These high end bulbs do work but have one big down side. Their lifespan tends to be on the short side. It's the same for the OSRAM/Sylvania bulbs.

The best middle of the road compromise are the Sylvania CoolBlue bulbs and are less expensive.

 

I bought a pair of Sylvania silverstar ultras, and I hope to get at least a couple of years out of them.

With clear fogs, I've been using the fogs as city lights when the sun is coming up/going down. I.e., if I don't need lights to see, I use the fogs 'cause they have a sharp cutoff and I'd rarely use them, otherwise. Probably buys me an extra 30-40 minutes less of regular headlight use, per day, this time of year.

The Sylvania's are definitely whiter than the halogens I removed, but worth $25 each? I'm still on the fence.

Honestly, after you've driven a car with HID's, it's tough to go backward in technology. The first-gen HID's in my wife's 2002 RX300 are still amazing, and I know they're "old tech", now.

 

Are there such things as HID H3 fogs?

 

I decided to go with some cheap Sylvania's at $7/each....I figure since my bumper hits the ground a number of times it may get expensive and the light output is really, really great either way.

----

I'm more interested in HID kits now that I can plug n play into my main headlights. I plan to do a lot of aiming to ensure no glaring, but the increased light output I cannot argue with.
Anybody know a good kit. 6000K would probably be good. I want white with a hint of blue in it.

 

I'm more interested in HID kits now that I can plug n play into my main headlights. I plan to do a lot of aiming to ensure no glaring, but the increased light output I cannot argue with.
Anybody know a good kit. 6000K would probably be good. I want white with a hint of blue in it.

I don't know if my posts are just ignored or what, but...

The euro lenses have a special fluting that produce a sharp cutoff. They're not like the standard headlamps or even modern plastic lenses that glare because the reflective properties of the headlamps in question aren't designed to do such a thing. Everybody who says anything from glare here in, are too full of themselves and are offering advice based an absolutely ZERO experience on the matter. I'm speaking of the hella and bosch euro assemblies, i can't speak for the depos.


I have a 55w 6k lumen hi lo HID kit from DDM tuning.. my own father was so impressed with the lighting he got hella euros for his diesel wagon and stuck the same exact kit in. nothing but smiles and no glare (even drove against eachother to see if there was any)

http://www.ddmtuning.com/ is where to get the kit. lifetime warranty..blah blah blah...they're awesome.

give me 5 minutes and i'll go flick them on right now and take some pictures to show you how they are..

 

here they are..off, warming up and on. the light starts off blue when warming up, but when they warm up its all peachy and pure white with a super slight tint of blue.

when you first get the hid kits, they start off a deeper blue ,but over time the color slowly washes out to the color you wanted. 55w washes out alot of blue so to get my level of white in a 35w kit you would need a 5k kit.



even included a pic of my hand showing how white i really am. lol

 

in addition to all of this...

bosch and hella (again, can't speak for the depos) have MORE than enough wiring capacity to handle HIDs. you should only be worried when getting normal bulbs that are 100w....even then, they cant hold a candle up to a 55w (or 35w) hid kit.


with all this said and done, the ddm kit comes with its own wiring harness, amplifier, fuse...the whole 9 yards...however, it only plugs into one bulb plug so you'll get a bulb out light on your dash....i'm trying to trick the light at the moment with the corner marker. i'll get back to you when i figure THAT part out.

 

Allen,

Was looking at DDM's site, and saw this

http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/Error-Code-Eliminator-3-PAIR

Have you tried this solution and it doesn't work?



Also, is this the kit your talking about?

http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDM-HID-Kit-D1SR-35W

And what bulb type, and color did you chose if this is the kit?

 

This is great stuff......I've gotten lost before in aftermarket lighting threads. Allen: does this system require Euro type light holders?

