Hello

I'm in Australia and in my 2017 C63s Coupe, the blind spot assist works perfectly on the passenger side and always lights with the red arrow when vehicles are passing my passenger side mirror but on my driver's side, the red arrow seldomly appears even when cars are passing.

Does anyone else (Australian owners in particular) ever notice that their blind spot assist on the driver's side does not light up red all the time (even when vehicles pass on that side)? Or are both mirrors supposed to light up equally the same?

PS: I haven't taken it to the dealer yet and have no warnings on the dash.

Thanks,
Jimmy.

 

No difference that I can discern. U.S. car.

 

No difference either. That sounds dangerous

Do you get always get the beep warning if you turn on the left indicator?

 

If you’re driving below a certain speed (I think under 15mph) , the blind spot assist does not activate. Not sure if it’s in the user manual, but you can check with the dealer.

 

Yeah! The beep will happen if I indicate and there's a vehicle in my passenger's side (the left side here in Australia). But on the right side (driver's side in Australia) the arrow never appears when a car is just passing me eg. overtaking me to my right. Even at speeds above 100km/h (60 mph).

Damn, I guess I might have an issue then. I just wanted to ask because this is the first car I have owned with these "blind spot assists" and electronic goodies

 

I would think there shouldn't be a difference between passenger and driver side. I would think that it might detect cars at slightly different positions, because of the asymmetric perspective from the driver seat. Just like the mirrors are not exactly in the same position. One of the mirrors is slightly farther back. I forget which one it is. However, I couldn't really tell you if there is a difference. I don't really pay that much attention to the blind spot assist. It's the only driving assist feature that I find unnecessary. It's sort of something I keep in my peripheral vision and I do get the audible warning occasionally, but by the time it warns, I've already seen the car and it's also too conservative. Blind spot assist exists only because many people do not properly adjust their mirrors. Most people adjust the side mirrors such that they see the side of their car. The result of that is that the angle of view of the side mirrors overlaps with the angle of view of the rear view mirror, and then you have a blind spot, because you are giving up potential angle of view of the side mirrors. With properly adjusted side mirrors, there is no blind spot. The blind spot is one of those things that exists because of poor driver's ed. You can easily tell if somebody's mirrors are incorrectly adjusted. If you are behind them and you see the face of the driver in the mirror, then their mirrors are not adjust properly and you better stay out of their blind spot. Some car manufacturers are also adding to the problem by not allowing the side mirrors to be adjusted far enough outward. MB is actually at the border. My side mirrors are all the way out, they don't go any further, but it's just right in that position.

Here's an old article that describes this issue and how to properly adjust one's mirrors. Basically the side mirrors should be moved out far enough that you never see the same thing in the side mirrors and the rearview mirror. A car should only appear on the rear view mirror just as it leaves the side view mirror and vice versa.

https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...d-blind-spots/

 

Thanks for taking the time to write and post that up, I really appreciate it

 

You're right for the most part about best mirror positions, however even with well adjusted mirror positions you can at best minimize the blind spot, but never fully eliminate it, especially when it comes to smaller vehicles like bikes and motorbikes. These can easily be hidden within the blind spot even when the mirrors are adjusted perfectly. It is still better to always turn your head to view through the side windows (preferably passenger side rear window if available for the passenger side and a good 90-degrees turn towards the driver side window). It also helps to make the lane change gradually until you cross the line at least, since it gives you a good buffer to come back if needed. Even if you missed the vehicle in the blind spot earlier, you will notice the vehicle through the side window at that point and go back to your original lane.

I do like the Blind Spot indicator as a good safety net after I turn and check. Yes, lot of times I will get the beep if I'm trying to change lanes ahead of a car in the adjacent lane but doesn't hurt.

Actually a lot of times crashes happen because of not noticing the vehicle two lanes to the left/right changing into the same lane as you at the same time. Looking over your shoulder through the side windows is the only way to catch this.

 

Yes, I agree you technically have some blind spots. The C-pillars and your own head block parts of the angle of view of the rear view mirror. Some of that can be compensated by moving your head to see what's hiding behind it, but smaller vehicles can indeed hide behind the C-pillar. I actually missed a motorcycle not too long ago as I was changing lanes. It just happened to be blocked by my C-pillar. However, it also didn't get picked up by the blind spot assist. I did not hit him, but I cut him off and he honked and gave me the finger. Rightfully so. It was an interesting scenario and I wish I could have recorded it with cameras to see what really happened and why not even the blind spot assist alerted me. As far as other vehicles changing into your lane, I would say trust your peripheral vision. That's actually something the AMG Driving Academy instructor told us as well. Maybe I have a very good peripheral vision, but I've never had an issue not seeing another car changing into the same lane I was changing. Part of it is also that I keep an eye on the lane adjacent to the one I'm changing into. That's another benefit of having the mirrors adjust further out. You can actually see two lanes to your left and right.