I will walk through the steps I took to make this all work...
(1) Purchase a set of European tail lamps.
-I was able to pick these up while working in Germany for about $700
-Part Number Left A1909064600
-Part Number Right A1909064900 or A1909065000 (Not sure on right side I will have to double check)
-https://www.factorymoparparts.com/ seems to have the best price
-These lamps will turn your existing center LED strip from red to Amber
(2) Modify wiring
-Pull taillamp assembly and disconnect
-Look in the connector at the blue plastic and snap off blue tabs so they will plug in to the European lamps
(should be easy to see which portion of the connector needs manipulation once you have the new lamps and look at the socket)
-Add a wire that is missing from US spec. It will go from the Rear SAM module connector 6HD pin 7 to terminal 5 of both left and right rear lamps
(This seems to be the critical wire to activate sequential, you will notice that there is a blank plug in terminal 5 of both lamps)
-Re-pin at the Rear SAM module connector 5H. The wire that is in position 19 (Black/White) will move to position 25. The wire that is in position 20 (Green) will move to position 15
(3) Recode the Rear SAM module to a European or "Rest of the World" code
-Acquire or find someone with access to a Mercedes vehicle interface module (SDconnect)
-Acquire or find someone with access to Mercedes engineering program called "Vediamo"
-Perform recode
Finished!
Now, there may be some room for variations on this. I would like to try and leave everything as factory US spec and simply add a wire from the Rear SAM connector 6HD pin 7 to terminal 5 of both lamps. Maybe it works / maybe not. Another variation if that does not work would be to do steps 2 and 3 and skip the lamp replacement, this would leave you with red sequential turn signals instead of amber. If anyone is in the Dallas area I would be happy to assist, just PM me.
AWESOME info! I'd love to do this, however, this is way, way too complex. Hopefully there will be an aftermarket solution which would be easier.
More power to you to get this to the finish line.
No way I am doing this as others have said is way to complex. I do not get why MB is not bringing this in the US as Audi was able to and Mustang owners have been enjoying this for a while.
More power to you to get this to the finish line.
No way I am doing this as others have said is way to complex. I do not get why MB is not bringing this in the US as Audi was able to and Mustang owners have been enjoying this for a while.
I could be wrong, but I think the DOT issue with the turn signal is the size/area of the turn signal itself and not because it is sequential.
The R8s have the same issue where the euro spec ones have the thin sweeping line signal and the US ones don't for the first gen. That said the second gen US R8s have the sweeping signal, but part of the tail lamp blinks as well so it would have the proper amount of "coverage" compared to the euro spec.
so alex, looking at the lamps is the only physical difference difference the amber strip and plug setup?
Correct. If you installed just the left side and looked at the back of the car you would not be able to tell the difference. Both assemblies look clear in the middle strip, the difference is when power is applied to the indicator. US spec will appear clear off and light up red. Euro spec will appear clear off and light up amber
I am really surprised that vendors aren’t coming up with programming solutions for items such as this. I had my F10 M5 re-programmed remotely to have multiple items switched to the ‘European’ mode. Cost about $100 and was so simple to do.
I totally agree as i believe this can easily be done with the star system. it just takes someone who has the time to research it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebishman
I am really surprised that vendors aren’t coming up with programming solutions for items such as this. I had my F10 M5 re-programmed remotely to have multiple items switched to the ‘European’ mode. Cost about $100 and was so simple to do.
-Look in the connector at the blue plastic and snap off blue tabs so they will plug in to the European lamps
(should be easy to see which portion of the connector needs manipulation once you have the new lamps and look at the socket)
-Add a wire that is missing from US spec. It will go from the Rear SAM module connector 6HD pin 7 to terminal 5 of both left and right rear lamps
(This seems to be the critical wire to activate sequential, you will notice that there is a blank plug in terminal 5 of both lamps)
-Re-pin at the Rear SAM module connector 5H. The wire that is in position 19 (Black/White) will move to position 25. The wire that is in position 20 (Green) will move to position 15
(3) Recode the Rear SAM module to a European or "Rest of the World" code
-Acquire or find someone with access to a Mercedes vehicle interface module (SDconnect)
-Acquire or find someone with access to Mercedes engineering program called "Vediamo"
-Perform recode
Finished!
Now, there may be some room for variations on this. I would like to try and leave everything as factory US spec and simply add a wire from the Rear SAM connector 6HD pin 7 to terminal 5 of both lamps. Maybe it works / maybe not. Another variation if that does not work would be to do steps 2 and 3 and skip the lamp replacement, this would leave you with red sequential turn signals instead of amber. If anyone is in the Dallas area I would be happy to assist, just PM me.
