My '03 C240 (pics)
11-04-2008, 08:53 PM
#26
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'03 C240 4 DR SDN -Black
intoman,
As for my BIX, I meant it was installed when the car was originally built, and hence, part of the vehicle's options when built. My car is very well optioned: heated seats, harmon/kardon logic 7.1 surround with CD changer, sunroof package, the lighting package (bix with headlight washers), rear shade, COMAND Nav, etc. Basically, the only options it doesn't have is the full power driver's seat with steering column memory, Satellite radio, and split folding seats.
Cintoman
As for my BIX, I meant it was installed when the car was originally built, and hence, part of the vehicle's options when built. My car is very well optioned: heated seats, harmon/kardon logic 7.1 surround with CD changer, sunroof package, the lighting package (bix with headlight washers), rear shade, COMAND Nav, etc. Basically, the only options it doesn't have is the full power driver's seat with steering column memory, Satellite radio, and split folding seats.
Cintoman
11-04-2008, 09:10 PM
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C320
nice car bro. Looks alot like mine. I just got mine about a month ago its an
02 c320 blk/blk and yeah i want to get bi-x as well. I just got my tails tinted and they look great ill post a pic when i get the chance. Good luck on getting the mods.
02 c320 blk/blk and yeah i want to get bi-x as well. I just got my tails tinted and they look great ill post a pic when i get the chance. Good luck on getting the mods.
11-04-2008, 10:14 PM
#28
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01' C32o
i don't know, but i think the self leveling is part of the BiX option, no?
11-05-2008, 12:28 AM
#29
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1. The 5mm spacers in the front wheels are used to push the wheels out farther so that they clear my Tein coilovers.
2. See attachment
3. With the teins it dropped about an inch in the rear and around 2-2.5 inches in the front (roughly). They are adjustable so you can vary the height - check out the Tein website for their specs for c240's. Anyways, the front had a monstrous 4x4 gap so dropping it even with my stock wheels made it look 100X better.
PM me if you have any specific questions. I got a lot of help with my setup from a user named jfabes. He was kind enough to explain a lot of questions i had so i just want to pay it forward and offer any newbies any help cuz we were all newbies at one point.
Anyways good luck with your car
Last edited by T.O_c240; 11-05-2008 at 12:32 AM.
11-05-2008, 02:06 AM
#30
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My thinking why is because of 2 things: 1) the projector lens have a very sharp cutoff in the light pattern. Very strange when it's your first few times in a car that has projector lenses, BIX or non BIX. Whereas the regular frosted pattern lights project a beam that as it goes higher it gets weaker and weaker, the projector lenses have a sharp cutoff.
The best example is picturing driving down a straight road with tall trees along the side. Regular headlights cast their beam pattern straight ahead and a bit towards the side, lighting up the trees. Looking at the side, the light output is brightest towards the base of the trees, then gradually fades away as you go up the tree trunk.
With projector lenses, the same tree is lit brightly at the base of the tree, but then cuts off to total darkness after a certain height along the trunk.
Which brings me to point #2) With the significantly greater output BIX have, amplified even more so with a projector beam, there are regulations in place that limit the output/blindness for oncoming traffic. So, if the projector BIX did not self level (move up/down), if you were transporting heavy weight in the back seat or trunk, this would raise the car's front end higher, effectively raising the light pattern from the projectors higher, and now having the potential to blind oncoming traffic. Which is part of the reason the projector BIX have the self leveling feature. This is not an issue with frosty pattern headlights (BIX or non-BIX) because their light output is not as focused like a projector's is.
With that said, keithgy, there are several ways you can tell if you have BIX or not. One way I'm not sure, but I do know that on the 2005 or newer cars, if you had the BIX, you would also have the headlight washers. These are easily noticeable as there are small plastic covers right below the bottom edge of each headlight. These covers pop open and spray your headlights with washer fluid to clean them. On the interior, you would have a button to the right of the sideview mirror adjustment button on your dash.
However, I am aware that forum member KevBlah has an 01 or 02 C320 that has the headlight washers, but no BIX. Back during these model years, the headlight washers were part of a "winter package" which included heated seats. On the 05-07, the headlight washers are part of the "lighting package". I'm not well versed on the 03-04 model years.
