How many things have Mercedes thought of?

[television]

The Jack is very good, if the car rolls when jacked, it goes low enough to enable you to jack it up with a wheel off

 

[Hmac]

A correctly adjusted S-Class boot lid will initially open and then stop just wide enough to put luggage in/out but not to let rain in and all over the Louis Vuitton. A gentle nudge, and it opens all the way. Not many people know that ..........

 

[Alex M Grieve]

A correctly adjusted S-Class boot lid will initially open and then stop just wide enough to put luggage in/out but not to let rain in and all over the Louis Vuitton. A gentle nudge, and it opens all the way. Not many people know that ..........

Sadly, we owners do tend to forget, and the gentle nudge is usually applied, inadvertantly, with the head - followed by an expletive! :roll::Oops::Oops:

As the computer helpdesk person would have said: "give it back - you are too stupid to own one"!

 

[max2004]

The controlled ever so smooth bordering on violent action of the single blade wiper.
To-fro, to-fro, to-fro . . .

 

[Alex M Grieve]

The controlled ever so smooth bordering on violent action of the single blade wiper.
To-fro, to-fro, to-fro . . .

And probably the best swept area of any car windscreen?

 

[kbekl]

might just be a couincidence but the windscreen wiper on the w124 makes an M on the base of the windscreen

the fact you cant take auto out of park or nuteral with out touching the brakes

the lights light up independently when you open a front or rear door only the needed lights come on

the seats in the boot fold flat and are secure when up

the rear seatbelt catches are held in place all the time even with the seats folded down

 

[l5foye]

I like the fact there is a little sign on the fuel guage telling you what side the filler cap is on.
Of course if MB put the filler cap on the same side in every car, it would not be necessary!

 

[Dosco]

The controlled ever so smooth bordering on violent action of the single blade wiper.
To-fro, to-fro, to-fro . . .

Designed and developed by Bosch

 

[S500 Pete]

Things I love

Being able to check the oil level with out leaving the drivers seat
Opening or closing all the windows and roof by holding the lock or unlock button on the key

Things I hate:
The foot parking brake, bad enough on an auto but I tried it on a manual CLK loan car and it makes hill starts a bit of a pain.

The way the satnav takes up the rear corner of the boot and stops a full set of golf clubs going across so they have to be put in diagonally.

Overall though I still love it to bit's and keep finding more toys as I lean more.

 

[discoking]

I read through this thread a couple of weeks ago and was sure that some of the things mentioned were on a Volvo 1st.Anyways was just reading up on Volvostuff and came across this:

Volvo Safety Firsts

There's a good reason why they say you'll find a little piece of Volvo in just about every car on the road today. Take a look through the list below and you'll see just how many lifesaving innovations first appeared in a Volvo. It's a list we're extremely proud of.


1944 Safety cage

1944 Laminated windscreen

1959 Three-point seat belts in the front

1960 Padded instrument panel

1964 Prototype of the first rear-facing child seat is tested in a Volvo

1966 Twin-circuit triangular (three-wheel) backup braking system

1966 Crumple zones

1967 Seat belts in the rear

1968 Head restraints front

1969 Three-point inertia-reel seat belts in the front

1970 Volvo Cars' Traffic Accident Research Team established

1972 Three-point seat belts in the rear

1972 Rear-facing child seat and child-proof door locks

1972 Volvo Experimental Safety Car (VESC)

1973 Energy-absorbing steering column

1974 Energy-absorbing bumpers

1974 Gas tank relocated for enhanced safety

1978 Child booster cushion for children

1982 Under-run protection

1982 Door mirrors of wide-angle type

1984 ABS, anti-locking brakes

1986 Brake lights at eye level

1986 Three-point seat belt in the middle of the rear seat

1987 Seat belt pre-tensioner

1987 Driver’s airbag

1990 Integrated booster cushion for children

1991 SIPS, side impact collision protection

1991 Automatic height adjustment of front seat belts

1993 Three-point inertia-reel seat belt in all the seats

1994 SIPS, side-impact airbags

1997 ROPS, Roll-Over Protection System convertible (C70)

1998 WHIPS, protection against whiplash injuries

1998 IC, inflatable curtain,

1998 DSTC, Dynamic Stability and Traction Control

2000 Volvo Cars Safety Centre inaugurated in Göteborg

2000 ISOFIX attachments for child seats

2000 Two-stage airbag

2000 Volvo On Call safety system

2000 Volvo Cars Safety Centre new crash laboratory inaugurated

2001 Volvo Safety Concept Car (SCC)

2002 RSC, Roll Stability Control

2002 ROPS, Roll-Over Protection System SUV (XC90)

2002 Lower cross-member at the front – protection system for oncoming cars

2002 Development of virtual “pregnant” crash-test dummy

2003 IDIS, intelligent system for driver information

2003 Patented new structure at the front reduces collision forces

2003 Bangkok’s Traffic Accident Research Centre (TARC) is inaugurated

2004 BLIS, system for information about the blind spot offset rear

2004 DMIC, door-mounted side airbag for convertibles

2005 Volvo’s co-driver-system

2005 Multi Lock, combined alcolock and lock for the seat belt and key for speed restriction (research project)

2006 ACC, Adaptive Cruise Control

2006 Personal Car Communicator (PCC)

2006 Collision warning with brake support

2006 Active Bi-Xenon headlamps

2007 Integrated two-stage child booster cushion

2007 CWAB, Collision Warning with Auto Brake

2007 Driver Alert

2007 Lane Departure Warning

2007 Alcoguard (currently not available in the U.S.)

2008 Pre-Prepared Restraints

2008 City Safety, low speed collision avoidance

 

