Next week the S-Type and I are off to Europe, and that entails going on the world's largest RO-RO ferry - the Harwich Superferry. Even though they are 250 metres long and full of trucks - cars are only about 10% of the load - they can still move pretty convincingly, and the North Sea can deliver some hefty punches.

In the past, taking various Mercedes on the same trip, I would have a little button to hold down after taking the key out: after 3 secs a light flashes to tell me the movement sensor is disabled in the alarm, so it won't drain the battery in a stormy crossing by setting off every couple of minutes. Is there an equivalent function hidden somewhere smart on the S-Type?

 

Hmmm, good question, hopefully some of the top DIY'ers / techs will chime in and help soon.
I hope you enjoy your trip and look forward to pics of the S type in all those different locations

 

Thanks Jim, it's a hell of an itinerary this time (actually Hook of Holland > Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe > Lausanne, Lausanne > Munich, Munich > Essen, Essen > Den Haag, Den haag > Calais) so there may not be that much time for snaps, but on the other hand I am forcing myself to take the D3 with me!

 

Bring a wrench and disconnect the battery. It takes about 2 minutes.

I've been having to do it a lot lately!

 

The movement sensor is (*) ultrasonic AFAIK so wouldn't need disabling would it?

(*) well, are as there are 2 IIRC

Only enabled when double(dead)locked I think so just don't so that. Anyone confirm? I'm guessing the handbook explains...

 

Ambiguous term problem. "movement" as in "of the car" not as in "of a dog or prisoner inside it". Mercs have both ultrasonics in the cabin, and tremblers somewhere (probably behind a small hatch with an iron cross on it and "ACHTUNG" written around it)

 

Yes - I'm trying to say I don't think (*) the jag has that type so therefore there's no issue of needing to disable them

(*) don't think = I'm reasonably sure but not certain

 

And to think, I thouught we had "the worlds biggest ferry" living down the street from me here in FL.

 

Everyone's got a biggest something somewhere...! 8-)

 

and of course the crossing was so smooth that I have no idea whether the alarm should have been disabled, or not - but I wish I could disable it now! I parked the car up at the hotel, out in the bright sun, and came in for a post-drive snooze. Didn't get much before the room phone rang - "Sir, your car alarm..."

Now that it's got hot on the driver's side, the car thinks that a door is open, and won't lock the doors or set the alarm. "parp-parp" it goes instead and refuses. I guess this is heat expansion, though it may also be those 15 minutes or so at 130mph coming past the Hockenheimring...!

Anyone got any suggestions for jiggling the door-closed sensors? the dash display doesn't say "door ajar" like it usually does.

 

It's news to me that there are 2 different sensors to do the one job. Very odd. Not at all like the rest of the car! (The modules talk to each other to share data.)

Are you just locking or double locking?

I'd try just locking with the key. And only turn it to the lock position once. Don't know if that works as lock-but-not-alarm on the jag but it did with a previous car which also used Ford's PATS.

 

I tried locking with the key in the lock, and even tried locking by sitting inside the car and flipping the internal lever. The "parp-parp" carried on, and when I tried sitting inside, the lever stays in for a few seconds, then jumps back out. I drove out for the evening and when I pulled up (in the shade...) the dash warning came on and flickered erratically, "Driver's door ajar". I left the car unlocked. After the sun went down and I came back to the car: perfect behaviour.

So it's heat pickup in the drivers door that is the cause, presumably because the internal parts are not in good shape or are short of a squirt of WD40.

Now in Munich, after driving from Karlsruhe to Lausanne and then Lausanne to Munich (look at the route on Google Maps!), and on the hunt fr some zip-ties to fix another little problem that cropped up. At 130mph somewhere south of Munich, all of a sudden it sounded like half the bumper had fallen off. FLAP-FLAP-FLAP-FLAP... I got into a rest area and looking underneath directly by the nearside front wheelarch, there's a flat plastic plate that seems to cover the steelfloorpan. It was flapping up and down like an airbrake: the wheelarch plastic moulding *looks* like it should cover the front edge of the flat plate, so I pulled the two plastic parts until it *did* cover it. Today (if my german is good enough) I'm getting some zip-ties, sawing a hole in each overlapping bit of plastic, and reinforcing the interference fit with a dose of bodging.

