Hi, we recently bought a 2 year old R-Class (320CDi) as our three kids had outgrown out 7 seater X5. What a fantastic car! Anyway, I have just fitted a couple of headrest replacement DVD players/screens, all working very nicely but obviously the original headrests had SRS safety built in, and now I've unplugged the connection I am getting an SRS warning on the dash.
Is there any easy way to "short out" those two pins and fool the car in to thinking there is still an SRS headrest plugged in? I don't want to try something as basic as just connecting the two pins together in case something blows up further down the wire (!). Maybe a resistor/capacitor or something? Fall back option is to cut the original headrest apart and keep the bare minimum components for the SRS device, connect it up, and leave the "bits" inside the chair hidden out of view. But that's a bit messy!
It is a solenoid that the restraint system control module drives. A short circuit would not make it any better. The control unit needs to see the correct device as the circuit (you can fool the unit if you are clever, but if you are clever, you would not fool it as stated in the previous post).
Thanks guys. Hate to say this, but our R320 is the first car with whiplash prevention headrests that we've owned. We have been rear ended a few times. We are still alive. Whiplash will not kill you, just gives you a bit of an achy neck for a few days. Also, R-Class before '07 manufacturer year did not have his feature - so should all owners of those stop driving? What about people who own cars without it? What about the people who sit in the back four seats of the R-Class, where none of the headrests have this function?
To be honest guys, the whiplash headrests offer such a small amount of protection, we would much rather sacrifice this for having silent kids in the back. Trust me, the silence that we get by having DVD players in the car minimises the chance of a crash and is therefore a much better safety feature than some headrests that jump forward an inch. We still have headrests in the car which are as good as any other car on the market without such a safety feature so it's hardly much of a concern.
Anyway this area is for discussing technical issues, and I thank you for your answers and concerns over safety. I have already fitted all four headrests and and considering whether to dismantle the original headrests to fit the stock solenoids in the back of the seats (pointing sideways so if we do get rear ended it won't shoot the back of the seats in to my kids), or just buy a couple and fit those. Pretty sure if I measured the resistance of the solenoids and fitted approprate resistors that would work too but not prepared to short something out.
Just to complete the thread in case anybody else every comes looking ... I took the solenoids out of the original headrests (opening the headrests was a bit tricky, just a lot of force, but the fronts popped off their clips without breaking) and then the solenoid just came out with some gentle prying from a screw driver. Had to cut the wire to pull it through the pole, then reconnected. Put the solenoids in the rear of the seats and plugged the connecting wire back in, and no more SRS warning.
So yes, our headrests no longer have whiplash protection, but they do have some really nice DVD players in them
Seems you know how the sensor/actuator failure detection works. I can understand your view about looking after noisy kids possibly being more of a safety issue than whiplash but I assume you could have gained both advantages with MB OEM parts. I wish you never get into an accident where you or your kids would need the OEM headrests.
Thanks Kids always sit in the back so no difference there. Only me and my wife will suffer the whiplash, and we really are happy to make that sacrifice for the peace and quiet the dvd players give us !
Had a look at MB OEM but wasn't impressed to be honest, and like to have an excuse to pull a new car to bits. On the BMW X5 I fitted a roof mounted screen and player. Within 2 hours of bringing home the brand new car from the garage, I was there with my Stanley knife cutting a big hole in the roof lining!
(Independent DVDs with SD Cards, DVD and ability to connect them together to play the same Show not to mention a gaming console)
However, just like you, I'm going to have problems with the active headrest system. Do you have an idea if one could use a resistor instead of the original solenoid to trick the SRS? Its because one day I'm going to sell the car and if I cut open the original headrests now, I won't be able to put the car back into the original state.
Btw, what DVD players did you install in your car and do you have some pics?
Just to complete the thread in case anybody else every comes looking ... I took the solenoids out of the original headrests (opening the headrests was a bit tricky, just a lot of force, but the fronts popped off their clips without breaking) and then the solenoid just came out with some gentle prying from a screw driver. Had to cut the wire to pull it through the pole, then reconnected. Put the solenoids in the rear of the seats and plugged the connecting wire back in, and no more SRS warning.
So yes, our headrests no longer have whiplash protection, but they do have some really nice DVD players in them
I hope you notify the next owner of the modification, as I would be pretty annoyed to find out someone disabled a safety device that I assumed to be there, since the self test of the car says it is ok.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Linear Mode
