odesskiy

Tested the "4D" sound this morning. Out of all positions, only the front passenger seat is working properly. The rest of the seats - nothing but buzzing and rattling, no actual bass feedback. OMFG, this is the $7K "upgrade". I really don't understand how these cars can leave the factory like this. Wonder if it's another "software" issue or if the actual hardware is garbage. How would they dealer even get to them? Rip all the seats apart? Ugh. I really wish I didn't buy this car at this point. Just too much aggravation for this much money.

crabman

You're talking about the butt-shakers?

odesskiy

Yep... I was wondering why my wife was loving them while I thought it was trash. Turns out, it's cool in the passenger seat, trash elsewhere

crabman

Seems like that would have turned up in QA, I guess not.

DoctorDash

Did you raise the levels? They can be set from 1-10, I notice until they go over 5-6 they dont really feel like anything. Another thing is the soundtrack of the music your listening to, I could have same settings and volume and one song my back is rattling and next one nothing. Raise the level and try a few different songs. I've already turned them all off, I just bought the Baumeister for the little spinny tweeters LOL

hyperion667

Have you taken it to the dealer to have them fix it?

odesskiy

Yeah, I’ve played with it quite a bit. The problem is pretty obvious, because it works well on the passenger seat and in the driver’s seat it has a ton of buzzing and rattling that makes it unusable, especially at higher levels. Made an appointment for next Thursday, the 14th, which had the first loaner availability. Will have them check out the error code from my CEL and the occasional assist system malfunctions. I may be up to 500 miles on the odometer at that point lol.

odesskiy

Taking it in next week, on the 14th since that was the earliest loaner availability. Found it pretty interesting that they don’t even offer a loaner by default. They ask you “Will you be taking advantage of our free shuttle or will you arrange your own transportation”. Both locations in Vegas used this same line, so it’s definitely by design. When you tell them you need a loaner, they say “certainly” but if you are unaware of the option they definitely will not inform you about it on their own. So far the ownership experience has been abysmal and I’m only 3 weeks in 🤣

js_cls

Your wife may be loving it for other reasons...

Streamliner

Here we go………

odesskiy

That goes without saying 🤣

hyperion667

That is unfortunate. S class ownership seems to be lacking......severely! Even in a town like Vegas?! Seems pretty frustrating, hope you get some good results, hang in there.

odesskiy

I’m not going to lie, it’s still a great car. But all these little things definitely poison the fairytale some. This car cost about twice as much as my normal range. I’ve had a couple of good years, I’ve been working hard and this was supposed to be my magical reward. 🤣

hyperion667

That does seem to sour the deal eh? I had a brand new ordered S in 2014 when the 222 came out. Only issue I had was the shop foreman backing into a curb and scratching the front lip when I took it in for service......I complained and never went back to have it serviced.......luckily for me I never needed anything warranty related.
They treated me like I didn't buy FOUR brand new cars from them in as many years!! I did need the aux battery replaced once but went to a different dealer.
GL to you!

Streamliner

If the “FOURTH” D is the bass note physical sensation felt in the setbacks, which I believe it is, I turned it completely off as soon as I found out how. I have since revisited the feature, only to once again turn it off, before making it to the end of one song. To me, it’s a gimmick and, as per this thread, yet something else that may go on the fritz.

odesskiy

It’s gimmicky, but honestly, when I try it out in the passenger seat, I like it quite a bit. I listen to a fair amount of bass-heavy music and it does add some to the experience. While I had to turn it off for now, I think it should be functioning as designed, considering it’s a part of a hefty $7K upgrade.

crabman

What kinda bass heavy music... * whistles tunelessly*

Streamliner

It should definitely work as designed. Good luck.

The Accountant

I don’t understand why everyone thinks the seat bass simulators are the $7k upgrade. It’s more speakers and more power. I don’t know the numbers, but it’s somewhere between 50%-100% on both. I have the 4D off, it’s dumb. For audiophiles, the 4D sound is a clear difference. But you can’t listen to wireless sources like CarPlay. Those protocols are trash.

rw594

3D is 760 watts driving 16 speakers. 4D is 1750 watts driving 31.

So yes, theoretically, it should be much superior, even without the butt-rumblers.

And then of course you also get those shiny and spinny tweeters, replacing ugly and cheap looking black plastic speaker covers on the always visible A-pillars.

I'm looking forward to finding out about that difference (or, god forbid, lack of difference) next week, when I have additional 4D components retrofitted to my 3D-equipped car

odesskiy

I'm well aware of the difference between the base and the upgraded Burmeister systems. However the exciters (that's the official name Burmeister gave them) are a part of the upgraded $7K system. I like the functionality and I want to be able to use it. It is broken in my car for the driver seat and the rear passenger seats. Why do you think I shouldn't complain about it?

Streamliner

For an old guy who is not very tech savvy, what do you suggest as the simplest, easy to use, high quality source to listen to music in my 4D equipped car? I have an iPhone 11pro. Thanks in advance.

The Accountant

If it's not working you're doing the right thing by taking it in and having it fixed. It's unfortunate that you have to deal with a broken feature that's new on the list, and I can understand it's frustrating. When my electronics anything doesn't work I don't particularly enjoy it either. There seems to be an overarching direct connection between the $7k premium and the exciters. They are the most noticeable experience change, so people affiliate them with the $7k premium like there is no other difference or justification for value. But that's wrong, the wiring and hardware for the extra speakers and amps alone are a ton of extra work and parts. To me, the exciters are a reduction to experience, not an adder. So they stay off. My 12 yr old likes it from time to time, because it's gimmicky. The cabin sound from the 3d to the 4d is so much better, that to me it's worth $10k+. Add the servo motors for the spinning/extending tweeters at $7k and you got yourself a deal.

The Accountant

A direct wire connection is the best, so there is no loss or compression. You can wire in your iphone or keep a separate device in the console like I do and run the source "usb". If you connect an iphone as a separate device, you can run apple car play from the second device to get the apple music experience, or you can just use the built in folder navigation, which is what I do. That way I keep car play for my primary phone but still get the higher quality sound. Also, SXM seems to be pretty damn clear too, much better than wireless, but doesn't have quite the punch of a direct wire connection.

hyperion667

Ah, 31 points of failure versus 16 No but really, that is an *** load of speakers!