CHARLIEBROWN

also any comments on follow up from those who had the kit installed by a speedshop, is everything STILL o.k.? no burned out lights? no major problems? or .... just the opposite?

greg230

There is a relay that supposedly bypasses the need to get the computer changed, but only one person i know tried it, and it didnt work.

Its cheaper, easier, better, for you to just get the computer changed.... it takes mere moments at any MB service center to do it, and hsould cost next to nothing


The kit is low beam only, btw. I dont know of any dual xenon kits for the c class.

And my lights, installed at a local rice factory speedshop, are working a-ok no problems, everything is all good (knock on wood)

young

what battle? you mean just the experience of getting the hids installed? i came out alive... but a couple of scars. do i get a purple bulb?

you could do a high beam hid if you really wanted to - just add another kit. as long as you get the type 1 ballasts, you should have space for the ballasts to be mounted. the wiring to the high beam housing may be a little trickier but not too bad.

i think the hids4less kits are very good quality overall and no one has complained about them not working. most complaints have been on the customer service/billing side. for that reason, i cannot personally endorse hids4less and suggest other venues. however, others have had no problems w/ them so YMMV.

Buellwinkle

Young, doesn't that void the MB warranttee? Seems too risky to me. What if it shorts out your entire electrical system and you are stranded somewhere? Why not just pay a little more and get the MB HID lights and preserve the MB warranttee. I'm sorry, I could never take a risk like that just to save a few dollars.

young

actually, if the new oem bi-level hids can be retrofitted, i'm definitely getting them despite the costs! (well, up to $2000 - i'm saving as we type)

---

oops, slightly misread your post. actually, there are no oem hids available for the coupe. and the oem sedan hids would not fit the coupe. so no choice except to go w/ the aftermarket hids.

psun786

$2000 for an oem hid set is just little expensive~

1. is there really a need to replace the headlight assembly when u decide to go for HID? (I suppose the oem package does)

2. any good brand options other than hid4less?

3. why can't I change aftermarket HID back to factory headlight for the warranty if it short the entire wire?

thankz

C320 owner

Buellwinkle

I was just bugging Young because he bugs me about warrantte issues with my little upgrades.

1. if you replace the bulb only, the lens was not designed for it and you may not get the full effect. You can get the full MB kit for your car but it's about $1,200.

2. Hella makes a good kit for under $400 (as No Doubt says, it's Hella Good)

3. Doing that would be unethical and the smart thing to do.

young

i should also add that the stage 1 vs stage 2 hids look exactly like their pic... (well, at least on my monitor)

psun786

hi~ Buellwinkle

thank u for answering my concerns, and i have few more questions:

1. I know there are some japan import HID sets which were said to produce 8000~10000K ($800), how's them compare to hella set?

2. What's the bright level of a hella HID? What about an oem HID set?

3. Would a 10000k bulb produce more heat than a 4000K bulb? can the halogen assembly handle the excess heat?

4. It may sounds funny, but I have no clue what type of the headlight assembly i had on my C320 cause I bought it used... can u help me in identifing it?

thank u~

Buellwinkle

Forgot one small detail, you have to take it to the dealer to have them set the Xenon option on the ECU. So they already know you did this. Then if something goes horribly wrong you have to go back to them to set it back. Lose lose either way.

TimmyC230boy

go to my lighting FAQ and it will answer most of your questions. The best degree is around 4200K for driving. The "heat" that a xenon light burns at is now a measure of how much heat it produces. Xenon lighting creates far less heat than regular halogen bulbs do. Once you go over about 6000k you start loosing usable visible light.

CHARLIEBROWN

hey guys good info on the lights-n-stuff but i think i will just get two GE flashlights and some electrical tape and spraypaint them blue to get the ....... nevermind...... i'm just kidding.

in other news***

________________
'02 C230K - Black/Oyster
ASP Billet Pulley
Porterfield R4S Brake Pads
MB Audio 10 AM/FM/SW/CD
MB 6-CD Changer
16" Chrome Wheels
ITG Airfilter (on order)

^^^^^^^^

buellliwinkie,
after reviewing your mods i have to ask,
have you figured out which chip you will go with or are you trying to suprise us with some new stunt?

TomGuy

Before making any decisions on purchasing real HIDs or blue coated halogens.. Take a look at the following website:

http://faq.auto.light.tripod.com/general-faq.htm

From my experience 4100k HID by Phillips produces the most lumens out of any HID kit but a 6000k HID by Phillips would produce the bluest-white but with less lumens.

Buellwinkle

Yes, I'm waiting for the GIAC chip. They are testing it now. Upsolute is OK but GIAC has a better reputation in the VW/Audi arena where these two normally compete. They were also talking about a hot/cool weather modes which would be neat.

I can probably get the dealer to change the fuel settings but since I saved so much on the pulley I'll spend it on the chip instead and enjoy the extra power. My original goal was 200 rwhp and I'm not quite there yet with just a pulley but close.

Lynn

The color temperature of Xenon bulbs has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of heat they generate. A 4000 and a 10000 produce the same amount of heat.

BrabusCClass

The Hella kit consists of 3 types of bulbs to choose from, 4300K white, 7500K bluish, 9000 purplish. You can tell which kit I have thru my avatar.

highbp4me

Having read through a lot of the threads regarding Xenon and HID aftermarket kits. I was wondering if there's anyone out there that had gone ahead and had the dealership upgrade the headlamps to the HID system? Can the dealership do this? I know it's going to cost me some coin but how much? I like to keep things simple and so would rather have the dealership take care of everything. Please feel free to respond to opinions.

2002 C240 Auto.
C2 and C4 pkgs.

TimmyC230boy

depending on the dealership it could range from a freebie to $30. Even though I havent done it yet, the install is fairly easy from what I have heard, take maybe and hour tops.

highbp4me

Hey TimmyC230boy...thanks for the reply but maybe I needed to be clearer. Would you know if there is an option offered by the dealership for them to install the HID headlamps...I'm talking the whole shabang...parts and everything? I thought it was a couple grand to do this?

vadim

Timmy, I think he is talking about the WHOLE upgrade, not just reprogramming of the computer.

I've heard nothing so far about dealer-installed HID systems. I don't think you will have any luck here - for a simple reason: an HID installation can only be legal if installed at the factory. Even a retrofitted OEM HID system installed by an authorized MB dealer is not considered legal, at least in the US. But then again, it may depend on your serivce advisor/tech.

Lynn

vadim is correct. Federal vehicle regs say HID's must be factory installed. This is, of course, silly as hell, because body shops will be replacing the HID's on damaged cars.

Silver_Lana

huh ?????

TimmyC230boy

you would have to get the entire headlight assembly to install, ($1500+) and then have the computer settings changed. Its safe and simple to just upgrade the lamps to xenons and have the service dept change the settings. sorry for the previous confusion.

highbp4me

Hey, would the Xenons make a difference in brightness? I used to have an IS300 with HID lamps and it definitely made things brighter when driving at night. I've heard / read that Xenons can be purely cosmetic? Any recommendations??? So, if I did decide to go with the upgrade the dealer could perform this service? If so, does any know cost?

vadim

Look up "Xenon" in this forum. You'll find more than enough info on this. A good start would by reading Timmy's Lighting FAQ (use a link 2 posts back).