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Living only an hour away from Detroit for 30 out of 32 years of my life, I’ve made a few trips with my friends across the United States-Canadian border several times during those years. The only problem is that authorities detained me about 90 percent of the time. The first time was because I forgot my ID. We just decided to go check out Canada on a whim and I wasn’t driving, so I didn’t have my wallet. The customs officials kept us waiting for about an hour while they “checked out” our story.

A few years later, authorities stopped us for some unknown reason. When they asked if I’d ever been stopped before, I said, “No,” forgetting about the previous incident. That just made me look more suspicious.

I’m bringing these incidents up because I recently read an article that Mercedes-Benz requires you to have a Letter of Admissibility if you want to import one of their vehicles from the United States to Canada. But it’s not every MB model that falls under this regulation. The automaker provides this list to let you know which vehicles involve the letter requirement.

If you want to take your Mercedes-Benz across the border, fill out this request form and you’ll get an actual letter in the mail to show to the border agents. Just don’t do what I did and forget your ID. In today’s post-9/11 world, you might not make it back to the United States any time soon.

The high-definition craze is making its way into your vehicles. And with the help of Mercedes-Benz, it might soon be a popular feature on many more models.

Last week, the German automaker made the announcement that it will offer HD radio in several of its new SUV models as an extra option. The R320, GL320 and ML320 are the three eco-friendly models that will have HD radio as an option in addition to Sirius Satellite Radio.

It’s going to be like a symphony to your ears!

But it doesn’t stop there. You can also get a voice-control system if you purchase one of these three models of SUV. That means you won’t even need to take your eyes off the road when you want to switch the radio from the new Britney Spears song to one of your old classic rock favorites. An optional surround-sound system is also available from Harman Kardon Logic7 as an option to help you get the full HD radio experience. As a bonus, you can even hook up your MP3 player to the speaker system so you can enjoy your favorite playlist if listening to the radio is just too spontaneous for your liking.

Look for the HD radio option in the diesel SUVs at your local Mercedes-Benz dealer later this year. Your hearing is a precious sense. Pamper it with the beauty and quality of high-definition sound.

Mercedes-Benz recently announced a new line of vehicles that provides a better fuel economy for drivers. Thanks to a few minor modifications, this “Blue Efficiency” line of luxury cars optimizes every drop of fuel you put in the tank.

And the fuel optimization doesn’t even compromise any luxury or comfort that you’ve come to know and expect from a Mercedes-Benz.

You might be wondering how the German automaker accomplished such a task. Engineers will say it was easy. They just did a few tweaks and modifications to the already efficient engine. Instead of drivers worrying about ways to save gas, such as coasting to a red light or using other inconvenient methods, the engine has “built-in” efficiency. So even if you don’t care about getting more mileage out of your tank, you will anyway.

One major modification to the Blue Efficiency line of Mercedes-Benz models is the weight of the vehicle. With a lighter body, the car is more fuel-efficient because it takes less fuel to move it. The engineers also made some slight modifications to the bodies of the vehicles to make them more aerodynamic. In addition, the windshields are thinner, part of the front grille is blocked and some components that stick out (mirrors, door handles and so on) are closer to the car to reduce air resistance even at higher speeds.

You can test-drive one of the Blue Efficiency models by visiting your local Mercedes-Benz dealer today. See the new technology that the company offers to help you get the most from your driving experience each time.

How many times have you been annoyed by the fact that you need to check your oil every couple of weeks? You’re all dressed up for an important event when you stop to fill up your gas tank and realize it’s been a while since you checked the oil. So then you lift the hood and pull out the dipstick, only to get oil all over your fingers and your dressy tan pants. The night is ruined.

But the engineers at Mercedes-Benz are working to avoid such inconveniences in the future. With the automaker’s new oil monitoring system, you can see exactly what’s going on with your oil from a dashboard indicator. In addition to the oil level, the system will also detect the quality to let you know precisely when you need to get an oil change. So far, the system has extended oil change intervals by about 25 percent because drivers know exactly when the quality has deteriorated to the point of needing this service.

