jdr1000

Has anyone ordered a new facelifted E and tried to order the Intelligent Light System, it was one of their main publicity features and they tell me it is not aproved for the US.

Any comments?

J

ClayJ

My understanding is that it has not (yet) been approved by USDOT, and that they have a problem with the flashing brake lights as well....

I do expect (or hope) that it will soon be approved and/or allowed in the USA -- it is a GREAT system.....

cyclerider

That is my understanding also. I have seen motorcycles with the flashing brake light system, and it is fantastic.

Miguk_Saram

Personally, I think the flashing break lights are an annoyance. How stupid does one need to be for the change in intensity to not to be enough to warn you that someone has hit their breaks?

Even if it only flashes during hard breaking, what's the difference? If you're following too close, you're going to hit them anyway! Extra flashes from the car in front of you are not going to magically make YOUR breaks more responsive.

Plus, imagine what it would be like if every car out there had these flashing break lights -- what would a metropolitan rush hour be like (especially at night)? A freakin Christmas tree?!!! Now how distracting is that!

Red lights constantly flashing at you.. ..hmm.. isn't "flashing red" psychologically associated with anger and aggressiveness?

I vote against it. People annoy me as it is -- hitting their breaks innecessarily. If lights are gonna flash each time some idiot hits his breaks, eek, that would drive me crazy -- it's like shock treatment, but with the opposite effect.

My $.02.

klenbore

My dealer tells me it's a roll of the dice if the DOT approves it. If it gets the OK we probably won't see it until the 08 models.

hellolarry

Amen brother.

jdr1000

What I do not understand is why make it you primary promotion item, next to your PreSafe (I think)(website, catalog, press) ,launch the facelift in New York, say it is the greatest thing in the world, do a web demo, and not have it available.

If you were not making it available to the US, launch the ILS in Frankfurt or Paris but not NY.

I beleive the US is one of your main markets, at least get it aproved BEFORE you launch the thing so you do not get negative vibes from customers asking about it. Dealers will have to say no to customers an that is never a good thing.

MHO

J

konigstiger

In January, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded the U.S. subsidiary of the German luxury car company a temporary exemption from U.S. automobile safety standards, allowing it to sell as many as 5,000 vehicles over the next two years that include brake lights that flash during emergency stops. Mercedes will introduce flashing brake lights to the United States with their flagship S600.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11351634

cyclerider

konigstiger you are a fountain of information.

WEBSRFR

I agree with the comments about what would happen if EVERY other car manufacturer starts having flashing break lights. It would be so miserable to drive anyway in town at night!!! What an awful idea. If you really need to do something different make the break lights INTENSITY more brighter if the breaks are slammed but do not blink it. Can you imagine being stuck in traffic with hours of driving time accompanied by red lights flashing all over your face?

cyclerider

I think they only flash above a certain speed and when an unusually strong brake force is applied. There won't be lines of crawling rush hour traffic with blinking lights.

JimPurdy

The DOT is at it again! This is like the 1970s when the only approved headlight was a non-halogen sealed beam type. This folly was foisted upon us by the GE, Westinghouse, etc lightbulb lobby that told congress that anything other than a sealed beam headlight was dangerous. Of course, since the sealed beam lightbulb R&D costs were fully depreciated it would cost the bulbmakers a lot to develop the same technology that Hella and Cibie had for years and they were very happy to milk the cash cow they had created. It took the Detroit auto stylists to break the lightbulb manufacturers stranglehold to allow us to have anything more than a pencil-flashlight on the front of our autos. This not-invented-here attitude is simply rediculous. It will take GM (Goofy Marketing) to claim there is some safety related thing to get the DOT to approve anything that comes from outside of Detroit.

konigstiger

They’re activated at speeds over 30 miles per hour or higher when a car brakes suddenly, or when the car is traveling on a low-friction surface like ice, snow or rain.

mmgrad

great information....