I have a quick question to those who have installed HID products to their benz. I currently have a set of H7 HID's for my CLK W209. The only problem that I have noticed is that when the car is cold (cold start), the HID's don't work. For some reason, my car needs to be warmed before it turns on. Any solutions would be helpful...
Thanks
"H7" is the name of a halogen bulb, which is NOT HID.
The OE HID lights do still use H7 halogen bulbs for the high beam (because HIDs don't light up fast enough to be flashers).
If you do indeed have the OE zenons, you may have a problem with the ballast or just need a new burner. There is a noticeable warmup required for any HID light, of course, but it's just seconds.
If you have an aftermarket conversion, who knows?
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Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '06 E320CDI
We have them on our 2000 ML 320. The hid's on ours are a after market kit. We have no issues with cold weather start up. They are not as bright when you first turn them on but within 5-10 seconds they are fully warmed up and ready to rock. I'm looking to get another set for the Saab and for the Range Rover now
Either way I would say you have a issue with yours they should turn on in any temperature.
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"Only two defining forces ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American G.I. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom."
1991 Range Rover Classic (His)
1994 Saab 900s gas mileage beater
I have a quick question to those who have installed HID products to their benz. I currently have a set of H7 HID's for my CLK W209. The only problem that I have noticed is that when the car is cold (cold start), the HID's don't work. For some reason, my car needs to be warmed before it turns on. Any solutions would be helpful...
Thanks
Aftermarket HID's have all sorts of reliability issues and yours is one of them. The real problem is that sometimes the issues are not always apparent right away and you get a kit that works for a few months and then the problems start. This is why many kits have such short warranty periods.
well i found a solution... somewhat tedious but it gets the job done. First i must warm my car up for about a minute or two, turn off the car, switch the HIDs on and start the car again. after that, it should work and if it doesnt ...i repeat the process by letting the car warm up and then starting it up again.
well i found a solution... somewhat tedious but it gets the job done. First i must warm my car up for about a minute or two, turn off the car, switch the HIDs on and start the car again. after that, it should work and if it doesnt ...i repeat the process by letting the car warm up and then starting it up again.
btw i have an after market HID kit
yep... ive seen that exact problem. We used to install alot of the nice german HID kits and even they had reliability issues at about the year mark.
there are several HID's out there, and I don't mean brand of HID conversions...forget who makes it....that's not important, by "types" I mean there are:
Japanese made/china assembled
Chinese made/china assembled
German made/china assembled
German made/German assembled
You want German made/German assembled, anything assembled in China has no minimum specifications it needs to meet before being packaged and shipped (hence why most everything is assembled there and shipped out) The German assembled conversion kits are remakes of OEM versions, and are held to the same quality standards. This is still no promise you won't have "aftermarket issues" but it's a step in the right direction.
Other things you want to look for that will make for a more reliable system....is the ignitor internal (in the balast components) or is it external (will be somewhere between the light plug and balast, sealed with wire shrink tube), and internal ignitor is more reliable. External ignitors can fry the balast if the lights are turned on and then off before the lights properly warm up.
***MOST AFTERMARKET HID KITS ARE SENSITIVE TO BEING TURNED ON AND OFF QUICKLY OR REPEATEDLY***
Second is how is the ballast built, what electronics were used....remember that ballast converts 12v to 20,000volts to ignite the Xenon gas inside the bulb, if cheap parts are used the ballast will fry very quickly.
Is the ballast sealed from the elements (MOST AFTERMARKET KITS, ESPECIALLY THOSE UNDER $300 ARE NOT SEALED FROM THE ELEMENTS, THEY ARE ONLY RESISTANT TO THE ELEMENTS)
And if you can afford the extra money, purchase a kit that uses not only an internal ignitor but and digital ballast. Digital ballasts have no power spike at turn on, this power spike that can occur in cheaper (non digital ballasts) is what fries the ballast.
And last but not least, most aftermarket ballasts are only warranteed and guaranteed to work for 2 years....so do some research on the product you are buying, and spend some extra money for a better quality conversion kit if you want to avoid the regular issues most have.
I have a 2006 Mercedes CLS 500. I had aftermarket HID lights installed in my car about 3 months ago. Since that time, I have been through 3 ballasts for the driver's side light.
During my most recent trip to the auto accessories store that installed the lights, the lead installer spoke with a former Mercedes technician about the light ballast problem. The Mercedes technician said that there are several setting changes in the Mercedes systems management computer that must be made for HID lights to work properly. Usually, these settings are updated by the factory or dealership when the original Mercedes HIDs are installed.
From what I understand, the HID-specific settings change the power requirements for the lights. Most auto accessories stores may not know about these settings or have a way to update the HID-specific settings on the Mercedes on-board computer. It now appears that having inappropriate settings in the systems management computer result in the incorrect amount of power being sent the HID light ballasts, causing them to burn out. Fortunately, I know a former Mercedes technician who will update the HID-specific settings in my systems management computer. I will let everyone know if those changes fix the ballast problem.
Just remember to ask your installer if he can make the appropriate changes on the Mercedes system management computer before you buy aftermarket HID lights. I am not sure if a Mercedes dealer will make the setting changes for you if you do not purchase the Mercedes HID lights, but it does not cost anything to ask.
thanks. please let us all know. I will try to take a pic of the ballasts and everything soon and post it on the forums. hopefully that will help. i think paid about 200 for the kit. I had to install it myself but one of my friends who helped me installed it into 5 different cars and they still work. the bulbs still work, but the car just needs to be warmed up before being turned on. its kind of a pain but it is worth the 8000k projection. IMO
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