I have a new C320. Several systems in the car are unknown to me, and the manual says nothing useful. Any ideas, anyone?<p>1. The Bose sound system. So HOW does it "adjust the sound as a function of interior noise"? What exactly does it do? I asked Bose - they did not see fit to answer. The dealer has no idea.<p>2. When am I supposed to use the 'activated charcoal air filter'? Always? Or only when driving through pollution? Is this related at all to the microfilter? My BMW 328i had much less dust entering the car, I note.<p>3. The sun sensors. What do they do? Where are they? What do they adjust when they sense, say, the sun on the right?<p>4. Can I - and if so HOW can I - connect any other CD players etc than the ones my dealer wants to sell me (that are not good enough and also very expensive)?<p>5. Anyone take their Mercedes's through soft brush car washes? Can I, or will the star break off?<p>There's more, but this is a good start, if anyone has any ideas.<p>Michael<p>
Checked out your pics...sweet car!<br>I can only help you with two of your questions--I have the 240. Sound as a function of interior noise means that as you go faster, the volume goes up, and it goes down as you decelerate. Think of how many times you get off the interstate and turn the stero down. It's a pretty cool feature, but there is no way to adjust it. It can get slightly annoying driving around town. I've not nailed it down, but I think it starts at about 40mph.<br>As for the soft brush car washes, no problems with the star. I've tried the touch-free as well, but there is something about the shape of the car that makes it totally ineffective. Of course, hand washing is preferred, but if you are in a hurry, I'd stick to the soft brush. I assume you are talking about the type that have cloth strip hanging down and shifting side to side as the car passes underneath.<br>I'm not sure what you are referring to with the sun sensors, but it might have to do with the automatic headlight system.<br>Rex
1. The volume is speed sensitive. The dealer can "turn off" the feature if you desire, but it can't be adjusted any other way.<p>2 & 3. No clue.<p>4. There is only one other CD changer (Becker BE2662) that will work with the D2B fiber optics in M-B audio systems, but it isn't really any better or less expensive than the factory changer. I don't know how much your dealer wanted for the factory changer, but you can buy it for around $400 via mail order. Check out sites like www.autoclass.net and www.clairparts.com.<p>5. The star won't break off in a soft brush car wash, but regardless of how soft those brushes are, they will scratch your paint. I don't recommend them unless you hand wax your car very often (like once/month or more). FYI, if you're worried about the star getting stolen, there is a flat star identical to the one on the CL, SL, and SLK that you can buy for $40. Check out www.precisionauto.com (it's in their print catalog).<p>
Tell your dealer you won't buy the car without a CD changer installed. I know a lot of dealers won't come off the sticker price, but try to work it into the deal. I got a discount of a little less than $1,000 discount AND made them put in the CD changer at no cost to me.
>>1. The Bose sound system. So HOW does it "adjust the sound as a function of interior noise"? What exactly does it do? I asked Bose - they did not see fit to answer. The dealer has no idea.<p>I *think* they are doing some form of digital signal processing based active noise cancellation in addition to spped-based volume compensation. Active noise cancellation involves "listening" to the noise in a given area (typically in some narrow frequency band and with some filtering techniques to isolate the background noise "constant" from other time variate (talking, say) noise components) and then inverting this noise constant and adding it out-of-phase to the audio signal. Phase cancellation of the noise by the inverted "noise" played by the audio system is the goal. This can be remarkably effective in certain situations. Typically it has been used in headphones but to a lesser degree it has been used in aircraft cabins.<p>>>2. When am I supposed to use the 'activated charcoal air filter'? Always? Or only when driving through pollution? Is this related at all to the microfilter? My BMW 328i had much less dust entering the car, I note.<p>I think there are two filters. The microfilter is for dust and particulates. The charcoal filter is for odors. When something stinks (like driving behind a Volkswagen turbo diesel) use it.<p>>>3. The sun sensors. What do they do? Where are they? What do they adjust when they sense, say, the sun on the right?<p>I am less sure of this answer, but here goes: I believe there is one somewhere in the air vent in the middle top of the dash. I think they are just using the info for the auto lights and probably to do some conditioning on the HVAC to force it to drive to a lower setpoint in bright conditions to offset perceptions of "heat" in the cabin from solar radiation not the air temp.
"I *think* they are doing some form of <br> digital signal processing based active noise<br> cancellation in addition to speed-based volume<br> compensation"<p>Yes, makes sense. Am familiar with the concept - even have it in my noise-cancelling headphones.<p>But can we be sure? I hate having toys of which I am not sure how they work. As Bose will not reply and Mercedes does not know, does anyone have confirmation of this?<p>Michael<br>
MB only uses simple attenuation based on vehicle speed. The faster you go the louder the volume. BMW, Audi, Lexus et al use a similar system. Audi's GALA has 3 or 4 steps and allows you to program attenuation level and approx MPH.<p>Don't think that your $30-$40K C is that special. Almost all manufacturers use the same systems, whether they are radios, EBD, ESP, EDL, ABS, or transmissions. Few parts are exclusive to certain models anymore.<p>Who loves you baby!<br>Trent<br>(still deciding between a C320, A4Q 2.8, 330i)<p><br>
I can't give you a URL (go to www.mbusa.com and click on New C, it's under "Wisdom, Highlights, Bose Sound System") but they say:<p>--<p>The intelligence behind the New C's sound system is unmistakable. The New C is the first vehicle in its class to incorporate the Bose(r) AudioPilotTM noise compensation system. This patented technology continually monitors what you're listening to, as well as any cabin noise, and then automatically adjusts the system so that you can enjoy all the music all the time. And you won't even have to touch the volume or tone controls, which means fewer distractions and more time to enjoy your New C. How's that for intelligent? <p>--<p>This sounds like more than speed sensitive volume. It may just be speed sesitive volume and frequency response as opposed to active noise cancellation. Who knows? Marketeers can make a heap of cow dung sound pretty impressive.
"Don't think that your $30-$40K C is that special. Almost all manufacturers use the same systems, whether they are radios, EBD, ESP, EDL, ABS, or transmissions. Few parts are exclusive to certain models anymore."<p>Actually, the way it is implemented is what makesit very special. For instance, the wipers and ABS on my C320 work much better than on the 328i I had before. God's in the detail as they say - that is why I want to know about the detail.<p>Mike<br>
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