Adaptive multi beam LED headlights problem

Digsy

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I seem to be having a recurring issue with the adaptive headlights on my new C class.

When I set off home from work in the evening, the adaptive main beam works fine. Then after a few miles, I get the "adaptive headlights camera obscured" warning (I cannot remember the exact wording). Then after ten minutes or so more it rectifies itself.

I checked the cameras today and I am pretty sure that the camera housing is misting up on the inside. I think this is happening when I get into the car and switch on the heating. After a short drive the air inside the camera housing gets warm enough to condense against the windscreen (which is still relatively cold). After a few more miles, the windscreen itself has warmed up sufficiently that the misting clears itself.

It didn't do this when the weather was warmer, which I think also lends weight to this theory. But it seems like a pretty basic and avoidable issue.

Anyone else noticed a similar problem?
 

Botus

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never turn off the AC, (it is as much a safety device demisting the windows, as it is a cooling device in the summer)
always set heater so there's airflow to the screen
don't forget to keep the screen clean on the outside and have good wiper blades


people who love to turn off the AC... allow humidity levels to build in the car until it will take a few long drives to get back to standard and misting risk is reduced to acceptable levels the car's systems were designed to cope with
 
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ajlsl600

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clk3202001,sl6002003 with everything regrettably sold ,A class 170cdi auto. NG/TF1800 ML250
leaving a/c on lowers yr mpg ,no ? wouldnt, a simple heater devise built into this headache camera have been a bettter idea, bit like aircraft pitot similar to

https://www.mcfarlaneaviation.com/products/category/pitot-heater-elements/

load on alternator minimal.
myself i use the old fashioned ,read ,reliable,cheap, adaptive headlight method . called the flicking dipswitch method ! doing pretty well for 40 yr now
 

rf065

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leaving a/c on lowers yr mpg ,no ? wouldnt, a simple heater devise built into this headache camera have been a bettter idea, bit like aircraft pitot similar to

I've never noticed any real reduction in MPG when using AC, so it must be minimal these days.
As for heaters for the cameras, both of mine have them as standard so Mercedes have already thought of this.
 

Srdl

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leaving a/c on lowers yr mpg ,no ?
No - might make a difference if you have a small engined, low powered petrol car but you won’t notice any extra consumption in any car with a decent sized motor.
 

rorywquin

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.................. . called the flicking dipswitch method ! doing pretty well for 40 yr now

Don't knock it till you've tried it:)......in the early days pilots said glass cockpits would never be safe......ILS is brilliant (excuse the pun) ........
 

rf065

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myself i use the old fashioned ,read ,reliable,cheap, adaptive headlight method . called the flicking dipswitch method ! doing pretty well for 40 yr now

Not really adaptive though is it, only on or off?
Unlike ILS that will light up every bit of road in front of you except for the rear of the car in front or cars travelling towards you. Now that is adaptive and quite entertaining to watch the beams as they move around at night. I've travelled from Cornwall to Scotland through the night with ILS on full beam the whole way and did not get flashed by anyone even once.
 

EmilysDad

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Not really adaptive though is it, only on or off?
Unlike ILS that will light up every bit of road in front of you except for the rear of the car in front or cars travelling towards you. Now that is adaptive and quite entertaining to watch the beams as they move around at night. I've travelled from Cornwall to Scotland through the night with ILS on full beam the whole way and did not get flashed by anyone even once.

I don't get why you need to be going faster than 30?mph for it to operate. Sometimes on narrow country lanes main beam would be nice when 30? would be way way too fast.
 

rf065

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I don't get why you need to be going faster than 30?mph for it to operate. Sometimes on narrow country lanes main beam would be nice when 30? would be way way too fast.

Built up areas are usually 30mph and it's illegal to use full beam on these roads.
 

malcolm E53 AMG

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I think your assumption about condensation on the windscreen causing the problem is correct my night vision camera suffered in the same way, poor design really too many items tacked on the inside of the windscreen and not properly sealed or ventilated
 

rorywquin

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I don't get why you need to be going faster than 30?mph for it to operate. Sometimes on narrow country lanes main beam would be nice when 30? would be way way too fast.

Mine work on country roads under 30 but dip as soon as I get to a village. They are linked to the GPS and know when you are coming upto villages, roundabouts etc.
 

EmilysDad

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Mine work on country roads under 30 but dip as soon as I get to a village. They are linked to the GPS and know when you are coming upto villages, roundabouts etc.

mine aren't that fancy .... they're intelligent but only xenon/HID :)
 

ajlsl600

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i have got as sophisticated as nightbreaker bulbs and thats it i am of age where i think most of this stuff as discussed on this thread is just going to cause me grief and expense that i can do without further down the road. so i am sticking with whats simple ,i know ,can fix,and understand. if i was leasing for 2 yr or win the lottery i might feel different.
 

rorywquin

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i have got as sophisticated as nightbreaker bulbs and thats it i am of age where i think most of this stuff as discussed on this thread is just going to cause me grief and expense that i can do without further down the road. so i am sticking with whats simple ,i know ,can fix,and understand. if i was leasing for 2 yr or win the lottery i might feel different.
Got night breakers in my wife's car - they were a good upgrade!
 

ajlsl600

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up to ferry to collect lovelly from her month uk hol next tues night so we will see then
 

Botus

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I don't get why you need to be going faster than 30?mph for it to operate. Sometimes on narrow country lanes main beam would be nice when 30? would be way way too fast.


because they don't know what they are doing...

there were three reasons on my BMW why I turned it off (and went to an adaptive perfectly judged setting instigated by the operator)
1) failing to use high beam at low speed (just as you find, its dangerous without it)
2) it wouldn't dip reliably against massive reflective road signs, so the world's lit up like its firework night and you can't see where you're going
3) the manual override became a double tap of the stalk instead of once to get it to respond

On a VW with morphing LED rubbish I found
1) it didn't move to high beam when in unlit 60 limit road's reliably
2) it forgot to dip and dazzled everyone,
3) it picked out lights in homes nowhere near the road on S bends and dipped till you couldn't see where you were going
4) it was slow to pick up high beam after a passing car had gone by
5) it dipped too early for on coming cars on twisty roads

all in all safer to DIY
 
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rorywquin

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because they don't know what they are doing...

there were three reasons on my BMW why I turned it off (and went to an adaptive perfectly judged setting instigated by the operator)
1) failing to use on high beam at low speed (just as you find its dangerous without it)
2) it wouldn't dip reliably against massive reflective road signs so the world's lit up like its firework night and you can't see where your going
3) the manual override became a double tap of the stalk instead of once to get it to respond

On a VW with morphing LED rubbish I found
1) it didn't move to high beam when in unlit 60 limit roads reliably
2) it forgot to dip and dazzled everyone,
3) it picked out lights on in houses nowhere near the road on S bends and dipped till you could see where you were going
4) it was slow to pick up high beam after a passing car had gone by
5) it dipped to early for on coming cars on twisty roads

all in all safer to DIY

Perhaps you should have purchased a MB instead of those lesser vehicles.:) I've never had an issue with mine.
 

LostKiwi

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i have got as sophisticated as nightbreaker bulbs and thats it i am of age where i think most of this stuff as discussed on this thread is just going to cause me grief and expense that i can do without further down the road. so i am sticking with whats simple ,i know ,can fix,and understand. if i was leasing for 2 yr or win the lottery i might feel different.
You forgot the "fix for under £20 on the side of the road" bit as well Andy!
 

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