This option shows you when you are in trouble with your wife after a late night out with the fellas 😀

 

Night view assist is nothing more than a gimmick. I had it in an S600 and it was pointless. I just left it turned off all the time. Don't try to rely on it to help you drive at night. You'll likely end up crashing your car if you do.

I'll be praying for you that all goes well with your cancer treatments. To help your own cause, stay away from all carbs and processed foods as that is what feeds cancer. A carnivore (beef, butter, bacon, eggs) diet going forward will be very helpful for you. Also, weekly water or dry fasts of at least 3 days will help starve and kill cancer cells. If you are going to do chemo, then fast 24-48 hours before each treatment to a min 24 hours after treatment. This makes the chemo more than doubly effective, protects the good cells (which chemo would otherwise also harm), and significantly cuts down on the side-effects of the chemo like nausea, tiredness, and hair loss.

 

Respectfully, I don't agree and here's why. After using NightView for the past five years it has made driving at dusk/night/dawn much, much safer. It has alerted me to countless pedestrians, runners, cyclists, dogs and deer long before I was able to pick them up visually.

Some (most?) people that have the NightView option don't know how to utilize it (and MB provides no instruction). They mistakenly think you are suppose to continuously stare at the screen while driving. Used that way, yes, I agree it would make it a very dangerous system.
.
When using NightView, eyes stay on the road while driving. The NightView screen is designed to automatically appear in the middle of the instrument cluster only when an object is detected. As it flashes onto the screen is noticed in the driver's peripheral vision. The object(s) detected are boldly bracketed in red. Quick downward glance to the screen and then informed eyes are right back on the road. After five seconds or so he NightView screen will then disappear.

 

Congrats, very well optioned car as well
Happy Driving

 

Congratulations on your beautiful car and sending prayers your way!! 🙏🏾❤️

 

Need the BAN HAMMER!

 

I’ve heard similar about competing systems. This would be an indispensable option for me. Didn’t realize it was available on this car.

 

I agree with @C Swenson about night vision. It is an awesome option! It has saved me from hitting people twice in the 18 months I've owned my car. I don't know why people who walk at night don't dress in brighter clothes, but that's a conversation for a different day. It's always funny how when people don't get personal use from an option, they think something has no use. And it's clear from his post that he doesn't know "how" to use the feature. I also like how it will spot the raccoons when I'm driving home at night too, but that's not dangerous because I'm not usually going very fast. Night View Assist is just one more feature that keeps you, and people and animals around you, safer.

 

I guess it has improved compared to what I had on my previous W221 S600. It was definitely a useless gimmick on that car. It didn't flash red for people or animals. It would probably be a lot more useful if it were incorporated into the HUD. Looking at the dash takes your eyes off the road.

Since it's a very rare option, I think that proves it is unnecessary to have and gimmicky.

 

You were doing so good until that last sentence.
Anyways, have a wonderful holiday season.

 

I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I read your post...you said it so well
It's amazing how people don't grasp the concept of luxury. There isn't a single thing on an S-Class that makes practical sense, not even the car itself. But that's what seperates a luxury item from a utility item.
What still confuses me is why someone who doesn't look at it like that would even buy one. It truly is impractical to spend $100K on a lump of metal, glass, rubber and plastic that cost a bunch of money to maintain and is worth something close to nothing 5 years later. Why do that when you can spend $20K and go all the same places the $100K lump took you for less than 1/5th the cost? It makes no sense at all! So pointing out "any" luxury feature on a luxry car as "gimmicky" is kind of counterintuitive. The whole damn thing is a gimmick, just like a trip to Vegas or a Gucci handbag...I'm jus' sayin'

 

I guess being an old dude in my late 50's I see luxury different than the younger crowd. I enjoy the smooth, comfortable, roomy ride in my S550. It has lots of power, especially with the tune I have on it (but rarely take advantage of), is loaded with all of the tech I'll ever need (except wireless Android Auto which I can add for cheap, but haven't gotten around to yet), and it is still beautiful to look at. I've had no desire for the facelifted version because I think the pre-facelift looks better, and the tech updates in the 2018+ cars, especially on the steering wheel just add more unnecessary complication to the car. Who the heck needs a bunch of different screen options for your gauges or an overly complicated center screen with a zillion options I'd never use? Not me.

For the money I spent on this car 4 years ago in perfect condition with just 30k miles, I could have purchased something very utilitarian like a new Lexus ES350 or a Honda Odyssey Touring instead. But this car was, and still is so much better than anything that was new on the market in 2020 for the price I paid. Not to mention I've got 7 years of exclusionary warranty coverage. The W223 looks ugly IMO and appears ridiculously complicated with all those screens. I doubt one of those will be in my future.

 

I love everything you said, and I'm jealous because I've only had a little more than 2 years of recent S-Class ownership. I'm 57 years old and love all the buttons, switches, screens, sounds, lighting...and everything. I like the "shiny" suff in my car, I'm as happy as a raccoon with a silver dollar

 

Okay so I have the car now, and it was quite the adventure as the Odyssey Elite we were trading in lit up like… well like a CHRISTMAS TREE tonight on the way to pick it up. I thought for sure they weren’t going to take it. Father in law showed up and reset the OBD codes and they took it warts at all (the codes that weren’t reset). Whew!

And the S450… wow.

WOW!

I dare say this may be the perfect car.