Nice that this is all that went wrong at 130 mph!

 

Probably the door lock / solenoid / microswitch. Search may get you others who've suffered.

 

My 2 cents on the lock.

First, I believe quite awhile ago someone had a similiar problem to yours. He took the inner door panel off and found a chaffed wiring harness near the front rubber boot that holds and "protects" the wires while opening and closing. Can anyone else recall that thread?

With the possibility that the "flap flap flap" maybe there had been prior damage to that side of the vehicle. Maybe the two are related(?). I cannot recall anyone here with that panel having come loose, now the front of the belly pan I have.

Secondly, when Joyces rear door lock actuator failed (due to a cracked plastic gear not wiring), the vehicle locks acted as yours. The lock button located on the console under the radio did not function at all. If the door lock on drivers door was pushed to the lock position, all but the rear door would lock for 3 seconds then automatically unlock themselves, using the key fob acted the same. The only way to lock (and keep locked) was to manually use the key until the rear door lock actuator was replaced.

 

I took a look on Google maps with the terrain function turned on- boy does that look like fun. I am very envious of your road trip through the Swiss Alps!

One day, I will make it over there with some form of sports car/sports sedan before the eco-***** take all the fun out of driving such a fantastic stretch of road. (Taking the E62 from Lausanne through northern Italy towards St. Moritz looks like the type of drive I would go for!)

Keep filling us in on your awesome trip!

 

Back home - 1,650 miles in 5 days, max speed 130, overall fuel average 43.6. If you took the default routes on Google then it will look like there are more mountains than the preferred route actually provides, going from Lausanne to Munich. The key decision is what to do about Lake Constance, which is a bit in the way, and the short route involves passing through Austria. A lovely friendly people, with the worst attitude to visiting drivers I've ever ecountered. So my route was Lausanne > Zurich > Bregenz > Munich.

I drive down to St Moritz quite a bit. I *think* the E62 is the San Bernadino pass, which is quite heavily used by trucks. You're much better turning off to the Julierpass, at Thusis, just south of Chur. It's actually worth downloading Google Earth and setting up a route that goes Chur > Thusis > Tinizong > Bivio > Silvaplana, and letting Google Earth "fly" you along it. I last drove it in the Merc E500 about five weeks ago - but only going north, not south. When I arrived to climb up the pass, it was closed by snowfall, and I had to go to Davos to take the Vereina train tunnel. The whole area is really, fantastically good in any decent vehicle.

 

On the doorlock: not entirely sure yet whether it's chafing, or just lack of lube. Going to try the cheap option first - it could have been simple travel fatigue and not closing a door properly, after all. Wiring I don't mind sorting myself, and I need to pay someone to look at the remains of the inadvertent airbrake from the undertray, and possibly also the front wishbones, based on the heavy braking performance...

 

One recommendation; Do not use WD40. Use white lithium spray grease. Any parts store will have it in a spray can. Much better and you will have many other uses for it.
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That depends. If the component's never had lube, then I agree. If the lube is old, then WD40 will liven it up a bit. I am a recumbent bike rider too, so advanced deployment of stuff in cans is instinctive for me..

 

Just remember what WD-40 is. WD = Water Displacing. NOT lubricating. It was designed for corrosion protection. It also makes a good fish bait spray!
Which is odd because it does not have any fish oil in it!

The white lithium grease is far superior and will stay in place much better. I do all my door and trunk locks once a year. The spray is really key. Lets you apply it exactly where you want it.

So if you don't have anything but WD-40 go ahead and use it. It is certainly better than nothing.
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