So my car's LED headlights are out of sync during shut off. They work fine the rest of the time. Is this something that can be fixed with coding/adaptation?

See video:

 

If this behavior was a result of your accident repair (how could it not be), I would have the body shop fix it, if it is that objectionable to you.

I'd be tempted to name one of them "lazy eye" and be done with it.

 

On second thought... You ran Vladimir's OBD2 module to upgrade your ILS system. Are any of those features missing with the replacement headlight?

Have you asked Vlad whether there is any harm in running it again to "re-program" it?

 

My initial thought, the slow shut-down and dimming of the lights is reminiscent of household LED retrofit lighting. After power is cut, the light will slowly dim until out, its not instantaneous. That behavior, I wonder, if it related the components that make up the assembly, their age, and usage.

I guess, I wondering, if it simply due to the fact one headlight is brand new. Are the headlights the same P/N? Is it possible the new one is a superseded P/N? Synching headlights would be something new to me...

 

I can turn the programming off/on with the module. None of the coding stuff was touched.. everything still works, AMG menu, CarPlay, ILS.. all still fine. The thing is I'm not sure which headlight is behaving "correctly". Is the new one lingering or the original one shutting off too fast.

I'll be reaching out to the body shop but I don't have high hopes for them knowing what the hell is going on. This is one of those things that probably won't bother most people but that I am not putting up with. They shut off at the same time prior to the deer incident. I am hoping that this is simple but nothing ever is...

 

The only difference in part number is for the right/left. It is the same otherwise as always. I really don't understand Mercedes programming these to fade off/on like incandescent lighting in the first place. LEDs are instant-on/off with every other car I've been in. That would solve **** like this from being an issue.

If it is related to age I'll be pressing them to replace the other unit as well to make them work correctly.

 

Speaking with someone on the Facebook W212 group.. he said he recently had to have the voltage regulator and control module replaced on one side on his 2014 W212 and indeed the headlights had to be synchronized after that.

 

I guess Im surprised the repair facility didn't know that, maybe I shouldn't be, still exasperating.

 

Man, you can't pay someone enough to care about your car. We picked it up yesterday and it had overspray on the rear bumper, rear window... the damage was to the front right. Nothing surprises me anymore. But if I have to fight them for the next year to get this car 100% again, then that's what I'll do.

 

You know, re-watching the video they appear to fade at the same rate, just the left headlight starts sooner... hmm. As if, it received the "signal" to turn-off before the other. I don't know if that really matters at this point.

Without Star Diagnostics on these cars... a lot of times your in the blind.

*edit*

Sounds like your onto something... synchronization might be part of, "start-up" or "initialization" of the headlight modules in Xentry. Sounds like a trip to dealer for them to confirm correcting coding and start-up of module.

 

I'm lucky to have (25 miles from me) a tiny little unassuming shop owned by a man who is both a Mercedes and Porsche master technician. Last I was aware, he is the only one in my state certified to change a clutch on a Carrera GT. He is usually insanely busy but he's agreed to synchronize the headlights for me on Monday. We'll see.

 

That's a great plan, I have one like that, he has three young guys doing the work, but he works the shop, not the counter.

 

As an unexpected benefit from the accident, my $40 ebay illuminated star was replaced by the OEM $400 one. Originally I thought these were the same thing, but this one is definitely far higher quality.

 

@konigstiger do you see anything in WIS regarding headlight synchronization in the event of a control module replacement?

 

WIS when replacing complete lamp unit need to carry out initial startup and check headlamp adjustment.

 

They aligned them --- well, half-assed anyway. I'll correct that myself. They're just all out of sync during shut down. The shop must have coded it as a new headlight as there are no error codes showing and the functions work. Odd.

 

Spent 4 hours yesterday with my car hooked to DAS and my specialist coding/adapting/updated software.. He was even changing the delay percentages in each "channel" of the headlight, things I didn't know existed. He was able to get them all timed right except the inner LED module on the new headlight. It just fades slower than the rest. For him to be stumped is very unusual and he did not like admitting defeat at all.

He did adapt and calibrate them so the beam pattern is noticeably different than it used to be, in a better way. I'm not sure I can describe it other than to say it seems much sharper focused.

I am going to fight the insurance company until the headlight issue is resolved on way or the other.

