bruntoj

In that first photo you can see by the shadow on the wall that the sun is low in the sky. The light sensor also triggers when the sun is low, not just ambient light - I don't know how, must be able to measure the angle of direct light hitting the sensor. Makes sense when you're driving around near dusk or shortly after dawn when having your lights on makes you more visible to others.

I felt much better about the auto light feature once I recognized this behavior. I admit its still not 100% but its not as flakey as I initially thought.

eeferber

I believe you're missing an important point here.

You mention the "auto light feature". I do NOT have the switch on AUTO, it is set to OFF. The DRL option is set on. Still the headlights have a mind of their own, sometimes they come on in BRIGHT daylight - there is no way to turn the lights off since the switch is ALREADY OFF.

I never had this problem until I turned on the DRL setting. You don't call this flakey???

DC-IT

I got a call on Wednesday to bring my ML in on Monday to have the sensor replaced.

I've emailed the SM that IMO changing the light sensor may not be sufficient.

I explained that I noticed that the light sensor seems to work properly with respect to the NAV screen switching from low light to bright light.

I noticed that on the day that the auto-light was misbehaving and the headlights were on in bright sunshine, the NAV screen would change to the night display when I drove under a highway underpass and then it would switched back to the daytime display the moment I exit the underpass. But all the time the headlights stayed on!

I emailed this observation to the SM and said that Mercedes Technical may have to look into the reprogramming of the ECU to properly synchronize the lighting with the light sensor.

He has forwarded my comments to M-B Technical and hopefully they can come up with a solution by the time I send in my ML on Monday.

eeferber

thanks for the update. Hopefully you'll get a solution soon, and we'll ALL be grateful.

DC-IT

You're welcome.

If changing the sensor does'nt solve the issue I shall ask the SM to arrange a meeting with a M-B Tech.

When I get there on Monday I will ask the SM to check on the light switch on other M-B models like the C + E Class to see if the OFF setting of light switch works.

We'll soon find out.

joshinthecity

Watching with interest DC.

Thanks for the update.
j.

DC-IT

Joshinthecity.

I'm eager to check out the 2012 ML to see if the auto-light switch works and allow one to turn off the auto setting as well as the headlights!
I'll try and arrange a test drive on Monday when I go the the dealership.

If M-B has solved it in the W166 I'll consider getting it when my lease is up in 3 years time.

Cheers

GateKeeper

Something very interesting I saw today on my way to work. Today was a cloudy and very overcast day, actually it has been raining most of the day, and it was raining when I pulled up beside a newer ML350 BlueTech, I don't know what year it was, but can't be that old if it's a BlueTech, right ?

So anyway's, I beside it light turns green and I get going, and I look in my side mirror and see the ML, and it has absolutely no lights on, I mean none, no parking lights, no headlights, now how is this possible, does tis mena his switch in the off position actually turns off the lights, and turns them all off, or is this guys ML having some sort of issues as well ? I don't recall even seeing any of the DRL's on

Hmmmmm

eeferber

are you sure it was a Canadian vehicle?

GateKeeper

Well not 100%, but it was here in Canada, now was it imported from the US, could be, but I doubt it.

And just driving beside it, I don't think I would be able to tell

DC-IT

Excellent observation Gatekeeper.
If it's a Canadian model the DRL wil be mandatory and cannot be switched off?
Unless the DRL are blown?

BTW, if it's a 2011 it should have the LED DRL?

I got an email from my SM that I can test the lights on several M-B vehicles when I send in my ML on Monday.

I'll test the C, E and GL, RL and another ML to see if the light switch allows me to turn the headlights ON/OFF and whether the Auto-light setting can be turned OFF.

If it can then I'd like to know why my ML doesn't function as it's supposed to!

blittle

My 2011 GL450 does exactly the same thing......once you program the DRL to "on".... the headlight control switch becomes irrelevant. The headlights will function in the "auto" mode regardless whether the switch is on or off

GateKeeper

I can say for sure it did have the led DRL lights, they looked just like yours in your photo at the top, they were not round like on the older models....

I just can't for the life of me remember if they were on or off, but for some reason it seems as if I remember seeing no lights on at all, which seems more the the way it was, cause I really hate it when people drive around with no lights on when it's dark or raining.....just something that bugs me

I wish I paid more attention, but it can happen again

DC-IT, if you need, I have a guy with the STAR Diagnostic unit, we can check out your settings and make changes if needed, to how you would like to have it, even the DRL's can be turned off, even if it's a Canadian model.......

hook up with us at......... puremb dot com

DC-IT

Thanks Gatekeeper.
The LED DRL are pretty cool and should be left on.
What I would like is for the switch to be able to turn the headlights ON or OFF.

I'll see what happens after the light sensor is replace on Monday.

Cheers.

