Interesting, some of you guy's say you have Xenon lights/lamps
Do you mean real HID with all the added wiring and ballast etc or just H4 bulbs with Xenon filler gas that claim to be HID?
I believe conversion of a Halogen headlight to an HID type is illegal in many countries, if the Arc-Dicharge bulb is simply fitted into an existing OEM housing such as on the 126
Fitting HID to standard headlamp housings is both dangerous and ineffective due to the glass pattern
If you have true HID you would/should have had your headlight lenses and/or your reflectors changed or altered or fitted projector housing
I know true HID conversion kits are available, but I would like to know what solutions are available for our cars to make them viable
The guy at Katmac told me he is testing a conversion kit and will offer it once he's convinced it is reliable. It requires a lot of work to install, and I'm not a DIYer, so it's not an option for me. I'm gong to upgrade to Bosch Euro lights with an H4 Xenon bulb. If I can get the higher wattage version (90/130) I'll use that too. Can't have too much light on the road at night, especially with these aging eyes.[;)]
I'm a big-time lighting fanatic (my Suburban has HID conversion, PIAA Pro 80XT pencils with 120W bulbs on separate relays, rear Hella dual 55W H3's (in each light) work lights for backing up that come on in reverse, Sylvania HID auxiliary headlights in fog light pattern, etc.). I'm by no means a lighting expert, but I have tried so many things I know what works.
Speaking from my extensive (or should I say expensive!) experience, I can say two things:
1. I do have actual HID ballast/igniter/bulb 5300K temp H4 hi/lo (movable bulb shield that changes focus of light to high beam reflector) in my Bosch Euros, not just Xenon filled bulbs which are a waste in my humble opinion unless you like the color. Yes, you are correct in that a light assembly should be specific to an HID bulb, and I will never get full benefit in stock housings designed for halogen. However, if the bulb retains its focal point (meaning the hot spot is at the same distance from the bulb base as a stock halogen), and the lens is good with sharp cutoff and wide dispersion, meaning no glare like the Bosch Euros, then the difference is dramatic. I get a ton of light on the road, wicked high beams, and no glare to oncoming traffic. The beam pattern on a wall with my HIDs is basically identical to the beam pattern with halogen bulbs.
2. If you go the high-wattage halogen bulb upgrade route, you MUST install a new headlight wiring/relay system and ideally go direct to the battery. If you don't, you risk two things. One, a meltdown of the wiring or bulb (and possibly a fire) by running high wattage bulbs through the stock harness. And even worse (in my humble opinion), you will not get enough voltage through the stock wiring to power the high wattage bulbs to their higher wattage/brightness, thereby defeating the purpose of the upgrade! Put a voltmeter on the stock wiring, and you will likely see, due to age, the voltage being less than it was when new and not enough to power a bulb upgrade.
THe HIDs, due to their highly efficient design, put out many more lumens using only 35W, thereby eliminating the need for a new wiring harness and not taxing the stock harness.
Jeepers, the Bosch Euros can be had used on ebay fairly easily, for around $200 for a decent used set. Just be careful to buy the Bosch units, not the knockoffs.
The wiring relay can also be bought cheaply, like here:
The HID kits can be had on ebay and elsewhere, but there was a very cheap group buy running and you can email Andy: (anchiu35(AT)hotmail.com) about it.
PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE OF ANDY'S TIME! He gets a billion emails a day and you need to be short and sweet. Just ask him if the GP (group purchase) on HID kits is still going, what the price is for the bulb style you want (H4 hi/lo, so you don't lose your high beams, was about $285 during the GP), and ordering instructions.
They are McCullough kits, decent quality. They can be had on ebay, but are more expensive than the GP price. 5300K is the best color temperature, closest to pure white, and the cheapest, but higher color temps (more blue going to purple as color temp increases, but less usable light) are available.
Any decent mechanic that's good with wiring or a good car stereo shop can do this. I am an electrical idiot, so unless it's plug and play I let someone else do it, but it's not hard and even a two-left handed guy like me could do it if I really tried.
500SEL Euro
Linear Mode
