I have an EQS and when the lights are set to auto with high beam option they automatically dim when an oncoming car is detected. Not sure if your model does the same.
Yes, my EQA250 is the same; however, I am unsure whether the EQS has the same momentary switch (steering column lighting stalk) function as my EQA, or whether it's similar to dBC's EQC (see posts #5 and 6 above).
One might quite reasonably ask why I would want to disable what is arguably a useful piece of technology (my original post in this thread). Most of my driving is in built-up urban areas, where I don't consider high beam is necessary, or appropriate. Indeed, in my earlier years driving - I got my driving licence at 16 and I'm now 75 - I understood that it was illegal to use high beam in urban areas in my home state, South Australia. Presumably it either never was, or is no longer illegal, otherwise I assume auto high/low beam would be disallowed under the Australian (motor vehicle) Design Rules (ADRs).
Why don't I like auto high/low beam? Whilst the Mercedes system does seem to dip the headlamps (from high to low) quite quickly when the car identifies another vehicle, I think in normal circumstances in urban areas it's unnecessary and impolite to impose high beam - even momentarily - on other road users. As far as momentary use of high beam is concerned, I concede that headlamp flashing has its place in emergency situations, for example. In normal urban driving, however, I don't perceive a need for high beam. I have received headlamp flashes from other drivers who have turned into a street and found my headlamps on high beam, if only for a moment, prior to automatically dipping. In such circumstances, I've had no need for high beam and I think the other driver's response is warranted. I have also experienced situations where my auto high beam has unnecessarily illuminated other cars in various situations such as: passing through an intersection, reversing out of a driveway and persons sitting in a parked car, being subjected to (uncomfortable) bright lighting. As a responsible road user, I prefer not to subject others to this discomfort, let alone, risk to safety.
I haven't driven my EQA very many times in the country, but I remember the first such occasion. It was a reasonably long journey and I was flashed several times by other drivers who obviously felt inconvenienced by the threshold of my car's dipping system, which exposed them to high beam for a period which they obviously found uncomfortable. I recall saying to myself "I don't disagree with you and I wish I could find out how to control these lights manually". I have since discovered that by moving the lighting switch to the 'headlamp on' position, activation of the headlamp stalk switches the headlamps between low and high beam. I much prefer that arrangement for night time country driving. I can then set my own threshold of high beam exposure to other road users and if that's more conservative than the Mercedes threshold, I'm happy to slow down a little whilst driving for slightly longer on low beam.
I agree that the auto-dipping function has the potential to increase safety and comfort compared with the (often encountered) situation where drivers don't seem to realise (or don't care) that their headlamps are on high beam, but in my opinion it's not universally successful.
As a generalisation, I find that modern headlamps are becoming increasingly more powerful, so technology designed to avert their misuse has merit.
