rick8560

Does anyone have experience or knowledge about the GLK250/350 LED brake lights and how to activate the lower section to work along with the top section? It may be referred to as the Euro program?
Would appreciate any help on this!

sblvro

An extra bulb?

rick8560

Hi,
It's not an EXTRA bulb. If you know what the (LED) tail lights on a 2013 GLK250 look like The working brake lights are located at the top of the bezel and just below that is another section of what looks like an identical bank of leds but they do not illuminate for braking or turn signals.
There has to be someone out there that knows about a software update that can activate these lights for USA vehicles??

formerjeepguy

I wonder if those lights are disabled because of US brightness rules. I think I read somewhere that some LED taillights were too bright....

sblvro

I meant extra led bulb or light.

rick8560

I don't think this small section of LEDs can be considered as too bright. I have seen many other cars with lots more LEDs if you're counting output, they would have more lumens than my car. You have the same vehicle pretty much.
The Euro models and the USA models have slight differences on some features. With this suv it's the tail lights. I have been told there is software for the GLK250/350 that costs $500 that will allow you to make lots of changes to the vehicle. As you may be aware, computers control everything on and in cars today. Somewhere someone has knowledge or experience with this.

fabbrisd1

Well.. whatever you "think" - no, it is not available for US activation.... move on..

MBKLUE

Are you sure it's the same on both sides (left and right)? Don't remember off-hand but you may be looking at the rear fog light portion. Maybe they're even fitted to both sides but only illuminate on one side depending on market (left-hand drive or right-hand drive).

rick8560

MBKLUE, I remember a guy at the service department telling me something about a rear light on the driver side only that is used in Europe when the vehicle is parked? I'm not sure what it means. There is a switch near the headlight knob on the dash board for that single light I mentioned. I don't know anything about a rear fog light though?

MBKLUE

The rear fog light is activated by the switch to the left of the headlamp knob. With your engine running, your headlamps turned on (without using the automatic setting), and set for low beam and the small switch to the left depressed you should have the left rear, red foglamp lit at an equivalent brightness to a brake light. If you switch to high beams this lamp should turn off. If your car is left-hand drive then the left-hand lamp should light up.

The other thing you're talking about is something different. In many places in Europe and probably other parts of the world you can park on the street with one half of your vehicle on the sidewalk (narrower streets than in the U.S.). Then you can turn on the front and rear parking lights depending on which half of your vehicle is sticking into the street. These are lower power bulbs, unlike the fog light, so you don't kill the battery. Typically these are turned on with a combination of the headlight switch and then the turn signal lever, again, depending on which side you want illuminated.

All this should be in your owner's manual and if you don't have one you really should purchase one at M-B. They have a part # just like any other part on the vehicle.

Typically I would purchase a second set for whatever vehicle I had. One to keep pristine in case I sold the vehicle and one to mark in, dog ear pages etc. etc.

HawkGLK250

rick8560, I have a 2015 GLK250 and would like to hear the answer to your question. My manual says nothing about these particular lights. You can never have bright enough brake lights in the US.

Bob

rick8560

Hello everyone who commented or was interested in my question about the brake/turn signal LED lights on my 2013 GLK250. Since nobody had any real solid answers for me I decided to remove the entire light fixture and investigate myself. The news is, the lower section does not have leds installed. From the outside looking in it's hard to tell if there are tiny leds in there.
The removal was simple. You go through the access door on either side of the rear compartment. There is a foam cover that is installed on the back of the light fixture. Don't try to remove it from the access area. There are 3- 8mm nuts to remove from the access area body. Note: do not try to push the white clip from the inside of the access area.
Then while standing outside behind the light, carefully slide the entire unit straight back as you do, a side clip that attaches to the top corner on the side of the body outside will release the fixture. Once the fixture is disconnected from the body opening you can remove the foam covering. Then remove the wiring socket so you can fully remove the fixture, there is a small clip on both sides you have to push in with your fingers as you wiggle the plug out while holding the small white housing with your other hand. Then you can take the light unit to a flat surface and have a look inside. You will see a circuit board and another cable plug that attaches to the white housing which holds the single back up lamp. There is also another empty socket on the white house not being used. The inside of the light fixture has a red backing that can be unscrewed too but I did no do that after determining that there were no leds on the lower section that was in question.
To put the light back on just do everything in reverse.

mpace

Thank you for saving me the time and aggravation of taking the tail light assembly out of my car! That would have been my next step.

Do not know about anyone else, but extra switches that do not work, or lights that appear to not function correctly drive me crazy!

rick8560

Dear fabbrisd1, If you are such a MB fanatic, you seem at a loss for words in your sarcastic reply.....

fabbrisd1

It wasn't available for US activation - like I had told you back in August - move on...

HawkGLK250

If its not availiable for US activation, that implies that it is availiable elseware. So fabbrisd1, what are the bulb part numbers and in what countries are they "activated"?

whiskywizard

deleted duplicate post

whiskywizard

fabbrisd1 gets on here frequently, correctly answering some of the tougher questions with good technical accuracy and often some obvious MB 'inside info'. I appreciate his insight. Correct me if I'm wrong but your tone suggests you guys feel he owes us something.

rick8560

Hello,
I am not on this site to argue about anything. I joined to ask questions and get answers. Constructively at that! When I feel targeted with a reply from someone, it's in my nature to defend myself. Sorry if I came across as ungrateful or anything like that. The question I asked back in August 2015 was not answered completely enough to dowse my curiousity. Eventually, after my own physical investigation, I answered my own question. I know at least one owner found my detailed answer helpful.
We are all here to share information about our vehicles. Ask questions about issues and possibly show off our purchases to others. I am not denying that fabbrisd1 is major contributor of information to this site. Maybe i was in a mood when I read his statement to my question recently and just fired off.

fabbrisd1

No harm - no offense taken - the original correct answer was not constructed to offend either.

Davidman546

you can’t turn them on because they are fake decoys if you take out the cover and the bulb circuit board that holds the back up lamp, the back of the lights are closed off with no leds sticking into that area.