S-Class (W221) 2007-2013: S 320 CDI, S 350, S 450, S 500, S 550, S 420 CDI, S 600

Anyone ever changed their ambient lighting on their 221?

Old Jan 11, 2015 | 10:34 AM
  #26  
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W221
I want this kit

Last edited by Emre81; Jan 18, 2015 at 02:31 PM. Reason: Wrong
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 05:30 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by Emre81
I want this kit


As of now there is not a kit available. It's custom cut and fitted in. I'm not sure what the demand for this is going to be. This type of installation requires some work and if you've never soldered small delicate parts, run wires through the doors, or used cutting tools such as a Dremel, it could be a challenge to do. It's not super hard, just have to be inclined to take on a job like this. It is an all day job minimum. I plan on doing another S550 with another member here that is local.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 05:54 PM
  #28  
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If you don't live in CA, it's probably not going to happen for you
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 11:31 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by mbmoding
As of now there is not a kit available. It's custom cut and fitted in. I'm not sure what the demand for this is going to be. This type of installation requires some work and if you've never soldered small delicate parts, run wires through the doors, or used cutting tools such as a Dremel, it could be a challenge to do. It's not super hard, just have to be inclined to take on a job like this. It is an all day job minimum. I plan on doing another S550 with another member here that is local.
If you can make a board with solder parts I will do the rest my self
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 11:39 PM
  #30  
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01 ML55 / 97 E320/01 CLK55/ 2010 S550
Originally Posted by Emre81
If you can make a board with solder parts I will do the rest my self


What year and model car you have? You are talking about the board with the transistor circuit to reverse the polarity so you can control a single color through the comand or three colors if it's a 2010 s550?
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 11:43 PM
  #31  
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W221
2007 singel color but i want rgb
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 11:44 PM
  #32  
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You can do RGB through the controller.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 11:46 PM
  #33  
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Yes i have all what i need just need the board
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Old Jan 24, 2015 | 12:39 AM
  #34  
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Ok then, I'll build the board. I'll let you know when I get it done.
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Old Jan 24, 2015 | 12:52 AM
  #35  
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Thx
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Old Jan 24, 2015 | 08:39 PM
  #36  
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nice work mbmoding, I have been after the shop I like for years to make some puddle lights for my CLS haha.....


have you ever done those?


I do like my side mirror mod a lot; before I got rid of that black E class I had the guys snip the wires so the dealer didn't get that coolness LOL


stay well and let the modding continue
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Old Jan 25, 2015 | 03:14 AM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by hyperion667
nice work mbmoding, I have been after the shop I like for years to make some puddle lights for my CLS haha.....


have you ever done those?


I do like my side mirror mod a lot; before I got rid of that black E class I had the guys snip the wires so the dealer didn't get that coolness LOL


stay well and let the modding continue



I did puddle lights on my former 07 CLS63. I posted pics of it on this site. Yes I can do it.
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Old Mar 10, 2015 | 09:11 PM
  #38  
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How much do you charge to install the ambient lighting? I'll pay you top dollar. I have a 2008 S65 AMD with just yellow ambient lighting. I would prefer purple or blue as my 1 color. Let me know!!!


Originally Posted by mbmoding
I drew a diagram of how to wire the factory lights to the controller. Now this is for the single ambient light. For the three color you have to use the dual transistor setup. If you plan on using the factory command for the stock ambient light color then you don't need to use this diagram. If you are planning to use the the factory command but use one of the RGB colors then this diagram is a must. This will allow you to use one color of your choice and control it by the factory command and have the option to turn off the lights from the comand center and use the RGB controller for choice of color. Personally I do not like the factory ambient color of light. Once you dial in the RGB color to your liking, you will not want to go back to the stock dim amber lighting. All the females just love the colors, it hypnotizes them everytime. It is a bit of task to do this job and for any first timer, you have to be good at soldering, dremelling, and running wires. It's somewhat a delicate job. It's easy to break contact on the RGB strip if you tug it the wrong way. Once done you will realize it was worth every minute you have put into it.
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Old Mar 10, 2015 | 09:21 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by thinkbig63
How much do you charge to install the ambient lighting? I'll pay you top dollar. I have a 2008 S65 AMD with just yellow ambient lighting. I would prefer purple or blue as my 1 color. Let me know!!!