This monitoring system will be especially useful for those who own fleets of vehicles for their businesses. Knowing the best time to change the oil reduces downtime for the workers and the vehicles with fewer oil changes.

This new oil monitoring system should be available in vehicles at your local Mercedes-Benz dealer pretty soon. The automaker will likely offer it in the S-Class models first and then incorporate it into the full line of MB vehicles after that.

Have you ever dreamed of owning a luxurious Mercedes-Benz but you just can’t afford it? Well here’s your chance. On April 12, you can be the proud owner of a classic Benz. The only thing you have to do is enter a raffle with 25 dollars that helps the homeless.

The organization sponsoring the event is Homeward Bound, a shelter for the homeless in Grand Junction. All of the proceeds from the 25 dollar tickets help the shelter pay its bills, including water, electricity and heating. Homeward Bound is one of the largest shelters in the area and provides food and comfort to more homeless people than any other organization around.

Here’s some information about the car that you can win. It’s not a brand new Mercedes-Benz, but it’s a classic car that anybody would love. In fact, it’s a 1973 Mercedes donated by Jon Wickre, a former member of the shelter’s board. He could have traded it in for another vehicle, but he decided to “do something meaningful with it” instead of benefitting from it personally. It was his idea to auction it off to help the homeless and the less fortunate families in the community.

The shelter can use all the help it can get. According to one Homeward Bound official, the operation costs for the shelter continue to go up every year. Combined with declining contributions from the government and others, the shelter sometimes has barely enough money to cover its bills. If enough people are interested in this auction, the shelter will have enough money to pay its bills for the next few months at least.

You can help the homeless in your own community by contacting one of the local shelters, too. They’re always willing to take donations or contributions from caring community members.

When you hear the word “urea,” your mind probably travels to places that have nothing to do with diesel engines. In fact, engines are likely the farthest thing from your mind when you hear that word. But urea technology is the next big thing for Mercedes-Benz.

The German automaker is about to bust through a technical barrier and become the first company to sell passenger cars with diesel engines equipped with urea injection. For the ML, GL and R-Class line-ups, the urea injection is a cleaner method for running the vehicles.

By injecting a urea solution into the exhaust system of the Mercedes-Benz at regular intervals, the car decreases its carbon emissions. This is due to a chemical reaction that reduces the nitrogen oxides into ammonia. From there, about 80 percent of the normal exhaust reduces into water and nitrogen through a secondary catalytic converter.

This is a great achievement because it means that the new Mercedes-Benz models will pass the emissions tests for all 50 American states. Yep, that means even California, the state with some of the strictest emissions standards in the world.  The newer vehicles also meet the EU6 standards that will go into effect in 2014 in the European Union.

You can start looking for these cleaner models at your local Mercedes-Benz dealer starting in September of this year. The UK probably won’t see these vehicles until some time next year because the company is still making some refinements before releasing them in that market.

All of the automakers are increasingly turning green, but not with envy. They’re using more recyclable products in the manufacture of their vehicles. And with the pressure to help the environment, who can blame them?

Mercedes-Benz is just one of the companies with an environmental conscience. As it’s the leading luxury automaker in the world, you might expect to find the highest quality materials in its vehicles. But you’re likely to find a large amount of coconut matting, sawdust and crushed olive stones comprising many parts of these lavish automobiles.

As a result of the company’s use of these and other eco-friendly materials, Mercedes has received several prestigious environmental awards from the German standards agency. Here’s a brief description of what these materials represent in your Benz:

• Rubberized coconut matting is ideal for seat cushions. Before Mercedes found a way to use this material, it simply burned the excess.

• Crushed and carbonized olive stones provide air filtration in several of MB’s latest models, including the S-Class and C-Class models. This helps reduce the gas vapors in your vehicle when you refill your tank.

• Abaca fibers underneath the flooring act as a cushion and improve durability in the smaller models, including the A-Class and B-Class.

