taylor192

As part of the convience package (power seats, power steering column tilt/telescope) the driver's mirror is programmed to tilt downwards when the vehicle is put in reverse.

I know any here have dismantled their mirrors for replacing the LEDs or lense, so did anyone notice if there is extra equipment installed to facilitate this tilting mechanism?

My guess is NO, since the mirrors are already power adjustable, and it would just be a software option to enable.

Any opinions? comments? best guesses?

Lynn

I believe it is the passenger side mirror which tilts down so that the curb can be seen while parallel parking.

taylor192

Lynn, leave it to you to find the factually incorrect aspect of my statement without answering the question! :p



This is one feature after driving the car for almost a year I'd love to have, and don't think its unreasonable that MB could've included it in all models.

Lynn, do you have power seats? How about taking apart both mirrors for me and checking to see if there is a difference? Come on!

mctwin2kman

It is tied into the power seat memory and the MFD turns it on and off. You need the power C1 or Convenience package to get this option and it can not be retofitted. It uses the existing memory setting on the mirrors and tilts like a person one do using the mirror controls. It is tied not only to the seats and steering wheel memory buttons but also the key dependent seat settings that we that got the C1 package or Convenience package get.

lars

It's not as simple as just software. Yes, the passenger-side mirror tilts (right side mirror must be selected) but it tilts to a user-defined spot. Think about it...to be useful this feature has to take seat position and driver height into account. That means that there must be some way of entering the correct 'go-to' position, and MB's solution is to use the same memory retention button as for the power seat function.

taylor192

Hmmm...

Still sounds like an all software solution, I can't really see their being a separate module installed just for the "memory" feature, as that's the only thing needed for this to work, for the mirror to remember where it was to go back. Considering how intergrated the systems are in our cars I'm betting its buried in the ECU and just disabled... wish I could hook up my car and just play for an hour with the diagnostics tools...

taylor192

The power memory button should be tied to a permanent storage mechanism to remember the location saved - which ideally is a software solution just with a small hardware interface... still betting its there...

lars

The logic sequence is something like:
- reverse gear?
- right mirror selected?
- seat memory postion switch is?
Go to.
Would you imagine that the hardware controller issues instructions to return the mirror to a physical setting of rods and wheels, or that the mirror position is determined in terms of three coordinates? If you were adding your own small hardware controller, I think you'd need to know.

taylor192

The "reverse gear selected" is the only sensor I think would be missed, yet may actually be there, since on all the autos it'd be there by default (look at the MFD for gear selection).

The "right mirror selected" already exists, and the "seat memory position" if like any other hardware interface would have a default level to select a predetermined memory location.

The actual control that issues the "tilt down" command would merely be an extension of the same control that we use to manually adjust the mirror - now the question is if that control is a separate piece or integrated into the main computer system.

Considering the feature can be disabled from the MFD, there is already an interface integrated into the main computer system, therefore I am thinking the entire controlled might be written in software with only a small relay to override the manual mirror adjustment circuitry. Compounded in my assumption is the fact that the passenger mirror must be selected by the manual mirror adjustments, cause it has to be the active mirror for adjustment inorder to tilt.

Here's something for someone to try:

1. Put your car in reverse with the right mirror selected.
2. As the mirror tilt down, try to manually adjust it.

Please note what happens, thanks.

mctwin2kman

You can manually adjust it and next time it will return to the predetermined position just like the mirrors do when my wife and I drive. My seat, mirrors, steering wheel are set for my key and my wifes for hers. Also, this function is in the memory seat controller, as I recall from the last time this question was asked. So it can not be done without the power seats. Check your MFD and see if it can be activated in the convenience settins. Oh and I even have my mirrors, seat and steering wheel programmed on my wifes key, it retains three settings per key. Also these setting have to be turned on for each key. My wife could not have this feature if she wanted. Her tilt down function position had to be also set independently. So take all that info and figure out how to do it without power seats. Also this feature is stored per the postion of the memory switch. That is an aweful lot of stuff to get this to work. To set the position of the right side mirror first you need to position the mirror, leave the switch on right mirror then push the memory button then a mirror direction button to set. So wothout the seats there is no way to do it. Now as for the reverse switch, there has to be one on every vehicle to turn on the reverse lights. So find that and somehow make a controller that tilts the mirror down for a few seconds and then back up when the switch is open again.

taylor192

You just aid something which makes me think even more that its there: even the manual has a reverse gear sensor for the reverse lights, duh, I didn't even think of that.

You have to program all the settings for each key - while the key is in the ignition? That's how the computer system registers which memory settings are for which key - to a software engineer it would make sense to integrate the little bit of hardware required for all the swiitches into the main computer system - especially since most MBs are sold with power seats standard, doesn't make sense to have a seperate module.

Its just everything seems too linked to the key/ignition which activates the central computer system, thus why I think its just a disabled feature.

I'm still betting the memory seat controller is part of the main computer system, not a separate module, unless someone can verify otherwise I'd love to have the diagnostic computer for 30 mins and scroll all the menus, still betting its there.

mctwin2kman

It could very well be there. But the problem is that it is tied to the buttons on the door for the seat memory. Without that I would think you would have to devise a way to trick the computer into thinking that there were power seats in the vehicle. I got the seats that way because I figured if I am going to spend the money and get a 'Luxury Car' that I should get what I want as well as what most people percieve as 'Luxury' Options. But as for the computer and software that is in there, it would be cost effective to have all the equipment and programming in the vehicle, since most Benz's have the power seats in them. But even looking at my 1986 190E that has memory power seats, I have seen ones without the memory feature, so I have to ask the question 'Do all Benz's with Power Seats have the Memory Feature as well?' And where is the memory info stored? I had thought I had seen information about a seperate module that holds this info in an old thread. You just really need a controller that will push the down button for the passenger mirror when the vehicle is put in reverse and then bring it back after the vehicle is taken out of reverse. A three second pulse would most likely suffice. And to answer another thing, yes the key settings and keys are independent of each other. I can set daytime running lamps for mine and not for my wifes among many other settings in the MFD, right down to the lights turning on when unlocking the doors at night.