LMing

heh I will pass that, I love the auto leveling and the headlight washer, but you are welcome to have a road trip to here, by the time you got here I think you are ready for another oil change. lol

MBenzNL

I have xenons in my C250D...I drive with my headlights on 24/7 (and it is not even obligated by law)...I have replaced 3 xenon bulbs so far...and that was in 400.000km - now you do the math.

greetingz,

LMing

Heh now I feel much better, thanks a lot Steve for the information.

dey-bid

[QUOTE=14cue]

the guy from the shop that did the retrofit says his current software only handles up to 04 modles and he donest use star, but something equivalent to it, is this bull ****?
QUOTE]


where is this shop im wondering

14cue

[QUOTE=dey-bid]
name of the shop is MB Euro Motors. stay away!!!!

anyway, update! i finally have it programmed right! that punk at the shop said he has done it before, all he did was install the lights w/o reporgramming it and charged me $300!! if i put it on my credit card i would charge it back for sure, but i had to pay cash. He's a dick, even gave me **** for having a CL star grille, he told me he wouldnt touch it cuz the grille gets in the way of the hood lever that comes out. and i quote " i am very particular about these things, i already know it'll be a headache, i wont touch it! not on a friday" then he ripped the invoice up. i just stared at him and he decided to do it. i should have walked out but i dragged my buddy out of bed so he can give me a lift to work b/c i had to leave the car there. professional eh? f ucks up the install and charges me an arm and a leg and doesnt even wash my car!

anyway, i had to vent. if you live in Vancouver and need something done, dont ever go to this guy! he said he'll call me back once he updates his software, right! i'm not holding my breath.


so, i managed to get mercedes to program it right! paid more (i wont say h ow much, it hurts too much). so in total i paid over 2k for this nightmare. i have called every MB dealership in the lower mainland, brought it to 2 of them and called every eruo specialist in the Province! no one would help me or couldnt! so i pulled a guilt trip on the one where i usually service my car at. that seemed to work

i want to thank Steve and Wanda for being so helpful and not losing patience with me! you guys rock!!!

and thanks to everyone here who have replied, cheers mates!

BigSis

Hi Terrence,

It sure is good to know that you finally have your car properly programmed - and that the lights are working.

Now all you need to do, is enjoy the visibility (at night, especially!)

greetingz,

BigSis

dey-bid

[QUOTE=14cue]which dealer in van did go to?just wondering because i soon will need to get this reprogrammed.

Moviela

That is an awful lot of hoops to jump through. I am suprised that Mercedes dealers refused service requested by an owner, especially in the light of all metro Vancouver dealers being owned Mercedes-Benz of Canada! It is a ten minute (maximum) job to connect the Star Diagnosis computer and flash the EIS (electronic ignition switch) for the xenon lamps.

The 2000 hour life for xenon lamps is for quality bulbs from Osram or Philips. You can spend a little less and get Chinese made counterfeit lamps that last 500 hours. The bulb does not cease working at the end of the rated life. This is the point where the consumable portion of the bulb emits light reduced by 50% of a new lamp. The number of starts is also limited. If you start the lamps frequently, they will stop igniting at some point. The number of strikes is dependant on the temperature, pressure, and humidity.

People who turn the lamps on anytime they are driving, get the longest life. It is also safer, because other drivers can spot you easier, even in the daytime. Orange County has mandatory daytime lights on the Laguna Canyon 133.

Is that shop owner nicknamed "Nemo?" I am talking about the clown fish who did not like your choice in grills. What a loaf.

I am offended as a share owner of DaimlerChrysler AG. I hope DaimlerChrysler Services, N.A. is paying attention and will remind all retail dealers that they must service owners cars. (at usual and customary prices, too.) Even when they choose to do work themselves with Mercedes parts.

I am sure you will enjoy your new lamps!

14cue

[QUOTE=dey-bid]
hey man,

i went to the Boundary Dealership. Ask for Micheal (english fella).
good luck!

14cue

Moviela,

it was a pain in the A ss no doubt, but i am just glad it's over now. the funny thing is whenever i mentioned retrofit or upgrade lamps alarm bells went off!! i dont see why it's such a big deal, some of them even told me to come in and ask them directly. so i had to take time out of my day and drive down there just for them to say no and hear the same thing everone else told me, we cant, we dont want to be liable blah blah blah...

I love my car, but i dont think i'll buy another MB just b/c i cant stand their service. my bro used to have a BMW and he gets the best service, ervything was free and done right the first time. i've had ot bring my car back multiple times b/c some tech wasnt attentive and didnt service it correctly. ie: unplugged my glove lights when installing the ipod kit, noisy brakes that still isnt fixed, smell coming from the cents (brought it in twice! - still not fixed) and a few other minor issues and of course this one. lesson learnt!

i am enjoying the lights tho! love them, even during the day, the sheer glare reflecting off of the rear ends of cars is gorgeous!

Reynaldo

Can anyone, please, tell me---if you've had your xenon bulb replaced? Do they look(the light) the same as they were before?....Mine it's dif now--no more whiteness in them. True/false/why?...What can one do to get that original whiteness back? Thank-you!

LMing

Change to Philips Ultinon 6000K, take a loook Here

Moviela

The lamps change color slowly as they age. They usually get more yellow. If you replaced only one bulb, you can easily see the difference. There are a variety of color temperatures you can buy. Generally, the higher the color temperature, the more blue it will look. Daylight is roughly 5000K. Most OEM lamps are a little less than that, and look quite white. The 6000K have a hint of blue, but are still very good for showing objects at night. Genuine Philips lamps are excellent. There are lots of counterfeits marked Philips.

You can buy the lamps as matched pairs. The factory lights them up, measures the light output and color temp. then groups them so they appear the same when installed.

The lamps you bought might have had a lower color temperature, and would appear more yellow to your eye. If you bought counterfeit lamps, they can be really bad for color, and won't last long. (Niether does a copy Rolex.)

ttt408

I upgraded my headlights to the OEM 03-05 BiXenon headlights. I plugged in the headlights and they power up just fine. But my signals and high beams not working...also when I try to use them there is an indicator on my cluster stating Headlight Failer.

I was told that I need an adapter or need to re-wire the harnesses...does anybody know anything about this? Any advice would help. Thanks in advance.

C24owner

it would be helpful if you told us what this was for and if you posted in the correct section.. This is the classifieds, you know for buying/selling stuff.

kevblah

Maybe he wants to BUY advice...no one help him until you see money in your PayPal!

coin

First, you should use the "search" function in W203 forum.

Then, ask your dealer to program your car to recognize XENON = PRESENT.

ttt408

sorry guys..I didnt realized I posted this in the Classified section

slammer111

I'd try flipping the connector.

drexappeal

merged with several different "bi-xenon problem" threads. moved to w203 forum.