Sorry ps2cho....not trying to highjack your thread. The deer are so bad here that I try to time my trips at night before they are moving around to find grazing, or going back to bed-down early morn. Something most people probably never have to think about. Not only that, but thanks to these mono-vision contacts, I have very poor night vision now. So a big-ass, legal lighting system would be a HUGE safety benefit for me as long as it's not uber expensive.. :bowdown:

Kevin

 

I did a search, but didn't find model #'s....just arguments over yes and no....
I know my Depo's have a really, really nice cut off, but its just the fact the lighting is not powerful enough to keep that cut off at distance. The cutoff looks almost identical to the photos you show.

Thanks for the recommendation. Seems exactly what I need. I think I'll just disconnect my light out bulb, not a big deal.

Warning: Some vehicles may have reverse polarity. Reverse polarity can cause a BOW to explode. We recommend wearing safety glasses and closing your hood before testing the BOW on your vehicle.

Seems fun!

--

So what you are saying is no further wiring to the battery is needed? (I've never used HID before so if this seems like a dumb question, bare with me...)

 

I did a search, but didn't find model #'s....just arguments over yes and no....
I know my Depo's have a really, really nice cut off, but its just the fact the lighting is not powerful enough to keep that cut off at distance. The cutoff looks almost identical to the photos you show.

Thanks for the recommendation. Seems exactly what I need. I think I'll just disconnect my light out bulb, not a big deal.



Seems fun!

--

So what you are saying is no further wiring to the battery is needed? (I've never used HID before so if this seems like a dumb question, bare with me...)

Blue lights do not light up the night as well as the yellow/whites. There is some long rambling thread out there comparing all of the best ones. Maybe it was a website. Stick with Osrams you can't go wrong.

FWIW I have depos on my 91 and bosch ecodes on my w123. The cut off is sharper on the Bosch than the depos. Because of this I have been holding out for OE lights. Thinking about upgrading to a 95 hood and lights for this...

 

an interesting tidbit, when you first use the hid's they'll start off showing a deeper color then you ordered. over time (about 1-2 hours of use) they'll wash away that color and turn into the output you wanted.
for me they started off being baby blue, now they're almost pure white with just a hint of blue.

they do take a few seconds to warm up as well, so when you flick them on, don't freak out...think of it as a rising sun coming out of the front of your car.

 

Ah that kit is much better at $60....
Where did you mount the ballasts also?

 

When you advize running Euro style lights, does this also apply to the 94/95 stock US models? My 95 E300D has updated clear style lights; will these HID's work properly in the stock 95 housing?

I'm familiar with HID's in my other vehicles, just want to make sure I do things right with the Benz...

 

i put HID's in the stock lights on my 95, and the glare was insane. i aimed them to the ground to avoid blinding and/or annoying other motorists, since for me personally there are few things more annoying than someone driving behind you with HID's in their OEM lights. as i was aiming them to the ground, it hit me that if i needed to do this to use these lights, what was the point? i was basically using glare to light my way, instead of the focused beam. and i would STILL illuminate overhead exit signs on the highway as i drove under them.
i pulled them out and put in silverstars. i now have projectors in my lights, which to me is the only feasible way to go if you want the full potential of HID's (unless you are just going for 'looks'). Just my 2 cents.

 

wowzers fast shipping got them today!

Which way/route did you take to wire to the other side? Don't think the stock will be long enough at first glance.

Sick in bed right now. Guess you could say I feel like "Osram".

 

That's sweet Zedstyle! Mind sharing how you did it?

 

hey, i'm not good with DYI's, but basically, i did what 2phast did:

Rik Johnsons W124.036

scroll down about halfway to how he did his. i followed the same basic idea, but as you do them you have to kind of take your own path to make it work for you...

 

Kit is installed....Can already tell there will be a huge difference. I can see a beam against the wall and the sun is still high in the sky.

Can't wait til tonight to really test these babies out. Photos of course

Can you go into more detail how you mounted them to the back of your headlights? Since there are no mounting points on the ballasts themselves how did you work it? Otherwise I have everything set. I temporarily am using some High Strength Velcro, but long term not ideal because of the shape of the housing.

