I have a 2001 GMC and I also don't know about this feature . How is it done ?

So Mercedes has had that feature called "Service Position" for a very long time. From a technical standpoint is a huge aid when working on these. One of the many things that I enjoyed when I was in the field specific to Merc

Agreed.

Stems from the old days when their cars had rather large/tall chrome grills. Kept them out of the way of the mechanic and cut down on "safety incidents" when a mechanic would have to step away to get bandaged up ;) Also allows very good access to the entire compartment vs getting stuck in the "v" area that is otherwise so common.

Mercedes is a fantastic car company. If you own a model long enough and work on it, you will really appreciated the engineering and R&D that goes into them.

And to Matt's original picture..I appreciate that hood position:
https://scontent.fhou1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...e2&oe=5FA713D8

If only Mercedes cars were not so complicated, perhaps more reliable and if their parts prices were so obnoxious....

I might still have one or two of them laying around...

My Civic and my Oddesey both have a normal and an extra wide opening. Old 1970 M/B had it too...to get the grill out of the way.

Yeah, tell me more. Mine has traditional hinges, it only goes up to normal height.
The engine bay is so cavernous, though, that you can pull the motor without removing the hood . At least on the gassers

For me bay-Mm-Vay is my ride of choice, unfortunately with the recent "M" models being the worst in reliability- I would seriously look at comparable AMG car. I know those have issues as well, but ar least rod bearings at not ' normal- 50K maintenance item. Head bolts- ok, rod bearings not so much

I was just about to say, old MBs' hoods went straight up all the time because of the large grille.

And now that this thread popped up, I looked up old E30s and I thought they all opened the other way, but it seems that it's a mod. Or is that just some E30s not all?

E30 hoods were hinged at the front. It was not limited to the E 30, it was a common thing that they eventually abandoned.

Having spun wrenches on all of the German makes I’ve overall found MB products to be the best made and overly engineered. Particularly considering the modern models, where there seems to be more metallic hardware and less plastic that will crumble and fall apart.

You haven’t owned enough Mercedes-Benz products yet, you’re still a youngster, this will bite you in the ass in time.

LOL. Yeah, as much as I love MB's there is a certain "hey look, we can do it THIS way" thought to some of their systems and features. As in the remote control interior rearview in early 140s. etc.

Just a nitpick, but I might check if the battery needs to be synched with the car, if not done already... Some of the newer German cars have that nonsense.

Yeah, just to rag on that one car....

I had one too and never busted my mirror but a whole bunch of people did. I had a rock or something take out the temperature sensor for the outside temperature display, that was quite the cluster**** to replace. Then there was the biodegradable engine wiring harness, that was a great idea. And I’ll mention that putting pads and rotors on that car was more expensive than any of my Ferraris or 930s.

I could go on.

Javadog - damn dude, ain't you a freaking ray of sunshine. I think you like so many people sensationalize the negative and forget the smile on your face that these cars actually give. If you want reliability you have lots of other options.

The R129 SL I posted above has 90,000 miles, and in the last three (3) years I've spent a whopping $120 on a new clutch fan...that's it. All 12 hydraulic cylinders for the top work fine and everything else. That car has the original paint that is now 23 years old, it has been driven through snow blizzards, standing flood water in Houston and continues to run and run and still look good. This is a testament to MB's build quality and their products.

Doing pads and rotors on any old Benz is typical of ANY car from that time period, I guess you're talking about the hubs or bearing carriers that are bolted to the backside of the front rotors? Well guess what, lots of cars had that design even the Datsun Z, which was one of the easiest cars to work on. That was typical for chassis \ suspension layouts at the time.

I'm doing the brakes on my 560SEC right now plus freshening up the entire front end - its really not that bad at all. I bought all the parts brand new from MB USA even the wheel bearings, prices are comparable (or less) than your average Camry or Avalon. I'm talking from the dealer (OEM) across the counter not aftermarket Chinese made stuff.

I've been working on MBs since the '80s (the first was my Dad's W116 S-Class) and hardly a youngster and yes I could go on as well.

I mostly work on Euro stuff. I wont touch Mercedes.

My favorite shop owner works on every German car but Mercedes... And, I think he was a Mercedes tech at some point early in his career, before he got his own shop.

What does BDSM spell out?

S-CLASS

At first glance it looks useful, but actually it's a PITA

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a2/80...e88e948393.jpg