Alexfor8, did you get to try the original US tail light as you mentioned here? Maybe it was just the missing wire and the difference between the tail light assemblies is just the color of the turn signal. The wiring changes that you mention are done at the connectors 6HD and 5H of the rear SAM, are these connectors labeled? I have a C3 DAS, is this sufficient to recode to RDW (as I did with my other cars) or do I need the Vediamo thing?
Alexfor8, did you get to try the original US tail light as you mentioned here? Maybe it was just the missing wire and the difference between the tail light assemblies is just the color of the turn signal. The wiring changes that you mention are done at the connectors 6HD and 5H of the rear SAM, are these connectors labeled? I have a C3 DAS, is this sufficient to recode to RDW (as I did with my other cars) or do I need the Vediamo thing?
I have not tested the US lights but I am willing to bet they will work. The connectors are labeled, once you dig in to the rear SAM you can see the embossed labels. Mercedes really did a great job with their wiring. Easy to see, easy to disassemble, easy to reconfigure. The C3 DAS will work but you will have to download the Vediamo software. This can be found at *******.com or some various Chinese websites for ~$50 or less.
I will walk through the steps I took to make this all work...
(1) Purchase a set of European tail lamps.
-I was able to pick these up while working in Germany for about $700
-Part Number Left A1909064600
-Part Number Right A1909064900 or A1909065000 (Not sure on right side I will have to double check)
-https://www.factorymoparparts.com/ seems to have the best price
-These lamps will turn your existing center LED strip from red to Amber
(2) Modify wiring
-Pull taillamp assembly and disconnect
-Look in the connector at the blue plastic and snap off blue tabs so they will plug in to the European lamps
(should be easy to see which portion of the connector needs manipulation once you have the new lamps and look at the socket)
-Add a wire that is missing from US spec. It will go from the Rear SAM module connector 6HD pin 7 to terminal 5 of both left and right rear lamps
(This seems to be the critical wire to activate sequential, you will notice that there is a blank plug in terminal 5 of both lamps)
-Re-pin at the Rear SAM module connector 5H. The wire that is in position 19 (Black/White) will move to position 25. The wire that is in position 20 (Green) will move to position 15
(3) Recode the Rear SAM module to a European or "Rest of the World" code
-Acquire or find someone with access to a Mercedes vehicle interface module (SDconnect)
-Acquire or find someone with access to Mercedes engineering program called "Vediamo"
-Perform recode
Finished!
Now, there may be some room for variations on this. I would like to try and leave everything as factory US spec and simply add a wire from the Rear SAM connector 6HD pin 7 to terminal 5 of both lamps. Maybe it works / maybe not. Another variation if that does not work would be to do steps 2 and 3 and skip the lamp replacement, this would leave you with red sequential turn signals instead of amber. If anyone is in the Dallas area I would be happy to assist, just PM me.
1) Would you have a picture of the connector 6HD area?
2) What if I just wanted amber turn signal, but not sequential?
I got the EU version of the lights. When I plug them in without any modification, the clear area at the bottom lights up in amber. The US version of the lights do not have any LED diods in the clear part.
Pretty sure this was the one. The connectors are labeled and very easy to pull apart. To get to 6HD just pull the trunk liner off the left side and look for the fuse block with a bunch of wiring and modules, you will have to loosen the 10mm bolts and work the fuse block out about a foot before you can get to all the wiring. You can find a blank metal terminal at your local dealer, just take a close up picture to help the parts guy match it. The internal wiring of the European lamp is different and will require recoding the rear SAM before it will work. A recode without adding the new wire will result in Amber turn signals without sequential.
Pretty sure this was the one. The connectors are labeled and very easy to pull apart. To get to 6HD just pull the trunk liner off the left side and look for the fuse block with a bunch of wiring and modules, you will have to loosen the 10mm bolts and work the fuse block out about a foot before you can get to all the wiring. You can find a blank metal terminal at your local dealer, just take a close up picture to help the parts guy match it. The internal wiring of the European lamp is different and will require recoding the rear SAM before it will work. A recode without adding the new wire will result in Amber turn signals without sequential.
Hey Alex, you must also get a rear fog lamp with the European lights, is that correct? Curious if the wiring harness is in US cars and a switch can just be installed by the main light control dial to activate the fog lamp?
Very odd that my 2019 GTC doesn’t have a rear fog light, whereas my 2018 B250 and 2019 G550 both have one.
This is actually an important safety feature. May keep you from getting rear ended!
The fog lamp is internal - you wouldn't see a difference from the outside... curious if you have any data on the wiring for the fog lamp, i.e., if all N. American cars have the same wiring harness.
Perhaps it's just a matter of installing the lamp switch?
