AppleFan1

I am having a devil of a time figuring out the rear warning display Parktronic sensors. I looked at the owner's manual and I'm still lost about this. It says, "The warning display for the rear area is located on the headliner in the rear compartment." What exactly does that mean? The front parking display is very obvious and works great. There is also a chime that is automatic when the front bumper is within a 1-2 feet from the object. I tried to experiment by backing up against my garage door on the driveway and I came to within about a foot or so of the door and I don't see any display to warn me nor do I hear any chime. So what am I doing wrong here or is it a case that I'm looking at the wrong screen or something. The 360 degree camera comes up on the command screen when I put the shifter in reverse, but I don't see anything on the this screen that indicates to me that the rear parking sensors are working. Any help or suggestions by those of you in the know about this would be greatly appreciated.

TomS

Look in your rearview mirror. The rear sensors are just above where the head of a passenger in the middle of the backseat would be.

I did this too. I drove it in Europe for 10 days and never noticed them. I kept hearing this beeping but then I happened to look in the rear view and there it was all lit up!

AppleFan1

Ok, I will look but why don't I hear any beeping?

AppleFan1

Ok, I just started the car and put it in reverse. Sure enough, I looked in the rearview mirror and saw to tiny red lights light up just above the rear window. I gather that these are the rear sensors. Are there more red lights that light up as one gets closer and closer to an object when backing up? Why are they not beeping at me when I get close to an object? At least, I don't think they are? Maybe I did not get close enough.

TomS

I had it in reverse and my wife walked around the back of the car. Full Red on both rear sides and beeping although the beeping is lower so if you have an issue with higher frequencies that could be an issue. The beeping from the front is very loud. Do you have any kids around. See if they hear it The rear beeping almost seems to be coming from the back as if to indicate a spatial relationship if both front and back were beeping at the same time. I'm not sure that was by design, but who knows. If you really do not hear anything and the rear indicators are red, you may have an issue. I am not aware of anything that would turn the rear parking stem off unless you were not in reverse ( I think).

AppleFan1

Thanks Tom! I will need to do some more experimenting. Wouldn't it make more sense if the warning display was on the Command Screen? After all, that's the screen you are watching when backing up. People don't look at the rearview mirror when backing up. They look at the rear view camera.

TomS

I have to disagree there. I look in my mirrors still even with the rear camera. If I had to guess, in a way, it forces you to look back. I understand your thoughts but there is some logic to this I believe.

Sometimes I think Mercedes has as many lawyers as engineers. If you think about the liability limiting things they do like ensuring you keep your finger on the seat memory so no one gets crushed and keep your hands on the wheel for Distronic. It seems that MB realizes its biggest market (America) is super-litigious and they have to protect themselves from torts at all cost. Oh well, I digress.

AppleFan1

Good news! I NEVER would have thought of this if it were not for you Tom. The rear warning display sensor works perfectly. Evidently, I was concentrating SO much on the command screen when backing up that I would not even hear the beep, beep beep. I just tested it with my wife and a plastic trash can in back of the car and the system works perfect. This includes the beeper when the rear of the car gets close enough to the object. It's amazing that something so simple could be so difficult to figure out. I was use to the LS with the warning symbol and beep coming from the video screen. You are right! This way seems more natural. I wonder how many others are having trouble figuring this out. Probably no one. lol

meldour

Will this car stop if you're trying to back up and there is an object/person behind you?

TomS

I must confess that I rented a boat of a Caddy in Hawaii a couple of years ago and it had this same kind of sensor. I learned about 3 days in. I sit very high in the car so I do not tend to see the rear roof via the rearview mirror unless I move my head.

Diesel Benz

That certainly is one reason to put the rear indicators to rear cabin. I assume quite many drivers still do the same as I do: turn their head to watch the rear view (even if I have the rear view monitor, this is actually why I consider parktronik much more important than the camera). In Europe we face pretty tight spots and parking aids are an aid (although an essential aid).

By the way, I've never had an MB where the rear sensors had been at a different position. Never had a cabrio though.

AppleFan1

I also turn my head when I back up. However, in this case, it NEVER occurred to me that the alarm indicators were located just above the rear window. I was SO use to the LS having the alarm indicators on the video screen. Stupid me was under the impression that all cars showed these alarms in this fashion.

TomS

I bet it is even cooler now that you have thought of it more. It just gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling that the car was engineered logically and throughly. Yes, you can all now flame me for being a fanboy

Ormond2004

I just switched from Audi, and the beeping would get more frequent the closer you got to an object. You can also adjust the volume of the beeping. I really miss that.

When you put the car in reverse, the audio system would automatically be muted too. I didn't have surround view, but like a Lexus LS, an image of the car would appear indicating if you were close to an object.

I really miss the volume level of the warning in the Audi. I usually forget to look at the headliner lights, but I can see the logic in placing them there.

I am slowly getting used to parking the beast and am being very careful.