Awesome idea about the blower motor fuse. Works like a charm. Super super easy to wire up as well. All-in-all, it took me 45minutes going slowly since I am recovering from sickness.

In conclusion this is how I hooked it up: (DHL = driver headlight etc...)

Power -> Blower motor fuse
DHL GND -> unscrewed bolt that holds abs unit to chassis. faces front of car. 10mm. Easy access.
PHL GND -> 7mm bolt directly headlight assembly facing rear of car
Amp -> Tied her down to a random screw that had nothing attached to it on the DHL towards wheel arch.

Gonna clean it up and buy some bigger plastic tubing to hide all the wires in on the power side.

 

Can you go into more detail how you mounted them to the back of your headlights? Since there are no mounting points on the ballasts themselves how did you work it? Otherwise I have everything set. I temporarily am using some High Strength Velcro, but long term not ideal because of the shape of the housing.

Awesome idea about the blower motor fuse. Works like a charm. Super super easy to wire up as well. All-in-all, it took me 45minutes going slowly since I am recovering from sickness.

In conclusion this is how I hooked it up: (DHL = driver headlight etc...)

Power -> Blower motor fuse
DHL GND -> unscrewed bolt that holds abs unit to chassis. faces front of car. 10mm. Easy access.
PHL GND -> 7mm bolt directly headlight assembly facing rear of car
Amp -> Tied her down to a random screw that had nothing attached to it on the DHL towards wheel arch.

Gonna clean it up and buy some bigger plastic tubing to hide all the wires in on the power side.

cool beans man, glad the blower motor idea helped you out. took me about 20 minutes of planning before i figured out the blower motor fuse supplies 12v only when the ignition is fired up.

I made little aluminum L shape brackets to support the ballasts. a blind monkey could make them lol... i have them velcro'd (mainly vibration reduction) and zip tied. I didn't want anything permanent so I can remove them in a snap if i had too. if i were to make it permanent, make yourself some brackets and secure them to the headlight housing cover on the backside. it's the only reasonable place to put them.

your grounds work too, i just didn't want those wires hanging around. and i'm trying to get my hands on some of the same plastic tubing you're talking about, just in an absolutely ridiculous color....like neon pink.

 

and Zed,


those lights are sweet... but i think only the gen II fronts can pull them off

 

Alright....don't use the ABS as a ground. No go...light kept going out. Defaulted (rather painfully) to using the ground under the headlight also. It's a real PIA and such a tight fit. It took me about an hour to get it bolted down. Just not enough space and I refused to remove the assembly...Persistence paid off!

.....WOW!!! Light output is simply incredible! There is NO GLARE. I haven't adjusted my lights yet as I need to find a good flat wall to aim at, but here is a decent prelim photo.

Side note too....lights don't dim when using accessories in car such as windows. (I assume due to ballasts? Do they act as a partial capacitor?)

I may in fact actually need to point it higher up.

I'd honestly say light output just tripled for me hands down no exaggeration. The photos really don't do it justice. You step in the car, turn on the lights and the road just completely illuminates. I love the color too. Dead on what I wanted.

 

bwahahaha....much success.

lets see some negativity here, benzworld just isn't benzworld when somebody tells you you're a moron for doing something outside the norm.. things like this (and seeing zed's headlights) make me happy that i don't care that these are mercedes'.

those lights look like they're aimed straight at the ground my friend. i really have to get some better pics of my car with the properly aimed boschies.. just wait until you aim them correctly. what you're seeing there is just the beginning to a lifelong appreciation for HID headlights. i can seriously see a pop can glowing from about 150ft away. i will NEVER EVER own a car and not have HID's in it from my HID installation forward. even my dad agrees and bought euros/hids for his diesel wagon -- we're now hooking up my moms w210 with a set. sometimes the new kids on the block have pretty good ideas.


the ground point behind the headlight assembly is the only reliable way to go for ground. should have used my suggestion from the git go . as for the dimming...when the lights are warmed up they actually use LESS power than halogens. let's not make this overly complicated here, they're on and they're awesome. however, they're very sensitive to changes in power supply (only huge drops). if power gets too low (bad voltage regulator, alt. diodes, etc etc) than the lights will tend to flicker and it will be really annoying.



welcome to the hid club.

