Digital Light
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VW 48
Digital Light
Any suggestions how to adjust the headlights beam height? the screws that usually (W222) adjust the height are there but with no impact. I have 2022 S580Z4 with the "US version" of the Digital Light. The hardware is there but not the software, that among other things, curves out an oncoming vehicle. I can switch manually between low beam and high beam. The low beam is way too low. Thanks.
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23 S580 Executive
I've got the vanilla lights but same problem; way too low and with a very sharp cutoff. In Seattle with the hills it's a real problem even discounting the lack of light out on the open road.
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My real question is if the automatic adjustment for road undulation is active in the US or not? This is a feature of digital lights even if it would work with any electrically adjusted lights (in practise all current Mercedes lights). Just needs the navigation database with altitude information.
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The US doesnt have digital lights for 223, we have the standard lamps. Digital lights only available in other countries, or in US I think in Maybach only. With the regular lights eventually when BN gets certicicate we can get ILS+ activated, but now is still offline because of sw. The actual digital lights have the starfall beginning, not the left right swipe.
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23 S580 Executive
No, they are MUCH lower than any light I've ever seen as far back as I can remember. You can't run your highs in town and even at 25 in the neighborhoods you have to slow down to keep from overrunning your lights when you come on one of our steeper hills with the low beams.
There is no way it's correctly aligned and it's not close. I was already going to take it in because no phone I have is accepted by the car for data use, this is also on the list after a long drive the other night: I was actually turning my lights on and off to try and verify they were on at all.
There is no way it's correctly aligned and it's not close. I was already going to take it in because no phone I have is accepted by the car for data use, this is also on the list after a long drive the other night: I was actually turning my lights on and off to try and verify they were on at all.
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VW 48
Actual comparison, side by side, between W222 2015 and Digital Light equipped 2022 S580Z4 (US), the Digital Light low beams are aimed meaningfully lower than the low beams of the 2015 W222. In addition to insufficient lighted area, there is a distinctive line above which it is pitch black, particularly in contrast to the brightly lighted area underneath. The comparison to the 2015, indicates to me that the headlights can be adjusted somewhat higher without blinding the on-coming traffic. The screws that in most other Mercedes-Benz vehicles adjust the height are there but have no impact.
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S-550
I took delivery of a 2023 S580 late last Tuesday, and drove it home on very dark mountain roads in Colorado. I found it hard to see with the low beams. In order to see any distance ahead, I needed to use the high beams. Is this the problem that people are discussing in this thread? If so, has anyone reported the problem to a dealership and had the problem (low beam adjustment) corrected? Thanks.
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23 S580 Executive
Yep, sounds like it to me. It's really poor in low; the last time I had a car this bad was somewhere around the early 2ks. Not kidding. In the RW I was talking to someone who opined that MB has the expectation the lights will be working in matrix most of the time which of course isn't possible here as of now. That was his guess but it's the first comment I've heard that sounds plausible. To be honest these things are not even close to the lights in my Porsche's, not only not in the same ballpark, I question if they're playing the same game. It isn't like Porsche engineers are being Richards and you're getting flashed a lot because someone thinks you have your brights on either: It seldom happens.
One way to put this in perspective is something older people who were driving before HIDs will remember; the ol turning your lights off and back on to make sure they were on. I did this the other night in this car. First time since cars went to HID, Xenon, etc.
I'm going to bring mine in at some point but have a lot on the plate. The dealer said they're willing to look at it but they haven't had complaints before. I do notice that it seems only new owners are complaining so it may be a change has taken place?
One way to put this in perspective is something older people who were driving before HIDs will remember; the ol turning your lights off and back on to make sure they were on. I did this the other night in this car. First time since cars went to HID, Xenon, etc.
I'm going to bring mine in at some point but have a lot on the plate. The dealer said they're willing to look at it but they haven't had complaints before. I do notice that it seems only new owners are complaining so it may be a change has taken place?
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Seeing so many comments about incorrectly aimed low beams, I conclude that there must be an issue. Perhaps the US cars have been disabled for some of the digital light or multibeam features and low beam aiming got completely messed?
There was also a comment that the manual screws had no effect (not sure if it was the EQS or a W223). Had a look at workshop documents and the basic low beam aiming should still be manual. Mercedes lights have had electric levelling for a long time (taking into account trunk load etc.) and lights have a significant control range downwards (often seen at start-up, depending design). The level sensors cannot be the issue on a brand new car, perhaps something related to this electronic level control?
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23 S580 Executive
Matrix lights were not allowed in the US until regulations were changed last year and they are still not available here on 23s with either digital or the vanilla lights although they are fully hardware capable.
You have multiple issues though; you also have a super sharp cutoff of light on the top of the lighted area so when approaching a hill you can see nothing, and I do mean nothing, of what is ahead on the hill itself. The effect is so pronounced that on steeper hills, even at city speeds of 25 to 30 miles an hour, you have to slow down as you get to the hill in case there is something in the road that is completely invisible to you only a few car lengths in front of you.
