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Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

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Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#211

Post by mnw21cam »

TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #53
taylorlapeyre wrote: post #4

I lost most of my hearing in my left ear in a head-on collision with a drunk driver. No other injuries. The audiologist said that my eardrum was in the kind of state you usually only see in battlefields from exposure to large explosions. People are always surprised when I tell them this was my only injury, and as a result I've always wondered how common this type of injury is with vehicle collisions. This is the firs…

I’ve taken up wearing earplugs while driving. I also work in a noisy environment, and it occurs to me that the road and engine and wind noise is probably loud enough to have a negative impact on hearing over time. Less so in newer cars, but both mine are over 10yo. Also, in the event of a collision I’m protected.

When cycling, I find that a simple fleece headband/hat that covers the ears is wonderful at stopping the wind noise, but letting in all the other important noises.

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#212

Post by shoo_pl »

skgoa wrote: post #155
danellis wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exploding into a bag, though, so isn't most of the energy absorbed by the expansion of the bag?

Yes, but people regularly get burns and light blunt trauma from airbags. The US versions of many cars even have slightly weaker airbags, because many people don't wear seatbelts and might be killed by a full-strength airbag.

In modern cars the airbag will not fire if the seatbelt is not used. This is the reason why we even have seat belt detectors that make this annoying noise - not just to annoy you but also to figure out whether its safe to fire airbag or not.

Getting hit with airbag into the face when wearing eye glasses for example... that would suck, would it not?

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#213

Post by projektfu »

billfruit wrote: post #93
TylerE wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Market differentiation. For instance, the base A-CLass (small/mid size sedan) sold in Germany has a 110hp engine and cloth seats, and very few standard features. Base price (w/o VAT) is ~$24,000US. The base US A-Class has a 190HP engine, leather, more standard features, and starts at $32,500.

Why does the US version need to have a more powerful engine?

The US consumer looking for a $24k 110hp car with cloth seats is not walking onto a Mercedes lot. Mercedes and BMW have always been luxury here, and for a long time there was a price premium simply for the exchange rate and tariffs. It would take a lot of advertising to make Mercedes a middle market brand and it would hurt their luxury image. Considering the number of not wealthy people I see financing or leasing “aspirational” cars like E-class Mercedes or BMW X-series, this isn’t really hurting the breadth of their market.

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#214

Post by Sebb767 »

londons_explore wrote: post #207
hbosch wrote: post #135

I just want to say that this is exactly the type of thoughtfulness, design, engineering and research that justifies the price difference in something like a Mercedes and something like a Honda. There are so many small triumphs like this in class-leading, high-end vehicle manufacturers that go unnoticed and unsung and allow people with 2019 Accords to say things like "why would I pay $45,000 for that when I get better…

I mean, the actual implementation of this feature could have been a few hours work... Let the media center detect airbag deployment on CAN bus, then play a pre-saved quarter second audio sample at a fixed volume. There might be complexities if the audio system is turned off and needs to boot up, but my guess is on all modern cars, the audio amplifier etc. is always turned on, even if the radio appears 'off'.

> the actual implementation of this feature could have been a few hours work...

Yeah, but nothing in the car world is that easy. First you need to fit this to all cars. Then you need to test it (not that cheap), document it extensively (safety level, failure states, activation conditions, ...), check that it actually does what it's supposed to do instead of for example worsening it and then you need to get it certified for all the automotive markets which alone is probably as expensive as all that came before.

Of course the theory is simple, but the practice includes so many departments and agencies that it probably cost several millions. And you need to earn those back, after all.

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#215

Post by [deleted] »

mikestew wrote: post #172
mehrdadn wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why isn't this taught to everyone at a young age? I had no idea this could happen and it kind of terrifies me that I can lose my hearing so easily like this without having any clue.

Then go buy the toilet lids that don’t drop with the acceleration of gravity, i. e., “soft close”. Hearing loss or not, I don’t want to hear anyone dropping the toilet lid in the middle of the night.

[deleted]

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#216

Post by longtom »

jedberg wrote: post #5

The Mercedes is known for being more expensive than most, but in most cases, it's worth it, not only for the luxury, but for the extreme attention to detail they put into safety. For example, when you get into one, it will adjust the tension of the seatbelt automatically to be ideal for each passenger. And of course this pink noise. And a ton of other little things that cost extra that most people will never notice.…

The safest car is no car at all.

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#217

Post by foepys »

snvzz wrote: post #200
misterdoubt wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, they do need to overcome my noise-cancelled high-volume drown-out-coworkers music...

A couple year ago, I was listening to music at a super low volume (way below that of people talking around me, if I removed the headphones) when fire alarm triggered. I didn't hear it. A coworker did pat my shoulder to let me know, and I noticed the super loud fire alarm as soon as I removed the quiet headphones. The headphones were not noise-cancelling or anything. Just Sennheiser HD380 Pro, which provide ~30dB isol…

Small children have this problem when they are sleeping. They just don't wake up from high-pitched noises, but require lower frequency alarms ideally with spoken words: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-38918056

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#218

Post by raverbashing »

londons_explore wrote: post #202
raverbashing wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's usually some dampening at the bottom of the pile of weights, but yeah it can be loud depending on how heavy and how fast it is dropped.

Even a piece of paper between each weight would surely absorb most of the energy and make it much quieter? Why don't all machines have that?

Good question, I don't know the answer.

I think it also has to do with how rough the surface of the plates is, I believe a bit of a rough surface can help with the noise (some have a very polished surface and I can hear that from a mile)

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#219

Post by OrangeMango »

distances wrote: post #146
Baeocystin wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They make flat-frequency-response earplugs, too. They don't cost much more, and you get to keep the highs that provide context while still reducing the overall sound intensity. I love them for both motorcycle rides and concerts. You'll find several hits if you search for Musician's Earplugs.

I have some hearing damage with mild tinnitus and find it hard to follow discussions in noisy environments (bars, very noisy public transport, even some restaurants). Custom fitted flat frequency earplugs are the perfect help for these situations, I always carry them in pocket just in case.

Would you expound on this a little and perhaps mention some brands? I also have issues following discussions in those kinds of environments. I can hear the people talking, but it blends into the background noise and becomes very difficult to isolate the actual words.

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#220

Post by stronglikedan »

hbosch wrote: post #135

I just want to say that this is exactly the type of thoughtfulness, design, engineering and research that justifies the price difference in something like a Mercedes and something like a Honda. There are so many small triumphs like this in class-leading, high-end vehicle manufacturers that go unnoticed and unsung and allow people with 2019 Accords to say things like "why would I pay $45,000 for that when I get better…

> this is exactly the type of thoughtfulness, design, engineering and research that justifies the price difference in something like a Mercedes

I don't know. I get into a Mercedes, and it all just feels so unintuitive to me. Not to mention cheap, like everything I touch is going to break off in my hand. And don't even get me started on the touchscreen that looks like it was taped to the dash as an afterthought.

I'll stick with my Acuras. I find them to be just as innovative and much more cost effective.

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