Has anyone here tried using HID's in the stock halogen housings? I realize the best case scenario is to use them in conjunction with projector housings, but I am hoping to get brighter light without buying new housings. The main thing is that I don't blind oncoming traffic. Wondering how the light pattern is.

 

It depends on what headlight housings you have. If you have the clear (2005 model year and up, I believe...) then you should have a pretty decent beam pattern. However, the "frosty" lens housings will really scatter the beam, which will not only blind others, but give you poor light output.

 

Thanks Dr.Fox. It's an '03, and I believe they are frosted. Maybe I will get lucky and someone here has tried this and can give it a thumbs up or down.

 

Sure...try a search though, there has been endless discussion on this topic. Retrofitting frosty xenons

 

I have tried the search here with no luck. I guess I was wording it incorrectly. I will try again.

 

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ng-thread.html

check this out

 

There are some questions you need to ask any one that sells kits to convert to HID lamps:

Is the conversion beam pattern correct?
How is the conversion made to be beam pattern correct?
How is the conversion tested to ensure beam pattern correctness?
If it is not beam pattern correct, can they tell you how to fix it?
Do they know what a correct beam pattern looks like?
Are they aware that non-beam pattern correct conversions have serious disadvantages? A person could get hurt!

I can't see how a bulb designed for a projector housing can be installed in a reflector housing and get a proper beam. Since the lamps must have their base changed, it might be close to impossible. Mid 90's Mercedes actually had such a lamp, but it has fallen from favor. One other big problem with putting a HID lamp in a reflector is the insulation of the return wire. Most reflectors are metalized, and will arc to the return wire. This usually burns the socket and damages the power supply, also called the "ballast."

The color temperature of the lamp is either 4300K or 6000K. Only 4300K is used in OEM headlights. How would you measure it? Knowing that most people can't, sellers lie. The way they make it blue is to put a filter on the external glass. This raises the color temperature, but decreases the light output significantly.

My experience is that Osram (Sylvania) or Philips HID bulbs get more blue as they age, and they last about 2,000 hours. Asian lamps (unknown manufacturer) seem to remain rather constant in color, but expire at about 600 hours. There are a lot of kits available that are not worth the powder it take to blow them up. The power supplies only last a year and are made of non-automotive style parts. The lamps are counterfeit, and have cheap bases on them that break down with high voltage. Please save your money.

Conversion to Bi-Xenon is possible, but you must change the housings. MbenzNL.com has more information on factory parts.

A word of caution. These are not 12 volt lamps. They run at about 85 volts, but they require 25,000 volts to get the arc started. I suggest you stay far away unless you have special training to service very high voltages.

 

Thanks Dr., that is one long thread!

Moviela, thank you for the informative post. I do most of my own mechanics, and I have set up other vehicles I own with HID lighting, but none with frosted lenses though. I was very impressed with the outcome. While I do not claim to be specially trained, I know my way around the shop. I am mainly concerned with the safety implications to other drivers. Since I first started the thread, I did come across a pic comparing the halogen lights to the HID pattern in a clear lens. I was surprised to see they were almost identical. Still searching for frosty lens pics.

 

I have them on my stock headlights (non projector) and they are fine. I believe LILBENZ has them on the non projectors as well and no problems.

Although I want to get projector because it looks more aggressive.

 

What wattage/brand did you install? Any error messages? Did you need resistors in the harness, or was it plug & play?

 

I used the 35watt, i had no errors but if you do get errors/flickering you need to do Xenon=Present in the computer settings and this will fix it. I did this for 2 members and 1 member was having problems which the setting fixed. I did this setting on mine just incase. You will need DAS to do this or you can go to your dealer and have them do this for you.

The other member has 55watt and again he had no errors as well but I do not know if he did Xenon=Present.

My HIDs were from ebay but I don't remember the brand. But if I had to do it all over again I would have gotten better ones where the ballast is much thinner.

See difference?

 

The fat one is like I have installed in the past. The slim is well, slim. I like it.
As far as DAS, do you have it on your PC? If so, where did you get it. I can only assume you needed a special harness to connect it. The stealership would probably want at least $50 to do it for me.

 

I have DDM 55W 6000K kit in the OEM 05+ clears, and the light is not very well placed, it has random bright spots and no cut off, and it throw alot of light up no matter how much you ajust it down, not nearly as good or at all good, compared to a projector lens, even if they where depos they would be way better then an OEM housing with HIDS, they cant concentrate the bright light enough

 

I had a hid kit in my old frosties for about two days. too much glare for oncoming drivers. i then bought bix and have never looked back.

 

reflector based head lights are designed to create glare above the cut off to light up signs. HIDS produces 2800-3500 lumens compared to about 1000 lumens from a halogen. Thats why the glare is more noticeable when you install hids into a halogen reflector.

Just aim the head lights a little lower from stock so the glare doesn't get into the eyes or oncoming traffic and you should be fine.

 

i agree, so i took mine out the same day i installed them and returned to halogen bulbs. when i had mine in, there was no beam pattern, light scattered everywhere and illuminated everything in front of me. i sat in a parking lot about 100 ft from a window and blinded myself. lol. some will disagree that they are fine, but i definitely believe that HIDs should be properly housed in projector assemblies. but the kits are cheap enough that if you want to try it, it isn't a big sacrifice. i'd say buy them and if you don't like them just wait and get projectors. good luck.

 

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...-new-hids.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...d-install.html

here you go.

 

I have 6000k HID's in my non-projector housing 07 and honestly it looks cool and everything but performs like ****. Beam pattern is all over the place with random hot spots. Seriously considering some depos or going back to halogen to clean it up.

 

I have the O-Nex digital kit (www.o-nex.com) in 5000k in my clear housing headlamps. I also had them in the frosty housings on my 02 coupe but there wasn't too much difference in light dispersement.
Here's a video of how my HID looks now. (well not now, I just had to adjust the beam to the proper height).

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...d-w-video.html

 

I also have them in the stock non-projector. I have the 55watt, and used the error eliminators for a while. I had a shop change the xenon setting, and I gained the DRL function. I have a great beam pattern, with less glare than most (I think). Best money I ever spent. I also still have the error eliminators if anybody wants them.

EDIT: I think my sig pic is from before I got the HIDs, so that's not an accurate representation.

 

I hear a lotta bad things about the slim ballasts. For the most part, they're only meant for low space situations like motorcycles. The slim ballast tends to generate much more heat than the larger ones. One of the wholesalers I know won't even sell slim ballasts unless it's for a bike or homemade flashlight. lol

 

flashlight? i have a hid set not doing anything in my room and a bix with projector for parts lol.
E55 projector flashlight that would be nice.

 

Lol yah, making it would be much cheaper than buying the $400 alternative. http://www.airsoftpost.com/product_i...ducts_id=27941

 

Well, since some members think they are OK, and they are so cheap, I will probably try it out in the future. Not all OEM HID light used projectors, so maybe I can come up with a doable solution.

 

So I just installed HIDs in non-projector headlights today and they work so far. Plug-n-play, and no issues so far; no errors, weird beam patterns, etc. *Knock on wood*