[voodles]

The diffused low beam sucks. I need to drive with fog lights on. Yes I'm 62 years old and a car like this should have the best lights but...fail. I put hid lights in high beam and they are great. Tried them in the low socket but not much improvement so has to be the glass diffuser type lens. Any ides.?

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[cowboyt]

Hi Voodles,

Well, it's not just 62-year-old eyes that appreciate improved lighting. Not sure what year your W220 is, but since you said diffuser lens, I suspect pre-facelift. So, here goes for both versions.

1.) Pre-facelift: get a new pair of Depo projector headlight assemblies (they include the self-leveling motor), and things should work pretty well. Improved version: get the same Depos and replace the included projectors with Morimoto E46's. You will come close to burning vampires at night with the improved version if you go that way.

Alternately, there's retrofitting your factory headlight assemblies with HID projectors. This is a bit involved, but people have done it.

2.) Post-facelift: the stock projectors burn out after a while. This happened with my '03 S430 and '03 S600. The '03 S430 got new Depos, and the '03 S600 got its factory bi-xenon headlight assemblies refurbished (by me). I did the lens cover, replaced the factory bi-xenon projectors with new Morimoto E46's (drop-in replacement), and put good bulbs in all around. The HID low-beams are now very bright (Morimoto rocks), and the high-beams are so ridiculously bright they make the halogen hi-beams superfluous.

Here are a couple of threads discussing both options, with pics.

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w22...o-aftermarket-xenon-headlight-assemblies.html

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w22...t-comparison-depo-vs-refurbished-factory.html

 

[voodles]

Thank you. Is the above suitable for rh drive models. Mine was made 24 09 2002 I believe first of the facelift model

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[Dave2302]

Hi,

I recently bought RHD Depo's for my W220, so yes they do do them in both Halogen and HID :wink

Cheers Dave

 

[nhzruthless818]

I can say morimoto projectors are really good a few years ago when projector retrofits were popular I use to do morimoto projectors and at the time the fx projectors were popular also e46 bosch projectors. Now days retofits have become easier with better projectors. I use to buy e55 projectors from theretrofitsource and install them on w210 depo headlights. I dont know if depo's quality got better but 6 years ago the projectors had horrible cutoffs but maybe they have improved.

I personally would run a set of oem projector headlights or the bixenon aftermarket ones i had them on my 01 s500 lorinser (they were great for the price) if you have prefacelift headlights the best improvement would be newer headlights. If you have projector headlights the bowl of the projector assembly might be burned as someone mentioned. Can you post a picture of the headlight assmebly on your car.

 

[voodles]

Don't know how to post photo. From my research it is the first of the facelift model. 2002 s430 w220. It has halogen bulbs original. Separate small park light bulb in headlight along with single indicator bulb. Has a bulge fish eye looking glass for low beam which struggles to let the light out in my opinion. Although it was enough to pass it's yearly certificate

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[Dave2302]

Hi,

Sounds like you have the OEM Projectors, and the reflectors are burned, I am assuming of course that they are aligned correctly :wink

Xenon HID upgrade would be good, as long as the reflectors are OK :wink

How to post photo's is explained in Encyclopaedia :wink

Personally, I put photos on my computer, then when replying, scroll down, click "manage attachments", a box will appear, click "choose photo" a box from your computer will appear, find the photo, and double click it, now go back to the box and click "upload" .............. wait until uploading is finished, and the photo file has appeared in the "manage attachments" bit, then click "submit reply" .................

"Jobs a good 'un" wink

HTH,

Cheers Dave

 

[voodles]

Hi,

Sounds like you have the OEM Projectors, and the reflectors are burned, I am assuming of course that they are aligned correctly :wink

Xenon HID upgrade would be good, as long as the reflectors are OK :wink

How to post photo's is explained in Encyclopaedia :wink

Personally, I put photos on my computer, then when replying, scroll down, click "manage attachments", a box will appear, click "choose photo" a box from your computer will appear, find the photo, and double click it, now go back to the box and click "upload" .............. wait until uploading is finished, and the photo file has appeared in the "manage attachments" bit, then click "submit reply" .................

"Jobs a good 'un" wink

HTH,

Cheers Dave

I tried hid and hardly no difference, so put them in the high beam....great....but need to sort dip really. Trying to source rhd depos. Waiting on a reply from manufacturer. Any ideas..

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[Dave2302]

Hi,

I really don't understand this ........

OK, so I asked you if your OEM Projectors are aligned correctly, if so, then it sounds like the reflectors are black and burned, if not get them aligned correctly before condemning them ....... :wink

DEPO, as i said, do supply RHD Lamps, but you have to shop around, many dealers only have LHD, and as all dealers do, they will plead ignorance and try to sell you LHD, well, at least, that is what I found :wink

HTH,

Cheers Dave

 

[voodles]

comes down to reading the posts...lol...I said it passed certification....so that means it had the alignment checked. because you drive same side as us and you did the depo thing you would know who to contact but as I am finding out depo sell on ebay mainly so that is lhd...have emailed depo direct. might ring the stealers and see what they want for them.