I used my oldest as a test subject for Night View. That’s and amazing feature. The car saw him at night so much further than I could. In fact, I couldn’t see him until the last second because it was very dark and he was wearing dark. I was amazed to see the car pick him up from so far away. This should be a feature in all cars, no doubt at all.

Of course I am still playing with every thing. So far there seems to be nothing at all wrong. Used an OBD reader and saw nothing at all was reset since the last service. No permanent codes. Even that scratch near the glovebox seems to have disappeared by magic.

The car is beautiful, amazing to drive, I did take it up to 95 in cruise as I was learning to use cruise and before I knew it we were at 95 on the interstate and it felt like 60.

QUESTION - how do I make the wipers turn on when needed without me having to do anything? I couldn’t figure that out tonight, but it was just misting so that may have been a factor.

ALL of the comments here have been great and greatly appreciated. I do think I scored big time with this car. I don’t see anything that’s missing on this car expert for the curve air suspension. That was so new at the time I think I’m glad it’s missing.

I will get some photos when there is daylight. Also after we have had some rest. Had to do a whole lot of work to get our garage ready. This is a large car.

I think I’m in love with this car. 😍

 

Glad it worked out and everything looks good.

For the wipers, think you rotate the left side stalk so it’s not off, rotate it one or two positions depending on rain, or continue for slow or high speed wiping.

Merry Christmas!

 

Looking forward to pictures!

 

The W222 S-class is the greatest S-class in my opinion. The options make the car more than the drivetrain in my opinion, and yours is optioned nicely. Although I have the M278, I rarely step on the gas. The power is adequate as this is a car to waft about in and I really dont see a need for more. Im a ripe 40 and anyone hesitant to get one because of maintenance fears…..it will be your biggest regret, although I don’t recommend daily driving as the novelty will wear off. Nothing comes close to the presence or prestige of an S-class in its class. The 7-series, A8, or Lexus doesnt even come close. This is a yacht on wheels and I take weekend journeys in mine with company. My only “regret,” is not having the extended nappa with the quilted leather, although the regular nappa is more than fine. You did good and I wish for you to enjoy every waking minute with it! Merry Christmas.

 

Congratulations, super happy for you!

The wiper switch has 5 positions from the top to the bottom:
Full on Fast
Full on Regular
Automatic/Rain Sensing High sensitivity: Meaning turn on with just a sprinkle or two on the windshield
Automatic/Rain Sensing Low Sensitivity: Meaning turn on with more than just a few sprinkles on the windshield
OFF

The magic curve funtion is ABC suspension, which wasn't available on 4-Matic cars of that generation. You aren't missing out on anything that was available.

 

So it’s raining off and on here today and I’ve decided the wipers are magic and I should let them do their thing. 😂

I was very skeptical of these fancy $170 wipers, but HOLY COW these are really great windshield wipers. Never thought I would say that, but I’m saying that about a lot of things right now. Mercedes really knows how to make a fantastic car!

I was “learning” cruise coming home from my in-laws two nights ago. I admit I was a bit confused and winging it. Then I realized we were doing 95 mph. FELT LIKE 60. So dang smooth!

I love this car!

Right now I’m hooked up with BenzNinja himself getting some ILS+ and some other things going. VERY EXCITED to have him working his magic!

 

@BenzNinja is fantastic. You won't ever regret the membership. He can do things dealerships won't even try and is always reliable. Plus, the software you get with the membership is well worth the membership price alone.

 

I can tell you that so far I am very impressed by @BenzNinja . I am working up my list of “NEEDS” 😂 and we will likely knock those out tomorrow. Everything with him has been very smooth and he’s been more than helpful. Even ordering everything he told me to get to make this all work arrived earlier than expected during Christmas, so indeed he’s some kind of Ninja.

Once it’s all programmed I will be back to report on how it all went.

Just one thing - WHY DIDN’T I DO THIS SOONER?

 

I'm looking forward to hearing your results with BenzNinja as I'd like to get ILS+ and the Sport+ mode programmed as well. Also looking forward to seeing a few pics of your car!

I've owned my S550 for 9 months now and really enjoy it. Mine is my daily driver and I've had no issues with it. I've installed the Weistec tune and air filters, Lloyd's floor mats and a RoadTop Carplay unit. If yours doesn't have Carplay/Android Auto, I'd recommend this upgrade as it's by far the most favorite upgrade I've done.

Your trips to Houston and back will definitely be more enjoyable in the comfort that you've found in your new ride and here's wishing you a healthy dose of happiness for 2025! It's not easy going through health issues like you are but you're in great hands!

 

Did you finish loading the upgrades with BenzNinja?

 

Most everything. He is going to tweak some things later today. So far everything is great but I couldn’t figure out how to get car to phone reverse tethering to work - yet. That one is greatly complicated by many external factors.

@BenzNinja is fantastic. He has a ton of knowledge and is such a nice guy and has been very accommodating to me.

I’m going to write up a review of my experiences working with him soon, but I’m still working with him. He gives you a LOT more than you realize. I can tell you already that the membership is worth every cent. That’s a no-brainer, and that’s coming from someone who has a ton of medical expenses going out the door right now. Order what he tells you and he walks you through some things with those, then voila. You’ll be where I am and I’m pretty happy.

I will try to write something up the next few days. Right now I’m pretty sick and had chemotherapy yesterday so… might be next week before I get it done. I’m doing that review because I think exceptional service deserves it, but I will rarely ever do something like that because it’s so unusual to see these days.

 

Best wishes to you for a healthy 2025!