Headlight and tailight bulb replacement
07-05-2014, 12:29 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Headlight and tailight bulb replacement
Does anyone know the exact bulbs I would need to to buy in order to upgrade all head, fog, side markers, and full tail light bulbs on my 1993 190e. I just finished the euro light conversion on the front and clear taillight conversion on the tail so I won't be needing any amber lenses I'm looking for clear all around and I don't really care for xenon blue unless neccesary.
07-11-2014, 08:28 AM
#2
H3 halogens 55 watt for the fog lights, H4 halogens for the headlights - the stock wiring is meant for 55/65 watt H4, I upgraded to 55/100 H4 but users have posted this has burnt out their wiring so do that at your own risk. The safest solution for brighter lighting is the phillips top of the line 55/65 +100 extreme vision or whatever it's called, about as bright as 100s on the high beam, doesn't risk the wiring, but costs like 8 sets of 55/100 for a single pair.
Xenons require a conversion with other components. The euro headlights are for halogens, the US used sealed beams in that era which are ancient. You can get so-called xenon-filled halogens which I suspect is what the Phillips extreme vision are, they're just plug and play but actual xenon globes aren't. Same with LED conversions for indicators and brake lights, bright and colourful, but require other electrical components to work properly in older cars like ours, resistor boxes and such to make them blink properly.
Oh and parkers are just 5w 2 pins. LED ones work fine here so you can have fun parker colours, I put blue ones in and green ones for a time, then just got nice white ones and that looks best.
If you have clear indicator lenses you need orange globes, it's seriously annoying in low light/night conditions when the car in front has clear indicator lenses and a clear bulb, the damn thing's like a torch right in your eyes following them into a turn and you can't see as well as you enter a dark street behind them for the spots in front of your eyes.
Other than that indicator globes are just regular 2 pin base, same as any 70s car. Just get orange ones if you've clear or clear/tinted lenses. If you've done a conversion though, check the seat for the globes, some 'euro clear corner indicators' come with a globe seat that uses offset pins instead of opposite pins, requiring a variation of globe.
My taillights for example, tinted with clear corners doesn't use standard opposite 2 pin globes, it uses offset 2 pin globes, whilst the front uses standard opposite 2 pin globes, so my front indicator globes and rear ones aren't interchangeable.
Depends on your brand of conversions.
There's be slots for tail fog lamps too, on both sides but 'euro' wiring actually only has one side wired up, tail fog lamp is only on the drivers side so depending if RHD or LHD only that side is wired up. Because places vary in Europe on RHD and LHD though, when you buy euro tail lights they have slots for both sides so either can be used. I don't think american cars have wiring for rear fog lamps but either or both can be just left blank/no globe, just a useless red lense back there instead of reflectors.
Xenons require a conversion with other components. The euro headlights are for halogens, the US used sealed beams in that era which are ancient. You can get so-called xenon-filled halogens which I suspect is what the Phillips extreme vision are, they're just plug and play but actual xenon globes aren't. Same with LED conversions for indicators and brake lights, bright and colourful, but require other electrical components to work properly in older cars like ours, resistor boxes and such to make them blink properly.
Oh and parkers are just 5w 2 pins. LED ones work fine here so you can have fun parker colours, I put blue ones in and green ones for a time, then just got nice white ones and that looks best.
If you have clear indicator lenses you need orange globes, it's seriously annoying in low light/night conditions when the car in front has clear indicator lenses and a clear bulb, the damn thing's like a torch right in your eyes following them into a turn and you can't see as well as you enter a dark street behind them for the spots in front of your eyes.
Other than that indicator globes are just regular 2 pin base, same as any 70s car. Just get orange ones if you've clear or clear/tinted lenses. If you've done a conversion though, check the seat for the globes, some 'euro clear corner indicators' come with a globe seat that uses offset pins instead of opposite pins, requiring a variation of globe.
My taillights for example, tinted with clear corners doesn't use standard opposite 2 pin globes, it uses offset 2 pin globes, whilst the front uses standard opposite 2 pin globes, so my front indicator globes and rear ones aren't interchangeable.
Depends on your brand of conversions.
There's be slots for tail fog lamps too, on both sides but 'euro' wiring actually only has one side wired up, tail fog lamp is only on the drivers side so depending if RHD or LHD only that side is wired up. Because places vary in Europe on RHD and LHD though, when you buy euro tail lights they have slots for both sides so either can be used. I don't think american cars have wiring for rear fog lamps but either or both can be just left blank/no globe, just a useless red lense back there instead of reflectors.
Last edited by vanir; 07-11-2014 at 08:36 AM.