Secondly, you can tell if you have BIX by the color of the light output from your lights. Normal halogen lights are a bit yellowish in color, whereas BIX light output is very white, with a slight bluish tint to them.
Thirdly, stand outside your car at night and have someone turn on your lights for you. BIX lights "pop" on super quick, have a super split-second warm up period before they're at full output. Then when shutting off, they again "pop" instantly off. Halogens turn on rather quick but don't "pop" on. And when they shut off, they slowly fade to off.
Hope this helps, and sorry about me rambling on and on. As you can probably tell, I'm a HUGE fan of BIX lighting and think they should be on all cars.
Cintoman
11-05-2008, 02:17 AM
#31
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One more thing....
The frosty lights, if equipped with xenons are regular xenon lights. They are not bi-xenon lights.
The projector lights are bi-xenon. The difference between xenon and bi-xenon is that bi-xenons actually have a metal plate that's cut in such a way to meet the US DOT specs for a low-beam pattern. This metal plate, when the lights are in low-beam mode actually is in front of the projector lenses, effectively blocking part of the light output. When you switch to high-beam mode, this metal plate swings upward and out of the way, allowing the full output of the projector lenses. This is why they call them BI-xenon. They work in both modes, low and high-beam. It's actually pretty cool because if you're by the lights and you have someone flipping between low and high-beam, you can actually see and hear the plate move up and down.
The frosty lights are just xenon because they do not change their pattern between low and high-beam.
Final thing...those people that equip their cars with OEM or non-OEM BIX lights do not enjoy the self-leveling feature that the cars that already come equipped from the factory with BIX lights. From what I understand, the factory equipped cars have some sensor that's tied into the rear somewhere (suspension maybe), that detects if the car is sagging due to extra weight in the rear. And with this information, it can appropriately adjust the motors in the projectors to aim downward at the precise angle.
Cintoman
The frosty lights, if equipped with xenons are regular xenon lights. They are not bi-xenon lights.
The projector lights are bi-xenon. The difference between xenon and bi-xenon is that bi-xenons actually have a metal plate that's cut in such a way to meet the US DOT specs for a low-beam pattern. This metal plate, when the lights are in low-beam mode actually is in front of the projector lenses, effectively blocking part of the light output. When you switch to high-beam mode, this metal plate swings upward and out of the way, allowing the full output of the projector lenses. This is why they call them BI-xenon. They work in both modes, low and high-beam. It's actually pretty cool because if you're by the lights and you have someone flipping between low and high-beam, you can actually see and hear the plate move up and down.
The frosty lights are just xenon because they do not change their pattern between low and high-beam.
Final thing...those people that equip their cars with OEM or non-OEM BIX lights do not enjoy the self-leveling feature that the cars that already come equipped from the factory with BIX lights. From what I understand, the factory equipped cars have some sensor that's tied into the rear somewhere (suspension maybe), that detects if the car is sagging due to extra weight in the rear. And with this information, it can appropriately adjust the motors in the projectors to aim downward at the precise angle.
Cintoman
11-05-2008, 02:37 AM
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01' C32o
oh man, i totally had a brain fart. LOL, i know how the projectors work, but damn, i couldn't think of an easier way to identify if he had oem HIDs.
at your posts!
at your posts!
11-05-2008, 02:16 PM
#35
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One more thing....
The frosty lights, if equipped with xenons are regular xenon lights. They are not bi-xenon lights.
The projector lights are bi-xenon. The difference between xenon and bi-xenon is that bi-xenons actually have a metal plate that's cut in such a way to meet the US DOT specs for a low-beam pattern. This metal plate, when the lights are in low-beam mode actually is in front of the projector lenses, effectively blocking part of the light output. When you switch to high-beam mode, this metal plate swings upward and out of the way, allowing the full output of the projector lenses. This is why they call them BI-xenon. They work in both modes, low and high-beam. It's actually pretty cool because if you're by the lights and you have someone flipping between low and high-beam, you can actually see and hear the plate move up and down.
The frosty lights are just xenon because they do not change their pattern between low and high-beam.
Final thing...those people that equip their cars with OEM or non-OEM BIX lights do not enjoy the self-leveling feature that the cars that already come equipped from the factory with BIX lights. From what I understand, the factory equipped cars have some sensor that's tied into the rear somewhere (suspension maybe), that detects if the car is sagging due to extra weight in the rear. And with this information, it can appropriately adjust the motors in the projectors to aim downward at the precise angle.
