What is the obsession with LED's
 

Every where I look I see LED's they look hideous on the C-class they take away from the aggressive look of the front end, Audi had them and that was their signature look why is MB copying that look ?

sorry for the rant, but LED's have been pissing me off, I don't understand the obsession with them, its like 3D movies there every where now too, but that's another rant.


Do you hate LED's or Do you Love them ? if so why ?

i love LED's... i have them in my turn signals, interior, trunk lights, city parking or whatever they are called lights, front bumper lights, just about anywhere you can put them, i have them other than my HID low beams, fogs, and high beams. they are brighter than stock lights, makes the entire car flow better because all the colors match now.. not HID headlights and fog lights then ugly yellowish colored bumper corner lights, city lights, and turn signals. it just makes everything match and flow a lot better IMO.. have you seen HID headlights and fogs, but then amber corner lights, eyelids, city lights on a c300? it looks pretty stupid. the LEDs just make all the lights the same color so you dont have 4 different colored lights on the front of your car.. and the trunk license plates lights match the front now too.. im even considering making the lights in my taillights LEDs so they match as well. idk thats my .02

You do realize that it's not COPYING Audi because they are implementing the better technology in their cars, right?

LED use less power, look great etc...why the hell not? By your explanation, no one should use xenon other than Porsche either.

GEEZ :eek:! I waited four months for my factory-ordered 2011 C because I specifically wanted the lighting package (none in stock at any dealers within hundreds-mile radius). Those bi-x headlamps are awesome and the LED DRLs are even cooler. Besides, they'll likely last the lifetime of the vehicle, are state of the art, and illuminate the road so much better than traditional lamps. Soon, LED bulbs will be so mainstream that CFLs will be a thing of the past. Lighting - in your home, office, everywhere will be LED.

Not a big fan of LEDs either.
 

I agree with you but I think we're the minority since most people here love them.

To me they look like putting Christmas tree lights on a fine German automobile. Just an opinion so don't get mad peeps, but for me it looks a little cheap. I'm a little old school though and I don't think that every new invention is better than what we already have or even necessary even when it's better on paper. Bi-xenons are awesome but if you have those not sure why you need LEDs, it's kind of overkill. There's always been something old school with MB and the LEDs kind of go against that concept. To me LEDs would look better on a Honda/Mazda/Infiniti or other Japanese car that is more high tech/modern not a timeless classic like an MB. I like those cars too but for a completely different reason than my C.

What I find harder to understand is the disproportionate hatred towards LEDs. It's one thing to dislike how they look, it's another to hear so much whining about them on the forums.

^ I agree

Strikes me as much ado about nothing...don't love nor hate, just doesn't seem that important.

In Europe from next year, Daytime Running Lights must be fitted to all new cars sold. LEDs are brighter (so more visible in daylight), consume less power (affecting fuel consumption/emissions) and are longer lasting, so it is no surprise that this seems to be the technology of choice at the moment even to the extent they are starting to be used as headlights. They react more quickly, leading to their increased use as brake lights and I am sure the stylists love them as they allow some of their more radical light designs to be realised.

I agree that LEDs are used quite clumsily on some cars but some manufacturers have shown that LED technology and the light graphics it enables can be as valid a styling cue as the traditional grille or hood emblem. IMO the good and bad can be seen by looking at the products of one European manufacturer (Range Rover Evoque = Good, Range Rover Vogue = Bad).

Don't blame LEDs, which with lenses and plastics to conduct and shape the light can be made to look good and even, if you like, just like traditional (but more efficient) lights.

I like LEDs.

HOWEVER, I think the LEDs chosen for the 2011 C look a bit over the top.

I prefer the non-LED look on the C.

It's a case by case, car by car, thing for me. Sometimes I like LEDs, sometimes I don't.

Technically, I believe Porsche were the first to start sporting those LED strips on their 911, then Audi just ran with it. I've got mixed feelings about them. The ones on the new C look pretty good imo, but I couldn't stand the hockey stick. To each their own though.

Saab started using the LED headlight strip in 2008. It looks just right to me. I am not too fond of the LED strip on the W204. Looks to much like an afterthought.

it's a trend. it's normal. dont' have to rant about it. don't like it don't put em on. simple as that.

If you think that Mercedes is copying the competition with its LED's, then by the same token, you can take pride in knowing that almost all other brands have been copying Mercedes Benz right from the start, whom have pioneered the automobile and its technologies even until this very day.

But i personally like the LED's. :p:

2006 Porsche 911 Turbo with LED strip. Was first time I remember seeing LED strip on production car.

http://www.edmunds.com/media/2006/ge....turbo.340.jpg

LED's are the future, it's a more attractive light. Remember older cars would have tires with that white band around the sidewall? How come we don't have that anymore? Because it looks dated. Same thing with LED's - you can argue their longevity and power saving features all you want, but they just plain look better.

Now that we've run the gauntlet on LEDs, I have a related question. What is the obsession with using an apostrophe, which indicates a contraction or possessive, to make the plural? Yes, I know...:topic:, but one man's LEDs is another's apostrophes!

i only like them when they are integrated in the headlight housing, like audi's. i also dont like just a strip across the bottom of the housing, like the a5, but actually within the housing like the a4. if benz could do something like that with the c i would like it, but i havent seen a good solution for our cars yet to use led strips as drls

I love them. It also means that I'm driving the newer model.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...irtz/c3333.jpg

We've done a lot of cars with integrated LED into the inner housing. Not saying all of them look good since it's simply what the customer want, but here's some examples. There's also a 204 in there with the LED strip by fog and integrated with headlight.

http://www.promaxms.com/Gallery-Lighting.html

there's a difference between using LED bulbs for lighting and using a row of dotted lights for decoration.

LED lighting is definitely how the future's going to be. However, it's a different thing to decorate the car with a row of light dots which happens to be LED bulbs. This look really depends how it's implemented imo. I think the A4's LED DRLs are nice, but some of the DIY LED strips ive seen look pathetic as shat


hmm.. i think i know that guy :)

LED's are there for you to be seen. They don't illuminate the road.

+1. This is how I always felt. Although they *can* be used to illuminate roads with aid of reflectors, LEDs are best utilized to help others see you as opposed to help you see others.

I dislike them. It's just a faze, anyone remember the Altezza tail light craze? It will die down eventually. I hope sooner than later.

wow the majority of those headlights with integrated led's look terrible..