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Update: The reassembly has now been completed, and the shop owner drove the car out to a local dealer for programming last evening.
No hardware related issues detected on his drive out. Some software issues remain, however, regarding the navigation map, and we are waiting for some outside experts to come in and sort them out.
Turns out, they are experts when it comes to hardware, but the programming side is still heavily outsourced, to people from the local dealership.
AMG front styling is looking pretty good, but I'm still torn when it comes to the side and rear. (This is why you see 2 silver trims on the side of the car - the shop owner's left them both on, and is waiting for my final call)
I especially dislike the glossy black plastic near the rear exaust. Not sure why MB decided to have this in black, as opposed to body colour, like in the luxury line.
Maybe I should take the black plastic to the local dealer, and ask them to spray paint it in white?
Man I love those digital lights. Have they said anything about being able to enable the functionality in them like in Eu? Or they'll just have the cool startup animation and thats it? Very Very impressive job I gotta say. Reminds me of the old Steve MbenzNL days
we still dont have digital lights functionality in EU so we are all on the same cart
Oh really. i thought in Germany they were fully functional, with the projections and all. Huh, lots of different information floating around. I still want these things even without the extended functionality lol. I'll be happen when they can enable at least the ILS+ for the 223, its nuts we dont even get this in the states
I was quoted $1900 for steering wheel and airbag by another shop, so yeah, the actual cost of the wheel is obviously going to be way below $2000.
I was aware that they were charging me a premium, and I honestly don't mind. Considering the risks involved in such large-scale reassembly operations, I'm willing to pay extra for expertise, and this shop was the best I could find, in terms of project experience with W223.
at least you know you got shafted. not sure as to why opted to pay 3200 usd for a chinese remanufactured steering wheel and airbag. but you do you
at least you know you got shafted. not sure as to why opted to pay 3200 usd for a chinese remanufactured steering wheel and airbag. but you do you
rest of the build looks great
I don't believe he needs your permission to spend his own money the way he sees fit but he did explain the why if you care to read the thread. In context it makes sense, don't think I would do it myself, but it makes sense. What doesn't make sense is why you decided there was some win in being a Richard. That one has me a little puzzled.
Man I love those digital lights. Have they said anything about being able to enable the functionality in them like in Eu? Or they'll just have the cool startup animation and thats it? Very Very impressive job I gotta say. Reminds me of the old Steve MbenzNL days
Tested them out last night, none of the fancy road projections I'm afriad. Just the plain old on/off light show, and better refresh rate for the auto high beam.
Compared with multi-beam LED, I noticed that the 'black boxes' around other road users were smaller, and were refreshed/adjusted more frequently. High beam was also quicker to come back on, when the encounter with other road users were over.
And finally there are the hints of blue in the headlamp itself. They actually look really good agianst the white paint of my car. Not sure how it will look on a black car though.
Overall, still a nice option to have. Whether it is worth the high cost, is a separate matter : )
at least you know you got shafted. not sure as to why opted to pay 3200 usd for a chinese remanufactured steering wheel and airbag. but you do you
rest of the build looks great
Obviously I don't have the means to verify the originality of the wheel, but functionally it is identical to the factory optioned counterpart (tested on the 12-hour journey home last night, heating / HOD / adjustments / buttons all working as expected), and it also looks pretty flawless to me.
Expensive yes - but compared with my OE wood-leather bicolour, this new wheel is better in almost every way. No regrets from me here.
I predict the ride quality degradation going from 19'' to 21'' is not just ''a little bit'' (subjectively speaking, of course) but significant enough that you will go to 20'' eventually.
Bishop my friend, indeed you were right, the 21s ride much worse than the stock 19s. Even with PS4S fitted.
I noticed a lot more road noise on my ride home last night. At high speed (120 km+), the noise is really troubling. And on imperfect roads, it becomes practially deafening and untolerable.
A shame, because the 21s otherwise look fantastic on this car. But the added (and significant) road noise really defeats the purpose of my buying this car in the first place.
I'm now weighing all the 19s available for the most aesthetically pleasing option SR-R60 is looking like a good pick so far.
I ordered that one for my car. I've seen in person and I think it looks great. Not much that's more subjective than wheels though; not sure if that's too helpful. HRE makes a twisted spoke somewhat similar to the 20" AMG wheels available with an AMG order. Being HRE you can get any sizing you want but they don't come cheap. I've had those; wheels don't get any better made but... The credit card felt every bit of it. In general if you haven't; it can't hurt to check out the aftermarket options.
Don't forget to post your experience with the 21s when it comes up: A lot of people think there is no penalty bu,t as you noticed, it's substantial. A pet peave of mine since I knew better but I did it a few cars ago anyway. *Facepalm*
Tested them out last night, none of the fancy road projections I'm afriad. Just the plain old on/off light show, and better refresh rate for the auto high beam.
Compared with multi-beam LED, I noticed that the 'black boxes' around other road users were smaller, and were refreshed/adjusted more frequently. High beam was also quicker to come back on, when the encounter with other road users were over.
And finally there are the hints of blue in the headlamp itself. They actually look really good agianst the white paint of my car. Not sure how it will look on a black car though.
Overall, still a nice option to have. Whether it is worth the high cost, is a separate matter : )
I am a little disappointed to hear this report but this is also what I expect, after watching a handful BiliBili videos about this Digital Light retrofit. All these videos only emphasize the 'meteor rain' effect without mentioning of the road projections.
Anyway, this is obviously a software limitation. But I do not think the MB dealer (who did the coding for you) deliberately disabled this feature which may be available otherwise.
Instead, I think it is either the software is not able (yet) to fully function in Chinese roads (eg cannot read Chinese road signs), or , the local authority has not approved this feature (thus the MB dealer do not dare to enable it).
