Hi folks,
Earlier this year, I finished refurbishing the headlight assemblies on my 2003 S600 TT. These come with bi-xenons. Unfortunately, due to age and use, the silver-mirroring in the bi-xenon projectors had essentially baked away. Additionally, the lenses were kinda yellowed after 13 and a half years. I considered the low beams too dim to be safe to drive at night.
So, I decided to rebuild them...I Have The Technology...(insert bionic sound here)
To do so, I first removed the little spring-steel C-clamps on the headlight assemblies. They just pry off easily with a small screwdriver; there were four of them. Next, I baked them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 Celsius) for four minutes. This softens the silicone sealant which is actually what holds the lens on. Pried it open (it's gooey!), and let it cool down. Unscrewed the projectors and had a look at 'em. No wonder they were so dim! Almost no silvering left at the top, and about half the silvering gone throughout the rest of 'em.
So, I replaced them with the Morimoto replicas of the Bosch E46 projectors. I also swapped over the (fully functional) solenoid/shield assemblies from the original projectors to the new Morimoto replicas. The Morimoto E46's are a straight swap; they just bolt right in. Put new Jahn 35-watt D2S HID bulbs in there, refinished the outer lens so it was clear, put some OptiLens UV-protectant on there (hopefully that stuff works over the long-haul--it ain't cheap!), and gave 'em a try.
What. A. Difference.
Low beams, standing at the car's left:
Low beams, standing right in front of the car, dead-centre:
Left low beam:
Right low-beam:
High beams:
Left high-beam:
Right high-beam:
Now, let's compare those to the Depos I had also put in the 2003 S430.
Both low-beams:
Left low-beam:
Right low-beam:
I don't have pictures of the high-beams on the Depos (sorry about that), but as the Depo low-beam projectors are single-xenon units, just imagine what you see above with a standard H7 halogen high-beam added. Note that Depo *does* make a bi-xenon model for post-facelift W220's set up for factory HID. I haven't yet tried these, but presumably they would perform similarly in low-beam mode to the single-xenon models shown above.
I noticed the following things.
1.) The Depo stock low-beam projectors, as I pointed out in my review of them in an earlier thread, really aren't bad. Indeed, I'd say they're pretty good. They actually do light up the road pretty well, somewhat better than halogen lights. But those Morimoto E46's really are worth the money; look at how bright they are by comparison. According to Unique Style Racing, the Depo projectors are made in Germany. Those Japanese Morimotos, though, definitely outclass them. This is not a knock on the Depos, but rather a testament to the Morimotos.
2.) Bi-xenons are, as the vernacular goes, "the bomb". You see how bright that hot spot is? I can tell you, those bi-xenons in high-beam mode pretty much make the halogen high-beams superfluous. I can't even see the halogen high-beams when those bi-xenon shields get lowered. These things are BRIGHT. Even if they weren't quite this bright, bi-xenons really are a good idea for high-beams, generally. One set of good high-beam bulbs lighting up a dark highway is nice. Two sets are even better.
3.) All that talk about how Morimoto's supposed to be all so wonderful and such? Now I get it. It's true. The proof is in the pictures above. Note that I'm not even talking about the FX-R's, but rather the E46's...makes me wonder just what FX-R's would be like! Unfortunately, they aren't drop-in replacements on W220 headlight assemblies, but believe me, that's OK! The E46's do a fine job.
Imagine what it would look like to have these bi-xenons in both the low-beam *and* the high-beam positions in the headlight assembly...and have both projectors activating when you turn on the lights. Assuming you aim your headlights properly (which everyone should!), then despite the increased brightness, oncoming drivers wouldn't get blinded because of the low-beam shield. Hit the high-beams, and you're burning up vampires. I am seriously considering this mod for my Dad's pre-facelift S430, which came with factory HID's.
And speaking of pre-facelift HID's....
THEY SUCK!! THEY SUCK CAMEL BALLS!!
My Dad's 2000 S430 has factory pre-facelift HID's, in very good shape, with lenses that look pretty much brand new. He always garaged his car, and whenever covered parking was available, he always took it. That car has very low miles for its age, about 85,000, and being a car guy, he always took top-notch care of it. I expected those HID's to be a lot brighter than they are. They're not. They're about as bright as my 1990's era Honda Civic halogens. Seriously.
Doing a comparison between the Depo HID's and my Dad's HID's...the Depos totally annihilated the pre-facelift HID's. I mean, annihilated. Comparing the pre-facelift lights against the S600's newly-refurbished bi-xenons in low-beam mode, they're not even in the same conversation.
And that's why I'm considering this mod for Dad's S430. When those lights go on, I want them to be BRIGHT.
