LILBENZ230

This document continuously refers to the CLS lights being active multibeam.. so the W212 E with its same 4 projector design is also active multibeam?

vladimir.cdi

Hello

this may be interested to US/CA mb owners who have 213/238/257/205/205FL/253/253FL/166/292 MY2016+ cars with SA640+SA608 datacard codes (limited headlamps operation = IHC)

I tested the "true Multibeam = IHC plus" activation at MY2016+ cars with SA640 headlamps and SA608 datacard code
after activation full led 640 headlamps will work exactly as EU/US SA642+628
activation takes about 1 minute and you can revert it back with the same module in 1 minute (and also activate again as many times as you need when you aware of warranty issues)
this is the video how the activation works

this is daimler video of all functions you will get after activation:

tuneOBD box can be mailed no problem, not necessary to go to dealer
when interested then contact me with your car VIN number to my email: canfiltermb@gmail.com

Mike__S

This is correct, the CLS is all E-Class mechanicals in a different steel shell. There are variations and differences, but this information applies to both.

LILBENZ230

I have used Vladimir's module and now have full ILS function in my MY2016 W212. It is awesome.

Mike__S

Vladimir knows his business. Long time eBay presence, too.
I had his CarPlay/Android fix for w212 2016 that had the NGT 5.5 radio (2016-2019) with late "High_CY15_9" firmware.
We are going to try this 640 to 642 headlight mod hopefully next week on my "Multibeam" W213 US Spec.

-=m=-

LILBENZ230

Note - the W212 does not have the multibeam lights that the CLS did of the same years. It is mechanical masking in the W212, the multibeams simply dim individual diodes.

50thae

Watching closely. I have a 2019 E Class with adaptive headlight system. I really want to activate it. Please post your results.

sackboydad

same here... have a A238 (2019 Cab) and would love to have those (thought I was getting them)

Anyone know if it actually legal to have those in the US yet? I know (as usual) the US was the last place on the planet that didn’t allow them. I understood it was being looked into

bellavance

Too expensive once converted to CDN Dollars to reprogram lighting on a 3 year old E-Class.

sackboydad

Did I miss the price for the hack?

Mike__S

I have the EU "642" coding installed on my 2017 E300 P3. However, all of LA County is presently under a 6pm-6am curfew, so unable to test and report until it is lifted, maybe later this week. It should be working OK. at least that is what we expect.

Anyone with W213 Multibeam labeled headlights might want to search for a study by AAA called "ResearchReportEuroSpecvsUSHeadlamps.pdf"
It lays out the whole range of considerations with a strong recommendation for LED matrix ADB technology. US will finally adopt soon. Review process underway. I hope they just sign-off on the EU standard. It is the smart thing to do, especially as Canada has switched from decades old US standard to the EU standard already,

bellavance

$449 US plus shipping.

SPFNJ

Did you buy yours from Vladimir?

sackboydad

oooo that is steep. Not sure I care $450 worth

LILBENZ230

You will not regret it. The difference it makes at night is worth the cost of entry.

bellavance

Too expensive to my liking.
I'll stay with the nice, but imperfect, Automatic High Beam / Low Beam actuation included in my Canadian 2018 E300.

Mike__S

If one drives predominately in urban and suburban built-up areas with street lighting and rarely drives on unlit or poorly lit roads, then it is perhaps not a justifiable expense. The operation in fully lit city streets is subtle. When ambient light is low or nonexistent the Multibeam offers significantly better illumination. A descriptive evaluation will be available shortly in a new post in the w213 area. (Rome was not built in a day)

decorily

Subtle indeed or pretty much non existent!

LILBENZ230

Yes it the urban areas the car just uses low beams.

I live in a rural area and get a lot of use from the ILS functions.

Mike__S

Actually, since we are considering the US/Canada LED vs, Rest of World "Multibeam" implementation in this thread, I chose the word subtile for a purpose in that the beam pattern geometry differences are just that. To compare an EU spec standard headlamp to EU Multibeam in a well lit road, then your point is well taken. Multibeam comes into its own in true dark situations, whence if one is traveling 90% of the time in well lit areas I would not recommend even the factory EU Multibeam option.

OTH I am frequenlty in Latigo Canyon Road in Malibu at night, travel on other rural roads, as well as long rural stretches of Freeway where Multibeam is a huge improvement.

Thank you for presenting this opportunity for clarification.

E63Wsantini

Price even higher $540
=AT2OaMcdMvrMgfunu6OFqdPCck6nWWP6fBnl_8ifH6ZEw1ghD Eqyi4m912BRh2i2CkYg_WH7Az4itTYWXsf7l_LZFOy8Q_BX3iG tqWnUZI7MWRa3ljnaY9z4qCEtLJBdam6AEIJHnj4AY3Goc9Dpi 9QColYHumSWwT7_FhtAZ0C_NgpFE0M4mpY]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089DQLV58/

Mike__S

I got out for an hour into true dark roads, and even 10 meter fog last night with my 2017 E300 "Multibeam:" LED Intelligent Light System equipped with Vladimir's US/Canada 640->EU 642 firmware modification. This loads via the ODBII port in about 5 minutes including a backup step.

As I have already pointed out, owners who never travel at night outside their well lit city roads probably will not benefit from this modification much less the actual factory EU Multibeam option. What is does do on semi-dark road stretches and in unlit rural roads is, however, a revelation. Anyone who does travel outside built-up, well lit areas should modify the US and Canada Multibeam LED units to their full function with Vladimir's firmware mod.

