RE: Merc safety technology fails

[DustyC]

Just read the article and pissed my self laughing! :ROFL:

[master]

As my SL55 keeps getting 'recalled' for some kind of SRS SBC stuff I am not surprised

[ultimasimon]

steve-p said:

ultimasimon said: Thats put me off buying a Merc for good. Anyone succesfully tested a Mercedes airbag yet? That's ridiculous. Do you know who first fitted airbags to production cars? Who invented ESP? Who first fitted side impact protection beams? Who first developed the safety cell? Who invented self-tensioning seatbelts? Rain-sensing wipers?

I don't care. The point I am making is that a blue-chip prestige manufacturer like MB should have put better research and fore thought into their top product before making a mockery of their products and procedures infront of the media, and thus unsettling their biggest investors - their customers. In engineering; safety comes first, somewhere down the line there should have been a basic risk assesment for "what happens if?" and the first run should have been either a remotely operated vehicle or conducted at a lesser speed to reduce the impact. If the media was going to film the launch in the 'tunnel' then don't you think some boffin should have assessed the risk or likely outcome?

This is the sort of mishap you could expect from a third world car manufacturer, but not from an elitist marque with their top flagship model. You don't need to be a scientist to work out that a device that transmits radio waves through a metal aerial is likely to have its signal interfered with when it operates inside a massive tin can. Mobile phones don't work underground do they and radar born microwave is not dissimilar. Wouldn't you at least agree that someone on the team should have asked the question before putting a human into the loop?

I take back the comment about buying a Mercedes, I would gladly buy a classic SL or similar, as back in the days when QC was everything and build quality was foremost before mass production ensued, MB had a fantastic product. Nowadays I don't believe the hype and they don't build 'em like they used to.

[andy43]

A cock-up like this doesn't surprise me one bit.
We had a Merc A-class. Twice. First one was sent back after seized steering, roof leaking, engine ecu locking up ect etc, second one sold, both over six months or so. Go into your local merc dealer - there's usually a queue, a big, angry queue, at the service desk.
Clever brakes are the technology of the future, and Mercedes should be applauded for applying it to a road car, not a concept car, but it's sad to say it probably won't be reliable until Audi or the japanese start using it.
I have an old SL, the old chrome bumper one, and on the bottom of the number plate in little black letters it says ' Last of the real Mercedes '. Sad but true.

[bob_defly]

Come on PH this story is old news, you can do better than that...

www.autoblog.com/entry/1234000620068369/

[oxladed]

Did anybody see the test of this on Fifth Gear the other week. Jason Plato put his faith in the system and at the last minute braked himself - bottling out thinking that it wouldn't stop in time. It seems that, whilst Mercedes are normally pretty innovative with safety, they may have bitten off more than they can chew with this one...

[errek72]

stubydoo said:

Who invented ESP? Don't know but it didn't work on my Bora tdi. Got pipped at 101 mph on M1 !!! ROFLOL

Tell me about it, the one on my golf failed to even blink it's little dashboard light while I was skidding over ice towards an oncoming truck.
Result ; a lot of grey hair and a 3000 Euro dent -near miss.
I should have spent the money on snow tires.

[DustyC]

And everyone who hasnt got a TVR moans about their lack of safety features.

Better of with out them and just concentrating a bit more!

[DustyC]

oh balls. here we go.

[spool]

I have just seen the program and story.
I am more than a little amazed by this absolutely silly story!
This is like the A-class GIT-Story all over!!!

Absolutely unbelivable that Mercedes is able to mess this up to such a dergree.
Not to mention Autobild... What a shame!!! What a crying shame this story is!

I am totally horrified over such an event!!!

I can tell that in sweden, a private person supposedly driving a car with this system actually did crash. The Mercedes safety boss said that this should not happen under
normal conditions, well the car thinks otherwise it seems.... So the system appears to still not work! This is however a posting as laid out on an norwegian autoforum.
And I dont think the posting was a lie.

What a shame this is!!!
What a blushing shame!!!

[Jared_m]

Hmm, it seems that it didn't actually fail. Engineers knew it would fail and proceeded to stage the event. Oops?

www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/29/mercedes_brake_test_fiasco/

[spool]

Well, good lies are best just spoken.
Merc can say anything. The smartest move would be to say just what they 'ave
said now. It beeing the truth has got no importance, it beeing a lie either.