My new C Class

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Flash

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 18, 2003
Messages
4,949
Location
UK
Car
Mercs
Hi Everyone,

This is my first post.... (this is a great web site.... once I get a chance I will post some pics after I get hold of a digi-cam)

Yesterday I picked up my brand new C220 CDI Elegance SE with Comfort Pack from the Stealer - (previously I had owned a slightly earlier W203 (2002) C220 CDI Elegance with also the Comfort Pack, but wanted to update my car with some additonal extras (which now include: - Bi-Xenon Headlamps, 16" double spoke alloys with sports suspension and Parktronic). My new one now is also debadged (again this was done at the factory).

So far I am quite pleased with the car and just love the new bi xenons, and the double spoke alloys (sports suspension). The parktronic features are great too...

However, I have a couple of questions that I would really apperciate your advise/comments upon.... (especially if you to also have a W203 with factroty fitted bi - xenons):

1. I have noticed that the fog lamps are considerably dimmer in comparison to my previous car.... I have been in contact with Mercedes Technical Support who have advised that "as time goes on the brightness shall increase as it is an issue/related to the gas discharged from the xenon headlamps...". Do any other W203 members find that their fog lamps appear to less brighter or dimmer?

2. The sensor for the autolights to kick in (when is starts to get dark and for the "headlamp locator" appears to be less sensitive in comparison to my previous car (which of course did not have bi-xenon headlamps). In order for the headlamp locator to function when locking/unlocking the car, the natural environmental lighting has to be a little bit more darker in comparison to my previous W203. Would you agree that this is normal, or is there possibly a fault with the sensor (can the sensitivity be adjusted by the stealer ?). According to Mercedes Technical Support the sensor for the lighting has not been modified within the W203 range, and that there is nothing that can be done in relation to the sensetivity and that it is probably normal. What are your views on this ?

Any advise would be much apperciated (which may even save me a trip down to the stealer - my stealer is absolutely useless when it comes to technical advise/support....).

Thank You.

Flash
 
Originally posted by Flash
1. I have noticed that the fog lamps are considerably dimmer in comparison to my previous car.... I have been in contact with Mercedes Technical Support who have advised that "as time goes on the brightness shall increase as it is an issue/related to the gas discharged from the xenon headlamps...". Do any other W203 members find that their fog lamps appear to less brighter or dimmer?
I don't believe that the foglights are HID, so there should be no issues with gas discharge etc, the bulbs should be ordinary H1 type or something. Is it possible that they are dimmer in comparison to the HID headlights? :)
Originally posted by Flash
2. The sensor for the autolights to kick in (when is starts to get dark and for the "headlamp locator" appears to be less sensitive in comparison to my previous car (which of course did not have bi-xenon headlamps). In order for the headlamp locator to function when locking/unlocking the car, the natural environmental lighting has to be a little bit more darker in comparison to my previous W203. Would you agree that this is normal, or is there possibly a fault with the sensor (can the sensitivity be adjusted by the stealer ?). According to Mercedes Technical Support the sensor for the lighting has not been modified within the W203 range, and that there is nothing that can be done in relation to the sensetivity and that it is probably normal. What are your views on this ?
The sensor could get slightly dirty over time, making the ambient light levels seem lower, does that sound possible? The light sensor is in the grill on the bonnet isn't it? Might be in the path of "traffic film" etc...
Originally posted by Flash
Any advise would be much apperciated (which may even save me a trip down to the stealer - my stealer is absolutely useless when it comes to technical advise/support....).
Welcome to MBclub then, this is what forums are for! Your stealership employees rarely "live" with one of the cars they sell so why would you expect them to know anything about it? :rolleyes: :p . Hopefully someone else, with a w203, can better answer the questions you have asked :)

P.S. get those pics taken! :D
 
Originally posted by Flash

Yesterday I picked up my brand new C220 CDI Elegance SE with Comfort Pack from the Stealer - (previously I had owned a slightly earlier W203 (2002) C220 CDI Elegance with also the Comfort Pack, but wanted to update my car with some additonal extras (which now include: - Bi-Xenon Headlamps, 16" double spoke alloys with sports suspension and Parktronic). My new one now is also debadged (again this was done at the factory).


Cant help, just wanted to congratulate you on your style. Your approach is one that seems quite rare on this forum - you like I wanted the pretty much the same car, but with a few extras and so bought one with it all on, as oppossed to the modification route :D
 
Re: Re: My new C Class

Originally posted by Shude


The sensor could get slightly dirty over time, making the ambient light levels seem lower, does that sound possible? The light sensor is in the grill on the bonnet isn't it? Might be in the path of "traffic film" etc...


Surely if the sensor gets dirty, the lights come on earlier? ie the sensor detects lower light levels sooner?

Not that I would know, I still have one of them olde worlde switches.

:bannana:
 
I don't have a new C Class but the new E, the light sensor is part of the sensor strip on the windscreen on mine. So are we sure that it is in the Grill on the C Class?:confused:

Welcome to the forum and many happy hours with your new car Flash.:bannana: :bannana: :bannana:
 
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Originally posted by Brian WH
Welcome to the forum and many happy hours with your new car Flip.:bannana: :bannana: :bannana:

Would it be impolite of me to point out an error in that sentence, Brian? ;) :D
 
Originally posted by Flip
Surely if the sensor gets dirty, the lights come on earlier? ie the sensor detects lower light levels sooner?
That's exactly what's happening though!
Originally posted by Flash
In order for the headlamp locator to function when locking/unlocking the car, the natural environmental lighting has to be a little bit more darker in comparison to my previous W203.
If the previous car's sensor was slightly dirty, it would think it was darker sooner, so turn on when it is slightly lighter.

