ss3964spd

Just purchased a '11 E550 with Pano, AMG, Sport, dynamic seat, and P2 packages. OB exterior with a quite nice black/chestnut brown interior. This car replaces my '05 E500 - with which I had a love/hate relationship. So far, it's pretty much all love for the 550.

Except the Command screen brightness. I have it set to "Automatic" in the IC menu but the screen refuses to comply. Where's the light sensor that controls the screen brightness - the little nub in the center on top of the dash?

Car still has a few months left of MB warranty so trying to find every issue that I can.

Regards,

Dan

dirtyguido

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the 550 club. I have the same exact car as you, with the same options but in iridium silver with a black interior.

From what I understand the "automatic" brightness isn't variable based on the amount of available ambient light. What the auto enables is automatic day / night mode switching. Which is triggered by the light sensor which also actuates the headlights and interior amber led ambient lighting.

It's not like a smartphone screen that compensates for ambient light in an effort to reduce battery consumption.

Take care,

George

pleeson

Look at page 40 of the Owner's manual.
To the right of the list of modes is a 1-10 scale adjusted by turning the Comand dial.
This plus "Automatic" works well for me.

HTH,
Phil

ss3964spd

Thanks George. Yeah, I have the same understanding - the switch between day and night mode isn't variable, it's either day or night.

The headlights, as well as the interior ambient lighting, seem to work properly - though I would like some more control over the sensitivity, so that seems to rule out the light sensor. However, the Comand screen never switches to night mode, even though it is set for automatic in the IC.

Thanks for that Phil, I'll have to check the manual. You seem to be suggesting that the sensitivity can be adjusted. Correct?

Dan

dirtyguido

The actual screen brightness of day and night mode can be adjusted via Phil's method. You can't adjust the trigger sensitivity of the switch over, just how bright you prefer the screen.

Random question do you have your headlights set to automatic? Or do you manually turn them on / off?

Take care,

George

ss3964spd

Yup, that was my take away from Phil's post. Very useful really, as even in daylight the screen is just a bit too bright for me.

I leave the light switch in auto, although I would prefer an actual OFF setting - which of course the car does not have. I'm still trying to come to terms with the operation of the adaptive headlights in general, and so far I'm not a huge fan. I have a 1/2 mile long 25 MPH stretch of road with a sweeping turn in the middle of it into my neighborhood, which has no street lights. With the lights on, and control stalk pushed forward to place the lights into automatic mode, the system neither activates the high beams nor does it adjust for the corner.

Hmmm.

Dan

dirtyguido

US law prohibits them from activating the high beam without manual driver intervention.

These lights don't really "turn" in the sense that a lexus's do. What they tend to do is use the inclination sensors to aim up / down, to put more light on the road, and not blind the hell out of oncoming drivers, ie when you are cresting or coming down a hill. They also self level for load. MB did use the fog on some cars as a "cornering lamp" ala something Cadillacs used to do, but that's not longer the case with the LED drl's. - Your car should have the "hockey stick" style ones like mine does in the front.

The lighting is decent on an MB but not spectacular.

Take care,

George

mikemargolis

My car has Adaptive High Beam Assist (I think because it's P2 with bi-xenon). The high beams come on automatically when the feature is turned on, but you DO have to be above 25mph.

ss3964spd

I read that also - that the lamps don't turn, but that they raise and lower. Still, mine don't seem to want to be bothered. I'm inclined to disagree, though, regarding automatic operation of the high beams, because I'm pretty certain I've seen the blue HB indicator light up on it's own once or twice. Moreover, if the switch is set to "A" and the stalk is set to auto, you completely lose manual control of the high beams - except for the flash feature. I really haven't driven the car much at night though so I need more time to test.

It does have the hockey stick DRL's. Those get dimmed when the headlamps are on. It also has a single fog lamp switch; and I'm still trying to figure out what difference it makes.

Thanks for your feedback George.

Dan

dirtyguido

Both of our cars have p2 and bi-xenon. What config are your switches in?

@ss396 - fog light switch is for the REAR fog light.

Maybe I've just never been on a dark enough road (per MB standard) to activate the high beams.

Take care,

George

mikemargolis

The circular switch on the dashboard to the left of the steering wheel is set on A for Auto, and then the turn signal stalk is pushed away.

Then you get a little A in a box on below the speedometer.

The manual says you have the be driving faster than 35mph and have no oncoming headlights, then the high beams will turn themselves on and off automatically. I have seen where a street lamp can fool the system sometimes.

michael61

It's mildly conservative and it should be since they high beams are very bright.

I really love adaptive highbeam assist with my LED headlights. Very bright and clear. They are a real pleasure to use on empty rural roads.

ss3964spd

I did find the passages in the manual. If the switch is at "A" and the stalk is away, at speeds above 25 MPH the low beams are adjusted automatically (depending). At speeds above 35 the high beams are activated automatically (depending), and then deactivate if speed falls below 30.

Still not a fan, especially for the one situation I noted above.

Arrie

It is not clear to me what situation you mean you are not happy with but if you have the hockey stick DRLs in front you have the same lights as I have.


The automatic adaptive lights in this car must be some of the best money can buy but you have to drive the car in dark to see it.


Driving on highway low beam lights adjust to the car in front of you and you don't have the dark area without light as happens with regular lights when you are far behind but yet too close to use high beams.


lights turn with steering too.


You can disable automatic function by just setting the rotary switch to other than AUTO or disabling the adaptive lights in the cluster menu.

pleeson

Much as I appreciate the better visibility with modern lights, sometimes I miss the 3-position pull and turn light switch with the push button on the floor for the brights!

ss3964spd

Arrie, the following scenario:

Night time, neighborhood road, 25 MPH. No other traffic, no street lights. Lots of dear. In this scenario, with the switch on "A" and the stalk away, it appears the lights do absolutely nothing. I want the high beams on and having to move the switch to another position in order to manually activate the HB's isn't a great solution. But, as I said before, I really haven't driven it much at night so I'll have to test it a bit more.

Dan

ss3964spd

I hear ya! I do have an old car with exactly that set up.

Lifelong mb

If you go into the vehicle settings in the dashboard menu, you can turn off adaptive high beam assist, so they work like traditional lights again.

thefisch

I had my car four months before I was on a road dark enough for the adaptive high beam assist to come on.

In regards to screen brightness, I have it on 1 with auto. Otherwise, it is like a torch burning at night IMO.

ss3964spd

Yup, so I've heard and read. If I can't come to terms with the system I may have to resort to disabling it.

ss3964spd

I reset mine yesterday evening to 5 + auto (was set on 10 + auto) - which is much better but may still be too bright. However, I'm still pretty sure the screen is not changing to night mode, ever, - but I'll know for certain tonight.

I wonder if the screen uses the same dash top sensor that the lights do.

ss3964spd

So this morning, for the first time, the screen changed to night mode.

Lovely, sunny morning here in NoVa. About 8:30 AM I started the car and the headlights came on automatically - lots of tree cover in that part of my driveway, but the Comand screen was on "day". Drove the car a mile to the local gas/car wash to have it washed. By the time I got there the lights switched off. Entered the wash - lights came back on and I immediately noticed that the screen had changed to night.

Weird.

Exited the wash, lights went off, screen changed back to day.

Dan

Barry Hanna

Maybe a bit late here on the Command screen brightness issue. But ... the adjustment for this is a bit deceiving. You can adjust the brightness level regardless of whether it's set for day, night or automatic. The trick is to click on the "Display" selection which will then show a scale of 1 to 10 that you can adjust by turning the controller dial. So finally we can have the Command screen at night at a light level that is comfortable.