GL Class (X166) 2013-2015 after facelift became GLS (X166)

Active Light Function

Old 05-05-2013, 03:41 PM
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Active Light Function

Hello,

I am not sure if my 550 has this option but I presume so (described on page 129 of the digital manual). This function allows headlamps to turn slightly while turning/with turn signal on with speed below 25mph.

For some reason, I can't tell whether this is working on my car. When the car is parked with lights on at night, I turn the wheel and turn on the signal but the headlight does not move in the direction of the turn.

Anyone else with this issue or is this normal?
Old 05-05-2013, 03:44 PM
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Yikes - my apologies I guess this was discussed under slightly different title here:

https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...ng-lights.html

So US Spec 450 and 550 does not have corning light or active lights?
Old 05-06-2013, 01:58 AM
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Can't be specific, but active is at higher speeds than say 25 mph where the headlights move. Cornering is when a driving light ( fog light for example) turns on at lower speed to help brighten the side of the car. The new led daylight is now standard so I don't know if that lights up instead of a side light or just no cornering light at all.
Old 05-06-2013, 05:34 AM
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This is directly from the MBUSA web site:

Bi-Xenon headlamps with Active Curve Illumination

Bi-Xenon headlamps help deliver greater visibility than halogen headlamps because their brighter, whiter light is much closer to natural daylight. Active Curve Illumination helps you see better into corners at night, swiveling the headlamps as you steer to increase usable illumination by up to 90% over conventional fixed headlamps.
Old 05-06-2013, 12:22 PM
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So for those with this option in the US, see it working? I may have to take mine in because I don't see the lights turning at all.
Old 05-06-2013, 12:38 PM
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People should refer to the other thread, it's pretty clear. To summarize, there are two techniques for curve illumination.

1) Active Curve Illumination comes with the 'lighting package' and turns your headlights as you go through curves. Hence the 'active' in the name.

2) Cornering light function. This was a standard feature in the past and would turn on a light on the inside corner of a curve when you turned. In the 2007 models it would turn on the fog lamp. As we have gotten to LED running lamps, etc. this feature has been hard to detect. And for 2013, based upon the referenced thread it appears to be a EU (European) only feature.
Old 05-06-2013, 01:24 PM
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we don't have our new GL yet, but in my experience, the cornering headlights are very very subtle. the first time i had a car that included this feature i really had to look for it. it's most noticeable when you are making a left turn from a stop sign . you inch out with the steering wheel straight and then turn 90 degrees left and you'll see the left headlight really pull to the left.

also, we've had it in sedans and SUVs, and the feature is more noticeable in sedans because they are lower to the ground. you can see it on windier roads too at night, but it has to be windy enough that you are actually steering left/right.
Old 05-07-2013, 10:41 PM
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Originally Posted by JimBarnhart
People should refer to the other thread, it's pretty clear. To summarize, there are two techniques for curve illumination.

1) Active Curve Illumination comes with the 'lighting package' and turns your headlights as you go through curves. Hence the 'active' in the name.

2) Cornering light function. This was a standard feature in the past and would turn on a light on t1he inside corner of a curve when you turned. In the 2007 models it would turn on the fog lamp. As we have gotten to LED running lamps, etc. this feature has been hard to detect. And for 2013, based upon the referenced thread it appears to be a EU (European) only feature.
This is the real deal! Exactly!

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