I'm guessing you'll be bringing your car to me? I would need a couple days to work on it.
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Old Mar 11, 2015 | 04:59 AM
  #40  
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Cool. This is something I thought of doing for years now...Cool to see one who did. Is it 12V Power on the factory leds? Why didnt you use a bendible led stripe? There are several types out there.
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Old Mar 12, 2015 | 01:42 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Chris The Swede
Cool. This is something I thought of doing for years now...Cool to see one who did. Is it 12V Power on the factory leds? Why didnt you use a bendible led stripe? There are several types out there.


I used RGB led strips but they won't take the bend on the middle part of the control panel like you would think and you have to cut and solder pieces of the RGB strip to basically make links to fit properly. It isn't simple as sticking an led strip onto it. If you take the wood trim parts out, you'll see why it looks almost impossible to do. There is a ton of trimming and attaching to do. It's no wonder why no one has yet to tackle it. Imagine any one shop installer making one mistake = $$$$ It took me two of these similar jobs to figure out how to do it as perfect as can be. With experience, 8 hours. No experience, days if you don't break anything.

The factory leds take 12vdc positive trigger BUT the RGB uses 12vdc neg. trigger to activate the colors. This is where I had to build a circuit to reverse the polarity. You cannot use relays to do this because you won't be able to fade properly on the colors. It's a very tedious job and honestly it's one of those type of jobs you will work every second of that 8 hours to the fullest and it will make you say "I'll never do it again" The results are just absolutely awesome. It's much more attractive than the ones that come on the new S class. More colors, more features, and much brighter.
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Old Mar 12, 2015 | 09:17 PM
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I installed LED throughout my entire car. The second I turned it on they shut off. I BLEW A FUSE! Replaced the fuse and it's been working strong for a little over a year now with no issues.
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Old Aug 30, 2015 | 02:32 PM
  #43  
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w221 Sclass 320 cdi
Hi,
Can I ask how do you remove the wood dash parts and the door wood trim parts ? do you have any pics of how to remove them ? I have an 06 plate w221 and only one colour which I would love to change to just a different colour not really bothered about changing it to 3. Mine are not very bright either.

Thanks.
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Old Aug 31, 2015 | 12:32 PM
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Doors you have to remove the hole door card. Front you only losen the screws on the sides and under the vent cover by the comand screen. Then just slowly and carefully pull it out. Here is mine with LEDs intead of the week original light:



You see the difference clearly on the front doors witch are not replaced here.
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Old Aug 31, 2015 | 12:33 PM
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Here is Another angle..
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Old Aug 31, 2015 | 12:34 PM
  #46  
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And again...
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Old Aug 31, 2015 | 03:57 PM
  #47  
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Wow they look great i defo want to do mine now. What size are the original lamp or leds that are in dash and doors? Could i just replace them with a different brighter led? I really like this mod.
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Old Aug 31, 2015 | 04:58 PM
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Originally Posted by mbmoding
All the females just love the colors, it hypnotizes them everytime.
Yes. Females. That is enough justification to do this. Great job man.
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Old Sep 1, 2015 | 10:24 PM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by G Style
Wow they look great i defo want to do mine now. What size are the original lamp or leds that are in dash and doors? Could i just replace them with a different brighter led? I really like this mod.




They use really tiny leds on the end, would not be an easy option and would not be bright enough for most peoples taste to do it. Depending on your year of car, pre 2010 uses single light, 2010 and up uses two led lights. If you plan to do RGB like I did and still want to use the factory command to do the three colors and or multi colors with a remote as well, you need to build a circuit to reverse the polarity of the output of the light going to the ambient light. I had to build a circuit to make this happen but worth the time it took to do it. You can do strips but it can look cheesy if not done right. I had to difuse the light to not make it look spotty. After doing two cars like this, I now know what it takes to do this correctly but it's a lot of work and will take you at least a couple days if you're doing this for the first time. It can be done in a day if you know what you're doing. If you're doing it for the first time, you'll be thinking how the heck you do the center part below the clock without having the strips bend in a direction making the light reflect different or how to make the circuit or run the wires. I used molex connectors in case I need to remove the door panels or the dash so it's a quick disconnect.
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Old Sep 2, 2015 | 05:48 AM
  #50  
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I just added stripes. No mods exept removing the oem plastic strip.
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