Anyone know...

Does the 2018-2020 in the U.S. come with the rear turn signal lights in yellow - but they just have to be coded to work?

Or do they come with different (from everywhere else it seems) rear lights without the yellow turn signals in them.

Thanks!

U.S. models have different rear light assemblies. They physically lack the amber bulbs and lenses. You can't code them on. You must buy and install the European-specification tail light units. Then you'll need coding to reconfigure the car for them. Expect it to be expensive.

Yeah, that is what I was afraid of.

Doesn't make much sense having to manufacture two different rear taillights - when they could have just used the same one and coded it differently.

But, yeah... not a big deal - just would have been nice.

Thanks as always!

Not exactly. All bulbs in the W222 are LED, and rear lights use color changing LEDs, which are common to all LEDs. Just like the front "eye brows" that are blue in Euro spec W222s, they are specd for white only in the USA. There's no reason the coding wouldn't work in the US. But the reason we don't have the amber is because of some US regulation. Same bulbs just different coding.

Kind of surprised no one in the US has tried to do this mod/code.

My guess is many more owners in the US would like the yellow/amber rear turn signals like the rest of the world gets.

I don't remember it being that expensive. I did it 3 years ago with the help of benzninja. The rear SAM is different on EU cars so it was a combination of coding, and changing wiring pins to the tail lamp. Benzninja told me what wires to swap while he did the coding. It's also possible that coding was necessary because I went with the newer style tail lights on my 2015 S63.

Did it with a 2015 S63

And all you needed was wire and coding?

yes. I moved from DMV to Japan so the conversation was required. I recommend reaching out to benzninja.

What is the regulation that doesn’t allow amber turn signals? I feel like it’s more that the US allows red or amber turn signals, that they make them red.
There are many new cars that still use the amber/yellow turn signals. Not exactly sure why Benz just keeps it all red..

I'm not sure. I do know US regs say we can't have any Blue lights in the front unless you're law enforcement, which why we don't have the blue DRL's in the front. I'm not 100% sure if it's a regulation or manufacturer choice to not include amber rear turn signals. Coding should allow both to operate.

From everything I have read - rear amber turn signals are legal in the U.S.

This is AI - but it tracks exactly with everything else I have read.

Amber rear turn signals are fully legal and compliant with US federal law, specifically under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 (49 CFR 571.108). There is no law against them; rather, U.S. regulations allow manufacturers to use either red or amber (yellow) for rear turn signals, with red being more common for cost-efficiency.

• Legality: Amber lights are permitted for rear turn signals, contrary to the belief that they are illegal.
• Safety Data: A NHTSA study indicated that amber rear turn signals are more effective than red ones, with some studies suggesting they can reduce rear-end collisions by up to 28%.
• Regulations: 49 CFR 571.108 allows rear turn signals to be either red or amber.
• Manufacturer Preference: While international standards often require amber, many US manufacturers prefer red for styling and to keep costs down by using a single bulb for both braking and turning.

That’s what I’m saying. US regulation allows amber OR red turn signals. Some other countries don’t allow red. The default in Europe is amber turn signals. Why would Mercedes go through the trouble of turning them red for the US when it’s perfectly acceptable being amber. It’s not a cost savings measure. It’s also statistically safer to have amber turn signals versus red. It makes no sense.
I would want to turn mine amber too if all it takes is some coding.

I am having my 2018 S560 Multi Beam Headlights recoded (via RJAutomotive) to enable Euro vs US capabilities. Is it possible to just Code these rear LED turn signals from red to amber?? Glad I saw your comments if this is indeed possible. Thanks

This isn't accurate. Plenty of US cars have amber rear turn signals including MBs, my S580 has red LEDs that turn amber when they flash:


Not sure why MB chose to have amber turn signals on the US W222s but US regulation isn't why

I was referring to the regulations prohibiting blue lights in the front, not about the reason for the rear, sorry if that was confusing. You're right, plenty vehicles have amber rear turn sugnals.

According to Williams707 (above) and BenzNinja (via e-mail) it is.

This seems like a for sure upgrade for most.

I inquired with BN about the front eyebrows showing blue instead of white. He said it can be done but reduces the life of the bulbs. But, there's no reason a change to blue would reduce the life of the bulb or controller since blue light draws less power than white. I'm not willing to be the guinea pig, but if someone else went first I'd try it out too.

AH! Understood.