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I recently purchased a 2021 GLA35 and the listing from Carmax mentioned parking sensors but I don't seem to have them activated or installed at all - not sure. I see what looks to be 3 sensors on the bumper but the sensors that are supposed to be on the side of the bumper and on the back of the car aren't there. Does that mean I actually don't have the parking sensors and if not, what are the black circular things on top of the emblem and in the black vent area? I called Mercedes and they told me that its standard to have parking sensors on my model but I looked at another model from the same year and the parking screen looks to be the same as mine, so I don't think its actually standard. The rear view camera, sure but not the sensors that tell you how close you are to other objects.
I recently purchased a 2021 GLA35 and the listing from Carmax mentioned parking sensors but I don't seem to have them activated or installed at all - not sure. I see what looks to be 3 sensors on the bumper but the sensors that are supposed to be on the side of the bumper and on the back of the car aren't there. Does that mean I actually don't have the parking sensors and if not, what are the black circular things on top of the emblem and in the black vent area? I called Mercedes and they told me that its standard to have parking sensors on my model but I looked at another model from the same year and the parking screen looks to be the same as mine, so I don't think its actually standard. The rear view camera, sure but not the sensors that tell you how close you are to other objects.
Please let me know, thank you!
Sorry for the bad news, but those are placeholders where the parking sensors should had been, this is to simplify design and streamline the production process.
Sigh, thank you so much for letting me know. I'm a bit gutted since I'm not a confident parker and heavily relied on my previous car's parking sensors. Not sure if Carmax would even honor a partial refund or anything either. Thank you though
Sigh, thank you so much for letting me know. I'm a bit gutted since I'm not a confident parker and heavily relied on my previous car's parking sensors. Not sure if Carmax would even honor a partial refund or anything either. Thank you though
Sorry about that : (
If reversing is the main issue you are worried about you can press the right side mirror button when you are in reverse gear, the mirror will automatically tilt down, you can then adjust it as much as you want, once you put it back in drive it will return to its position.
The parking sensors in MB lingo is called PARKTRONIC and MB used to bundle it with the corresponding Parking Assistance Package. PARKTRONIC by itself wasn't standard. I think it's standard now on 2024 models. As pointed out above, what you have are simply placeholders. The one above the Mercedes star is where the front camera goes for the 360 surround-view. You only have the basic rear-view camera, because that has been mandatory in the USA for a few years now, so MB can't get away with leaving it out, but the other parking assistance features came at an extra cost.
The 2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLA 35 has a Parking Assistance Package that costs $1,090. This package includes active Parking Assist, a surround-view camera, and PARKTRONIC.
If reversing is the main issue you are worried about you can press the right side mirror button when you are in reverse gear, the mirror will automatically tilt down, you can then adjust it as much as you want, once you put it back in drive it will return to its position.
I appreciate this a lot! My bigger issue is pulling into tight spots since I live in downtown and even with assigned parking, my neighbors park poorly. The grocery store is also super cramped most days so I'm a little stressed out about it tbh. Your tip is super helpful though, I'm going to try it out today and see if it calms my nerves!
Last edited by SDdriver; Mar 18, 2024 at 06:03 PM.
The parking sensors in MB lingo is called PARKTRONIC and MB used to bundle it with the corresponding Parking Assistance Package. PARKTRONIC by itself wasn't standard. I think it's standard now on 2024 models. As pointed out above, what you have are simply placeholders. The one above the Mercedes star is where the front camera goes for the 360 surround-view. You only have the basic rear-view camera, because that has been mandatory in the USA for a few years now, so MB can't get away with leaving it out, but the other parking assistance features came at an extra cost.
You guys are all so knowledgeable here, I appreciate it so much! I watched so many youtube videos and went to so many sites because I was confused about the whole Parktronic and then Park Assist thing. I would happily pay the $1k to install the parking sensors if that was a possibility. Mercedes said they wouldn't do it and that an aftermarket place near me is willing to for $2100 for a system that beeps loudly if I'm too close to it lol not as sophisticated as the Parktronic system for sure!
You guys are all so knowledgeable here, I appreciate it so much! I watched so many youtube videos and went to so many sites because I was confused about the whole Parktronic and then Park Assist thing. I would happily pay the $1k to install the parking sensors if that was a possibility. Mercedes said they wouldn't do it and that an aftermarket place near me is willing to for $2100 for a system that beeps loudly if I'm too close to it lol not as sophisticated as the Parktronic system for sure!
Ya there are aftermarket radar devices that you install and then the device to state the distance in meters or yards will be placed on the dash near the windshield. $2100 for an aftermarket system depending on how well it is integrated seems on the high side.
It is possible to retrofit PARKTRONIC indeed it is just that you will need to drill holes in the front and rear bumper to install the sensors and of course there is programming which requires XENTRY or some sophisticated scanner/system.
I appreciate this a lot! My bigger issue is pulling into tight spots since I live in downtown and even with assigned parking, my neighbors park poorly. The grocery store is also super cramped most days so I'm a little stressed out about it tbh. Your tip is super helpful though, I'm going to try it out today and see if it calms my nerves!
Hmmm, I see. I guess it is matter of getting used to then, hopefully the reverse mirror tilt does indeed help a bit though.
Take it as an opportunity to improve your parking skills. To be honest, while the parking sensors are somewhat nice for detecting obstacles behind and in front, the 360 surround-view these days is much more helpful. I still eventually ended up curbing a wheel with past cars that had sensors but no side camera. It happens. I still park cars w/o any assistance systems, but I'd miss the 360 surround-view in my car. Curbs and low profile tires don't mix well, so being able to see the complete sides of the car, and have guidelines to line up with the curb or the wall of my garage is rather awesome. Also, while I haven't used it very much, I let my car parallel park itself yesterday, because I wasn't wearing my contacts, so the camera image was too blurry to be helpful. It's nice to have that option once in a while. When I was younger, I didn't have to contend with presbyopia. The tilting mirror is nice, but it only shows the rear half of the car, and it's only on the passenger side, so parallel parking on the left side of the street is much easier with the side camera and I can see where the front wheels are relative to an obstacle.
Last edited by superswiss; Mar 18, 2024 at 07:34 PM.
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Confused about parking sensors on 2021 GLA35
