GL Class (X164) 2007-2012: GL320CDI, GL420CDI, GL450, GL550

Upgrade 09 450 fog to 10 550 drl

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Old 04-09-2012, 11:56 PM
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2018 E43 | 2017 GLS450 | 2004 CLK 500
Upgrade 09 450 fog to 10 550 drl

Looks much better. Thanks to previous posters for parts and info. I'll probably going to paint the chrome trim mat black to blend in with the front end.


Old 04-10-2012, 12:25 AM
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Was it just plug and play or was there some SAM magic involved? Looks pretty cool!

BTW, is that a CF lip for your Brabus lip? I didn't know someone would even make an aftermarket piece for an aftermarket piece... The CLK also looks sick!
Old 04-10-2012, 12:38 AM
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looks good. can u post the parts and where u got them? i got an 08 550 and want to do the same thing.
Old 04-10-2012, 02:09 AM
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Originally Posted by xxGenericSNxx
Was it just plug and play or was there some SAM magic involved? Looks pretty cool!

BTW, is that a CF lip for your Brabus lip? I didn't know someone would even make an aftermarket piece for an aftermarket piece... The CLK also looks sick!
Thanks - the carbon fiber lip is made by Brabus specifically for this bumper.

The DRL's were mostly plug and play for the parts. The LED's are wired as an accessory and always powered on, as they should be, The original fogs are mounted behind the led so no re-programming was needed.
Old 04-10-2012, 02:10 AM
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Originally Posted by tsanjose
looks good. can u post the parts and where u got them? i got an 08 550 and want to do the same thing.
Parts are in this thread:

https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...x-finally.html
Old 04-20-2012, 12:13 PM
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Great mod...Looks clean. Just as MB should have done out of the factory in Alabama.
Old 04-20-2012, 02:58 PM
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No doubt the LED lights improve the look. I m disappointed however that in order to achieve this one has to do away with fog lights. I mean what do you do on foggy mornings which occurs often in my neck of the woods? Sacrifice function for appearance? I was hoping MB would address this with the new model but doesn't seem so.
Old 04-23-2012, 03:32 AM
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Had some questions from folks and I may may not have been clear but all the parts are OEM from a 2010 GL550. There's a link to the original post with part numbers. What's behind the OEM led's is the original fog light bulb, not the fog light. It's sitting in a cavity. So the original fog light housing was removed. The led's are wired directly to the battery, triggered by an accessory. This way we wouldn't have to fuss with the computer. Bad thing is we had to leave the bulb in the fog light socket so the computer would not read an error for a bad fog light bulb. Hope that clarifies.
Old 04-23-2012, 03:36 AM
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Originally Posted by aggst1
No doubt the LED lights improve the look. I m disappointed however that in order to achieve this one has to do away with fog lights. I mean what do you do on foggy mornings which occurs often in my neck of the woods? Sacrifice function for appearance? I was hoping MB would address this with the new model but doesn't seem so.
One of the threads discusses this. I think xenon's are so bright together there's really no point for fogs. If you don't have HID I could see
having the fogs would help. When my CLK's xenons are on, I can't see the quad bumper lights (fog lights and the driving lights) when turned on, except within the first foot.
Old 04-23-2012, 07:27 AM
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Originally Posted by lowpost
One of the threads discusses this. I think xenon's are so bright together there's really no point for fogs. If you don't have HID I could see
having the fogs would help. When my CLK's xenons are on, I can't see the quad bumper lights (fog lights and the driving lights) when turned on, except within the first foot.
Not the same thing though (Xenons and fogs). When you say Xenons you are referring to the biXenons (driving lights and hi beams). The hi beams can't be used in fog since they are too bright, so bright that the light reflects back to the driver from the fog and makes visibility worse. The driving lights would be somewhat ok being bright enough but the problem is that they are aimed straight ahead. Fog lights are aimed down below the front of the car so the driver watches where they are going. I had Xenons with my previous R class along with fogs and I was happy. I upgraded to a 2011 GL 450 with all options but Xenons and although I miss the brightness of Xenons, a cheap strip of LEDs that happens to look cool will do nothing for my 5AM commute through suburban roads in foggy western PA where deer are abundant. My point is, they (MB) gave up functionality for bling. If xenon driving lights was a substitute for fog lights we would know about this already.
Old 04-23-2012, 11:18 AM
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I see what you're saying. Funny thing is I know what the books say about light reflecting back but I've never find fogs very useful at all. We get a lot of fog also here in the bay and in my experience the low beams work just fine with or without the fog lights on. I've driven through a lot of dense fog in darkness turning the fog lights on and off - doesn't make much difference to me. I wouldn't drive at night without my low beams on. With daylight fog, the lights are really just to give some warning to others that you are there. And I don't know who would use their hi beams in fog. Anyways just my personal experience. So to me the Led drl / fog swap by Mercedes makes sense.

Last edited by lowpost; 04-23-2012 at 01:38 PM.
Old 04-23-2012, 12:09 PM
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So just to clarify, because of the way your LEDs are wired, they're on 100% of the time the car is on? As a result it is always on the same intensity regardless if the xenons are on and if the blinker is on?

Do you think it'd be possible to tap into the power for the amber light and then it can turn on when we move the switch 1 mark past auto?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get a better understanding before I try this out on the R.
Old 04-23-2012, 01:36 PM
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Originally Posted by xxGenericSNxx
So just to clarify, because of the way your LEDs are wired, they're on 100% of the time the car is on? As a result it is always on the same intensity regardless if the xenons are on and if the blinker is on?

Do you think it'd be possible to tap into the power for the amber light and then it can turn on when we move the switch 1 mark past auto?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get a better understanding before I try this out on the R.
Yes. And you can probably wire it with a relay to turn on with your parking lamps.

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