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Mercedes Emblem LED Star Detailed Installation information

13K views 37 replies 7 participants last post by  MOWO 
#1 ·
Because the lack of detailed information in regards to installing the LED star emblem on Mercedes. I decided to start a thread on it. I purchased a LED star from "s-lifeauto" via ebay. Because I could not get any detailed information related to the type of emblem. I bought both the snap in and twist versions. As a result I have concluded that the Snap Version is the one you want. Here is a link... Illuminated Car Led Front Grille Star Emblem Lights For Mercedes Benz Snap Type | eBay

*Snap type Fits Mercedes V-Klasse - Metris/Vito (W447) 2016-2022
"Illuminated Car Led Front Grille Star Emblem Lights For Mercedes Benz Snap Type"
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PART 1:

To install, first you will need to pull off the front grill. Another forum user posted up the snaps that hold it on. (Use a flat head screwdriver) I will re-post his image here.

However, he failed to mention that before you can pull the grill off, along the sides are 3 plastic clips and one big one on the bottom. Without knowing this info you run the risk of cracking your grill or breaking off a tab. So go slow. Slowly press out each clip, switching from the left to the right. It will feel as though the grill isn't moving but it will slowly come loose. The clip on the bottom will come undone on its own once you get both sides loose. The bottom clip may need a little help on some grills but most times it will come undone without any pulling.

Once you get the grill off. Look at the emblem from behind. You will see several tabs around the emblem. Slowly slide your tool under the clips and twist your screwdrive so that the emblem pulls forward. The plastic is a little weak so just know that some clips might break if you use too much pressure. Once the chrome star part of the emblem is off. Take your hand and twist the black star frame until it loosens up a little. You will see how it comes off of the grill. There are 3 tabs holding it on. The point is to the get the tabs to slip off. Thus allowing you to take the star frame off of the grill.

Take the new LED emblem with the chrome star on it and line up the top tab. It will be the biggest one. It fits between the slots. I will add a photo for reference. Once its on press the emblem into the grill and try to get the remaining two tabs to slip over the little ledge, thus locking the emblem into place. It may take a little effoer to get it to seat perfectly. Once its on the emblem will be locked into place.

Take the cable and route it through the engine bay securing with zip ties.

In Part two I will cover the electrical installation of wiring the LED up the easiest method.

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#2 ·
Because the lack of detailed information in regards to installing the LED star emblem on Mercedes. I decided to start a thread on it. I purchased a LED star from "s-lifeauto" via ebay. Because I could not get any detailed information related to the type of emblem. I bought both the snap in and twist versions. As a result I have concluded that the Snap Version is the one you want. Here is a link... Illuminated Car Led Front Grille Star Emblem Lights For Mercedes Benz Snap Type | eBay

*Snap type Fits Mercedes V-Klasse - Metris/Vito (W447) 2016-2022
"Illuminated Car Led Front Grille Star Emblem Lights For Mercedes Benz Snap Type"
-------------------------------
PART 1:

To install, first you will need to pull off the front grill. Another forum user posted up the snaps that hold it on. (Use a flat head screwdriver) I will re-post his image here.

However, he failed to mention that before you can pull the grill off, along the sides are 3 plastic clips and one big one on the bottom. Without knowing this info you run the risk of cracking your grill or breaking off a tab. So go slow. Slowly press out each clip, switching from the left to the right. It will feel as though the grill isn't moving but it will slowly come loose. The clip on the bottom will come undone on its own once you get both sides loose. The bottom clip may need a little help on some grills but most times it will come undone without any pulling.

Once you get the grill off. Look at the emblem from behind. You will see several tabs around the emblem. Slowly slide your tool under the clips and twist your screwdrive so that the emblem pulls forward. The plastic is a little weak so just know that some clips might break if you use too much pressure. Once the chrome star part of the emblem is off. Take your hand and twist the black star frame until it loosens up a little. You will see how it comes off of the grill. There are 3 tabs holding it on. The point is to the get the tabs to slip off. Thus allowing you to take the star frame off of the grill.

Take the new LED emblem with the chrome star on it and line up the top tab. It will be the biggest one. It fits between the slots. I will add a photo for reference. Once its on press the emblem into the grill and try to get the remaining two tabs to slip over the little ledge, thus locking the emblem into place. It may take a little effoer to get it to seat perfectly. Once its on the emblem will be locked into place.

Take the cable and route it through the engine bay securing with zip ties.

In Part two I will cover the electrical installation of wiring the LED up the easiest method.

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GRILL REINSTALLED with LED Star
 
#4 ·
So, one has to remove the entire grille, in order to be able to remove the core bit with the silver star?

Any photo of the back of the grille regarding those pins & clips on top and side?

