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Old 04-14-2019, 10:17 AM   #41
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I drove my 2016 Grand Touring from California to Niagara Falls last year and I the air ride system and did not notice to much crosswind.
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Old 04-14-2019, 10:19 AM   #42
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and I have the air ride system
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Old 04-14-2019, 02:52 PM   #43
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We hit the New Mexico to Amarillo Texas winds last week. Rather than fight the 50-55mph gusting winds from the WSW by turning South, we just decided to go with them to the East (Albuquerque to Amarillo). Our goal was to stay ahead of the coming dust storm.

It was my first experience in high winds since buying the Avenue (Chevy Express, with no crosswind assist). It was very doable the way we were traveling with winds from the curbside quarter (never blown more than about a foot during initial gusts), but would have pulled over if it had gotten much worse.

On the positive, gas mileage increased 6 mpg to over 22 for the nearly 300 miles with mostly tailwinds. Saw many class C's and A's coming in the opposite direction. They must have been pedal to the metal and sub 5 mpg against those same winds. I remember seeing few if any trailers during our drive.
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Old 04-20-2019, 11:47 AM   #44
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While I can't give an assessment as to how well the Crosswind Assist works, I will be able to in the future.
I took my AI into the MB dealer and explained that it was not loaded. They thought it was but dug into it for me. I gave them the "part number" for adding it. They did determine that it wasn't there. They had MB build a new software load for the vehicle with it now included. They then downloaded it from MB and flashed/uploaded it onto my vehicle's system. I did have to pay for the software and their labor but now I have it.
I'm headed to Alaska in another month and wanted this feature as another safety measure. No reason why Airstream did not include it, but its there now and with the travel across the plains and through the mountains, I am sure that I will activate it. I will let everyone know how well it works.
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Old 04-20-2019, 02:12 PM   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sheakev View Post
While I can't give an assessment as to how well the Crosswind Assist works, I will be able to in the future.
I took my AI into the MB dealer and explained that it was not loaded. They thought it was but dug into it for me. I gave them the "part number" for adding it. They did determine that it wasn't there. They had MB build a new software load for the vehicle with it now included. They then downloaded it from MB and flashed/uploaded it onto my vehicle's system. I did have to pay for the software and their labor but now I have it.
I'm headed to Alaska in another month and wanted this feature as another safety measure. No reason why Airstream did not include it, but its there now and with the travel across the plains and through the mountains, I am sure that I will activate it. I will let everyone know how well it works.
Is there an easy way to tell if this feature is activated? I thought it was standard according to my manual (page 55). Or, should I say it does not state that it is an option that needs to be activated.
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Old 04-20-2019, 07:05 PM   #46
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Originally Posted by orlik View Post
Is there an easy way to tell if this feature is activated? I thought it was standard according to my manual (page 55). Or, should I say it does not state that it is an option that needs to be activated.
I don't believe there is an easy way. Even my mechanics thought it should be there but only after they looked for the code did they find it was missing. They contacted MB and got a new image compiled with the feature enabled. The mechanics then needed to upload that into the Sprinter's computer.
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Old 04-24-2019, 01:46 PM   #47
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Last week, I encountered such gusty winds that I could barely stay on the road. I was sure that Xwind assist was not installed.

Today, I asked the Mercedes shop to install it. Turns out,it had already been installed, but was not working. They downloaded an update from Germany (after several attempts in a thunderstorm) and installed the update at no cost to me.

When they did get it, they had to wait out a storm passage. Turns out, it has to be installed within a very short time after the download. It expired and they had to re-download it.

On the way home, there was no appreciable wind, so I don't know whether the update worked.

I had the impression that something should flash on the panel when the assist activates.
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Old 04-24-2019, 02:39 PM   #48
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pahaska View Post
Last week, I encountered such gusty winds that I could barely stay on the road. I was sure that Xwind assist was not installed.

Today, I asked the Mercedes shop to install it. Turns out,it had already been installed, but was not working. They downloaded an update from Germany (after several attempts in a thunderstorm) and installed the update at no cost to me.

When they did get it, they had to wait out a storm passage. Turns out, it has to be installed within a very short time after the download. It expired and they had to re-download it.

On the way home, there was no appreciable wind, so I don't know whether the update worked.

I had the impression that something should flash on the panel when the assist activates.

I am having the same experience... cancelled my appointment because I was told that it was already installed... I wonder if the problem is that it is there but also not active... I have not seen it work in any of the trips where we had some nasty cross winds...

I will make another appointment to have them check again...

And yes, in all the photos/videos I have seen, there is a yellow logo that lights up when it activates...



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