Looking in the manual there really isn't much in the digital lights that isn't in the vanilla; mostly the projections and the fancy light show. The key as you intimated is that you have to be able to turn it on to make use of it regardless of what may be available in hardware. Sure wish the aftermarket would catch up to this one; only a short time before my car gets here and I REALLY want to enable matrix lighting.
I ordered that one for my car. I've seen in person and I think it looks great. Not much that's more subjective than wheels though; not sure if that's too helpful. HRE makes a twisted spoke somewhat similar to the 20" AMG wheels available with an AMG order. Being HRE you can get any sizing you want but they don't come cheap. I've had those; wheels don't get any better made but... The credit card felt every bit of it. In general if you haven't; it can't hurt to check out the aftermarket options.
Don't forget to post your experience with the 21s when it comes up: A lot of people think there is no penalty bu,t as you noticed, it's substantial. A pet peave of mine since I knew better but I did it a few cars ago anyway. *Facepalm*
You've got those exact 19s on your car? Could you please, please snap a shot when you have time, so I can have a taste of how they look like in real life?
HRE has some interesting looking wheels, but all their promotional photos are shot with large diametres, and paired with black cars. I'm not sure if they'd still look good, when you shrink them down to 19s, and put them on a white car.
And then there is the issue of NVH - I've heard that OE rims are usually NVH tested and optimised for the model of car, and aftermarket rims might introduce unwanted frequencies into the cabin, causing harmonic vibrations etc.
After my failed investment in the 21s, I think I'll play it safe, and just stick to the beaten path for once
My car is entering production any day now, I ordered them. I saw them in the real on a black car at a dealership. In person, they do appear much as you see them in the configurator but like a lot of wheels they have more depth than comes through in pictures. I think they are probably at their best on black cars as they have the dark detailing around the lugs and so on. In terms of styling I find them modern, sleek, fitting for the car. Keep in mind I'm old though, I find the 21" wheels you have to be too much, on the car they're like the tail wagging the dog to my eye.
I'd say check YouTube videos. Quite a few test cars went out with them and can be seen in reviews. For sure I've seen a silver car with them, can't recall seeing white but it might be out there.
Bishop my friend, indeed you were right, the 21s ride much worse than the stock 19s. Even with PS4S fitted.
I noticed a lot more road noise on my ride home last night. At high speed (120 km+), the noise is really troubling. And on imperfect roads, it becomes practially deafening and untolerable.
A shame, because the 21s otherwise look fantastic on this car. But the added (and significant) road noise really defeats the purpose of my buying this car in the first place.
I'm now weighing all the 19s available for the most aesthetically pleasing option SR-R60 is looking like a good pick so far.
What tire pressure are you running the PS4 at? I am at 38 front and rears and its pretty smooth on our bad roads in Michigan tbh compared to my Audi A8l with 20 inch rims. Try to drop the pressure to normal load pressure to 35 psi front and rear. Also did you have the tires road force balanced on the rims for smoother ride and not regular balancing?
2021 S500 (Mojave Silver), MB S400 (wife), BMW 750Li (passed on to kids)
Originally Posted by rw594
Tested them out last night, none of the fancy road projections I'm afriad. Just the plain old on/off light show, and better refresh rate for the auto high beam,,,,
@rw594 What a shame. You paid all that money and looks like you went to a top notch workshop. They did all that detailed and complicated work, including the various programming, and can't activate all the Digital Light features?? I was hoping you'd be successful so I can re-program my DLs.
Originally Posted by bishop64
I am a little disappointed to hear this report but this is also what I expect, after watching a handful BiliBili videos about this Digital Light retrofit. All these videos only emphasize the 'meteor rain' effect without mentioning of the road projections.
Anyway, this is obviously a software limitation. But I do not think the MB dealer (who did the coding for you) deliberately disabled this feature which may be available otherwise.
Instead, I think it is either the software is not able (yet) to fully function in Chinese roads (eg cannot read Chinese road signs), or , the local authority has not approved this feature (thus the MB dealer do not dare to enable it).
My sentiments exactly. I was hoping for successful road projections, etc. re-programing.
Originally Posted by crabman
Looking in the manual there really isn't much in the digital lights that isn't in the vanilla; mostly the projections and the fancy light show. .
@crabman I beg to differ. Maybe we are reading different manuals/watching different videos.
Seriously,,,"vanilla??" Apologies, but sound like "sour grapes."
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by crabman
Now that you've had a little more time with them, how are you liking the tires?
I like the Continental tires. Amazingly quiet. That said, the W223 with 19” wheels, non-RFT & E-ABC, does NOT ride anywhere nearly as smooth & comfortable as a W222 with 18” wheels, non-RFT & MBC. I had three W222’s all equipped the same, so I know how those cars rode. With a significantly higher price tag, I was looking for even better ride quality from the W223 with the $6,500.00 E-ABC option. The car is significantly quieter, but not nearly as smooth riding at low to moderate speeds over anything other than ribbon smooth roads. It rides nicely at highway speeds. Very disappointing.
@crabman I beg to differ. Maybe we are reading different manuals/watching different videos.
Seriously,,,"vanilla??" Apologies, but sound like "sour grapes."
From the 2022 manual pages 158-160: Available with the vanilla lights are Active headlamps, cornering lights, highway mode, enhanced fog light, bad weather light, city lighting, topographical lighting. The digital lights ADDS to this the warnings (the projections) and spotlighting. Also the fancy light show when turning on which isn't mentioned in the manual but we'll throw it in even though it isn't an actual benefit while driving down the road because, hey, it's cool. Who doesn't like cool?. As to vanilla; that is what the ordinary default thing is often referred to (intelligent lights) when there is a better option (digital lights) on offer. Seems to me to be fair comment?
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SR-R60 is looking like a good pick so far.