Also, I'm jealous of that white painted bumper ... and can't wait to see it hooked up and in action ;)
 
#7 ·
So, one has to remove the entire grille, in order to be able to remove the core bit with the silver star?

Any photo of the back of the grille regarding those pins & clips on top and side?

Also, I'm jealous of that white painted bumper ... and can't wait to see it hooked up and in action ;)

I think so. I mean it may be possible to remove without taking the grill off. But there isnt much room behind the grip to undo the tabs. With the grill off its super easy. I will upload another photo of the back of the grill. Its pretty simple in the back. There is one big slot and then the other two tabs slip over the lip of the hole allowing the star and core to 'snap' into place. Someone on youtube did a good video of this. I will try to find a link to it.

Also, I'm jealous of that white painted bumper ... and can't wait to see it hooked up and in action ;)
Ja I like the painted bumper. I am not sure why the Cargo v-klasse comes with the unpainted bumper. I guess to keep costs down or something. They build these mini buses/cargo vans in my region in Charleston SC.
 
#9 · (Edited)
The emblem is a genuine OEM part put out by Merc for their SUV line. Merc officially offers the emblem for sale via dealerships. They will install it for you and they have them but the cost will be high. These are purpose made emblems are of high quality. Though there are some chinese ko versions that have crazy features like changing colours and a remote control. I don't know about that kind of stuff. I wouldn't try to install that.
 
#11 ·
I had a chat today with a Mercedes certified tech. He explained to me that when it comes to the electrics it is very important to make sure that the installation doesn't affect the computer mapping. He said that theough a lot of people online have spliced wires and done all kinds of crude electrical work. The Merc's lighting system is mapped by by the cpu and if the cpu detects any changes or unauthorized additions. It is possible that the unit can throw up and endless stream of error codes. Or worse cause for certain modules to malfunction or go out. I dont know if how extreme it could be and none of the install youtube videos ever touch on error codes or cpu issues as a result of the installation. I am determined however, to find the least invasive and safest route to install the illuminated star. Once I have it all figured out I will upload part two of this thread.
 
#19 · (Edited)
ILLUMINATED STAR INSTALLATION PART 2:

Okay so I went ahead and pulled out the driver's side headlight plug. I did my best to document how to do this because the previous poster was a bit vague in regards to the details. Take a flat head screwdriver and flip the little clip up on the plug so you can pull it off. If you don't pull the clip up the plug wont come free. This can be best achieved by going thru the headlight access hole under the driver's side wheel well.

Once you pull the plug off, flip it over and you will see some empty holes. One of the holes, the one next to the yellow wire, will have a green plug in it. Take a paperclip or something to push that rubber plug out. Once out, run the red wire from the ILLUMINATED STAR into the hole. Make sure to strip a little wire housing off beforehand. Take the bare wire and fold it over so that it goes into the plug hole/clip for the YELLOW wire. Please look at the photos for reference. Once it has been put into place. Reattach the headlight plug and push the clip down locking into place again.

Then go to the black ground wire for the ILLUMINATED STAR. Strip a little wire off and take the purchased loop and crimp it onto the wire. There is a hole on the driver-side a pillar support. (Seen in photo) Take your M5 bold, washers and nut and run the ground wire there. I placed mine under the pillar support for a cleaner look. I put a little blue lock-tight on the bolt to protect from vibration loosening. Zip tie the wire and bits so that they are out of the way and away from any heat or whatevers.

If successful the light should come one when you start your car and turn on the lights. I have yet to receive any warning lights or codes. So far...

This method looks like the least invasive, easiest installation process. I really didnt want to splice wire, t-tap or mess with the fuse box for any of this. I hope this tutorial will help with your installation process. I don't know if this method works for any other models of Mercedes. It does seem to be good for the V-Klasse Vito/Metris.

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Happy Driving out there!
Oi! ❤

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#24 ·
Hopefully it gets darker soon :)

One comment regarding the black ground wire. It probably could use some protection where it goes through that hole in the frame. I would put some type of rubber grommet in that hole to prevent chafing ...
I think that would be a good idea. I plan to insulate the wire at some point. I have it zipped tied where it will not move but I still think its a good idea to add some type of protection. I will do this at a later date.
 
#29 ·
I am surprised that I like it! Thanks to @derkunstler for the great install notes. If I ever want some exterior bling I'll know how to do it! I'll confess I did buy Ali plasti-steel round vent covers, so I am not a bling snob. Also, the $45 Imac hood bra is tempting compared to the terrawagen deflector at $150.
 
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#30 ·
Certainly leads with the brand. Almost overshadows the style of the moped. Too bad the Usps doesn't have a light up eagle. I get Amazon deliveries at midnight on Sundays from usps. Rudolphing the postal van would sure align with their old creed.

