Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 OEM Options Review: Safety Upgrade

Enhancing Safety with OEM Options for Your Mercedes-Benz CLA 200

The Mercedes-Benz CLA 200, with its sleek, sporty coupe design, often presents a challenge for drivers due to its low profile and limited rearward visibility. This can create significant blind spots, especially when changing lanes. To address this, many owners opt for aftermarket safety enhancements, such as installing blind-spot sensors and wide-angle mirrors. This review details such an upgrade, focusing on how these OEM options can significantly boost your driving safety.

Understanding the OEM Options: Blind-Spot Sensors and Wide-Angle Mirrors

This particular upgrade for the Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 involves two key components. The first is the BSM wide-angle mirror, which replaces the factory side mirrors. Standard CLA mirrors have a narrow field of vision, making it easy to miss vehicles in your blind spots. The wide-angle mirrors, crafted with an 800R glass curvature, offer approximately 40% more visibility. Integrated into these mirrors are sensor lights that illuminate, typically in a triangular shape, to visually alert the driver when a vehicle is detected. These are designed to function like genuine Mercedes-Benz factory options, ensuring quality and reliability.

Complementing the wide-angle mirrors is the addition of ultrasonic sensors. While the mirrors improve visual awareness, the sensors act as an additional safety net. These sensors can detect both stationary and moving objects within a 3-meter radius around the vehicle. This is particularly beneficial in tight urban environments, such as navigating narrow alleyways or parking lots, where unseen hazards like cyclists, pedestrians, or other vehicles can pose a risk. For a car like the CLA 200 with inherent visibility limitations, these sensors are invaluable.

Installation Process: A Detailed Look

The installation process for these OEM options on a Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 is meticulous and typically takes around 3 to 4 hours to complete. Here’s a breakdown:

1. Mirror Replacement: The process begins with carefully removing the original side mirrors and installing the new wide-angle mirrors. This step requires ensuring compatibility between the existing mirror connectors and the new components. The integrated sensor lights are then wired correctly.
2. Sensor Mounting: For the ultrasonic sensors, small, precise holes are made in the vehicle's front and rear bumpers. The placement is critical, considering the car's structure and the sensors' detection range to maximize coverage without compromising the bumper's integrity.
3. Wiring and Integration: All sensor wiring is routed discreetly through the vehicle's interior, ensuring a clean, professional finish and preventing any loose wires that could be unsightly or cause future issues.
4. Testing and Calibration: Finally, a comprehensive test is performed on all installed components. This includes verifying the visual alerts from the mirror LEDs, the audible warning tones, and the precise detection range of each sensor to ensure optimal performance and safety.

This detailed installation ensures that the new safety features function seamlessly with your Mercedes-Benz CLA 200, providing peace of mind on the road.

Before and After: The Tangible Benefits of OEM Options

The difference after installing these OEM options is substantial. Before the upgrade, the factory mirrors on the CLA 200 could leave blind spots spanning 20 to 30 degrees. This meant drivers might not see vehicles approaching from the rear until they were already very close, particularly during lane changes. Post-installation, the combination of the wider mirror field and the active sensor alerts dramatically reduces these blind spots. The visual and audible warnings provide timely alerts, significantly decreasing the risk of collisions and making lane changes and maneuvering in tight spaces much safer. The ultrasonic sensors further enhance safety by detecting low-profile obstacles or pedestrians that might be missed even with the wider mirrors, especially in low-light conditions or complex parking scenarios.