Hi guys,

Know there's been a lot of discussion around ambient light retrofitting, and I've been a naysayer, but I want to try and understand the individual components of the system to see if a retrofit using OEM parts from eBay is actually possible.


I managed to find a section of the big dash trim piece on eBay for less than $50 bucks. Sell verified it was in working condition from the vehicle it came off of, and sent pictures.

I got the trim piece yesterday, and wanted to do a bench test with a 9v battery. Nada. Here's what's interesting from actually being able to look at how these components work. There's a fiber optic band that runs in a channel on the bottom of the trim piece, with two emitters on opposite sides of the piece, all leading to a 3 pin connector. In my head one is positive, one is ground, and the third tells the FO light emitter to send the "Solar," "Polar", or "Neutral" color through the band.

But with basic circuitry, by sending power to the light shouldn't I get one of the colors?

My other solution is to use these FO emitters I got off of AliExpress and send the light into the existing channel, bypassing the OEM emitter, but I want to try and understand how to get the OEM FO shooting through first. Here's some pics:

 

Bold Experiment. I think the person you should contact is chris the swede, PM me for more info. He would be a good resource to dig deeper into the ambient lighting assembly.

Also, be mindful of one thing. Certain MB models have the 1 color ambient lighting, which is Solar, from 2009-2011 models, I have seen it on older model E class sedans and some S sedans, i think they introduced the 3 colors from 2012 on (im thinking). I pesonally like more options that they are offering now, well my moms 16 S550 only has a few and i only have the standard 3 in the GLC.

It does make a difference when you drive a nightime though, if you ask me. Good Luck! let us how know it goes.

 

I knew it was over can bus, but in my ML, it wouldn't have been pre-wired for ambient, meaning if I pulled the dash trim and door trim pieces (have looked at the latter), the ambient light connectors are not there, meaning I would be running new door and dash looms.

So that's what I'm trying to power up the FO emitters manually. But you're saying it's physically impossible? So best solution would be to put my own FO emitters from the AliExpress kit in place with the MB ones are. Thanks Chris.

 

but your ML had ambient light to start with BEFORE you retrofitted COMAND 5 correct? You just went from 3 to 12 colors.

 

By chance then do you have a wiring diagram of all the looms you installed and the connection points? The only SAM I've seen under the center console is the one that goes to the rear ac controls (which I do not have).

 

RE: chris is banned


You re-did the whole interior panel?
From the pics it looks like the cabin of a GLS but since you dont have the drive mode selector that the GLE/GLS (2016-19) has, looks like you retrofitted the whole interior cabin

Is this correct?

 

And I guess to add to Dr Wolf's question -- since your ML did NOT have ambient lighting, you would have put in all new trim pieces with the ambient light tube? So I would not only have to buy a COMAND 5 system and an ambient light kit (such as one from CKM car design), but I would would have to buy the trim pieces as well with the ambient light tubes.

There is an easier way to do this, I know it. The damn MB emitters HAVE to power up another way.

 

I decided to take apart the light emitter even more, and voila. Got it to power up. For those curious, here's the pinout on the chip:

151 (Brown) - is positive
1DE (Yellow) is Solar (yellow orange color)
19E (Green) is Blue color (polar I believe)
1DE + 19E (yellow + green) fires both (which is neutral, which if I remember from my dad's ML, looks very similar to solar.

I really only care for the solar color, so I'll be wiring it up next to the cigarette lighter which is where my AliExpress footwell lights are wired to.

 

Anddddd we have retrofitted Ambient Light!!!!

 

the doors are next -- before I looked for those pieces, I wanted to make sure it was possible first. The doors will be much easier tapping into power there versus the rigging I had to do for the dash piece. (And still need to get the small piece on the other side of the wheel + cupholders).

Your blue does look really, really good, but I like the solar color just fine, and know I won't have the ability to change to neutral or polar, but at least it matches the rest of the interior.

I can though, change the footwell color as that is the AliExpress kit there.

If anything I debated switching out the trim pieces for that beautiful satin brown ash, which I think you have, since I'm switching out all the trim pieces anyways.

It's not perfect, but it's certainly on the loath to what I wanted 😁

 

Nice work! Post pics of the whole thing then your done. Are you also going to add footwell lights under the front passenger seats?

 

That is a really cool shade of blue, kinda more towards purpleish

 

I actually already added the footwell lights in the front and under both seats (4 in total). Next step is waiting for all the various trim pieces to come in from eBay that I ordered. Switched to Anthracite Poplar, because, why not .

My experiment is now going to entail attempting to take the LED emitters (64 color) from the AliExpress kit I bought, and fit them into the MB housing so it can all be controlled via the android app on my COMAND screen. If that experiment goes awry, and my soldering skills aren't what they used to be, I'll just tap into the door handle light power and everything will be "solar" colored. It's great since those lights turn on and off with the headlights and door opening, and the dash piece will just stay powered on.

 

But....do they flash with music?

 

Show me when you have everything done, or show what you have done so far.

 

any progress? updates?

 

I was having trouble finding the door trims for the Eucalyptus color I have, but I stumbled onto a set of Anthracite Poplar trims on eBay. It was for a RHD car, but I also found the large dash piece from a separate seller.

Long story short, I have swapped out all the dash pieces for Anthracite Poplar and wired up the Solar color on the ambient light, but I am STILL waiting on the door trim pieces to come from Lithuania 😂. They cleared customs last night, so only a matter of time. But I really do like the black wood versus the standard Brown trim.

 

Cool.. so your just going with solar ambient?

 

yeah, since it matches best inside the cockpit with all the other colors. Only interesting thing I've noticed is that I have a trim piece from a 2017 GLE, and the LED emitter is the same 2 color led as the ones from the ML's (12-15), but the GLE's are supposed to have the 64 color light. Not a problem, just curious how the GLE lighting works. I know it has to do with COMAND 5, versus 4.7, but from the actual emitter standpoint, I would have figured they would be different hardware. Unless the GLE's you could order them with the regular 3 color ambient light, or the 64 color variant.

 

the W166 chassis of the GLE (16-19) only has the 3 color variant of the ambient lighting, my neighbor has a fully loaded GLE 350W4 and the few times i was able to look it was 3 color setting, Unless you retrofit it, as christheswede has as we saw in the earlier posts. the 2020, from my understanding has the 12 or 64 color variant, but I am not 100% on that and would have to check with GLE section (W167 chassis).

 

oh wow -- I thought that with the new version of COMAND in the '16-'19 GLE's it went from 3 colors to the full spectrum.

 

my mom has a 16 S550 and she only has the 12 color variant, and its new version of comand so i dont think it has to do with that. Either it comes with some kind of retrofit or you need to get P3 package to have that option.

 

2013 GL here with 3 color but would love to just swap to another color by replacing the led to the color I want or maybe a RGB led that’s controlled by the controller it would come with.

Can you point me to LEDs on AliExpress that might fit my plan?

 

I know you’re the expert on this, but are you sure about the GLE 12 color option? I don’t see it in the dealer order guide for the 2019’s.

 

the only option for it in the COMAND menu is in various retrofits. Have never seen a stock image, let alone the other evidence of seeing GLE trim pieces with only the 3 led color variant, in addition to the ordering guide. I'm not doubting you, have just never seen supporting evidence of it.