thegeneraltso

a friend of mine borrowed my car tonight to move his stuff. he asked me if the pictures around the headlight knob light up at night. he told me mine didn't light up and he was confused when turning the knob. i can't remembered if they light up or not because i am now instinctively know where to turn the knob. my knob lights up but the pictures around the detent semicircle don't light. he is right that you can't tell the function of the light based on the detent...so can anyone check at night whether those pictures light up. thanks

Barry45RPM

Icons DO NOT light up. Stupid to have them dark, requiring you turn on a dome or reading light to see them. I leave the headlight switch in AUTO.

thegeneraltso

Geez. I just checked my neighbor's 2002 e430 and his icons light up. Thanks to the beancounters for decontenting a great car

lkchris

Like it's the end of the world.

How is it a problem when your solution is to turn on the lights in order to find the light switch?

thegeneraltso

WHOA WHOA calm down buddy. it is kinda stupid to have to turn on the main light to just switch on the headlight. why have the icons not lit if their purpose to let the drive know which detent to turn the knob (especially its purpose is to use at night!)

no one said it is the end of the world but it is another feature that got tossed out in the name of profit. what's next? headlight washers are optional even with xenon(like bmws)??

lkchris

So you were able to turn the lights on but you need help finding the switch so you can turn them off?

Speaking of saving $$, how much do you suppose adding the "auto" feature cost? It wasn't on 210s. The 211 switch got some chrome, too!

I think you might be ahead on this one.

AndrewAZ

You guys are living in the stone age... Just leave the lights on AUTO and you wont have a problem.

Barry45RPM

You don't need the interior lights to see the light switch. You need to see the switch at night to know what lights are on if the position is other than Auto or Headlights On.

AsianML

Umm...if the headlights are on and it's night, it's obviously at ON or AUTO. If the switch can't turn to the right(?) anymore, it's obviously at AUTO.

So if it's at AUTO,

• one detent to the left means OFF,

• one to the right are the parking lamps,

• two to the left are the side marker lamp feature,

• two the to right is ON.

When it's at ON...well you get the idea.

So I don't really see the need to have it illuminated.

I've been in a W211 only twice, and that was nearly a year ago, so excuse me if I've mistaken the switch positions.

thegeneraltso

i don't have a problem since i previous owned a w124 and w210. i lent the wagon out to a friend to move his stuff. he moved into an apartment with indoor garage. i guessed he tried to turn the knob left and 'nothing' happened, so he turned it left again and 'nothing' happened. he then tried to turn it right three or four times and the headlight would come on for a little bit and went out (only the city light is on). he flicked it right again and the headlight came on. he said he just kinda twisted the knob back and forth until the light came out. he has to open the door to see what function the knob was point at to make sure the light didn't go out on him again (i guessed there was not enough light to have the auto function to work). so when he told me the icons don't light up, i thought the back-lit lights went out...so of course he is on my case on how mercedes has cut corners since owning chrysler

Sergei

It looks much better with light in the pictographs. In Norway like rest of the Scandinavia we can`t use the Auto switch because it`s required to have the headlamps on at day time.

indus

I agree, it's retarded they dont light up. It was also the case with my '04. AsianML - you can make the same argument about all other things (if your gear shifter don't go down any more, it must be in drive, one up is neutral, that kind of thing), but that would be pretty stupid, woudln't it?

aceman

while you're at it, why light the comand buttons up - you should be able to feel your way around the comand I agree - its ridiculous - particularly for people driving the car who aren't familiar with the switch/dial locations...

If you sit in any unfamiliar car - most cars would at least have the swithc illuminated so you dont' search for it. Not so on the W211....however - the rest of the car is awesome


Aceman

DWP

As you can see at the left, I have two cars. Guess which one has a light switch that lights up when the headlights are on.

thegeneraltso

FYI, on w211

middle is OFF
one to the right is AUTO
twice to the right is city light
thrice to the right is full ON
one to the left is RIGHT parking ON only
twice to the left is LEFT parking ON only

as you can see if you're not familar with the w211 so it could be daunting at night or low light area especially the right or left ON only (features needed on european streets but not applicable in the states)

AsianML

Perfect solution....map/dome lights!

I still don't see the need to have them illuminated.

amdeutsch

I wonder how many can actually see the pics when they are seated correctly behind the steering wheel and glance over.

Barry45RPM

If you come home late at night with the lights on and stop in front of the house it would be nice to see if the lights are set to auto or on. Or when you get into the car at a restaurant at night... did the valet turn the lights off when he parked, and when you claimed the car did he put it into auto or on?? Its a simple thing to illuminate the icons. If you don't need to see the icons at night, well then you certainly don't need to see them in the daytime either... one click to the right is still "Auto" etc... so there's really no need for the Icons to be printed on the dash insert at all.

All the other controls are lit throughout the dash & Comand. Its a small thing but so obvious by its omission. It makes you wonder how the engineers can worry about such other minutia in the car and miss this. The power's already there, its an electrical switch mounted into a hole in the dash. Its the little things, like putting a nice molding around the inside of a window in a den. Not needed, but a nice finishing touch.

Kar don

the 07 only have black headlight swtiches, no matter what color interior you get. You used to get a matching stone or ash switch, not anymore.

AsianML

Yeah, I noticed that at the auto show two weeks ago. That really confused me.

55fanatic

so what your saying is that I got the coolest of all the W211s... hehehe

Barry45RPM

I can't believe they are using 1 color switch... in black no less! Thats amazing. Now THAT'S cost cutting. Even the vinyl surrounding the windshield mirror is color matched to the interior, not black as it is in many cars... now if the black switch were to come with back lit icons, um... maybe that would be OK.