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Im afraid of rattling after the install because of the 4d surrounds sound. The install looks like a lot needs to be disassembled. Have you experienced any issues after the install.
Update: finally got my ambient lighting installed along with the ambient lighting for the speaker covers. Video attached
So let me ask you as a friend is in this same position. The AAL menu, did it just appear after the install? I thought the NON AAL cars didnt have the multi color menu, only the Single one. IE. When you going to ambient light menu there is 2 options, one is for solid colors and one menu is for the multicolor. Did you have multicolor menu before you had the lights installed? And if no, did it just appear without coding after they installed it? Great job and nice to know many people here who are missing this can retrofit it
I reside in Mainland China, and in here, retrofitting of active ambient lighting is probably THE most common aftermarket surgery people conduct on their W223s, so yes, it's definitely viable.
Most buyers here do not have the patience of waiting 6+ months for an adequately equipped car to show up in inventory. So most people just compromise and drive off a terribly under-equipped car, looking to retrofit all the necessary stuff afterwards.
FYI, the most reputable custom shop I know of in China prices active ambient lighting at USD 3,400. Expensive but you get (relatively speaking) peace of mind knowing experienced experts who have done dozens of the same installations are taking care of your $$$ car.
If I were to do this myself, I'd make sure to check the shop's past projects thoroughly, making sure they have done this exact same retrofit installation multiple times successfully, before entrusting them with my car. At least ask them to show you graphical evidence of their past projects, and maybe verify their validity by phoning the owner, if possible.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
The Active Ambient Lighting is a fabulous option and I’m very happy to have it in my 2022 S580. That said, there is NO WAY that I would ever consider having a car without it, retrofitted just to have it. These cars are so, over-the-top complicated and stuffed with tech, that to allow anyone to dismantle the interior and “fool” with the electronics is just plain NUTS to me. We are all relying on our factory warranties to take care of us when issues arise in these over engineered “computers on wheels.” Can you even imagine giving the dealer the “emergency exit” of being able to say “I’m sorry Mr. Smith, but the upgrades you have performed on your vehicle have nullified your factory warranty. Have a nice day!” Honestly, if a missing option is that important to someone, I believe they would be much better off trading the car for one equipped more to their liking.
Definetly agree with you and I cancelled my first car because of it but I dont think AAL they would even notice. None of these guys are looking up the cars sticker and considering it looks like just retrofitting a missing part I wouldn't be too worried. Now something like tuning the engine and messing with ecus is another story. All of these LEDs are just low voltage and really cant do much harm unless they start making problems on the can network. IMHO the problem really arises if you start having some weird issues happening in the vehicle you must be prepared to remove all of those AAL, go back to stock and then goto dealer. And THEN have it all put back in after the problem is resolved. It's really how much of a commitment you really want to these things because at the end of the day there cheap chinese parts, if they were factory MB light bars I dont think there would ever be an issue. Back in the day I had Steve MbenzNL come over from the netherlands and install tons of stuff into my w213 that didnt even exist in the US and dealer never had issue with it because they were all genuine MB parts.
Im very suprised nobody has just looked up the part numbers for the genuine MB light bars and tried retrofitting those. I would probably bet they cost very similar or less then what these Chinese sellers are charging
The Active Ambient Lighting is a fabulous option and I’m very happy to have it in my 2022 S580. That said, there is NO WAY that I would ever consider having a car without it, retrofitted just to have it. These cars are so, over-the-top complicated and stuffed with tech, that to allow anyone to dismantle the interior and “fool” with the electronics is just plain NUTS to me. We are all relying on our factory warranties to take care of us when issues arise in these over engineered “computers on wheels.” Can you even imagine giving the dealer the “emergency exit” of being able to say “I’m sorry Mr. Smith, but the upgrades you have performed on your vehicle have nullified your factory warranty. Have a nice day!” Honestly, if a missing option is that important to someone, I believe they would be much better off trading the car for one equipped more to their liking.
Factory installed equipment will of course always be superior, and I agree it is important to preserve the warranty on your new $$$ car.
That is, unless you live in China, as I do, where consumer protection is not a thing, dealer warranties are often worthless, optimally kitted W223s are non-existent, and overall prices of cars are just too damn high.
It may be hard for you guys over at the states to fathom, but I delibrately bought my W223 from a Mexican importer, just to avoid dealing with my local dealer, and I am planning on retrofitting more than a dozen options onto the car in the next two weeks.
I'll explain the whole thought process in a separate post, once the retro-fitting process completes, roughly in two weeks. For now, suffice to say that this approach would save me $120,000 on my new car, if all worked according to plan
Definetly agree with you and I cancelled my first car because of it but I dont think AAL they would even notice. None of these guys are looking up the cars sticker and considering it looks like just retrofitting a missing part I wouldn't be too worried. Now something like tuning the engine and messing with ecus is another story. All of these LEDs are just low voltage and really cant do much harm unless they start making problems on the can network. IMHO the problem really arises if you start having some weird issues happening in the vehicle you must be prepared to remove all of those AAL, go back to stock and then goto dealer. And THEN have it all put back in after the problem is resolved. It's really how much of a commitment you really want to these things because at the end of the day there cheap chinese parts, if they were factory MB light bars I dont think there would ever be an issue. Back in the day I had Steve MbenzNL come over from the netherlands and install tons of stuff into my w213 that didnt even exist in the US and dealer never had issue with it because they were all genuine MB parts.
