Wireless proportional brake controllers

SoundGuy wrote:
Customers of course don't understand why this is so difficult and are unwilling to pay beyond a normal shop charge for brake controller installation so the only solution from the dealer's point of view is to refuse work on any Mercedes.

My comments were somewhat tongue-in-cheek. My friends brother-in-law owns his own authorized Mercedes mechanic and body shop. They still weren't able to figure it out. The brake unit is completely sealed and the wiring is epoxied in the unit. There is no exposed wiring harness or conventional way to tap into any wire, even if you could figure out which was the correct wire.

We chased it around for several weeks, did plenty of research, asked other Mercedes mechanics... nothing. The only option for my friend was no brakes (only a 3500 lbs travel trailer) or the RF braking system. I'm not entirely sure what weight requires brakes for the Mercedes, I am of the opinion that 3500 lbs behind the SUV is enough that brakes would be a good idea. As such, I recommended the RF brake controller for my friend and we are very pleased with the results.

As you and others have stated, we are getting ignorant opinions from people who know not to what they are referring. The only "wireless" portion of this system is the manual override feature and the initial setup of brake boost. Everything else is the EXACT SAME as a surge brake system, only it is more sensitive and has smoother engagement than surge brakes.

The power module mounted on the trailer senses momentum and adjusts accordingly to power the brakes on the trailer, just as a traditional brake controller senses line voltage from the brake trigger wire and adjusts power to the trailer brakes. Wire or no wire makes ZERO difference as you hurtle down the road at 55mph. The brains and functionality of the brake controller have nothing to do with the wireless handheld receiver.

I'm sure the same uneducated nay-sayers on here said the same thing about drive-by-wire pedals, vacuum assisted brake boosters, air bags, power locks, power windows, radial tires or any other feature that didn't initially appear on a Model A that first rolled off the line. They probably said the same thing about cellular telephones and not trusting them over the corded phone... and their grandfathers probably said the said thing about the telephone and not trusting that over the telegraph... and their grandfathers probably didn't trust anything other than the Pony Express.

Look, I get that some people are afraid of new technology, thats cool. What is annoying and unhelpful is people that have NO CLUE what they are talking about giving opinions about a piece of technology.

I don't know a darn thing about how a turbo works, other than it crams more air into an engine, allowing for more fuel and more power. If someone asked about one turbo as opposed to the other, I wouldn't have anything of value to add to the discussion. If I were like some of the goofballs on this thread, I would argue until my face turned blue that the older turbo was obviously the best and that I would NEVER trust the new turbo and would ask (in a very snarky tone, nonetheless) the OP to tell me what roads he will drive on because I would never want to be on the same road as him because his new turbo would cause a catastrophic collision and likely impregnate my daughter... at the same time.

Please, for the sake of an educated argument, if you don't know about which you are speaking... don't give an opinion...