Is BAS safe??

[mattsurf]

This evening I was driving home on a busy Motorway. I was in the middle lane going 60mph at the same speed as people in the outside and inside lane. Suddenly the bloke in a Toyota people carrier suddenly swerved directly towards me - naturally I braked hard as swerved left to avoid contact, to my surprise the brake assist kicked in bring the car to an almost standstill in seconds. The car behind (also a Merc) slowed down promptly, however the car behind...... you can imagine

OK so the car 2 vehicles behind was not driving a safe distance from the car infront - which happened to be an E class with phenominal stopping power. However, the accident could have been avoided - I did not need to brake so hard when the idiot swerved into my lane, however the BAS took over - I am quite capable of breaking at an appropriate rate without the car making decisions for me. Luckily I was not involved in the crash, however, someone else was - although the damage was very light. I am sure that there must be many instances where BAS has contributed to accidents

By the way, I noticed the guy in the Toyota was leaning down, fumbling with something on the passenger seat - some people are complete morons - driving recklessly on a buys rush hour motorway in the dark.

 

[television]

I dont think matt that you will find anything on this , its the old story of driving too close. If your car stopped fair and square you cant have more than that

 

[100%Bitch]

I dont think matt that you will find anything on this , its the old story of driving too close. If your car stopped fair and square you cant have more than that

Especially as one day it could save your life, although hopefully you would never need to use it. Just think of the poor driver without it.

 

[stevesey]

Similar situation when ABS started to appear, I used to make a special effort to leave more distance in the wet if the guy in front had an ABS badge on the boot. (And once I got I'd find myself eyeing up the car behind).

 

[busby20]

I have only ever experienced the BAS once - and that was at under 30mph.

Whilst driving my SLK through a local village an idiot in a "really fast super BMW mini -wow!" was totally speeding and lost it coming through a bend towards me and ended up on my side of the road, naturally I stamped on the brakes and swerved towards the kerb - BAS kicked in and the car really stopped, luckily the mini managed to straighten up and just missed me.

This got me thinking about the BAS and my conclusion was that if it hadn't kicked in, the mini would probably have got me head on, so, on balance, I would say that the BAS is a godsend when you REALLY need it - shame all these lesser vehicles don't have it because there's no other defence against all the idiots that have mangaged to get a driving licence and populate the roads nowadays.

 

[toby1]

I've never really experimented with this BAS.

Can someone explain the difference between braking hard and experiencing the "pulse" through the pedal and BAS?

If one reaches the braking point where ABS cuts in, does BAS then activate? Or is it calculated on the ferocity of the brake pedal depression (to simulate a panic application)?

Cheers in advance for any replies.

 

[type49]

I've never really experimented with this BAS.

Can someone explain the difference between braking hard and experiencing the "pulse" through the pedal and BAS?

If one reaches the braking point where ABS cuts in, does BAS then activate? Or is it calculated on the ferocity of the brake pedal depression (to simulate a panic application)?

Cheers in advance for any replies.

If BAS kicks in, it applies max braking power quicker than "most" people would brake in an emergency. Also, most people, when feeling the ABS pulsing, don't brake any harder because they assume this is the best it gets.................wrong! When you feel ABS pulsing, you have reached max braking ability on "probably" one or sometimes both front wheels, what about the rears?? BAS will give absolute max pressure, ensuring all four brakes are used to their full extent

 

[Rory]

I knew for years before I owned a Merc that you should always leave a bit of extra distance if driving behind one. I don't imagine many people realise though.

 

[type49]

Mercs have never claimed to be the safest car in an accident but with BAS, ESP & "Pre- safe" they probably are, however, the safest at avoiding the accident in the first place

 

[toby1]

I might give this a test on a quiet, empty road in the near future.

I'll remove all the CDs from the door pockets first!

 

[type49]

If you try to match BAS, then you probably will, as you are ready & waiting to do so. The whole point of it though, is to help you when you least expect it.

 

[television]

And standard on cars from 1998

 

[Steve Graham]

Hello, everyone. This is my first ever post.

I found this thread because I did a search to see if it was a big problem that my "new" 2000 CLK showed a BAS warning. The concensus seems to be that if it only happens once, it's probably OK.

Anyway, on the need for brake assist, I wrote off my Porsche 968 when I came round a corner on a country road and found a big truck parked in the way. I only had about 50 metres of warning, but after the accident I did have the feeling that I could have reacted faster and more decisively and braked harder than I did. I'll never know, but maybe brake assist could have helped.

 

[joem]

BAS certainly works. I had a fox run out in front of a cyclist just in front of me a while ago and the cyclist swerved straight at me. I braked quite firmly and the car just stopped. Very impressive, but I couldn't quite work out who to sue for the whiplash injury! I had a stiff neck for several days. It's not like when you stop yourself suddenly 'cause you are expecting that to happen - this was a complete surprise to me!!

 

[Blobcat]

Hello, everyone. This is my first ever post.

I found this thread because I did a search to see if it was a big problem that my "new" 2000 CLK showed a BAS warning. The concensus seems to be that if it only happens once, it's probably OK.

Anyway, on the need for brake assist, I wrote off my Porsche 968 when I came round a corner on a country road and found a big truck parked in the way. I only had about 50 metres of warning, but after the accident I did have the feeling that I could have reacted faster and more decisively and braked harder than I did. I'll never know, but maybe brake assist could have helped.

Hi & Welcome, This could be the start of a brake light switch problem. If it comes up again along with ESP & ABS errors then the Brake Light Switch is favorite, thankfully a cheap fix.

 

[Splatt]

I might give this a test on a quiet, empty road in the near future.I'll remove all the CDs from the door pockets first!

And take your false teeth out !

 

[BlackC55]

..................................

 

[scousetechie]

It's avery strange sensation when you first experience it but by 'ell it works good!

 

[Blobcat]

I would recommend if your about to change your tyres that you find a suitable place(preferably) off the public highway and test your ABS, BAS & ESP. Once you know how your car reacts in extreme conditions you will then not be surprised if the worst happens and you need them for real. It is also a great deal of fun!
Once BAS has taken over you can only cancel it by taking your foot off the pedal.

 

[Dringo]

Has happened to me a few times in my old C240 Sport estate - impressive but 'sometimes' unknowingly unwarranted. I am not sure how the algorithm detects it is needed (because it can happen at any speed), but I think its a measure of how 'snappy' you apply the brakes - if it thinks you have reacted and need to stop fast, it helps you out and the brake pedal even dips away from your foot in the process!
When it happens at slow speeds, we all nearly hit the windscreen and it is pretty scary for anyone behind!