zz2017

Hello folks,
For those in the US with the Intelligent Light System (Multi-LED Beams) hardware in your cars, have you had a chance to activate the intelligent system now that the US law accepts intelligent systems for headlights? I wonder if the dealers are able to enable the feature.
Thanks.

superswiss

No, dealers won't activate it, because the EU implementation is still not legal in the USA. While these types of headlights are now technically legal, the devil is in the details. The new US regulation is still different from the EU regulation, so last I heard manufacturers are evaluating what they can offer in the USA. It likely won't be an option for existing cars as the software will have to be updated, so it's more than just activating it. There are third-party coders such as BenzNinja who will happily activate it, though.

EDIT: Also keep in mind, depending on where you drive mostly, it may not do much for you. Just like the adaptive high beams feature that the USA implementation has, it doesn't actually do anything in urban environments. These advanced features only work mostly out on open roads in rural areas where there's little light pollution. As soon as you enter urban environments it reverts to just low beams. It's based on the navigation maps and the light sources detected by the cameras.

Keith66

Yeah, an MB dealer will not do this. I had the ILS+ activated on my car and it was definitely worth it. I drive a lot at night and the way the ILS+ works is almost magical... it's really awesome, especially if you pay attention to all the ways the lighting is constantly changing, adapting, and highlighting items you should be aware of. Really cool stuff.

There are a few options out there for activation of this feature and they all provide you with the same thing when done: ILS+ ON (it's either on or off, don't be decieved by some that may claim they offer "special" ILS+).

I chose to go with RJ Automotive to get mine activated. It was super easy, they mail you a OBD cable/module then they remote-in through your laptop connected to the car. It took them a few short minutes and it was done at a very reasonable cost.

A post of mine shortly after I had it activated:
https://mbworld.org/forums/w213-amg/...ml#post8796264

RJ Automotive:
https://rjautomotive.net/collections...tion-us-canada

If you get it done, I doubt you'll regret it.

BenzNinja

iTrader: (4)

feel free to contact us
you are welcome

lot's of extra services included, USA based


https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...benzninja.html

ua549

What is the data card option for the required multi-beam hardware?
My data card has:
608 AUTOMATIC HIGH BEAM SWITCH (IHC)
640 DYNAMIC LED HEADLAMPS, SAE, RIGHT-HAND TRAFFIC

BenzNinja

iTrader: (4)

640

rjih

I had the light system activated by RJ Automotive on my 2020 E450 Coupe, and the difference is worth every penny. It was super easy and took approximately 15 minutes.

np6345

Superswiss is spot on here, dealers will not activate it but you can have it done by third-party coders if you wish. I concur that depending on where you mostly drive, the advanced capabilities of Multibeam LEDs may have minimal effect. I had mine activated and love it, but it really doesn't do much for me for the majority of my driving.

zz2017

Thank you everyone for your answers. It looks like RJ Automotive is the way to go. If I decide to buy the coding, I promise to come back and report on the result to give you folks more info and a useful review.

zz2017

Please do you mind me asking who did you use to activate it?

np6345

I used RJAutomotive, there are other remote coders out there as well like BenzNinja and maybe others. It's a pretty simple activation process, i would just go with whoever gives you the best deal.

ua549

Cost?

Keith66

RJA's prices are on their website (no shady secret squirrel BS). I paid $285 US total.

superswiss and np6345 make great points, if you live and stay in a city or somewhere where it's always brightly lit, you may not see as much value in it. I think though, that even one road trip or those times you venture "into the darkness" it is still worth the cost because I think it is that good.

I'm in south Florida and most of the roads I drive at night, and even in my city/town, my highbeams are on a majority of the time and modulating the LED arrays. The level of safety and confidence it has given me at night has literally changed my night driving experience like never before.

It's the experience we were supposed to have but got cheated out of by a baseless regulation.

ssquared30

Highly recommend BenzNinja, he did mine on my 2022 E450. I couldn't care less whether it's legal or not. It makes a massive improvement in nighttime driving outside of urban environment and I'll pick safety anyday over following archaic laws written by morons who couldn't get a job in the private sector so ended up in politics.

Keith66

In case any members are not sure about what we are discussing here, it is this:

beechcamp

I successfully used RJAutomotive to activate my multi beam headlights on my E300 and my E400. It took less than ½ hour and they were very professional. It is magical to see the lights in operation. It was the best couple of hundred dollars I've spent.

nycebo

I'm very keen to activate this feature. Before I move forward though, what are the chances that the dealer will disable it? Or, will observe that it's enabled and revoke my warranty? Thanks.

beechcamp

I'd say pretty low chance of that happening. Two plus years after having my lights activated and multiple dealer visits for service and software updates have produced zero notice of my activation and zero issues of the activation being turned off. RJAutomotive and I believe BenzNinja will both recode you for free if a dealer knocks the activation off, but I've not heard of it happening at all.

JTK44

POI: There was another thread for ILA where a computer was being sent to the owner. The owner then connected to the Internet and the company used the computer to activate ILA. Once done, the computer was sent on to the next person. The computer was owned and set up by the company. If I remember correctly the activation of ILA was under $200 - but I could be wrong.

This procedure did not involve your own personal computer which point was raised in a prior post.

This would be an alternative to both RJ and Ninja.

I have not been able to find the thread.

Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.

wildta

RJ Automotive is cheaper for this ILS coding than BenzNinja, at least when I did mine back in April. There are some differences in the two though in that RJ Automotive has a limited coding menu and he won't doing anything outside of it versus BenzNinja who will attempt to code whatever is possible with your hardware and what you're willing to pay.

nycebo

Just wanted to circle back and share my experience. The team at RJ Automotive got me configured a couple weeks ago. They sent me the plug and cable to attach the car to my laptop. We set up a remote control session and they went about emailing the ILS features on my 2021 E450 wagon. It didn't take long at all and when they were done, I now had the option in my settings for ILS (which they had already enabled).

It worked seamlessly on the road. It's pretty amazing because of how it can dim individual LEDs. For my part, I thought the price was get fair and I was delighted with the service. MB USA really should enable this for all users in the States, but until then, I highly recommend the activation.

WilkesJim

My experience with RJ Automotive was the same. I also had the auto stop/start programed to stay off unless I turn it on. RJ Automotive was great to work with. Highly recommend.

f*lambda

I'll chime in here with another positive vote for RJ Automotive. Great job with the up-front communications to get set up + the appointment. 15 minutes and all done.
Great packaging with the dongle and app on their end, no hassles, no problems.
Who'd have thought just a few years back you could have someone in the UK update features on your car while you're sitting in Boston drinking the morning coffee?

rey_winslow

I'm curious about the RJA site and their listing of which vehicles qualify:

My 2016 has 640 for ILS and also 531 COMAND APS NTG5/NTG5.5. So maybe I'm out of luck?

beechcamp

Check with RJ; send them a message--they are very responsive and will be able to tell you if they can do it based on the hardware in your car.