W209 Question about Child Seat and Phone Microphone

[M.Khalid]

Hi All,

The other day I put the baby's seat on the front seat and fastened it with the seat belt. I was expecting the Airbag Off light to be ON but the airbag was still active...
I checked with my VIN and I do have the U18 - AUTOMATIC CHILD SEAT RECOGNITATION (AKSE) option.
Do you have any clue how to deactivate the front Airbag? It should recognise it automatically right?

My second question is about the phone system, I have the code 386 - MOBILE PRE.-INSTALLATION (MTUS)
but I can't see any hole for microphone underneath the rearview mirror except a small ambient light.
I have the socket type thing for the phone cradle in the centre armrest though.
I checked some rear view mirrors for sale on Ebay and I saw on some of them like 4 wholes (picture below) Does anyone know what's the purpose of them and why my car does'nt have them?

My car is a 2009 CLK350 with basic features like Comand NTG2, heated Electric memory seats... It has no Distronic neither Linguatronic.

Thanks,

 

[KillerHERTZ]

You need a child seat with a sensor in which deactivates the bag IIRC.

The RVM pictured has buttons for garage door operation, nothing to do with mic.

 

[fabes]

the mic for a phone is within the 2 small vent like apertures in the housing that the mirror is attached to (and forms part of the windscreen / roll over frame)

The connector in the arm rest connects to them (either by ye olde phone cradle or the Bluetooth module that goes clips onto the connector in the arm rest)

 

[Abb]

Regarding the baby seat, as Karl states, they have to have a sensor inbuilt........yes a Mercedes child seat! Any other seat will not de activate the airbag.

 

[chrisk2010]

I found the same issue with the child seat a few weeks ago where a Mercedes branded seat has transponders built into them which deactivates the airbag .... i know right PITA.

Some transponders are sold on eBay that have been ripped removed from seats and i have read that they can been put in the glove box to deactivate the airbag. Not liking this idea i opted to put the baby in the back rather than chance anything after a nappy change, 5oz bottle, winding, funny faces and an eventual sleep.

Where this isn't possible i take the missus Zafira that has the elegently simple switch in the door to deactivate it.

 

[M.Khalid]

Thank you all... so basically you need a Mercedes seat only and with other seats it could be dangerous...

@KillerHERTZ not the three buttons but the 4 vents? Do you know what are they? Microphones? Or maybe temperature sensors?

Thanks

 

[PobodY]

So the AKSE system only works with a genuine MB seat? There's no common system across different manufacturers?

I couldn't justify the cost of a genuine MB seat for the brief time I will be transporting my nephew, so I just put a Halfords seat in the back.

 

[PobodY]

Thinking about it. - If you bought the transponder, why wouldn't you just affix it to the seat rather than putting it in the glove box; that way it functions as it's supposed to (i.e. airbags off when the seat is installed, and on again when it's not)?

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Thank you all... so basically you need a Mercedes seat only and with other seats it could be dangerous...

Best (for value and safety) option is rear facing seat in the back and a purpose (all plastic) mirror easily mounted on rear headrest to allow view of baby from driver’s position.

 

[Chrishazle]

Best (for value and safety) option is rear facing seat in the back and a purpose (all plastic) mirror easily mounted on rear headrest to allow view of baby from driver’s position.

Agreed, that is what our daughter has for our granddaughter in her qashkai. Her child seat is really fancy, can be front or rear facing, rotates to make getting little one in and out easy (daughter has a dodgy back so this was essential), is Isofix with a front brace rather than "over the rear seat back" strap. Has worked really well from birth, little one is now 6 months and forward facing, daughter calls it the "magic seat" as once little one is strapped in and car starts moving, little one normally falls asleep!

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Agreed, that is what our daughter has for our granddaughter in her qashkai. Her child seat is really fancy, can be front or rear facing, rotates to make getting little one in and out easy (daughter has a dodgy back so this was essential), is Isofix with a front brace rather than "over the rear seat back" strap. Has worked really well from birth, little one is now 6 months and forward facing, daughter calls it the "magic seat" as once little one is strapped in and car starts moving, little one normally falls asleep!

The seat for our daughter has the same features. But following the latest safety recommendations we still have her rear-facing at 2 years 8 months old. She’s perfectly comfortable in there and still falls asleep quickly.

 

[Chrishazle]

Thanks KE, I'll pass this on to dear daughter, she and hubby are very safety concious and concientous - and I may be wrong, I know she has the seatback mirror so she can see little one in the rear view mirror, maybe she is actually still rear facing, we don't see them often as they're 2 (or more) hours drive away.

 

[PobodY]

The seat for our daughter has the same features. But following the latest safety recommendations we still have her rear-facing at 2 years 8 months old. She’s perfectly comfortable in there and still falls asleep quickly.

This. Rear facing as long as possible. - In an accident they decelerate in to the seat, and not in to the harness.

You will reach a point where they won't fit rear-facing any longer, that's when to switch to forward facing.

(Or so says my sister with a 7-month old.)