A switch would be nice. I so want it to change colors. Red for the holidays. Flash to the bass. Mood ring type awareness. Sync with the horn. Color code fuel level so when you unlock in the driveway you know if you need to fill on the way. Interior temp for those with remote start. Heart beat. Strobe at kid pickup. Opposite flash of hazards...
 
#31 ·
The Moped is a 1978 JC Penny Pinto, manufactured in Austria by Puch and Kromag. Puch was a sub division of Daimler. Daimler made mopeds in the late 60's, 1970s and early 80's under the Brand Puch. I got a Daimler to transport my Daimler made vintage mopeds and books. It's pretty neat.
 
#34 ·
ILLUMINATED STAR INSTALLATION PART 3:

Now for the Controversial, Why'd I do it?

Having lived in central europe for some time I am well familiar with the V-Klasse series and other makes of euro vans. When I heard that a variation of the Vito would be made availabe in the usa. I became very excited, given the specs, to know that for once, a van with some performance would be made available. In contrast to the usual ugly, under powered rubbish that Americans get in the form of 'vans'. The Vito variant would be a great addition to the Sprinter and I guess soon the US version of the Citan. Sadly in the usa, many people refer to Inflated stationwagons as "mini vans". These so called mini vans are basically fat cars with high ceilings and a lot of bells whistles to make it look like you are getting a lot for your money. I kind of see them like cheap PC's. A million usb ports but very poorly made. Despite some of them having V6's, their performance leaves little to be desired.

Fools like Doug Demuro and other Mercedes haters who follow his hate rant on the Metris seem infatuated with keeping the hate up by attacking the Metris on everything except things that really matter. Like engine, reliability, etc. Their rants tend to revolve around the lack of folding seats, etc.. The Metris passenger is a Transporter or Mini Bus. It was not designed with football moms in mind. It is an excellent go between some comfort and a cargo bus. I got the Metris because it is an excellent choice for our company. We transport Mopeds and Books. I would not feel comfortable sticking smelly 2 stroke mopeds inside of a full on luxury car. The V-Klasse is not cheap, however a lot of haters like to call it that. I fail to see how they are unable to see the cheapness in KIA, TOYOTA or CHRYSLER. Weird. Anyhow, we also do a fair number of high profile events. Recently we were in South Beach Miami for an Art Basel, Auto Design vip press event with Fabio Lamborghini and Malcolm Bricklin. Mind you, there wasn't a Connect, Sienna or Pacifica in sight. Yet there were certainly a number of exotics, G-Wagons, Sprinters, M3's, 5 series, Bentlys, Rolls and more around. My V-Klasse fit right in and looked stylish, classy and cool. I don’t think a Sienna or Pacifica would have made much of an impact. I received several compliments for my Mercedes and comments from some deutsch people who didn't know that the V-Klasse was even available in the usa.


Some people like to say that it's just a "work truck". No *hit, yes it is but if they actually spent any time in the eu they would know that its everything. They’re literally a million variations of Sprinters and Vitos. There is an AMG version, a Brabus version, a cargo, a long cargo, taxis, police wagons, etc... Anyhow, the point they try to make is that its less than. In their ignorance they make an attempt to put the van down. I have received a few hateful comments from some people about my van. These people are Mercedes haters and so they have to come up with some sort of underhanded comment. Often times I am told that "diesels are low quality and unreliable", I have also been told that my van is, "just a re-badged Pacifica", "overstock" - "because Chrysler and Mercedes are the same company". I was once asked why I put a Mercedes emblem on a Ford Connect. Then this same guy asked me why, " I couldn't afford a real mercedes truck". ?!? And then of course are the ones who tell me that my van only has 120 bhp with a top speed most likely just around 65 mph. Oh yes, and then there is the question of the Turbo charger, which I was told doesn't exist. Along with "flappy paddles that aren't connected to anything, just for looks".

Anyhow, the illuminated star is a big F U to the haters. They hate the van any way so now they can have an even greater reason. It is not a re-badged Pacifica. Now they can be sure of That and kiss my A. I can do the **** as I please and wanted to light up the star because I think it looks cool and its a little bit elegant. It might not be for everyone, to each his own. I love the Vito/Metris and I will cherish and embrace this transporter. DeMuro and other haters can F off. Stick to their Kia's and leave me alone. I am courteous on the road and treat others how I would like to be treated. A lot of these jerks in their Pacifica's, mostly women, get worked up and always try to race or pull some nonsense. OFTEN losing in the end. Anyhow, I put the star on, I like it. Some will, others won't, do what's best for you. Don't be ashamed of owning a Metris and never apologize to jealous fools. The van is well engineered and works well.


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#36 ·
The haters have been in very small numbers but there are a number of factors involved that are specific to the situation. Location, disposition, physical appearance and more.

I love the star and yes I do agree, it suits the van quite well. Lots of people ask about the van all of the time.
 
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