Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

mercedesbenzofnatick.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 263 posts

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#51

Post by anyfoo »

cr0sh wrote: post #47
anyfoo wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. Not having looked at any data, I’m now wondering why most taxis in Germany are, and have been for a long time, mostly Mercedes? (Commonly their E class.) Are they just cheaper to buy for that purpose or what’s the reason?

I've heard that German luxury cars (what we consider them here in the USA) are more like what we think of Fords here; so common and normal, considered affordable. Or maybe just not "high end" due to being common? Again, though, only heard that - nothing to back it up. It also may be that because Mercedes and BMWs are "local brand" vehicles, there are more of them, and more mechanics out there able to service them? Wh…

While it’s true that BMWs and Mercedes are extremely common (and by feeling also less of a “luxury brand”), at least in Munich, I’ve rarely seen a BMW taxi. They’re not all Mercedes, but I’d say that the majority easily is. So there has to be reasons for that, but the potential existence of special maintenance packages for taxis could easily be one of them.

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#52

Post by Cerium »

coke12 wrote: post #31
ChickeNES wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was a blogpost I read a few years back written by someone who damaged their hearing after dropping a porcelain toilet lid. They actually ran some back-of-the-envelope calculations to estimate the decibel level, I recall it being shockingly high.

There was a pretty good HN comment thread about it: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16723099 From the linked thread: """ 5. The stupid toilet bowl lid only fell about 8 inches. How could it damage my hearing so badly? I looked up the speed of sound in ceramic, divided by the length of the toilet bowl lid (and divided by 2 since the fundamental vibration is a half wavelength). This predicts 3.5 kHz. 6. This frequ…

Be careful dropping glass bottles into recycling bins too; they pose nearly the same problem - they don't usually shatter and the sound escapes the bin upwards towards you.

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#53

Post by TheSpiceIsLife »

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.

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#55

Post by TylerE »

rococode wrote: post #40
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.…

I was recently in the market and was impressed by the amount of safety features available in modern models (my old car being a 2011 model). In the luxury range everything had automatic braking for rear-end collision, back-up collision prevention, 360 camera, lane-keeping assist, etc.. (albeit often as part of a pricier package). I'm sure many other brands have similar features too. A couple days after I got the new c…

Backup cameras have been federally mandated since, IIRC, 2017 in all new vehicles.

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#56

Post by photojosh »

WrtCdEvrydy wrote: post #38
Swizec wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Modern cars are very safe. But luxury cars had pre-tensioners in the 80’s already. What do they have now that the rest of us will get in 2050?

Starting in 2019, you get backup cameras... Luxury brands can actually stop you from going into a lane when a vehicle is there or minimizing the damage if you push it. Kinda like Tesla Autopilot but only when you're about to do something stupid.

We just got a new car; a Hyundai i30, kinda the opposite end of the market from the luxury brands. We had to pay a little extra for the safety pack (~$2k), but we have

- backup camera

- radar-guided "smart" cruise control (this is amazing!)

- lane-departure warning and active steering

- emergency braking

Our particular model doesn't have the blind-spot detection (as per parent post) or rear cross-traffic warning, even though the version just below it does (different factories, weird), but we preferred the better interior.

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#57

Post by raldi »

I wish fire alarms did this for half a second before blasting your tympanic membrane with an ear-splitting noise. Residential ones are bad enough, but the ones in offices are the worst.

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#58

Post by TylerE »

cr0sh wrote: post #47
anyfoo wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. Not having looked at any data, I’m now wondering why most taxis in Germany are, and have been for a long time, mostly Mercedes? (Commonly their E class.) Are they just cheaper to buy for that purpose or what’s the reason?

I've heard that German luxury cars (what we consider them here in the USA) are more like what we think of Fords here; so common and normal, considered affordable. Or maybe just not "high end" due to being common? Again, though, only heard that - nothing to back it up. It also may be that because Mercedes and BMWs are "local brand" vehicles, there are more of them, and more mechanics out there able to service them? Wh…

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.

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#59

Post by HeWhoLurksLate »

twblalock wrote: post #44
anyfoo wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. Not having looked at any data, I’m now wondering why most taxis in Germany are, and have been for a long time, mostly Mercedes? (Commonly their E class.) Are they just cheaper to buy for that purpose or what’s the reason?

Taxis get maintained religiously, and taxi companies have no problem replacing worn parts or even entire engines. There is a big difference in build quality and longevity between modern Mercedes cars and the ones built in the 1970s and 1980s. They used to feel substantially better than other cars. Now they don't really, except for the S class.

Could some of that be attributable to the other brands getting better?

Re: Mercedes-Benz pre-safe sound

#60

Post by rory096 »

TylerE wrote: post #55
rococode wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was recently in the market and was impressed by the amount of safety features available in modern models (my old car being a 2011 model). In the luxury range everything had automatic braking for rear-end collision, back-up collision prevention, 360 camera, lane-keeping assist, etc.. (albeit often as part of a pricier package). I'm sure many other brands have similar features too. A couple days after I got the new c…

Backup cameras have been federally mandated since, IIRC, 2017 in all new vehicles.

It's not just a backup camera, it's a stitched video from four cameras to create a "birds-eye view" of the "car" and its surroundings from overhead.

Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqbpqDZRd70

Post reply on HN