Im very suprised nobody has just looked up the part numbers for the genuine MB light bars and tried retrofitting those. I would probably bet they cost very similar or less then what these Chinese sellers are charging
Well I don't know who Steve MbenzNL is, but retrofitting of MB range-toppers like the S class (or indeed any luxury car with consumer popularity) is big business here in China, due to low availability of custom-optioned cars and ridiculous pricing of factory installed equipments. I've done a lot of research into this in the last few months, and came to the same conslusion, that it is not as scary as many believe.
Let's hope I won't be proving myself wrong in two weeks, when I send my car over to Shenzhen for retrofitting : )
Well I don't know who Steve MbenzNL is, but retrofitting of MB range-toppers like the S class (or indeed any luxury car with consumer popularity) is big business here in China, due to low availability of custom-optioned cars and ridiculous pricing of factory installed equipments. I've done a lot of research into this in the last few months, and came to the same conslusion, that it is not as scary as many believe.
Let's hope I won't be proving myself wrong in two weeks, when I send my car over to Shenzhen for retrofitting : )
Steve was a legend on here for many many years, not sure what happened to him though. Basically he travelled the world retrofitting factory MB options that werent installed in the vehicle beforehand. Even if it wasnt offered in your country, he would install and code to make it work. He worked on a few of my cars and literally in my driveway he would have the car down to the fiber and rewire everything, was really something to see. I assume your using the chinese kit to make the retrofit, did you try to find the original parts first ? Or figured the kit was just an easier solution?
I still am trying to get answers about the extra menu for the dynamic lighting. Your car for instance now which doesnt have AAL, do you have the menu that has the AAL options? The one where they give you like 12 options of multi color? Because I see it in these guys videos after the install of this kit
Steve was a legend on here for many many years, not sure what happened to him though. Basically he travelled the world retrofitting factory MB options that werent installed in the vehicle beforehand. Even if it wasnt offered in your country, he would install and code to make it work. He worked on a few of my cars and literally in my driveway he would have the car down to the fiber and rewire everything, was really something to see. I assume your using the chinese kit to make the retrofit, did you try to find the original parts first ? Or figured the kit was just an easier solution?
I still am trying to get answers about the extra menu for the dynamic lighting. Your car for instance now which doesnt have AAL, do you have the menu that has the AAL options? The one where they give you like 12 options of multi color? Because I see it in these guys videos after the install of this kit
My Mexican W223 happens to have factory AAL, so can't give you first-hand experience on that. But check out this video - this is from the Shenzhen custom shop I mentioned earlier, who also travels around (although only in China) and will be retrofitting my car very soon.
In the video you will see some actual disassembly and reassembly of the AAL lightbar, replacement of the 3D burmester A-pillar speakers with the 4D spinny one, and some other WIP shots. There's also a brief glance at the AAL menu. Seems like all the 12 colour options were there.
And btw I've arranged a burmester 3D → 4D upgrade with this guy. So he too will be tearing my car down to, like you said, fibers to fit all the additional speakers
I guess the question Im asking is for people who DONT have AAL, that menu with the 12 or so multicolor options is it avaiable to select options? I mean you would think no, it wouldnt be there. Can anybody who doesnt have AAL chime in and let us know if the multcolor options are available in your ambient light menu please
2021 S500 (Mojave Silver), MB S400 (wife), BMW 750Li (passed on to kids)
Originally Posted by rw594
My Mexican W223 happens to have factory AAL, so can't give you first-hand experience on that. But check out this video - this is from the Shenzhen custom shop I mentioned earlier, who also travels around (although only in China) and will be retrofitting my car very soon.
In the video you will see some actual disassembly and reassembly of the AAL lightbar, replacement of the 3D burmester A-pillar speakers with the 4D spinny one, and some other WIP shots. There's also a brief glance at the AAL menu. Seems like all the 12 colour options were there.
And btw I've arranged a burmester 3D → 4D upgrade with this guy. So he too will be tearing my car down to, like you said, fibers to fit all the additional speakers
“To each his own,” but sorry, that video sends chills up my spine. Disassembling a brand spanking new $$$$ car that’s still under warranty! No matter how good the shop, the slightest rattle or an internally loose wire, even if barely perceptible, would drive me totally crazy.
“To each his own,” but sorry, that video sends chills up my spine. Disassembling a brand spanking new $$$$ car that’s still under warranty! No matter how good the shop, the slightest rattle or an internally loose wire, even if barely perceptible, would drive me totally crazy.
Same as the 3D tech thread, I'd trade rather than do this upgrade, my experience says there will always be rattles following not long after. Especially right now when you could get nearly all your money back on a trade.
Same as the 3D tech thread, I'd trade rather than do this upgrade, my experience says there will always be rattles following not long after. Especially right now when you could get nearly all your money back on a trade.
