The side assist has two modes of operation
- The information mode and
- The warning mode
The side assist will respond in the appropriate mode, depending on whether or not you operate the turn signal to indicate an intended lane change.
Information mode
As long as you do not operate the turn signal, the side assist will merely inform you of the presence of vehicles that it has detected and judges to be critical in the event of a lane change. The warning lamp on the relevant exterior mirror will light up with low intensity whenever the side assist calculates that the distance and the speed differential of an approaching vehicle are critical.
The intensity of the warning lamp in this information mode is deliberately kept relatively low, so that it does not distract you while you are looking at the road in front and do not intend to change to a different lane. The information mode is clearly visible when you look in the exterior mirror.
Warning mode
If you operate the turn signal when the side assist has detected a vehicle on that side that it judges to be critical in the event of a lane change, the warning lamp on the relevant exterior mirror will flash brightly several times. This is the warning mode: if the lamp flashes brightly it warns you that you should check the situation again in the mirror and by looking back over your shoulder WARNING!.
Note
You can adjust the brightness of the warning lamps on the exterior mirrors via the MMI Link.