dharrar

A friend owns a 2015 S550. The manual refers to Automatic High Beams and when you press the turn signal lever forward, an icon lights in the instrument cluster, indicating the auto function is active. Problem is, the high beams NEVER come on. The dealer, first tried to convince my friend the feature was an option he did not purchase. Then said, it wasn't an option, just not a feature and the only way to have your high beams on is, "Take the headlight switch from Auto to On, then move the turn signal indicator forward," and the high beams, do indeed stay on. Of course, when you pull into your garage the lights continue to stay on since no longer in Auto mode! Ridiculous, I say the function is in the vehicle, but broken!

Why would the instrument cluster have an icon that lights up indicating automatic high beams if not an active feature of the vehicle? Further, if not a feature then why wouldn't high beams simply go on with the headlight control in Auto, when moving the turn signal lever forward, as in every older Mercedes such as my 2008 S63 and even my 2013 G63?

Question for other owners of an 2015 S550 in the US. Does your vehicle have working automatic high beams or do you have to turn the switch from Auto to On to have high beams?

Thank you in advance to any who can respond!

bob2011

I've driven my uncles 2017 S class for a week or so and you did have to set the light switch to auto, with the indicator stalk foreword to enable the auto high beam function. The high beams only came on during long stretches of open, dark road lmao, Never during basic city driving.

Same thing with my 2014 CLS550, switch on auto, stick forward.

syswei

Mine also works like this, a 2015 S. So darn SLOW that much of the potential utility is just lost. Our Volvo's auto highbeam works much much faster/better.

docsout

ItalianJoe1

Why do people need to drive around with high beams on though? It does nothing but blind oncoming traffic, the extra light is thrown up and away from the road. I can see if you are out on the open road by yourself at night, but in any other situation, the normal headlights should work just fine if they are aimed correctly and clean. If you're having that much difficulty seeing at night, perhaps an eye exam is in order.

Personal pet peeve, I hate being blinded by idiots in oncoming traffic with high beams on.

syswei

In the burbs, where I live, in many areas there are no streetlights, and my night vision isn't great...for which I believe nothing can be done. High beams let me see farther, and are useful at least for me. The whole point of the auto function is precisely to NOT blind oncoming traffic.

XboxMeister

Yes they work perfectly in my 2015 S550. It's on auto mode and stalk pushed forward. I don't have the complaints others here do. They come on when needed and automatically turn off when oncoming traffic is detected.

Sounds like they're broken somehow in this case. Can't imagine dealer can't diagnose this really easily.

Wolfman

I can see your point with manual hi-beams but seeing further is simply safer. The last 15 years of lighting tech has revolved around turning the headlights to constant-on hi-beams with long distance beams. Laser light was the distance king but multi-beam LED can now match the distance. The whole point of the "intelligent" lighting was to eliminate the blinding of other people and drivers. Hence cameras that detect the cars, motorcycles and pedestrians and the computers that turns off select LED elements to blank them out dynamically.

These always-on hi-beam headlights is what the rest of the world can get, in the US we get the dumbed down headlights that selectively enable the high-beam function. Poor mans approach... Also very misleading as the manufacturers don't change the names of the lighting systems. The US intelligent lighting isn't very intelligent

MBS63AMG

It's broken. It should work in the auto position with the stalk pushed forward. The dealer is wrong.

Jason B

I absolutely LOVE this feature on the w221. It comes on over 30 mph, but yea, you need to be mostly on dark roads and they will stay on, and on the highway if there isn't oncoming traffic. Maybe they made it more sensitive for the w222, but what's stupid is, there SHOULD BE SOME TYPE OF CONTOL in command to adjust that sensitivity, vs. Mercedes just doing it for you. Sounds like they scaled it back.

I remember an old lincoln town car having this option back 25+ years ago, and you could adjust it and it worked great. It's an open on lower model Mercedes, like the new E class loaner I had, didn't have it, and it drove me nuts. It's a must, especially if you live on twisty roads to get home, etc.

platt-deutsch

My 2015 Auto Dim works fine. I notice if I want it to go to high beam a little quicker , I push the stalk towards the dash slightly and it usually goes to High Beam

Detailingdoc

auto high beams works as you described in my 2015.

ChuckinTucson

Not sure where you're driving or how fast, but auto high beam doesn't work below 25 mph. Also it will not work when following another car -- it's that sensitive that it can pick up taillights. I've also had it switch back to low beams when I'm passing a yellow warning sign on the road due to reflection.

Jason B

Correct, it doesn't work below 25 mph. It's around 30 mph.

DFW_Neal

tonyep

No easy way. Either pull the stalk and push it back for auto mode or turn the headlight switch to low beam and back to auto.

360 Spyder

2016 auto dimming is terrible on winding and inclining mountain roads where it picks up reflections from pavement and trees, bushes etc. Hoping the brights will stay on in manual mode as people say.

JohnLane

Americans who have cars that in the headlight read......... 'Intelligent lighting system' need to get with Peter... AKA Benzninja to have intelligent lighting enabled.
Our .FED overlords think so little of us they only made use of this feature that is baked into our cars I believe... Last year. Find your way to Peter's site. He advertises here on the board. Good fellow. Knows his stuff.

Mitch Alsup

There is some sort of light sensor that goes from high-beams to low-beams when there is enough "light".
This is to prevent blinding other drivers, but it is also sensitive to street lights, and house lights.

If you really want high-beams all the time, you need a rubber band to hold the stalk back all the time.

Tom in Austin

Yes, this puzzled me for a long time as well. Ambient light and basically anything else would defeat the automatic high beams, but my car still eventually invokes them when it feels like it. Seems a sensitivity setting or something would be helpful. Or, as others have said, upgrade to the ILS.

carlosinseattle

I have a 2018 and have the us standard ILS, not upgraded by Peter. My highs and things go up and down and around corners, and everything else. It's amazing to see how the lights change as I move down the street. Seem slike some people don't have the same experience.

as.thompson

My 2016 coupe with ILS works the same as you report. Light switch has to be in Auto and the stalk forward for it to operate like that.

360 Spyder

Manual mode works perfectly with hi beams staying on when stalk pushed forward. And lights shut off when car turned off. Perfect for me.