!
I wonder if they will eventually make it that if you open the hood or do anything yourself they will void the warranty
Yes they will they have been working on it for some time now. Look up “right to repair” many companies are lobbying to make it impossible to “own” their technology. They want you to rent from them like streaming music. You will not own anything in the future only rent.
Great! Always asked myself what is under the hood of the EQS. Now I know, thank you
😂 Congratulations Tommy. You just became the owner of an unwarranted new EV MB
You're right about the seeds from the trees. They block my car every autumn.
As Mercedes electrifies their fleet, this car's going to go down as a bizarre first step. No way they'll keep engineering ways around hood access all the way down into the A-class.
surprisingly enough the EQS is the only one with this odd measure, the EQC/B/A all had normal hood latches where they normally sat in the equivelant cars.
I had an A class as a hire car. I knew that I was going to cover 3000 miles in the next few days. I thought that it would be a good idea to check the oil.
Mercedes "good luck with that"
Yup. No dipstick.
For the price of this car, I would have expected underneath the hood to be painted even tho you’re not supposed to open it…
In my opinion they should even weld those doors cause the owner might even get in the car.
Thanks for showing how poorly designed the EQS is compared to Lucid. How is it possible that Lucid and Tesla and even the Ford F-150 lightening can have massive storage space in the front and Mercedes have nothing? The Lucid is a way better luxury EV sedan than the EQS.
They claim that massive air filter is taking up that space.
Let's be real here, no one in the market for a brand new luxury sedan gives a rat's ass about their right to repair... on the other hand, the DIYer who buys one of these for 10 grand 20 years later might be disappointed. But why would Mercedes care about them?
Interesting to see the shock tower top so far in, any thoughts on that?
Wow took me a minute to realize you're that guy's son without the glasses. Took me a min!
Subscribed
"Access by the customer is not permitted."
I don't care who Mercedes think they are. They don't own the car after the purchase. They can't tell anyone what they are and aren't allowed to do or touch.
What kind of buffoonery is this? They destroy the body lines of the car to add a special windshield washer fluid door? Talk about over engineered 🤦♂️
It's what happens when you market cars to appeal to the chinese
Let's see if MB puts TFL on their 💩 list like Subaru for this, lol. Let's hope not!
Needed to open mine today. Very gretfull for your video. Do you know how to change the front grill as well?
That makes it a "do not buy" vehicle.
Mercedes are a “do not buy”
You weren't and couldn't buy it anyway. LOL
There is a good reason that many people consider a Lexus (which is pretty much a Camry putting on airs) a better Luxury car than Mercedes. I suppose Mercedes is OK if you have the money to change cars every 1,000 miles. They tend to run pretty well until the first service is due.
I find it interesting how all of the efforts from manufacturers to deny right to repair can be circumvented in a simple manner. I remember back in 2000 or even 2010 the cars seemed so incomprehensibly advanced and yet working on them is completely possible. I'm sure in 10 years there will be workarounds and even fixes to jailbreak modern cars to the point where working on them is tolerable.
I recently purchased a 2023 AMG EQS Manufaktur edition and the Hood Release lever is not covered by the panel you had to remove. I agree the consumer should be able to access to clean the debris like you found.
This has been around since the Porsche Boxster and it’s locked engine access box.
If you buy something, it is yours, period, which means you can do anything you like. Granted, most people who can afford high end cars don't work on them and they probably don't care, but that's not really the point. The idea that a manufacturer is trying to control an object they no longer own is a dangerously slippery slope. You can make an argument for leases but not purchases.
He was later arrested by the Mercedes cops for opening his own cars hood..
I’m actually surprised they put in a traditional hood release rather than making it scan tool driven.
For what it’s worth, this isn’t anything new. The Porsche Boxster hasn’t had user serviceable engine access since its inception. Remote access for oil, coolant and washer fluid is in the trunk. I’m not saying that I agree with it, just saying it isn’t new. Additionally, adding a cover over the hood release and saying that you shouldn’t open the hood unless you are qualified is not a threat to right to repair. Mercedes does that in plenty of other ways, this isn’t one of them. The fact that you were easily able to open the hood is proof of that. Frankly, as a (former) professional auto tech, many vehicle owners really should just leave their hood closed and bring their car to a qualified professional. People who don’t know what they are doing have a strong tendency to make problems worse (we’ve all heard of people putting oil in their coolant, water in the oil, leaving bolts loose on their brakes, etc). It’s not an uncommon thing, so dissuading them from trying to service their vehicle themselves when they have no idea what they are doing is not really a bad thing in my professional opinion. People who know what they are doing will be able to open the hood quickly and easily.
Maybe exchanging the Hepa Filter can now be a 100 dollar instead of 500 dollar job? 😁
Hood is unavailable because there is a risk of touching 400 VDC that could easily kill you. Additionally, those parts are getting very hot and could burn you. You could have figured it out if you would read the warning markings in the manual ;)
Great answer. Thank you.
You will eat the bugs, you will live in the pods, you will not open the hood and you will be happy.
Imagine can't open the hood with your own car😂😂😂
Modern Luxury cars are pigs with lipstick. They look nice, but under the leather and screens, they're the same cheap plastic you find in every other car...you just have to pay 4x as much.
But... it does open? so they just wanna scare ya without actually prohibiting you. Doesn't sound tooo bad (although still sucky).
I'm more surprised that so many legacy auto makers don't think a frunk is something people want.
I wonder if you just voided your warranty 🤔😂
Any idea how to replace a headlight bulb I’m getting a warning for 1 of my low beams. This is for my 2023 EQE SUV.
Flipping ridiculousness. That side panel for the window wash fluid sets my head spinning like in the movie the Exorcist.
Ha Ha, I thought this was like one of those midnight Saturday live joke commercial skits at first....
Allen is a brand name from home depot. It's called a hex key
It’s to protect the service revenue of dealerships who overcharge for maintenance. Tire rotation, brake fluid flush, filter changes, and coolant checks are part of 20k maintenance. The all important coolant needs to be checked. Gotta keep the dealership afloat. Once the warranty expires, I would permanently remove the black plastic cover hiding the lever.
NEIN!!! NEIN!!’ Ve vant to see yur papers before ü can open un si front hood! You can't even use it for storage, WTF?!
Nice work! You have of course voided the warranty and they know what you did.
Budget Doug DeMuro is pretty good. Subscribed!
I would never purchase a vehicle that did not give me access to all parts of it. Maybe that's why Mercedes has one of the quickest ownership turn around of any vehicle.
Everything that has gone wrong with cars in recent years was summed up in an opening statement - "In the owners manual, here on the screen".
Do you have any info on replacing the front camera lens or camera for the EQS? Mine just broke, I don't recall being hit by anything but the lens is shattered. I asked the dealer how much, expect a ridiculous quote. Appreciate if you know of any videos that show how to DIY. Buying the camera will need be from Mercedes unfortunately.