 

[voodles]

wait for it....lh $2816 and rh $3234 told them I didn't want the whole car

 

[Dave2302]

Hi,

I read all the threads on W220

TBH I don't know what your "certification test" is like, but if it's anything like a UK MOT Test then it is likely they may not be aligned correctly, as UK testers only seem to get excited if the alignment is too high !!

As for the supplier, I used a UK guy, but didn't bother with his details as the carriage would be prohibitive cost wise, and from memory, I don't think he posted outside UK anyway.

When I was looking for RHD lights I found a guy in Australia, but he was silly expensive and Carriage was prohibitive to the UK, so again it isn't really worth me searching and finding his details. but both the UK guy and the Aussie were as you rightly say, EBay sellers :wink

So, if you look at EBay, that's where I found the RHD Depos :wink

Cheers Dave

 

[tusabes]

It's important to use eBay.co.uk to find more uk sellers who are familiar with RHD
not eBay.com

 

[nhzruthless818]

You can get yours refurb for about $200-500 depending on who does it. New lens like $75 on ebay new morimoto projectors $125ish. Install shouldnt be more then $300. I use to charge $250 back in the day. Try to find local projector retrofitters and they should easily be able to swap the projectors and they shouldnt charge to install new lens if you have them.

 

[voodles]

always a problem when one lives so far away from mass humanity. am onto new units rhd on ebay. so will wait and see how it all turns out. nothing special about them. 2 x h7 bulbs. no led stuff as don't like too white a light for dark nights. harder on the eyes in my opinion. I retro fitted hid on my high beam so may redo that on the new units. thanks

 

[Dave2302]

always a problem when one lives so far away from mass humanity.

Tell me about that :wink

I live in NW Highlands, still on the main land, not an Island, no Boats or Aircraft involved to get to me, but still, some sellers want to add a "Surcharge" to postage......

I usually tell them to shove it, because if they sent the item "Royal Mail" there are no surcharges, and it gets here quicker than Couriers, but sometimes, if I can't get an item elsewhere I have to bite the bullet

BTW, mine were H7's, cost about £300 iirc, earlier this year, and I converted them to HID Dipped Beam
using the original Mercedes Ballast and Ignitor, and H7 type HID Bulbs :wink

I think HID DEPOs in RHD were £1100 ish

Here we go, found it, purchased 1st March 2017, £279.99 + a bit of postage :-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLEAR-HEA...782409?hash=item4d51519349:g:xgMAAOSwo4pYZqfH

:wink

Cheers Dave

 

[voodles]

the saga so far,
correct light units arrived from overseas and i asked them to fit hid to high and low beams. quality units with about 4700k bulbs, then watched utube on how to remove and fit units, out with the old...which i had hid fitted in the high beams a year ago. in with the new and plug in, turn on to low beam... wow nice...take photo....turn on high beam...they start to go for a second then stop....errors on dash...all front lights mucked up, one low beam, no high, lh flasher no go, no wipers.
remove both lamp assys. test on a battery, all works. refit old lights, remove battery terminal, wait a bit and refit and all good to go, do resets.
so old bulbs each draw about 4 amps and with my hid in high at 8 amps equals 24 amp for 2 lamps which the car has been ok with for over a year. now 4 hid @ 8 amps = 32amps and it throws a wobbly.
so how have others got around this. do the dealers have to program something to tell sams that hids are fitted. relays wont work as sams will think i have blown bulbs.
or just h7 bulbs in the new units with 1 hid as before. thanks for any info posted.

 

[Dave2302]

Hi,

Fit H7's in the High Beams and see if the Errors go away.
I don't recall seeing a Coding in Front SAM's for HID Hi Beam, perhaps someone else can chime in if there is :wink

Or if you have a friendly Indie with SDS perhaps he'd take a look, and see, and if so try Coding and re fitting HID Full Beams :wink

Get it back to working properly first ASAP, I'm surprised you haven't fried a SAM yet :wink
Mercedes SAM's do not like aftermarket conversions, the parts are usually Chinese and don't last long anyway.........

This is why I bought regular H7 Depo's and used the Mercedes Ballasts and Ignitors from an old pair of Headlamps and wired this to H7R HID Bulbs, but mine are only HID on Dipped Beam :wink

HTH,

Cheers Dave

 

[nhzruthless818]

Your high beams will need canbus connectors or canbus ballasts or wire in a resistor. but its not really good for high beams since flashing hid/xenons will wear out the ballasts quickly.

 

[Dave2302]

Hi,

I've not seen a "Can Bus" kit yet that will not cause problems with Merc SAM's :wink

Cheers Dave