Cintoman
The frosty lights, if equipped with xenons are regular xenon lights. They are not bi-xenon lights.
The projector lights are bi-xenon. The difference between xenon and bi-xenon is that bi-xenons actually have a metal plate that's cut in such a way to meet the US DOT specs for a low-beam pattern. This metal plate, when the lights are in low-beam mode actually is in front of the projector lenses, effectively blocking part of the light output. When you switch to high-beam mode, this metal plate swings upward and out of the way, allowing the full output of the projector lenses. This is why they call them BI-xenon. They work in both modes, low and high-beam. It's actually pretty cool because if you're by the lights and you have someone flipping between low and high-beam, you can actually see and hear the plate move up and down.
The frosty lights are just xenon because they do not change their pattern between low and high-beam.
Final thing...those people that equip their cars with OEM or non-OEM BIX lights do not enjoy the self-leveling feature that the cars that already come equipped from the factory with BIX lights. From what I understand, the factory equipped cars have some sensor that's tied into the rear somewhere (suspension maybe), that detects if the car is sagging due to extra weight in the rear. And with this information, it can appropriately adjust the motors in the projectors to aim downward at the precise angle.
Cintoman
In the US you can get away with retro fitting them without auto leveling. In Europe, Australia & South Africa etc. your car would be thrown off the road.
I'm surprised some aftermarket guys have not devised at least a manual shutter control for BiX in the US.
11-05-2008, 04:06 PM
#36
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'03 C240 4 DR SDN -Black
No joke... I really had no idea just how much technology is in the BIX's... After reading everyones input... I've really got to do some research... I want all my upgrades/mods to be done at factory standards. Sounds like to have the BIX properly done, it's going to be expensive!
Last edited by keithgy; 11-05-2008 at 04:19 PM.
11-05-2008, 04:17 PM
#38
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'03 C240 4 DR SDN -Black
Wow dude! Not only was my remark NOT done w/any sarcasm intended,but I was just trying to let u know the ease of finding stuff out before u incur the wrath of the long-timers on here! BUT since you obviously arent perceptive enough to p/u on that,Good Luck w/all your mods,man! Incredible...
Just a quick note...
ArsnlKen,
Sorry about misunderstanding your post. I shouldn't have responded the way i did...
11-05-2008, 04:18 PM
#39
Super Moderator
Keithgy - If your car is not fitted with the correct wiring harness you are going to have to compromise. Not practical to change the harness & too expensive. The yaw sensor is under the back seat & part of the ESP.
11-05-2008, 04:24 PM
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'03 C240 4 DR SDN -Black
I'm guessing the best thing to do is to take the car to my local MB dealer and see just what it is equipped with so I know what I have *or don't have
11-05-2008, 04:26 PM
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'03 C240 4 DR SDN -Black
11-05-2008, 04:28 PM
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11-05-2008, 04:38 PM
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'03 C240 4 DR SDN -Black
11-05-2008, 04:43 PM
#46
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Reposted above at slightly higher res - trying not to waste space on forum - you can also clearly see the washer flaps in this pic.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; 11-05-2008 at 04:48 PM.
11-05-2008, 05:01 PM
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C230 Kompressor Sport Sedan
I'll try to take a better pic and post it. Thanks for trying to see.
Edit: they look similar to these:
I believe the ones I have are stock.
Edit: they look similar to these:
I believe the ones I have are stock.
Last edited by billbugger; 11-05-2008 at 05:04 PM.
11-05-2008, 06:05 PM
#48
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Haha yes he is.
After one of my fog lights broke i found out i could replace them with clear lenses which i did just like Glyn M Ruck's car. I had to spray a plastic piece with silver paint on the inside of the lense cuz it was plastic. Glyn did your car already come with clear fog lights?
After one of my fog lights broke i found out i could replace them with clear lenses which i did just like Glyn M Ruck's car. I had to spray a plastic piece with silver paint on the inside of the lense cuz it was plastic. Glyn did your car already come with clear fog lights?
11-05-2008, 06:38 PM
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11-05-2008, 06:40 PM
#50
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