Curious LED ILS fault on S/W212

Matt Schubert

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Can anyone shed some light on what could be wrong with my ILS please? It’s a 2014 E350 and the ILS is the LED type that uses the shadow technology. Driving home this evening, in the dark, the intelligent light system is switched on in the menu, and the left stalk is forward with the A beam illuminated on the dash but under no circumstances did the high beam ever come on. I pulled over, switched the car off, restarted and drove off and nothing. If I switch the light dial from Auto to manual I get the high beams come on but there’s nothing intelligent happening like usual. Any ideas would most appreciated. TIA.
 

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Any bugs or dirt on the windscreen where the light sensors are?
 

Craiglxviii

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Dirty windscreen should cause an ILS INOP message to come up.

ILS will only operate under certain constraints. If the car’s ambient Lux sensor says that it’s bright enough outside to not need high beam- then no high beam. If there are enough reflective surfaces facing you including oncoming cars (I think >3 per side of centreline) then high beam will shut off until the car has moved past those surfaces. In both cases above the (A) symbol will remain in the dash with the column stalk forwards.
 
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Matt Schubert

Matt Schubert

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Yeah I checked the windscreen sensor And that’s clean. There’s no inop warning on the dash but I’ve seen the warning before when there has been muck over the sensor. I was driving on unlit back roads too last night at over 30mph, no other cars on the road, parked or otherwise and as far I can tell there was no other circumstances that should stop the ILS working. Very strange. I’ll try again tonight.
 
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Matt Schubert

Matt Schubert

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Yeah I checked the windscreen sensor And that’s clean. There’s no inop warning on the dash but I’ve seen the warning before when there has been muck over the sensor. I was driving on unlit back roads too last night at over 30mph, no other cars on the road, parked or otherwise and as far I can tell there was no other circumstances that should stop the ILS working. Very strange. I’ll try again tonight.

I have just noticed after locking the car today the indicators continue to flash again. I think this is a fault with the SAM unit that only happens when it rains. I wonder if the two problems could be linked?!
 

Craiglxviii

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I have just noticed after locking the car today the indicators continue to flash again. I think this is a fault with the SAM unit that only happens when it rains. I wonder if the two problems could be linked?!
First port of call- get fault codes read!
 

malcolm E53 AMG

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Could be an expensive fix, mine is the same decides to work bi-annually when it feels like it - the dip beams are so good I haven’t bothered to do anything about it and hold the headlight flash on on the odd occasion I need full beam - or switch to manual operation
 
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Matt Schubert

Matt Schubert

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And tonight it’s working properly again.
 
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Matt Schubert

Matt Schubert

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Get the codes read!

It’s going to my local garage for the aircon troubleshoot next week. I might ask them to run the diagnostics.
Is there a particular home reader you would recommend?
 

LostKiwi

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It’s going to my local garage for the aircon troubleshoot next week. I might ask them to run the diagnostics.
Is there a particular home reader you would recommend?
Also consider the Autel AP200 (which is phone based).
 
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