Driving in the city there are subtile differences, the principle one is the European high right hand cutoff that illuminates the right hand verge. This 'low beam' pattern feature has been a world wide standard since the 1960's and gives a better sense of space, and makes signs and such easier to read. The MB intersection, turning beam and cornering features already work, but I felt the EU 642 settings were a bit brighter than our 640 setup. That about covers it for city streets.

Once above ~30mph/50kph the automatic high beam we have is changed to a variable beam intensity and coverage that is noticeably better as the street lighting becomes lower. This is the new part. As it road becomes dark the full beam power turns on in a wide full beam. As advertised by EU Mercedes Multibeam Youtube illustrations, I was driving with the full beam manually set (headlight switch full clockwise, dimming lever forward) and not a single oncoming car flashed their headlight to complain of blinding light. However, proceeding cars ahead of me are not blocked until the road becomes darker. They get blasted with light because the system does not have enough light contrast to know to block out the car ahead of you. So it worked just as a test, but would I would leave the headlight switch in Auto so it can function properly.

The fog lamp pattern is slightly dipped and again brighter and a little higher on the right hand side with 642 (EU) vs; 640 (US/Canada), Unexpectedly, last night I drove into 10m fog at about 1000 meters elevation and appreciated this improved pattern. So again, if you find yourself in fog a few times a month, changing the firmware is recommended.

Now, when driving on an un-lit street or road, the 642 EU firmware really comes into its own. The beam rises slightly and light intensity increases. Oncoming cars, highly reflective parked car tail lights, road signs are attenuated and sometimes blocked completely. The beam intensity varies with vehicle speed, throwing a brighter and brighter lite forward. In the presence of oncoming traffic it tones down slightly and starts masking oncoming traffic. It is interesting that this masking out of oncoming traffic is rarely noticeable, for the simple fact you are looking into their bright headlights (duh!). This fact explains why the MB Multibeam is not actual video, but illustrations that demonstrate the concept and its various features.

Below are the relevant EU manual instructions for EU Multibeam:
••••••••••••
“Adaptive Highbeam Assist turns on in AUTO switch position by pushing combination turn signal lever forward to Main Beam or Hi beam position. In the case that Multibeam dazzles preceding traffic or oncoming traffic, the lever should be pulled toward you to lower beam angle.

[img]blob:https://mbworld.org/6590d12f-4468-43e5-a251-5213404f9272[/img] To activate: activate the Adaptive Highbeam Assist function using the onboard computer.

[img]blob:https://mbworld.org/6590d12f-4468-43e5-a251-5213404f9272[/img] Turn the light switch to

[img]blob:https://mbworld.org/6798628e-492c-4bbc-8958-773bbca3666b[/img] or [img]blob:https://mbworld.org/c229fa81-dd48-4b37-9f12-500b1098990d[/img]

.[img]blob:https://mbworld.org/6590d12f-4468-43e5-a251-5213404f9272[/img] Press the combination switch beyond the pressure point in the direction of arrow 1. If it is dark and the light sensor activates the low-beam headlamps, the [img]blob:https://mbworld.org/8203848e-f1f7-491f-927e-8a3e7b26e704[/img] indicator lamp in the instrument cluster lights up. If you drive faster than approximately 28 mph (45 km/h): the headlamp range is set automatically depending on the distance between the vehicle and other road users.

If you drive faster than approximately 35 mph (55 km/h) and no other road users are identified: the high-beam headlamps are switched on automatically. The [img]blob:https://mbworld.org/d25d56ca-79e3-46d3-95d1-3c625ae2de36[/img] indicator lamp in the instrument cluster also lights up. When you drive slower than approximately 30 mph (45 km/h) or if other road users are identified or if the roads are sufficiently illuminated: the high-beam headlamps are switched off automatically. The [img]blob:https://mbworld.org/d25d56ca-79e3-46d3-95d1-3c625ae2de36[/img] indicator lamp in the instrument cluster goes out. The [img]blob:https://mbworld.org/8203848e-f1f7-491f-927e-8a3e7b26e704[/img] indicator lamp in the instrument cluster stays on.

[img]blob:https://mbworld.org/6590d12f-4468-43e5-a251-5213404f9272[/img] To deactivate: move the combination switch back to its normal position. The [img]blob:https://mbworld.org/8203848e-f1f7-491f-927e-8a3e7b26e704[/img] indicator lamp in the instrument cluster goes out.

Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus switches automatically between:

• Dipped beam
• Partial main beam
• Main beam

The partial main beam uses the main beam to shine past other road users rather than dazzling them. The vehicle in front is illuminated by the dipped beam.

At speeds above 19 mph (30 km/h):

• If no other road users are detected, the main beam is automatically switched on.
• If other road users are detected, the partial main beam is automatically switched on.

At speeds below 16 mph (25 km/h) or when there is sufficient street lighting:

• The partial main beam switches off automatically.
• The main beam switches off automatically.

At speeds above approx. 31 mph (50 km/h):

• The headlamp range of the dipped beam is regulated automatically based on the distance to other road users.

The system's optical sensor is located behind the windscreen near the overhead control panel.”

***********

NOTE: There is an additional menu feature for changing beam pattern from LH to RH traffic in adjacent countries to UK, and legacy British Empire areas that has not been implemented for US/Canada. It is not in RHD Japanese cars either.

My experience with the EU 642 firmware ODBII modification is very positive and I recommend it for those who frequently drive at night in outlaying areas or routinely make inter-city trips. Vladimir has been doing firmware recoding for several years now and has a solid reputation.

wmkizer

I took this quick video this evening, this a
is a pic from it

TugboatBill

None of the images/links are working for me. Maybe a forum issue?

LILBENZ230

Can't see the video posted by @wmkizer either.