The 3 Most Overlooked Security Features in Your Mercedes

One of the best parts of owning a high-end automobile like Mercedes-Benz is the beyond-basic security systems offered to you. Security is what they are about.

The more modern Mercs have a suite of intelligent systems that anticipate unseen risks and protect you from yourself and those around you. The innovations provided by Mercedes in safety are second to none. Features like drive parking assist 360, drive pilot, and various safety and assistance systems prevent anticipated accidents and can save lives.

But they also provide some underutilized yet powerful features in your vehicle that I want to remind you about.

Guardian Services

There are two types of ‘guardian’ services Mercedes offers to its customers:

Mercedes me Connect app

This app is more than just a way to start your car or check fuel levels remotely; it is like a mini command center:

Live Vehicle Tracking: You can see the car’s location in real time, and if it moves without your specific authorization, you can find it and let the authorities know exactly where it is.
Geofencing: This little feature is brilliant! You can set virtual boundaries around your home, your workplace, or wherever you like. If your vehicle moves out of these zones, you’ll get an instant push alert.

It’s a great feature to have if you’re in a dodgy area of the town, or if you don’t feel safe parking the car anywhere.

Remote Door Locking: You’ve forgotten to lock your car, but you’re not in a position to get back to the car. No problem! Just lock it from anywhere.

Or for all those ‘did I turn the stove off?’ people, lock it over the app, just to put your mind at ease.

All these technologies have greatly contributed to the significant decline in auto thefts.

Mercedes eCall

Mercedes offers a guardian angel service emergency call after a crash (eCall) & their ‘Breakdown Call’ service in case you ever find yourself with a car that won’t run for whatever reason. All the car’s systems are always connected, and this allows for these alert features and the tracking features.

Gives you peace of mind when you have them set up and use them.

Intelligent Alarm System

The alarm system has some traits you might not remember it has:

Tow-Away Protection: There is a tilt sensor that can detect if the car is being lifted onto a flatbed or tow truck. An alarm gets triggered and sends a notification on the Mercedes me app.
Interior Motion Sensor (InGuard): This little baby has ultrasonic sensors to detect movement inside (after the vehicle is locked), and you set the alarm. The design is to catch a break-in through a smashed window, and no door is opened.

Again, if you use it, it is a security feature that might be a valuable asset. Sadly, this is often turned off (for pets left in cars) and never turned back on.

Digital Key Access and Security Around Your Car

This creative feature is interesting, to say the least.

Some models are compatible with the ‘Mercedes me Key’.

This allows you to use your smartphone as a digital key to lock, unlock, and drive the vehicle. This little feature would be super handy if you only have one key!

Note: It’s better to have two keys, regardless of whether you use this feature or not.

On your keys, you can set a Valet Mode. This comes super handy when you’re leaving your car and your keys at repair centers or if you’re giving the keys to valets, friends, perhaps your kids (make sure they’re old enough to drive first) – any similar-type situation.

What ‘Valet Mode’ does is limit speed and horsepower. This means that no one can ‘go crazy’ with the car for their safety and the car’s safety. Valet Mode also locks the glovebox/trunk, plus it mutes the infotainment system’s personal data (e.g., your personal info, home location, etc.).

And as the cherry on top, you also get a digital log of where the car’s been and how fast it’s been travelling, so you get to play detective for a bit, and the mode discourages any shenanigans.

All useful information for someone who’s learning to drive or is a new driver.

These extra features offer a layer of protection for your vehicle, just as security exists in the larger environment around where the car is located.

Expensive cars are very often targeted in places such as parking garages (that lack security), in upscale venues, in luxury hotels, because sometimes luxury hotels have their parking garage further away from the actual hotel, because there’s no possibility to build one on the premises.

And (unfortunately), it’s up to the property owner to ensure adequate security measures (e.g., lighting, functional surveillance, controlled access, security guards, etc.), but these measures are sometimes not being upheld to standard, which causes issues to car owners and offers a tempting opportunity for thieves.

This could be a case of negligent security, which can be extremely complicated, plus the laws vary by jurisdiction (different states, different laws).

Here’s a quick example:

Premises liability laws in Colorado address such failures, and lawyers who specialize in such cases, like a Denver car accident attorney, handle cases where inadequate security in a parking facility or other property contributed to the loss or damage of a vehicle or harm to its owner.

In comparison, in states such as Texas, there’s a foreseeability-based standard that requires all property owners to have ‘reasonably’ anticipated the criminal activity before any liability attaches.

This could make such negligent-security claims much harder to prove in states like Colorado compared to if it happens in Texas – all the more reason to hire an experienced lawyer who specializes in these types of cases to maximize your odds of winning the actual case.

Conclusion

When you’re driving a high-end vehicle, it’s usually safety and comfort that are being prioritized. And while the comfort part is considered a luxury, safety shouldn’t be.

But here we are.

Don’t just buy a car and drive off without learning and trying out all its features. And no one is saying that you should meticulously read a manual, of course not. Have the salesperson teach you and show all the features. With their permission, record the little tutorial and then try the features out. This way you’re utilizing the maximum your luxury car offers, and you’re also maximizing your safety if it ever comes to you needing it.

Also, never forget to be aware of your surroundings, because people might hold you accountable if anything ‘bad’ happens on their premises.