Has anyone been able to update their adaptive headlights at the Mercedes dealer? If so, what was the cost, if any?

 

Highly doubt you’ll find any dealership that would code your headlights. Just because a bill in the U.S. may have been passed doesn’t mean they will go ahead and start activating that in older vehicles. Infact if you went to the dealership and asked them I’m pretty sure you’d get some pretty serious blank stairs lol

 

I attempted to have mine updated at the dealership here in Frankfurt, Germany and their response was 'Nein" (NO).

I thought that if anyone could do it, it would certainly be a german dealership in the country the car was 'born'. But I should've managed my expectations. :-(

Mike

 

you lost me …, there are no restrictions on Euro destined vehicles of any brands. So, your car would have the multi beam and adaptive functions working at 100%. No ?

 

Sorry about that.

I have been posted to Frankfurt, Germany and took my U.S. spec'd E63S Wagon to the dealership in the hopes that they could make the adaptive functions work.......but NOPE.

Mike

 

I had my U.S. 2018 E400 Wagon Adaptive Highbeams activated by RJ Automotive (https://rjautomotive.net). They do it remotely, easy peasy. Previously, I had my E300 Sedan done. Works great, no issues.

 

Now, I understood. US specd car that was transported to Europe.

 

Makes no sense at all! The car is equipped with all the needed hardware and programming except two codes have to be changed for alternative operation. That said, even though all of that exists, there is still a certification issue for the conformity of the operation of the lights including intensity, etc. Sigh.

 

I think dealers are simply lazy in spending the times to load up the software codes. Even if you want to pay them, they may still say no.

 

While the DOT has approved the adaptive headlights, the EU implementation is still not legal in the US, because the DOT kept some other outdated rules such as the amount of allowed light output and some other stuff. So while technically possible, they can't be legally activated, so no dealership will be willing to change the coding. All German manufacturers have stated they are currently evaluating what they can offer under the new rules. It's unlikely that existing vehicles will get them activated as there will be required software changes to make them legal in the US, so it's not just coding. Expect them on future vehicles.

 

Aren't the headlights already limited in allowed light output for the US? I've not seen any Mercedes communication on what they could offer or even that this are working on it. Any documentation that you could share?

 

They are if the headlights are coded for US, but in order to enable the adaptive feature they have to be coded for EU, which will also change the light output to EU rules. Since there's an algorithm behind the adaptive function that decides which LEDs are turned on when and at what intensity, this algorithm will have to be changed to meet the new US regulations. Current cars are homologated based on the previous rules, so legally they can't even be changed w/o being homologated again.

As far as communication goes, this was in the news and said during interviews. I don't have the links anymore, but the question of whether existing cars could get the feature enabled was asked to them by journalist and the response was essentially no and that they first have to study the new rule to see what they can do in future vehicles.

 

Quick question: As our US headlights already automatically turn off the high beam when not needed (ambient light or oncoming cars), and now you have the intelligent light coding installed, do you now leave your high beams in the "on" position all the time? Seems like you could, as they would only come on when needed and would dim certain areas only when needed.

 

That's correct.

 

Essentially yes, but there are several variables that go into it for when it actually extends the beam. It doesn't extend the beam if you are driving below a certain speed and if you are driving in urban environments for example. Nav data is fed into the algorithm, not just ambient light information. As an EU member recently posted, the adaptive lights are not the magic feature that some may think it is. Their issue for example was that they drive in rural areas often, and the speed is too low for the beam to extend, so they have to take the headlights out of Auto and manual turn on the "high beams". These things often have a way of being too smart for their own good.

 

Your best bet is getting this done aftermarket OP. I live in the PacNW and it so dark here most nights, this was a must-have mod for me. I probably overpaid for the vlad module but one day when I see a deer that I would have otherwise rammed, it will all be worth it.

 

I noted earlier that I had my U.S. E300 sedan and E400 Wagon coded to unlock Adaptive Highbeam. I've been driving with the Adaptive upgrade for >9 months now. Many of the headlights' behaviors are the same as when they were set to auto-high beam except that oncoming vehicles or vehicles I am following do not necessarily make my car turn off the high beams but rather, the high beams adapt to the other cars. Previously they would just turn off and on completely. Some observations:

1. Yes, I pretty much turn the auto high beam on all the time at night, which is exactly how I set them with auto-high beam prior to coding
2. Yes, the high beams do not turn on when the car thinks they are not needed, such as when there is significant street-lighting available (well-lit urban areas, highways well lit with street lights). This behavior is actually the same as with the auto high beams prior to coding, as I recall
3. Adaptive High beams do not usually activate until I hit around 25mph, but that also seems to be the way they were with auto-high beams before coding
4. I have not needed to turn the dashboard light switch to "On" from "Auto" to force high beams on manually as the computer is pretty accurate as to when to automatically put the adaptive beams on. Actually, I was more likely to need to turn the switch to "On" from "Auto" and use manual high beams prior to coding because sometimes the car would perceive houselights to be oncoming cars and would automatically turn off the high beams even though the road I was on was unlit and dark. With adaptive high beams the car is not tricked by a pair of houselights.
5. The absolute benefit is seen on dark, open roads when the high beams adapt to other cars, traffic signs, road curves and puddles and keep the road well lit without my headlights bothering other drivers

That's the main benefit - I can see more clearly and it's good to know that my headlights are not blinding other drivers. And I know that I'm not blinding other drivers because no one "flashes" me to turn off my high beams

 

Hmmh...so what you are describing sounds like how my headlights in my US-spec 2019 C63S coupe already work. Question, when there is an oncoming car or another car driving ahead of you, do you see a dark square following the car in front, or does it simply shorten the length of the beam in segments? There is a generational thing here and I'm not sure where the W213 falls, but there are two generations of adaptive lights. The latest generation has signature blue accents on the side as shown below in case of my C63S. The different models have different headlight designs, but they all have blue accents if they are the latest generation. These have 84 LEDs instead of 20 something like the previous generation and from the factory they adapt the length of the high beam depending on oncoming traffic for US spec cars, instead of just binary on/off. Almost looks like a light curtain when it happens. In Europe though they also darken the area of oncoming traffic as in my question above. So I'm curious what folks actually got.

 

In the case of my 2018 E63s which I've modified with the Vlad module, I see a curtain of light open/close when the high beams come up. I'll see a dark rectangle cut out of the light curtain for oncoming cars and for cars that I'm following.

Interesting to watch the dark rectangle move as the car ahead and my car change orientation and with dips in the roadway.

 

Ok, then you definitely got the EU feature. I get the light curtain, but w/o the dark rectangle cut out, but as there are cars ahead I see it turn off segment by segment of the high beams. Not all at once. The light beam gradually gets shorter and then longer again when the traffic has passed, so seems like the latest US spec implementation is not far off from the EU spec.

 

I'm about to pull the trigger with the company you referenced. The price that I was quoted was 209 pounds + the OBD unit at additional cost. Does that sound about right to you?

 

Doesn’t the 209 include the OBD dongle AND 5 credits for some of the mods on their website ? I’m also about to contact them

 

You are correct. I misread the charges.

 

I used RJ Automotive and was very happy with the whole process. I just wish that they also did Audis.

 

Yes, my 2018 W213 E400 Wagon generates the "black rectangle" behind cars I'm following and creates the moving rectangle in front of oncoming cars. Similar to yours, my headlights also have the 84 LEDs.