Quick question about XENON headlights?
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Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Malverne,NY
1985 MB 380SE
Quick question about XENON headlights?
I was just curious, do they make OEM Xenon headlights for a 00' c230(w202) or would I have to buy a HID kit? I thought I saw Euro Xenon headlights on Ebay before... Anyone?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Maryland
1998 C230
oem xenon headlights for the w202 are expensive.
you see... aftermarket xenon hids are typically just a swap of your bulbs + the ballasts which ignite the bulbs. a quality aftermarket kit should be plug in play with no wire splicing and should fit into your existing housing.
BUT.
you will not get the proper beam battern as an OEM xenon hid would have. this is why aftermarket kits are usually not dot approved (illegal) cause of their scattered beam pattern. most people get away with this anyway, like so many do with clear corners and such. the oem xenon retrofit kit has a proper beam pattern because it replaces your entire housing to properly reflect the light outwards. its sharp, legal, and looks nice. only downside is its expensive. OEM bulbs are 4300k i believe, pure white. some of the newer benz's have a light blue tint to them, probably 5300k or maybe even 6000k.
www.misterjung.com for more infos, but this place is probably not the best place to buy, since they require splicing if you look carefully... still informative nonetheless
OEM xenon retrofits kits cost like 1k+ not including labor either
aftermarket kits around 300-500
you see... aftermarket xenon hids are typically just a swap of your bulbs + the ballasts which ignite the bulbs. a quality aftermarket kit should be plug in play with no wire splicing and should fit into your existing housing.
BUT.
you will not get the proper beam battern as an OEM xenon hid would have. this is why aftermarket kits are usually not dot approved (illegal) cause of their scattered beam pattern. most people get away with this anyway, like so many do with clear corners and such. the oem xenon retrofit kit has a proper beam pattern because it replaces your entire housing to properly reflect the light outwards. its sharp, legal, and looks nice. only downside is its expensive. OEM bulbs are 4300k i believe, pure white. some of the newer benz's have a light blue tint to them, probably 5300k or maybe even 6000k.
www.misterjung.com for more infos, but this place is probably not the best place to buy, since they require splicing if you look carefully... still informative nonetheless
OEM xenon retrofits kits cost like 1k+ not including labor either
aftermarket kits around 300-500
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,119
Likes: 0
From: Maryland
1998 C230
if u decide with an aftermarket xenon kit
some key pts to remember is look for one that has:
no splicing required (do you really want to fiddle with this?)
plug and play into existing housing (want to aim your bulbs too?)
bulbs should have no painted coat over them (some ppl sell fake xenon intensity by painting a color coat on the bulb to make it seem like it was a 6000k or 7500k bulb)
also know that interms of visbility, anything over 5500k is a loss of light intensity... even tho the kits above 5500k start to get colorful and look cool. the kits between 4300k-5500k are the brightest interms of lumens.
4300k pur ewhiete (oem)
5300k white with minor blue tint
6000k white/blue tint
7000k purple tint
i think evosport.com sells the oem xenon retrofit kit which includes everything.. balllasts, bulbs, new xenon housing etc
1k+
oh remember to check ahead of time with dealer cause your car cpu will need to get reprogramed to use a lower wottage/voltage im not sure wht exactly it is, but halogen use 35-45 something and xenon only uses 5-10. i say this cause some dealers dont want to do this procedure cause thy'd be proming ppl to use aftermarket kits instead of purchasing their own oem retrofit kits which are more expensive.
this si with the star diagonostic tool that only the dealer has, unless u have an independant shop who actually bought the expensive thing
some key pts to remember is look for one that has:
no splicing required (do you really want to fiddle with this?)
plug and play into existing housing (want to aim your bulbs too?)
bulbs should have no painted coat over them (some ppl sell fake xenon intensity by painting a color coat on the bulb to make it seem like it was a 6000k or 7500k bulb)
also know that interms of visbility, anything over 5500k is a loss of light intensity... even tho the kits above 5500k start to get colorful and look cool. the kits between 4300k-5500k are the brightest interms of lumens.
4300k pur ewhiete (oem)
5300k white with minor blue tint
6000k white/blue tint
7000k purple tint
i think evosport.com sells the oem xenon retrofit kit which includes everything.. balllasts, bulbs, new xenon housing etc
1k+
oh remember to check ahead of time with dealer cause your car cpu will need to get reprogramed to use a lower wottage/voltage im not sure wht exactly it is, but halogen use 35-45 something and xenon only uses 5-10. i say this cause some dealers dont want to do this procedure cause thy'd be proming ppl to use aftermarket kits instead of purchasing their own oem retrofit kits which are more expensive.
this si with the star diagonostic tool that only the dealer has, unless u have an independant shop who actually bought the expensive thing
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 139
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From: Malverne,NY
1985 MB 380SE
Thanks so much. Well, my friends father down the block -buys crashed up, stolen cars,etc.- from auctions and than rebuilds them and sells them. Sells all the top names Benz,Bmw,Lexus,Infiniti,etc. I'm sure he can find the parts cheap. Plus, my father is friends w/ alot of Mercedes Dealers. So, hopefully this can work out and I can get this done for pretty cheap. Thank you for all your help guys. So, now I don't have to go asking around now. Now, is there a big difference between Euro Xenons and US Xenons. I'm guessin brighter as Euro lights are usually brighter.