 

The difference though, is when you have a reason that is specific and logical. Most people will simply mention "I GOT HIDS" with no regards for anybody else, nor care ensuring it is done correctly. Or better yet, they will have it installed by some other imbecile and not understand what they did.

I noticed the flickering due to the poor ground I had already...so I could imagine.

 

The difference though, is when you have a reason that is specific and logical. Most people will simply mention "I GOT HIDS" with no regards for anybody else, nor care ensuring it is done correctly. Or better yet, they will have it installed by some other imbecile and not understand what they did.

I noticed the flickering due to the poor ground I had already...so I could imagine.

story of my life there. -__- always stuck fixing other peoples BS.



but yes, enough rant......flickering. it happens lol

 

Now we're talking

You can see, distance is about 3-4 car lengths. So about 55-60ft shot.

Is it me or is the spread/width on the right side seem kinda short? I know there are two other dials, but turning them on either side doesn't seem to have me notice anything...?

 

Lights look great! As a recap, what brand Eurp housings are they in and what HID's did you go with (35/55W 5000k etc?). This is certainly on my to-do list...

 

Depo euro's -- 55w 6000K

 

seems about right width wise. mb has it in such a way that the beam spread from the fog lights fill in that seemingly void spread from the main beams.

those other dials adjust the beam left/right very minutely. those adjustments are going to be your very last adjustment and done at considerable distance to get the beam placed correctly.

adjust your driver beam to the left and down slightly. that middle arc should be about dead center and about on par with the passenger beam. if you look on the pic i posted, my beams are dead even with each other on the back of that minivan. that driver beam is aimed so the arc starts its upward angle dead center of the whole beam spread. i copied the exact layout of the beam spread how my moms e320 came out of the factory with...came out amazing.


lookin' good!

 

Found my way to mount that works amazingly, is cheap and is quick to install. It is also good enough for long term, and can be removed quickly and easily too!

When stuck on the back of the light housing, that sucker ain't going anywhere. The adhesive sticks really hard on the plastic cover. I had to move one and couldn't pull it off with my bare hands, couldn't even get a small screwdriver. Had to use a pointed pick to get it off!

I'll take photos of the final install tomorrow as its dark outside now. Everything is rocking and this is 100% going on the wagon too. My wagon's lighting is just massively disappointing now in comparison. One day I'll get a side-by-side...

 

i love it when a plan comes together.

i thought about those too, but i wanted some of vibration protection as well. not necessary, but i did it anyway, was that i put some velcro strips along the ballasts to keep them away from excessive vibrations and bouncing about.

 

Like I said, the photos really just don't do it justice. In the drivers seat I am literally in awe. Everything in front of me is illuminated now!!

That's why I was so concerned about glare because there is now so much more light than before. I've confirmed last night with a friend directly in front of me in his car, no glare. Thumbs up!

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Regarding the bulb out issue...What about simply splitting the DDM 3 pin connector and routing the same wire configuration also to the other side? Would that work? I'm not electrician though so I'm not sure what sort of implication that may have...

 

just wondering why you guys are getting the bulb-out warning? i don't get it on my car, i want to try and figure out why some of you guys are? if you are, can you post a pic of what your HID kit looks like, like the wires?
I set mine up to be plug-and-play, other than converting the 4-pin US OEM headlight plug to 6-pin. I just plug into the back of the light as normal, and that's it, with no warning lights or any modifications to factory wiring or other conversion necessary... thanks!