[television]

That is a good Volvo list another was where the A pillars were built so that an Elk could not kill the driver, also the camera's in the mirrors that warn if something is overtaking

 

[discoking]

That is a good Volvo list another was where the A pillars were built so that an Elk could not kill the driver

Yeah I know that one too and use it when selling Volvo's

I grew up with Volvo's,mum always had a new one each year helped by the fact my dads best mate owned a Volvo dealership.The 960,which was designed for America,really is the best estate car ever produced imo,the W124 comes close,very close but the 960 just shades it for me.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

I read through this thread a couple of weeks ago and was sure that some of the things mentioned were on a Volvo 1st.Anyways was just reading up on Volvostuff and came across this:

I used to be a S**B enthusiast in the late 60s, early 70s. Without researching their literature at the time, I have pretty clear recollection that they claimed these as S**B firsts, although I have no recollection for the dates.

They were also early into laminated windscreens, but I can't recall if they claimed to be first. I have no doubt that more diligent research might be illuminating here, but my point is that manufacturers do seem to claim these things authoritatively. Could it be that Sales and Marketing are exercising a little licence? (I am not saying who's!). Sales and Marketing certainly seem to be able to get out of phase with Production - hence the airfields filled with cars as we speak. Could just be that the right hand and the left hand do not communicate well? I would hate to suggest any malice!

1966 Twin-circuit triangular (three-wheel) backup braking system

1966 Crumple zones

1968 Head restraints front

1973 Energy-absorbing steering column

1974 Energy-absorbing bumpers

1974 Gas tank relocated for enhanced safety

 

[television]

Both Saab and Volvo worked together on many safety items, passenger safety is the highest on the list of all Swedes

 

[discoking]

I used to be a S**B enthusiast in the late 60s, early 70s. Without researching their literature at the time, I have pretty clear recollection that they claimed these as S**B firsts, although I have no recollection for the dates.

They were also early into laminated windscreens, but I can't recall if they claimed to be first. I have no doubt that more diligent research might be illuminating here, but my point is that manufacturers do seem to claim these things authoritatively. Could it be that Sales and Marketing are exercising a little licence? (I am not saying who's!). Sales and Marketing certainly seem to be able to get out of phase with Production - hence the airfields filled with cars as we speak. Could just be that the right hand and the left hand do not communicate well? I would hate to suggest any malice!

1966 Twin-circuit triangular (three-wheel) backup braking system

1966 Crumple zones

1968 Head restraints front

1973 Energy-absorbing steering column

1974 Energy-absorbing bumpers

1974 Gas tank relocated for enhanced safety

If it were anyother company,MB included,I would tend to agree but I've known how Volvo work and operate for some time and before Ford took over I would believe them without question.It's a bit different nowadays and unfortunately Volvo is not the company it was(under Fords leadership) a bit like MB tbh but if Volvo claimed something I wouldn't argue

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Both Saab and Volvo worked together on many safety items, passenger safety is the highest on the list of all Swedes

Blessed are the peacemakers Malcolm. Good diplomacy and almost certainly the right answer!

But did discoking feel that MB had claimed some of these too? Does the plot thicken?

 

[discoking]

But did discoking feel that MB had claimed some of these too? Does the plot thicken?

I couldn't be bothered to re-read the whole post again(sorry) but was just doing some surfing round a few Volvo sites and came across the list.Thought I'd post it because I was sure there some mentioned in this thread that were Volvo's to start with

apologies if I'm mistaken

 

[rf065]

Laminated glass was actually invented in Britain by John C Wood, who came up with a method of gluing a layer of celluloid between two sheets of glass, so that it would not separate on impact. Developed in 1905, his invention was called Triplex. In France, scientist Edouard Benedictus came up with a similar invention; while in the USA, Ford was first to use laminated glass, fitting it to all its cars from 1926.

I wonder how many other Volvo firsts are false?

Russ

 

[television]

Laminated glass was actually invented in Britain by John C Wood, who came up with a method of gluing a layer of celluloid between two sheets of glass, so that it would not separate on impact. Developed in 1905, his invention was called Triplex. In France, scientist Edouard Benedictus came up with a similar invention; while in the USA, Ford was first to use laminated glass, fitting it to all its cars from 1926.

I wonder how many other Volvo firsts are false?

Russ

Knowing the Swedes very well I do know that many safety items that Volvo and Saab brought out were never patented, they were to save mankind and given freely to the motoring manufactures

 

[rf065]

Knowing the Swedes very well I do know that many safety items that Volvo and Saab brought out were never patented, they were to save mankind and given freely to the motoring manufactures

In this case, laminated glass was being used before Volvo even existed & well before 1944 when they claim to be the first to use it.

Russ