 

Wow, maybe it is rocket science, this was in fact one of the reasons I got rid of the '07 S550, many issues went only half fixed under warranty and I would hear things like "no-one else complains about this stuff" just exasperating. I love the xenons on my "13 and have always wished I could have them on my '12, maybe I actually dodged a bullet there.

 

The headlights are unnecessarily complicated. We saw where the original headlight had 537.05 hours of use and the new one has 4.37 hours. The specialist showed me all of the stuff he could make them do, and who knew there'd be channels (10, I saw) for headlights? The stuff was not all in english or even understandable to me, but he ended up in the coding section and showed me where a setting on the new one was set to "100" and the original one was set to "75" and he said that this setting had to do with the fade out timing. He coded the new one to 75, and it would say "completed" but then would be back at 100 when he reconnected. So we coded the original one to 100, it accepted it and afterwards that is as close as they got to being in sync. I asked him if it was possible just to code them to not fade off but instant off.. no luck. He checked the grounding on the new light. He tried everything.

This is a guy who, while my W212 was hooked up and doing calibrations, disassembled and repaired a starter for a 1942 Ford pickup parked next to a 2015 Bentley Continental that was there for a 50,000 mile service. He has no employees and is eccentric, but his knowledge of cars and the Germans in particular is fascinating. If he can't get this to work, the body shop has no chance. He suspects the new headlight is defective.. I'm thinking that insurance might end up replacing the original one to try to make it work.

This would be no trouble with a car with xenon headlights as those are instant on/off by default and no other choice can be made because of how they work. But the trade off is that the they're quite inferior in terms of output in my experience. Our Macan has adaptive bi-xenons like the pre-facelift W212. Our E350 makes them look like halogens, and the LED headlights on the rental CX-5 were also far superior to the Macan's.

 

I can't speak for this particular case or component... but generally speaking on these newer vehicles, if a module can still be communicated with (but has a fault which requires its replacement), then the process is to "copy" the coding off the old module, replace module, code it with the "copy" and then perform the start-up initialization.

Granted, this doesn't always work especially if the old module is totally dead, damaged or corrupted and cannot be communicated with. One way MB deals with this "coding" is a central repository that is supposed to keep the most up-date "configuration" based on VIN with all its options/coding/etc... So when modules get replaced, the MB software communicates with the central repository to pull the "correct" info needed. This also prevents unauthorized users from easily coding modules, since access and hardware is required to login to repository.

 

Interesting thought, I do remember when I got the '03 S500 the lights were superior to my '01 SL500 and my '02 E320, the '07 was not an improvement, in fact I would say the '03's were better. I did notice the downgrade in the '12 but just replaced the H7's with better bulbs and adjusted the headlights which were way off, even after having the dealer "adjust " them. I did see the xenons in the '13 as an improvement, but the auto-high beams never really worked that well in the suburbs, they do work great on the highway or very rural roads, which I live on the edge of, they go off for every speed limit sign and go back on slowly, so slowly in fact I get frustrated, turn the headlight switch to "ON" and use the stalk to work the brights. I do however love the cornering lamps and the headlight curve illumination, as small a change as that is in my US versions. I did notice theLED lights in my friends CX5, they are good, My friend tried the LED conversion on his '14 E350, it was not good and he changed them out shortly afterward, I'm guessing the bezels were just not designed for that type of bulb.I am surprised to hear you think the LED's are the superior lighting choice over xenons, I will do a comparison the next time my son come home from Manhattan with his LED '15 E350, he has the lighting package so full LED I believe, not half halogen.

 

The old modules were completely destroyed.

So if I’m understanding you correctly, it sounds like replacement of the original light might be the only way to rectify this?

We tried everything with coding that was possible.

 

Rectify what? The slower fade rate of the new module? I dunno, one could speculate all day. Assuming both headlights are coded and initialized correctly... My guess would be either its a tolerance or age/use thing. Unless that behavior can be "adjusted".

Those particular headlights are relatively new, so likely only shops that perform insurance work (accident/crash) on these cars would be your answer for whether the behavior is normal or not. Aside, from your personal displeasure with the discrepancy between the two.

Sound like you need a third opinion.

 

Well, the headlights turned off together before the accident so I expect them to behave the same post repair. If they can’t repair the car to function as before then they should not have repaired the car at all.

I think we have basically ruled out adjustments/codings/calibrations being the issue.

 

I totally understand and agree with your point. Let us know how it turns out.