Earlier this year, I finished refurbishing the headlight assemblies on my 2003 S600 TT. These come with bi-xenons. Unfortunately, due to age and use, the silver-mirroring in the bi-xenon projectors had essentially baked away. Additionally, the lenses were kinda yellowed after 13 and a half years. I considered the low beams too dim to be safe to drive at night.
So, I decided to rebuild them...I Have The Technology...(insert bionic sound here)
To do so, I first removed the little spring-steel C-clamps on the headlight assemblies. They just pry off easily with a small screwdriver; there were four of them. Next, I baked them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 Celsius) for four minutes. This softens the silicone sealant which is actually what holds the lens on. Pried it open (it's gooey!), and let it cool down. Unscrewed the projectors and had a look at 'em. No wonder they were so dim! Almost no silvering left at the top, and about half the silvering gone throughout the rest of 'em.
So, I replaced them with the Morimoto replicas of the Bosch E46 projectors. I also swapped over the (fully functional) solenoid/shield assemblies from the original projectors to the new Morimoto replicas. The Morimoto E46's are a straight swap; they just bolt right in. Put new Jahn 35-watt D2S HID bulbs in there, refinished the outer lens so it was clear, put some OptiLens UV-protectant on there (hopefully that stuff works over the long-haul--it ain't cheap!), and gave 'em a try.
What. A. Difference.
Low beams, standing at the car's left:
Low beams, standing right in front of the car, dead-centre:
Left low beam:
Right low-beam:
High beams:
Left high-beam:
Right high-beam:
Now, let's compare those to the Depos I had also put in the 2003 S430.
Both low-beams:
Left low-beam:
Right low-beam:
I don't have pictures of the high-beams on the Depos (sorry about that), but as the Depo low-beam projectors are single-xenon units, just imagine what you see above with a standard H7 halogen high-beam added. Note that Depo *does* make a bi-xenon model for post-facelift W220's set up for factory HID. I haven't yet tried these, but presumably they would perform similarly in low-beam mode to the single-xenon models shown above.
I noticed the following things.
1.) The Depo stock low-beam projectors, as I pointed out in my review of them in an earlier thread, really aren't bad. Indeed, I'd say they're pretty good. They actually do light up the road pretty well, somewhat better than halogen lights. But those Morimoto E46's really are worth the money; look at how bright they are by comparison. According to Unique Style Racing, the Depo projectors are made in Germany. Those Japanese Morimotos, though, definitely outclass them. This is not a knock on the Depos, but rather a testament to the Morimotos.
2.) Bi-xenons are, as the vernacular goes, "the bomb". You see how bright that hot spot is? I can tell you, those bi-xenons in high-beam mode pretty much make the halogen high-beams superfluous. I can't even see the halogen high-beams when those bi-xenon shields get lowered. These things are BRIGHT. Even if they weren't quite this bright, bi-xenons really are a good idea for high-beams, generally. One set of good high-beam bulbs lighting up a dark highway is nice. Two sets are even better.
3.) All that talk about how Morimoto's supposed to be all so wonderful and such? Now I get it. It's true. The proof is in the pictures above. Note that I'm not even talking about the FX-R's, but rather the E46's...makes me wonder just what FX-R's would be like! Unfortunately, they aren't drop-in replacements on W220 headlight assemblies, but believe me, that's OK! The E46's do a fine job.
Imagine what it would look like to have these bi-xenons in both the low-beam *and* the high-beam positions in the headlight assembly...and have both projectors activating when you turn on the lights. Assuming you aim your headlights properly (which everyone should!), then despite the increased brightness, oncoming drivers wouldn't get blinded because of the low-beam shield. Hit the high-beams, and you're burning up vampires. I am seriously considering this mod for my Dad's pre-facelift S430, which came with factory HID's.
And speaking of pre-facelift HID's....
THEY SUCK!! THEY SUCK CAMEL BALLS!!
My Dad's 2000 S430 has factory pre-facelift HID's, in very good shape, with lenses that look pretty much brand new. He always garaged his car, and whenever covered parking was available, he always took it. That car has very low miles for its age, about 85,000, and being a car guy, he always took top-notch care of it. I expected those HID's to be a lot brighter than they are. They're not. They're about as bright as my 1990's era Honda Civic halogens. Seriously.
Doing a comparison between the Depo HID's and my Dad's HID's...the Depos totally annihilated the pre-facelift HID's. I mean, annihilated. Comparing the pre-facelift lights against the S600's newly-refurbished bi-xenons in low-beam mode, they're not even in the same conversation.
And that's why I'm considering this mod for Dad's S430. When those lights go on, I want them to be BRIGHT.