DC-IT

I sent my ML in on Moday and M-B replaced the light sensor.
The Tech also checked for any software update but none were listed.

Since Monday I have not had the headlights come on when it's not supposed to.

However it's too premature to conclude that the issue is resolved as these past couple of days the sky is overcast and no bright sunshine so until I've driven a couple of days in bright sunshine I will wait and see if the sensor is the culprit.

I'll post a follow up within a week.

GateKeeper

so the sensor is replaced, does this now allow you to turn off the lights via the inside switch ?

or does the zero position do nothing as in the past ?

DC-IT

Unfortunately the sensor has not effect on the switch which still does nothing in the "0" setting.

However I discovered that in the Canadian ML I can use the switch to turn off the LED DRL by turning it to the furthest right position and pull the switch upwards.

Today is another overcast day so it's still working as designed.

But the SM said that if the issue is not resolved M-B Technical said to replace the light switch.

roadrutz

Huh? That position turns on the rear fog light. Are you saying that it also automatically switches off the DRLs? I would have thought that with the LED DRLs, either any lights-on position would turn off the DRLs or none would. If you are correct, that is even stranger than all the previous discussion about the lights staying on randomly!

eeferber

does the SM know that you've been in contact with other ML owners with the same problem?

out of curiosity, do you know when yours was built? Mine was one of the first batches for the '11 model year - delivered around mid-August, 2011.

DC-IT

That's correct. It turns off the LED DRL!

I did mention that the issue with the auto-lighting is not unique to my ML and that it affects many MLs from 2009~2011 in Canada, USA ans even as far away as Australia!
My ML in service date was Dec 2011. I'll check the built date tomorrow since it's late now.

xpirin

I can confirm the same behavior in Europe too.

DC-IT

Looks like it's a worldwide syndrome!

And it also affects the GL!!

Didn't any other owners bring this issue up for M-B to rectify???

If more owners complained then M-B may put more effort into finding a proper solution or redesign the light switch + its sync programming with the light sensor.

So far the weather here has not been cooperating and I have not be able to drive it in bright sunshine to see if the auto-lighting defect is corrected after the sensor is replaced.

Before the sensor was replaced I would see the headlights turned on in bright daylight practically every day or every other day.

If M-B has not made any changes I won't be surprise if the 2012 ML will inherit this "auto-lighting" feature!!!

BTW. I checked out the W166 and other than the better NAV location + more powerful Diesel engine I like my Grand Edition better since it's fully loaded and costs a lot less than a similarly equipped W166. Plus we get the AMG steering wheel + smoked headlights + two-toned rims all standard AND Chromite Black Metallic paint. It's the best of the last edition!

DC-IT

The replacement of the light sensor did not solved the auto-lighting issue.
On Saturday I drove in bright sunshine and it works for most of the day until around 4.45 PM when the dreaded LED indicator in the instrument panel lit up! AAARRRRG!
It stayed on for the rest of my drive home!

I've emailed the SM to let him know.
I've requested that he forward my email to M-B Tech to get them to look into this issue.
I stated that their suggestion to change the light switch is unlikely to work but if the new light switch will let me turn the headlights on/off manually I would be glad to have it changed.
I pointed out that it's like a programming issue between the ECU and the light sensor or other causes.

It will be very interesting to find out if the W166 ML has the same issue.

joshinthecity

DC: Believe it or not, my wife (primary driver) the other day asked weather our lighting "issue" could be related to time, as she said that when it's a sunny day her lights come on at almost exactly the same time every time.
4:30-4:45 pm when it's sunny.!

The issue seems to be a low sun on a sunny day.
The switch debacle is just stupidity from a design standpoint.

2 separate issues it seems.
They just compound each other to a maddening degree.
Josh.

DC-IT

Josh.

I've had the headlights come on at all times of the day!
On the day I drove to the dealership to change the sensor (8.00AM) the headlights came on in my garage as it should 'cos of the indoor light level and then switched off when I exited the garage into the morning sun. Then I drove under a highway underpass to get onto the freeway and the headlights came on as the sensor detected that the light level was low (tunnel).
But when I exited the underpass onto the freeway to get to the dealership the headlights stayed on for the duration of the trip.
I was hoping that they would stay on till I got to the dealership but alas when I exited the freeway to get to the dealership the damn headlights turned off!!! The sun was very bright but at a low angle as it was 8.15 AM.

To me it's a fundament flaw in the design which M-B is not admiting and will probably not do anything to correct it since the W166 has replaced the W164.
But I am eager to see if the W166 has the same auto-lighting issues.
If so I surely will not bother to get one and look elsewhere when my lease is up.

As I mentioned to the SM that my BMW 335d's auto-lighting has worked flawlessly for the past 60,000 KM and I can switch the headlights ON/OFF manually so why can't M-B get this feature working correctly?