Nietsa

Hi! First time posting. Does anyone know if there is a way to convert a 2010 c300 with the new LED fog lights that are on the 2011? If so, any ideas on where to get them? Also, would this type of thing void the warranty in any way? Thanks! ..N

Sportstick

Sorry I don't have the information you seek, but you should know the LEDs are not fog lamps. If you make a conversion from fog lamps (round lens) to a string of LEDs, you are giving up the capability for fog lamps.

Nietsa

Thanks for the reply..Is that how they work on the 2011's also? They arent independant fog lamps? That would explain why they are always lit on every car i see and never off..They are really beautiful... N

Sportstick

MB has decided that the appearance of LEDs outweighs the loss of function of fog lamps, and has announced that for 2012 no fog lights would be available. Depending on the climate where you live, this may or may not be a concern. We get enough fog, that this would be a deal breaker for me.

Nietsa

That's really unfortunate and surprising that they would not offer such a feature..what an odd option to discontinue.. N

killerg

they need LEDs to fit in with all the cool kids

Sportstick

MB is tapping into a group of buyers who are more interested in style than function. Even on this forum, search for "stance" and "tinted tail lights" to see the extremes to which some owners will prioritize how something looks over how well it works.

Ron Jr

I have a 2011 and wish I had fogs instead of the LEDs. I was looking last weekend to try and take them off, the opening in the bumper is a different shape and size than my 2008 was. The LED grill is held on with 4 torx not 3 like the fogs also I could not get them off from the front and I wasn't going to start pulling the bottom panels or bumper off.

lamonsas

lol i love the LEDs in the bumper , they add so much style to the car, in the day or night. i live in NY and never used the fog lights for function, i was just turning them on at night to look cool

Tekker

The foglights are not gone.

With LED DRL and ILS (Xenon, adaptive lights etc.) there is a built in foglight mode.

Sportstick

I cannot address overseas markets, but MBUSA has confirmed in an online web chat that fog lights are, indeed, gone for 2012. The wisdom of the loss became a source for a brief debate, and some other owners in the chat informed MBUSA this was unacceptable to them, so the discussion was very clear.

In any event, placement in the headlamp module is too high off the ground to be an effective fog lamp, even if the LED array could be focussed to throw the correct intensity and pattern.

encoder

Indeed and I don't mean to sound like a pr*ck but I these discussions are only going to blossom as you can get 08's for 25k in the next year or 2, then 20k, etc.

I don't despise how the LED strip looks but I don't envy it the way I do, say, the new side mirrors. I think it is a WAY WAY WAY to blatent unoriginal copy of Audi. It's as if we're driving a 1958 C-Class with Tailfins.

I feel fairly sure that LED's will go out of style. They won't be a permanent addition to cars the way, say, HID's are, because they're just cosmetic and subject to the whim of the model year. And several years down the road I think they'll date a car the same way those tailfins do. One of my favorite things about Mercedes is the timeless quality most of our cars have -- as somebody here said once, each one is a classic the moment it rolls off the line. That's sabotaged a bit by the LED me-tooism.

lamonsas

i dont know what u are talking about but everyone has their own taste i guess but the LEDs all over the car are freaking AMAZING in my opinion, too bad my tail lights are not LEDs too. (they will be standard on the 2012 though i think)

Sportstick

I agree with you, and you actually were thinking back to my quote about the "classic"....thank you. LEDs will continue, but not necessarily in the format we now see. The "pearl necklace" effect is certainly the styling fad you suggest, which some like and others question. But, before I departed the industry, I did see that LED based headlamp technology was coming for efficiency and performance, even though it may still look like a conventional assembly. Stay tuned for that as new generations of vehicles appear and as costs are managed from the current position.

Mikey52

At the end of the day we're driving very cost effective luxury sedans so it should be expected that "Stance" and "Tail light tint" are going to show up in this forum. As far as the LED's I think they function very, very well as a DRL here in Canada.

Sportstick

Agree, a function for which the small string of LEDs is well applied...DRLs, not to light the road, but to increase conspicuity for other drivers/pedestrians.

bmwm3e46

bumping this up....has anyone done the conversion yet? Is it possible using oem parts?

jimmythegreek

Yes it is, its been done by 2 members that have actually posted pics and a how to. I have also made my LEDs on my 2011 stay bright at night as well with a re-wire

Dark Kent

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...g-issue-2.html

jsweets

Man that comment didn’t age well😂
LEDs are essential now. Amazing what a difference twelve years makes