[icerabbit]

The right low beam bulb went out last night. Checked the manual got the cover off and checked the bulb, but didn't see any branding on it (though I didn't unclip it from the wire socket).

I gather MB OEM is H7 55W 4300K. Brand?

Sylvania Silverstars were on my mind, as I know these should be available locally, but when I did a pricecheck online, I started to see a lot of unfavorable reviews on Amazon and other sites, where their lifespan is only 4-6-8-10 months?? That's not right, imo. I don't want to drive around with spare bulbs nor have to replace bulbs every few months.

I've been reading a little bit more into replacement bulbs, but haven't gotten any wiser. There are so many brands and types out there, it is like a maze.

In this forum there were some threads about how to access & replace the bulb, one about hoen 70w bulbs and in another section there was some expert suggestion about Osram 65W ... but I'd rather stick with 55W ... from a heat & draw perspective during prolonged use while in a warm climate. Plus warranty, just in case.

What would be closest to equivalent to OEM and durable?

I'm not really interested in extra output or an especially whiter color or even blue. If it is better, I'm not going to complain, I just don't want to order anything that will visually & visibility wise perform worse than OEM and at the same time will not burn up in too short of a time.

I don't mind ordering online, if it's a good deal and product

Thanks for sharing your experience and possibly expertise in advance.

 

[ajSvat]

I believe Osram is the brand Mercedes uses.

Ok I’ve done the Silverstars and found it difficult to see night time wet driving and durability was average but I found them expensive. Gone the Blue looking bulbs every aftermarket auto shop has and bulbs would last about 1 to 3 months. Some would overheat and deform the bulb.

After months of fooling around, experimenting with all different brands I went back to the stock ones that originally came with the vehicle and all was good again.

 

[Check Codes]

I have a 210, but same bulbs. Ordered a stock of them from autohausaz.com and they were fine and the best price around.

Last year I did change to the 65W Osram rally bulbs from Daniel Stern Lighting; they are 65W H9 bulbs on H7 bases. Clean, white light and no complaints at all. I understand and appreciate your reluctance -- which is why I waited a long time -- but I would humbly suggest you give them some consideration. Otherwise I can suggest autohausaz, and buy an oil and air filter, etc to get to $50 and shipping is free. Parts are OEM and much less than stealer.

 

[lkchris]

There are Sylvania Silverstars (at PepBoys) and Osram Silverstars and they are not the same thing despite it being sister companies.

Osrams last as long as normal halogens, and aren't blue.

Get them from PowerBulbs - Car Bulbs, Headlight Bulbs, Xenon Bulbs from Philips and Osram, including Philips Xtreme Power and Osram NightBreaker globes.

 

[Yazovets!]

I've always recommended MTEC bulbs and products. They last as long as the OEM stuff by the way.

 

[icerabbit]

Thanks for the valuable feedback.

I will do a little more shopping based on that information. I might be able to get free shipping somewhere in a combo with some 9005XSLL bulbs for the other car.

 

[lkchris]

Thanks for the valuable feedback.

I will do a little more shopping based on that information. I might be able to get free shipping somewhere in a combo with some 9005XSLL bulbs for the other car.

Shipping's always free from Powerbulbs, plus they'll throw in a pair of BlueVision W5W bulbs that you can use in your parking lights to obtain same color as headlights.

 

[icerabbit]

I want to thank everybody for their reply.

I ended up ordering standard Hella bulbs from AutohausAZ. I'm happy with the default bulbs. Learning about the short(er) longevity of some other widely advertised bulbs was a real eye opener. Anyhow, one can't keep driving with one headlight out for too long, so I just went with new stock bulbs for now. They should be here any day.

 

[theboogers]

"Last year I did change to the 65W Osram rally bulbs from Daniel Stern Lighting; they are 65W H9 bulbs on H7 bases. Clean, white light and no complaints at all."
Question- do i use these bulbs for low beams and a different bulb for the high beam? thanks

 

[icerabbit]

The Hella bulbs arrived yesterday from AutohausAZ

Replaced the defective one this morning.

Access on the passenger side was fine. The worst part was getting the bulb itself out of its little mount ... first I thought it was just a matter of un-clipping the ring from the black angled bit ... but that did nothing. I had to insert a flat screwdriver between the bulb base & the ring + base that screws into the socket. A bit scary. But gently did it.

The original bulb was Osram etc printed on the hidden side of the bulb base.

Will do the other one over the weekend, so there's two new bulbs.

Driver's side looks tighter to access, but at least I know what to expect.

 

[icerabbit]

Haven't done the driver side bulb yet.

Just wanted to confirm that the light output & color etc of the Hella matches the factory OEM fitted OSRAM. As promised by other ML owners here :thumbsup:

 

[BigPDub]

I just fitted MTEC Super white H7s to my high beams... looks great.. perfect match to my HIDs. Mtecs have always been reliable and high quality.. for $30 its a great buy.

 

[Raistlin]

I recently changed my low beams to the Silverstar Ultra H7s, got them on sale from Advanced Auto and used a coupon, so they cost me around $32. I also read that they have a wide range of burnout periods, but whatever. So far they are great (knocks on wood) and I like the color and extra light output they provide.

 

[jeme]

I had a great experience with Daniel Stern Lighting, he took the time to answer all of my questions and recommended the best products for my application.

 

[N4HHE]

Low beam driver's side failed this morning. Ordered a 2-pack of Philips H7's from Amazon, under $14. Philips P/N 12972PRB2 which is two of 12972PRB1.

Tried to remove the original bulb in the dark before research or reading the manual. No success. Got the big cover off but couldn't see anything. Felt wires but gentle tug did not remove.

The 2009 M-Class owner's manual on page says:

• Turn housing cover (1) counterclockwise and remove it.
• Turn bulb socket (6) counterclockwise and remove it.
• Pull the bulb out of the bulb socket (6).

Says nothing about wires but there appear to be wires in the manual's pictures. Is there a step missing? Am I to pull a plug off the bulb first?

 

[N4HHE]

Must feel for wings on the bulb assembly and a slight turn counter clockwise releases the assembly. Required more than moderate force.

Once the assembly is loose the bulb can be separated from the wiring.

On assembly more than moderate clockwise force is necessary to click the assembly back into the reflector.