You have multiple issues though; you also have a super sharp cutoff of light on the top of the lighted area so when approaching a hill you can see nothing, and I do mean nothing, of what is ahead on the hill itself. The effect is so pronounced that on steeper hills, even at city speeds of 25 to 30 miles an hour, you have to slow down as you get to the hill in case there is something in the road that is completely invisible to you only a few car lengths in front of you.
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Matrix lights were not allowed in the US until regulations were changed last year and they are still not available here on 23s with either digital or the vanilla lights although they are fully hardware capable.
You have multiple issues though; you also have a super sharp cutoff of light on the top of the lighted area so when approaching a hill you can see nothing, and I do mean nothing, of what is ahead on the hill itself. The effect is so pronounced that on steeper hills, even at city speeds of 25 to 30 miles an hour, you have to slow down as you get to the hill in case there is something in the road that is completely invisible to you only a few car lengths in front of you.
You have multiple issues though; you also have a super sharp cutoff of light on the top of the lighted area so when approaching a hill you can see nothing, and I do mean nothing, of what is ahead on the hill itself. The effect is so pronounced that on steeper hills, even at city speeds of 25 to 30 miles an hour, you have to slow down as you get to the hill in case there is something in the road that is completely invisible to you only a few car lengths in front of you.
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From: PA
W223 S500 LWB 4-Matic, W222 S450 LWB 4-Matic, A238 E400 Cabriolet 4-Matic
I like the sharp cut off of the standard resolution digital headlights on the W223. Hopefully they'll offer the enhanced headlight software upgrade on shop.mbusa.com soon. Kinda sux we'll have to pay for a safety system 
The option was pending on the app for awhile, then they pulled it.
It seems to me that the lights do "steer" around corners and raise-lower a slight amount. The corner lighting effect is cool because it fades in & out. I've noticed that at very slow speeds the high beams do not automatically deploy at all. If I need it, I just pull back on the stalk for a few seconds (Light Horn.) You can hold it there as long as you need then auto high beams are still in effect when you release it.
The HUD, if equipped, bleeds a rectangular light area onto the windshield if you don't have it dimmed enough in the settings. This can decrease driver visibility at night a bit.
Side note: I like using the "Euro" single side parking lights. These only work at night in park and when you select which side < > on the headlight switch... "Hey, did you know the lights are out on one side of you car?" haha
The option was pending on the app for awhile, then they pulled it.It seems to me that the lights do "steer" around corners and raise-lower a slight amount. The corner lighting effect is cool because it fades in & out. I've noticed that at very slow speeds the high beams do not automatically deploy at all. If I need it, I just pull back on the stalk for a few seconds (Light Horn.) You can hold it there as long as you need then auto high beams are still in effect when you release it.
The HUD, if equipped, bleeds a rectangular light area onto the windshield if you don't have it dimmed enough in the settings. This can decrease driver visibility at night a bit.
Side note: I like using the "Euro" single side parking lights. These only work at night in park and when you select which side < > on the headlight switch... "Hey, did you know the lights are out on one side of you car?" haha
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23 S580 Executive
I don't understand this "super sharp cutoff" issue. Assuming the low beams were aimed correctly, the cutoff would be as high as possible (regulations allow) to avoid blinding facing traffic. It is not possible to "extend" the beam above that line, even at lower density. If the sharp cutoff was to be avoided, one would have to reduce light density gradually towards the cutoff line. It would not improve visibility at all (facing a hill or not). I'm afraid the incorrect beam adjustment is the issue, not the sharp cutoff?
Going back to the why a couple options come to mind; the first is that they are simply at a base adjustment that is too low. The second is the same but more nuanced: They use a different base adjustment applied when all the features are available which include the matrix lighting and hill lighting which uses the GPS and cameras to steer up and down hills. In this second they could be adjusted correctly for an EU car but not a US car where almost every feature is turned off. This is the secenario I was talking about above that a friend mentioned; it may be if everything was turned on everything would be fine because the unavailable light features should remove the problems entirely.
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23 S580 Executive
I called in to the dealership; there is no known issue they are aware of but I'm their only sold S Class for 23 at the moment. I'm heading overseas for a bit so I wasn't able to make an appointment until the 22 December. The said if they can do anything at all it will be quick and I'll get the car back same day. If they cant do anything they'll push it up the chain if they validate an unresolved problem. Meanwhile I'm on the list for BenzNinja so if he gets up and running before then I may have this sorted out another way.
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Ive adjusted low beams on my previous Audi, BMW and Lexus with ease to bring low beams up a bit. Helps alot. The S class though has pretty good low beam aim so not too concerned. The auto high beam feature is great.
Last edited by Baloo588; Nov 19, 2022 at 03:54 PM.
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The model-plate on the car should have a figure for the correct low beam inclination. Did these cars have the lights adjusted lower or did they have some odd (high) figure on the plate? Adjusting the lights above the model plate figure (typically 1% for passenger cars) would make them illegal. Not necessarily too bad if tuned from a high figure up to the 1% inclination, what ever the plate says.
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