Same as the 3D tech thread, I'd trade rather than do this upgrade, my experience says there will always be rattles following not long after. Especially right now when you could get nearly all your money back on a trade.
You states people are lucky to have options.
Trade-backs are unheard of where I am. And fully loaded W223s are just too expensive. It's $420,000 fully loaded vs $165,000 base here. The money you can save by going aftermarket will virtually buy you another S500 in the states.
Trade-backs are unheard of where I am. And fully loaded W223s are just too expensive. It's $420,000 fully loaded vs $165,000 base here. The money you can save by going aftermarket will virtually buy you another S500 in the states.
Yea i remember back in the day people paying over 1m for Maybachs in asia, its the tax which makes it so expensive? I know were very lucky here since were such tremendous consumers we get serious breaks on pricing. I would always have figured in places like GERMANY where there made the pricing would be cheaper but its about 2x the cost we pay in the US which is just silly to me. But why does it go up from 165k to 420 for fully loaded? Theres only about 40k in options you could really put into the car, how does it go up so tremendously
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by rw594
You states people are lucky to have options.
Trade-backs are unheard of where I am. And fully loaded W223s are just too expensive. It's $420,000 fully loaded vs $165,000 base here. The money you can save by going aftermarket will virtually buy you another S500 in the states.
Is there ANY way I can export my truly loaded S580 to The People’s Republic?
Yea i remember back in the day people paying over 1m for Maybachs in asia, its the tax which makes it so expensive? I know were very lucky here since were such tremendous consumers we get serious breaks on pricing. I would always have figured in places like GERMANY where there made the pricing would be cheaper but its about 2x the cost we pay in the US which is just silly to me. But why does it go up from 165k to 420 for fully loaded? Theres only about 40k in options you could really put into the car, how does it go up so tremendously
It's part taxes, part MB price discrimination against Chinese consumers, and part dealer upcharges.
We are talking close to 100% vehicle price in taxes alone, for the S500 variant with 3.0L L6 engine (74% omission tax, 10% VAT, 10% luxury tax).
MB China also locks most of the important interior options (like nappa leather upholstery) behind the S500 engine variant, which, funny enough, is the top end model in China. They don't even sell the 4.0 litre S580 here, because the extra 1.0 litre will add another 50% to taxes, bringing the price into Bently territory, and nobody will buy it then.
Then there are the shameful upchargers. For a fully loaded S500, I was quoted $45,000 upcharge over MSRP. Naturally I walked away - but apparently there really are suckers out there who are paying this kind of charges.
So yeah, these taxes and charges alone are enough to buy a porche or two in the states. It's a jungle out here in China.
Is there ANY way I can export my truly loaded S580 to The People’s Republic?
Indeed you can, and there are members of the republic out there in the states, exporting cars back to the mainland as we speak
Remember, I bought my Mexican W223 from these exact importers.
Duties still apply though, so your 4.0 Litre S580 will be hit by a 116.5% omission tax, plus 20% VAT and luxury tax (calculated AFTER omission taxes were applied), when it reaches shore.
Apparently some dealers in the States and neighbouring Canada are already profiting on this whole export business. They are charging very high markups for cars going abroad.
Indeed you can, and there are members of the republic out there in the states, exporting cars back to the mainland as we speak
Remember, I bought my Mexican W223 from these exact importers.
Duties still apply though, so your 4.0 Litre S580 will be hit by a 116.5% omission tax, plus 20% VAT and luxury tax (calculated AFTER omission taxes were applied), when it reaches shore.
Apparently some dealers in the States and neighbouring Canada are already profiting on this whole export business. They are charging very high markups for cars going abroad.
May I ask, of all the countries, why choose Mexico?
What software and hardware need to be changed/switched to legalize the car (Mexico-regulation-compliant to China-regulation-compliant)?
May I ask, of all the countries, why choose Mexico?
What software and hardware need to be changed/switched to legalize the car (Mexico-regulation-compliant to China-regulation-compliant)?
I really wanted the four-seater configuration, and Mexico was the only country that fitted this options to the 3.0 Litre L6.
In Canada the four-seater is bundled with the V8, which you will recall, incurs astronomical tax burdens when it crosses Chinese borders.
I've done lots of calculations on this matter, and concluded that importing from Mexico and retrofitting the missing options I wanted was simply a much, much more economical way than buying local or from Canada. We are talking total savings of USD 120,000 on a car. For me, this is a sum worth doing some research and taking a little risk for : D
And regarding legalizing the car - all parts in my Mexican W223 are road legal in China, nothing seems market-specific. I do need to swap out the Mexican central computer for a Chinese one, to enable local LTE connectivity and Chinese voice recongnition (not that I really need that), but otherwise the car was good to go on day 1.
Here's a shot of the captain's seat. I take long road trips for work often, and this seat enables me to do quick power naps on roadsides, in relative comfort. Nowhere near as nice as the Stressless recliner I have back home, but better than the regular bench seats by miles.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
Honestly, if a missing option is that important to someone, I believe they would be much better off trading the car for one equipped more to their liking.
to fit all the additional speakers