Thanks to the improved emissions and other environmental tactics the automaker is currently using, you can expect to enjoy these lavish vehicles without the guilt of using valuable resources or polluting the air. See your local Mercedes-Benz dealer today and enjoy the green possibilities!

How would it feel to drive by a gas station and smile because you don’t need to stop and fill up? You probably don’t know that feeling, but Nick Russell of South Kingstown, Rhode Island has experienced it many times.

Nick powers his 1985 Mercedes-Benz exclusively with vegetable oil. And he isn’t afraid to broadcast it, either. In fact, he has big, bold letters in his back window attesting to the fact that he uses vegetable oil instead of gasoline. Just below the letters that spell out “Powered by vegetable oil,” there is a sticker that reads, “Kill Your Television.”

But Nick isn’t happy only about the money he’s saving at nearly four dollars a gallon.  He’s also happy that he’s not polluting the air and he’s not contributing to the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

The 19-year-old Russell doesn’t like to brag about his car, but it is something to be proud of. In November 2005, he purchased an $800 kit that he used to convert his Benz into a vehicle dependent on vegetable oil. This was a huge chunk of change for the sophomore at the University of Rhode Island. But by spring of 2006, the kit had already paid for itself.

The kit, which is available at Greasecar.com, only works when converting diesel-powered vehicles. It involves adding a second fuel tank to the car. When you drive it, the diesel fuel allows the car to warm up and then you simply flip a switch and the fuel tank switches to the vegetable oil tank.

Russell uses recycled soybean oil from a local fish restaurant every other month. He gets about 28 miles for every gallon of vegetable oil and about 29 miles per gallon when using diesel.

When you excel at your job, you probably get a small bonus or  an Employee of the Month plaque with your name on it.  But two employees at a Mercedes-Benz dealer facility recently earned a safari trip for their spectacular efforts.

Tina Todd and Phil Markham, both executives for the UK-based Cicely Commercials dealer, specialize in van sales for the automaker. But they also look after some of the region’s largest van fleet operators for the company to ensure things are running smoothly.

The impressive duo received recognition from the Mercedes-Benz Van Sales Academy. This is a program that provides motivation and incentives for more than 150 dealers in the region and 25 sales managers. The actual trip includes an eight-day safari holiday in Zambia and Botswana.

Participants in the safari can get “up close and personal” with some of the animals they’ll see during the trip. They’ll also visit the breathtaking and world-famous Victoria Falls.

Besides the safari, the duo received the Van Academy Gold award. Other winners in the region include Andy Armitage, James Bell, Keith Jones and Stan Lyon, each working at his respective UK branch. All of these Mercedes-Benz employees won recognition by exceling in their dealerships.

It’s just another way that Mercedes takes care of its employees and customers in every way that it can.

Up until now, you could only get a diesel engine in a luxury vehicle in select states at your Mercedes-Benz dealer. But according to the company’s recent announcement, you’ll be able to get a diesel Mercedes-Benz in all 50 states.

Mercedes is continuing its diesel production in the United States with brand new models, including the 2009 GL320 Bluetec, the ML320 Bluetec and the R320 Bluetec. This coming autumn, you’ll be able to choose among these three models at your local dealer and start enjoying the eco-friendliness that only Mercedes can provide.

The announcement comes as the result of the German automaker’s AdBlue technology, which involves a urea injection that makes the engines compliant to the emissions standards in all 50 states. Previously, Mercedes had CDI models of its SUVs, and these only met the standards of 42 different states in 2007. But now that the cars have Bluetec engines, Mercedes can sell them  in all 50 states. And the great part is that the Bluetec diesel engines will be as fuel-efficient (if not more efficient) than their CDI predecessors.

The new models include a reservoir of fluid located in the trunk. The fluid mixes with the emitting exhaust to create a chemical reaction. This reaction cleans up the emissions. The technology is so effective that it is even EPA-certified. That’s how you know it’s safe.

The new engines won’t be sacrificing horsepower, either. The trio of new models has more than 210 horsepower each. Mercedes engineers and officials say the cars will get about 17 mpg in the city and nearly 25 mpg on the highway.