Xaniar

I should have the ILS in combination with Bixenon on my car as I did pay for it and it’s even listed on the piece of paper I’ve got from Mercedes when I received my car.
Up until last week I used to think fog lights coming on when turning is the same as ILS, but I read in the manual that the fog light feature is called a cornering light system and has nothing to do with the ILS.
So I went to the car and told my wife to turn the wheel and had a look in the Bixenon but couldn’t notice the headlights moving left or right.
So my question is how to tell if you really have the Intelligent light system?
If I find out that ILS is not an option on my car, Mercedes will be getting an unpleasant surprise visit from an angry owner soon.

DavidM

Hello,

I am not sure, if this answer will help you, since I am still waiting for my car, which is due to delivery in may/june. I got ILS ordered also. From what my dealer told me, it should turn to sides as you said. Other function is auto-adjusting beam at higher speed (above 90 km/h), this might help you, since its easy to check it. Here is more about it:

http://www3.mercedes-benz.com/teclex/main_en.html

Good luck finding it out.

D.

AsianML

I know on Lexus the system reacts purely to steering wheel position, so the lights will move even when the car is stationary. I believe Mercedes takes steering wheel angle and speed of the vehicle into account as well.

Krytech

ILS would be nice. All we had here in the US last year were cornering fog lights... I think our bi-xenon are auto leveling and he did tell me when you go up a hill or down a hill they adjust slightly, but no side-to-side movements. Not sure if the up-down on hills was bs or not, I kind of forgot about that until I was reading your post.

Xaniar

If the ILS is activated at speeds above 90km/h then it will be hard to tell if I do have the option or not, unless I open the main light frame and see if I can spot any miniaturized motors behind it.
I did however notice that I have an option within the instrument cluster functions to turn the ILS on or off, but I'm not sure if it's just there as a standard menu function or is it really there because my car has the ILS, so it would be nice if someone without the ILS can check and see if they do have that function within the lighting menu.

joshg1001

on the lexus sytem, the cornering adapative headlights only work at speeds above 5 mph. so it also takes speed and steering wheel angle to adjust the lights

DavidM

Sorry, cant help there. They say on web, that at 110 km/h beam should extend the range of low beam light by 50 meters. Thats what I ment by checking it, it should be easy to notice IMO. But I am still waiting to see it in action

Xaniar

This is just great, I’ve just noticed that my high beam is not even xenon (thanks to OCOC for bringing this to my attention).
Why do they call it a Bi-xenon?!
This is false advertising.
I had an E-class before this and both lights were xenon.
I guess I owe my Mercedes dealer a visit very soon.

amdeutsch

You do realise that you are on a US forum, don't you, and that system is NOT available in the US. You might try a European forum.

Xaniar

Yea, but there are lots of people active on this forum from all over the Europe.

whkento

Hi, Xaniar.
With regard to the bixenon lights, I was kinda surprised/misled by the name, but realized that because the xenons actually take a couple of seconds to warm up, I don't want them in my high beams. I sometimes use the high beams to notify other drivers of my presence (or occasionally displeasure at their actions). I couldn't really use xenon high beams for that.

With regard to the ILS system, I expect you really have it, since you have the option to turn it on/off. I don't have the option. Also, if I remember correctly, the stuff I read about it indicated that it only operates while driving (over 'x' kph).

Oh, yeah, there're folks on these boards from all over the place--even Japan.

UK-C200

Which E-Class? As far as I know, all of the "BiXenon" headlamps have used combo mechanical shields and halogen.

When your lights are off, and you "flash" your high beams, you get your halogen high beam - as was mentioned before, Xenon's don't fire up fast enough.

When your light are on, and you go to "high beam", the halogen bulb lights, and the Xenon shield moves out of the way, completely exposing the bulb.

90% of the light your "highs" are producing is from the Xenon.

AsianML

I must have been thinking about BMW then. My bad.

NOMO

Bi-Xenon is just one projector that moves to use both low and high beam. Although mine still have a regular hi-beam as well.

RLE

What I can't fathom is why your salesman did not explain all this when you took delivery.

Your inner high beams are halogen because you cannot flash Xenon bulbs. They respond too slowly. Your main lights have one Xenon bulb with an electrically controlled shutter over part of the bulb. When you switch to high beam the shutter lifts, exposing the entire bulb. When the lights are off, the inner halogen bulb illuminates for flashing. When the main lights are on, all bulbs illuminate when high beam is selected or flashed.

Clear enough?

If I lived where you live, I would have taken factory delivery where all is revealed to the new owner

Xaniar

Interesting lessons about xenon and halogen, thanks everyone for making things clear.


And as for the E class, you are absolutely right, now I remember that the high beams were halogen.
On the E class I had 2 separate light housing, the large one on the outer side was xenon and the smaller one on the inner side was xenon as well, that’s why they called it a Bi-xenon.
But with the C class we only get one large light housing, so I don’t understand why they call it a Bi-xenon, they should simply call it xenon.

amdeutsch

Please reread post 12 & 15. The inner ones are not Xenon, they are halogen on the E. And housing has nothing to do with it; i.e. 1 larger housing can hold 2 separate reflectors, units. Its a design choice.

vic viper

Check the equipment codes on your vehicle:

614 - Regular BiXenon
615 - BiXenon with Active Curvelight
622 - ILS

619 - Corner Lighting (fogs)

len56

I don't get it... why would Canadian C's get cornering lights, and not American ones?

I don't have my C yet, but I did see the cornering lights in action, somebody was turning a corner in the car, and the headlights were pointed at me, but the body of the car wasn't. :P

and vic viper, whats the difference between Active Curvelight, and ILS?

ctgilles

Does the ILS also include automatic high beams? Or just the cornering lights?
I have the Bi-Zenons and I miss the high beam assist that I have in the X5.

vic viper

I actually do not know, I always thought that there was only Bixenons or Bixenons whit Active Curvelights, never heard of ILS until I saw the code for it.

tanktube67

BMW active head lights are automatic leveling and responds to the steering even when the car is not in motion.

AsianML

That's what I was saying. I thought Lexus was the one that did that swiveled stationary.

qwqwerertyty

My C has "biXenon headlamps" and "cornering fog lamps", but I've never heard of the ILS here in the US. Though I tested the lights out the other day and my friends noticed that the main low beams did obviously turn with the steering.
I also noticed another day when i turn the lights on and park the car with the steering turned to the left, only the left fog light was lit after I got out of the car but it turned off by itself after a while. I'm not sure how exactly that works but Im assuming thats something to do with the cornering fog lamps function.

iolithblue

moving the steering wheel while staTIONARY will NOT move the lights, they are programmed not to. as stated, the best way is to check thebuild plate for the correct code.