[boulderado]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

I really wanted to get the blind spot warning (my brother's cx-9 has it and it is very useful) but to get it I needed to have navi +driver assistance plus packages which adds up to $4000.

Does anyone know if the blind spot warning can be installed by the dealer as a stand-alone feature?

[vitriol]

Seems highly unlikely that the dealer could install this option since it uses the same sensors as active driving asst/lane departure warning. I think it would be prohibitively difficult and costly for the dealer to do this. I also doubt it can be ordered from factory as standalone option for the same reasons. But from what I can tell you only need DA+ to get this feature (unless I'm reading the configuration info wrong). Doesn't seem like you also need nav.

[doublevanosrc]

I'm sure for $5k the dealer can install it, the real question is do you want to pay that much for it?

[boulderado]

Originally Posted by vitriol

Seems highly unlikely that the dealer could install this option since it uses the same sensors as active driving asst/lane departure warning. I think it would be prohibitively difficult and costly for the dealer to do this. I also doubt it can be ordered from factory as standalone option for the same reasons. But from what I can tell you only need DA+ to get this feature (unless I'm reading the configuration info wrong). Doesn't seem like you also need nav.

For MY14 you have to have nav to get the DA+.

I would be willing to pay around $500, which is what Audi is charging for blind spot warning as a standalone option.

[Pauleebe]

Originally Posted by boulderado

For MY14 you have to have nav to get the DA+.

I would be willing to pay around $500, which is what Audi is charging for blind spot warning as a standalone option.

You will never get the price you would have paid at time of a custom order. It's going to cost much more than that.

My advice is just order a new vehicle and trade in your existing one, or just live without it and think twice next time when ordering.

[Kabrich]

Originally Posted by boulderado

I would be willing to pay around $500

Never happen

[Lost Horizon]

Simply setting your 3 mirrors up properly so there is no blind spot? - *Priceless*

How to set up your mirrors:

http://www.wikihow.com/Set-Rear%E2%8...te-Blind-Spots

[Kabrich]

Actually, I am a little underwhelmed with the BMW Blind Spot Detection.

There is a point when the front of a car in the adjacent lane is even with the gap in the front and rear door of a F30. The light goes out and indicates it is safe to change lanes.

However, the BMW Blind Spot Detection lights up when a car is well behind you and there would be no trouble changing the lane, even though you would not have 2 seconds separation between you and the car in the rear.

If the area was shifted forward about 2 meters/6 feet, I would rave about it. As it is now, I still do not have complete confidence in it.

[drob23]

Blind spot warning uses a pair of radars in the rear bumper, definitely not something you could retrofit. They are not the same as the ultrasonic sensors used for parking assist/park distance control. The lane keep assist stuff uses a forward facing camera. ACC will stick a more high fidelity radar in the front of the car, and depending on whether it's stop and go, will interface with the camera - very hard for automotive radars to detect stationary objects.

New Mercedes S class has like 8 radars around the car, I forget exactly what the active safety features are, but that car is pretty much the benchmark.

Agree with a previous poster - blind spot is artificially created by not properly setting up your side view mirrors. You shouldn't be able to see the side of the car, there are some articles online about the "proper" mirror setup.

[boulderado]

Originally Posted by Kabrich

Actually, I am a little underwhelmed with the BMW Blind Spot Detection.

There is a point when the front of a car in the adjacent lane is even with the gap in the front and rear door of a F30. The light goes out and indicates it is safe to change lanes.

However, the BMW Blind Spot Detection lights up when a car is well behind you and there would be no trouble changing the lane, even though you would not have 2 seconds separation between you and the car in the rear.

If the area was shifted forward about 2 meters/6 feet, I would rave about it. As it is now, I still do not have complete confidence in it.

I appreciate the user feedback. Guess I am not missing out on much

[dL.]

+1 for what Kabrich said, hence why I've turned it off. Extremely useless. Same goes with the lane departure. If you're departing the lane unconsciously, that means you shouldn't be driving and should pull over, or you need to learn how to drive properly.

However, the front collision warning is very useful imo as it detects the speed of the car in front of you, which is something that a simple brake light cannot determine. Extremely useful during highway when cars suddenly brake hard. It has saved me a couple of times by giving me a good pre-warning.

dL

[bavarianboar]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizon

Simply setting your 3 mirrors up properly so there is no blind spot? - *Priceless*

http://www.wikihow.com/Set-Rear%E2%8...te-Blind-Spots

More like a no cost option..

[Lost Horizon]

Originally Posted by bavarianboar

More like a no cost option..

There is a 'hidden' cost... they need to bother to spend one minute of their time to set them up.. and if they haven't figured it out by now, maybe three more minutes reading how to do it.

True tho, after that, its no cost. Although I was thinking of priceless as 'no price', or free... or no cost as you pointed out... but we digress..

back at you.

[drob23]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizon

There is a 'hidden' cost... they need to bother to spend one minute of their time to set them up.. and if they haven't figured it out by now, maybe three more minutes reading how to do it.

True tho, after that, its no cost. Although I was thinking of priceless as 'no price', or free... or no cost as you pointed out... but we digress..

back at you.

If you're used to having mirrors set incorrectly, it's uncomfortable at first in the proper config. It does hurt for parking though...but my right side mirror enters "backup mode" when going into reverse, which is pretty useful!

[Kabrich]

Originally Posted by dL.

However, the front collision warning is very useful imo as it detects the speed of the car in front of you, which is something that a simple brake light cannot determine. Extremely useful during highway when cars suddenly brake hard. It has saved me a couple of times by giving me a good pre-warning.

If it actually caused the car to brake, as I was lead to believe when ordered, I would agree with you. The few times it has come on for me, I've already been on the brakes calculating close rate in my head.

As is now, I do not find much use to it.

[Lost Horizon]

Originally Posted by drob23

If you're used to having mirrors set incorrectly, it's uncomfortable at first in the proper config. It does hurt for parking though...but my right side mirror enters "backup mode" when going into reverse, which is pretty useful!

Agreed.. but for the little bit of 'relearning', sight lines it's well worth it. Plus, it never fails once implemented. And as you say, the down tilt on the passenger mirror in reverse works perfectly when using the 'proper' set up for back in parking (which is the smart way to go anyway).

You'd almost think they designed the mirror geometry to account for the proper setup.

[boulderado]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizon

Simply setting your 3 mirrors up properly so there is no blind spot? - *Priceless*

How to set up your mirrors:

http://www.wikihow.com/Set-Rear%E2%8...te-Blind-Spots

This is great, it really works! Thanks for the tip

[Lost Horizon]

Originally Posted by boulderado

This is great, it really works! Thanks for the tip

.. and another potential $$ complicated gizmo option gets deleted by the act of self awareness (mirror v3) by an enthusiast ... Don't blab too much about this in public tho.. the gizmo group set up to extract your last dime will not be happy..