Right now I don't even know if it's possible for the sensor to get dirty so what would I know?
Originally posted by Brian WH
I don't have a new C Class but the new E, the light sensor is part of the sensor strip on the windscreen on mine. So are we sure that it is in the Grill on the C Class?
This is what I mean when I say grill, I don't mean the big flash chrome radiator grill on the front, I mean the slim grill on top of the bonnet near the windscreen, there is definitely a sensor on it, I just don't know what it's for :)

Here are my known sensor locations.
 

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Originally posted by Flyer
Would it be impolite of me to point out an error in that sentence, Brian? ;) :D

Looks grammatically OK to me ! Although think its "Flash" with the new car, rather than "Flip".

Congratulations on the car Flash - although if we all followed your example, we wouldn't have the fun of modding our cars !!

(of course, I'm just saying that to disagree with Graham !)

Welcome to the forum.

S.
 
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Originally posted by GDC200
Kind of enthusiastic with railings outside your house werent you!!(tic):D
Those are the railings at the stealership where another forum member picked up his new w203. I just stole part of the pic from the gallery in order to highlight the sensor locations... :)
 
Originally posted by Shude

This is what I mean when I say grill, I don't mean the big flash chrome radiator grill on the front, I mean the slim grill on top of the bonnet near the windscreen, there is definitely a sensor on it, I just don't know what it's for :)


As far as I know, the sensor on the bonnet pointing towards the windscreen is the rain sensor. This is constantly beaming a infra-red beam to the receiver in the windscreen. Once this beam is broken 'x' times, then the windscreen wipers are activated acordingly.
 
Originally posted by Maff
As far as I know, the sensor on the bonnet pointing towards the windscreen is the rain sensor. This is constantly beaming a infra-red beam to the receiver in the windscreen. Once this beam is broken 'x' times, then the windscreen wipers are activated acordingly.
Are you sure? How many other MBs use that technique? I've never heard of rain sensors working like that before! :)
 
Originally posted by Maff
As far as I know, the sensor on the bonnet pointing towards the windscreen is the rain sensor. This is constantly beaming a infra-red beam to the receiver in the windscreen. Once this beam is broken 'x' times, then the windscreen wipers are activated acordingly.


Is that why when i cover my sensor on the bonet that the headlights come on :p
 
Originally posted by fuzzer
Is that why when i cover my sensor on the bonet that the headlights come on :p
Are you being serious with that comment? Is that the light sensor?
 
Thanks for the warm welcomes guys..... I really feel at home here

I always thought that the light sensor was on the bonnet (slim grill). I`m really not sure if there is a fault with the sensor or not. I doubt that there is much traffic film on the sensor Shude because the car was valted by the stealers before colection and was parked inside showroom - and I noticed the issue on the first day with sensor....

Will be interesting to see how sensitive the rain sensing wipers are when I get test them in the rain.... if these too are not sensitive enough then the car will unfortunately have to go back to the stealers....:crazy:

It is fun to mod ur car urself... but I`m not great or clever enough like some of you guys here to do the mods myself, and therefore just thought that it was best for me to update the car (even though my previous W203 was only 9 months old).

Regards,

Flash
 
Originally posted by fuzzer
Is that why when i cover my sensor on the bonet that the headlights come on :p

I hope for your sake that a bird doesn't crap in just the right spot on your car or you'll wind up with a flat battery :p heehee well if you were to leave your keys in the ignition.... okay maybe not :p

**EDIT** Yes enjoy the new motor Flash, I'm guessing since your previous car was also a W203 that you'll be pretty much used to the characteristics of your latest and greatest :D As for your auto windscreen wipers, don't they have a manual override option? I once had a Peugeot 406 as a hire car with auto wipers and I must say that I was impressed, they worked a treat, you had all the normal settings of ordinary wipers plus an extra setting called 'Auto' I just left it in auto and the car did the rest almost exactly how I would activated them if I were in control.

S.
 
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Firstly , the post before was wrong.I apologise to matt . I tried to edit it but my network at work went down at exactly the wrong moment and i see that there have been 3 posts in 5 min :)


Ok , the light sensor is located next to the rain sensor above the rear view mirror on the windscreen.

I always thought the one on the bonnet was the sunlight sensor for the climate control ??:rolleyes:
 
I would never use the auto lights on mine after an incident where a friend of mine had his lights come whilst approaching a junction, causing a waiting car to think he was flashing to let them out. Thankfully he managed to swerve out of the way,though he clipped the kerb marking one of his wheels quite badly.

I prefer to switch my lights on manually and think it would be better if MB scrapped the auto lights (surely the most ludicrous and unnecessary option on any car to date!) and wipers and swapped them for standard reversing sensors instead like BMW.

Cheers
Andy
 
Ive got my headlights to come on with the ignition everytime the engine is started. Saves a whole lot of hassle and is a lot safer to drive about with.

Anyone with a c class , go through your steering wheel buttons and go into the lighting section and there is a section about headlights in there
 
Good point andy,
Although I have only had the Auto Bi Xenons a couple of days, I notice they do come on quite early (still light) I would hate to start getting "Volvo" waves....lol
Also they start up...sort of like a camera flash...they could give a false indication of flashing I suppose. I was instructed by the Stealer to leave them on Auto...but I think when the novelty wears off I shall use them as normal.
I have set them up to stay on for 10 seconds after ignition is off, I get to run around to the front and have a look :D

Joe
 
According to *ahem* other forums the sensor on the windscreen is to measure light levels and the little dome on the bonnet senses the position of the sun... alledgedly. (it did come from an MB tech)

As for some dork pulling out in front of you when your headlamps come on... Well I'm sorry.. but there's a huge difference between flashing full-beam (on-off) and the dipped-beam coming on (on-....erm ON). People like that should have their licence revoked :rolleyes:
 

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