Mercedes-Benz CLS W218 Ambient Lighting Review: RGB Upgrade

Transforming Your Mercedes-Benz CLS W218 with RGB Ambient Lighting

The Mercedes-Benz CLS is renowned for its luxurious interior ambiance, often enhanced by factory-installed ambient lighting. However, owners of older models, like the W218 CLS400, sometimes find the original system lacking in color options and brightness. This review details an upgrade to a full-color RGB ambient lighting system, controlled via Bluetooth, offering a significant enhancement over the stock setup. This type of interior lighting upgrade can completely redefine your driving experience.

Why Upgrade Your Ambient Lighting?

Ambient lighting adds a subtle mood to your car's interior, a feature that started in luxury vehicles but is now common across many makes and models. Over time, factory lights can dim, or their coverage might be limited. Many owners seek a more vibrant color palette and increased brightness, leading them to aftermarket ambient lighting solutions. RGB full-color systems are particularly popular because they allow users to select any color via a smartphone app and adjust brightness, leading to high satisfaction rates. This review focuses on such an upgrade for a W218 CLS, demonstrating how it addresses the limitations of the original system.

The Installation Process: Precision and Care

Installing ambient lighting is more than just fitting LEDs; it requires meticulous disassembly of interior panels, precise LED placement, and expert wiring. At the workshop featured in this review (located in South Korea), the focus is on integrating the new system cleanly. They aim to use factory wiring paths where possible, ensuring a tidy installation. All wiring is carefully insulated and secured to prevent rattles, and the use of Jack-by-Jack connectors allows for easier removal if needed. Electrical safety is also paramount, with fuse work completed to protect the vehicle's systems. These detailed preparation steps are crucial for a high-quality finish.

Installation Process:

1. Careful disassembly of interior trim panels to access installation areas.
2. Precise cutting and fitting of LED strips into designated locations, such as the dashboard, door panels, and footwells.
3. Expert wiring of the LED system, integrating with the vehicle's power and control modules, often using specialized connectors.
4. Testing of all lights for functionality, color accuracy, and brightness before reassembling interior panels.
5. Final checks to ensure no rattles or electrical issues are present.

Detailed Application on the CLS W218

For this Mercedes-Benz W218 CLS400, the ambient lighting was applied to the dashboard, door trims, footwells, and even the speaker tweeters. The goal was a seamless integration, especially in areas that previously had factory lighting. The dashboard received continuous LED strips for a smooth light diffusion, replacing the original, more segmented factory LEDs. The door trims were treated with a non-visible LED setup, meaning the light source itself isn't directly seen, creating a more sophisticated effect. This required a detailed disassembly of the door panels, but the result is a clean, integrated look.

Special Request: Hourglass Tweeter Lighting

A unique request involved upgrading the 'hourglass' shaped speaker tweeters. This involved removing the original 5V LEDs and installing custom, high-quality LEDs. Due to the complex internal structure of these components, this part of the job presented a significant challenge. However, the team successfully completed the modification to meet the owner's specific desires, showcasing their ability to accommodate custom requests for a truly personalized interior lighting upgrade.

Rear Door and Footwell Illumination

The ambient lighting was also extended to the rear doors and footwells, ensuring a consistent ambiance throughout the cabin. This comprehensive approach enhances the overall luxury feel of the CLS W218. The result is a dramatic before-and-after transformation, where the interior feels more modern, customizable, and visually appealing. The ability to change colors and brightness via Bluetooth adds a layer of dynamic personalization that the original system couldn't offer.