BrabusCClass

Well, the shop installed it but the lights turn on then off right away. Dealer said they have no openings till wed or thursday to look at my car. I explained all they need is a DAS and he was like easier said than done... Is there any way to make them work so I can drive? Or no.

BrabusCClass

Also, dealer doesnt know why i need to reprogram it... erg. They said it should be automatic. I dunno.

young

yes, turn on the lights before you start the car. wait until they stay on. then you can insert the key and start the car.

TimmyC230boy

but if you start the car THEN turn on lights they will just flicker and go out. go to the lighting FAQ i made and it will show you exactly how to get the dealer to reprogram it.

Bos

I found that the proceedure was key to position one, lights on, start car, or sometimes another varient of this procedure. Basically, keep trying different options, position 2, lights, etc. and you'll get them to go on.

As for your dealer... they're full of crap. The DAS change should take no more than 5 minutes. Connect DAS to car, enter type of car information, DAS aquires communication with car, make change, save change and your're done.

Buellwinkle

What works for me is to turn the lights on, open the sunroof, wave a rubber chicken over your head in a clockwise motion using your left hand while chanting, I "shoulda bough a Honda" 3 times, then start your car. Oh wait, I don't have Xenons.

Vince

dude, your supposed to wave it counter-clockwise.

Buellwinkle

You are correct. It's clockwise for the halogens, counter-clockwise for the Xenons. I stand corrected. Thank you for catching that mistake.

BrabusCClass

OK well the lights just ficker on and off. Are you saying if I let it do this for a while it will just start up? I went to Downtown LA MB and they refuse to adjust it. This sucks.

Bos

Do they light up and stay on without the key in the ignition? They should, even though the car will beep because the lights are on and you don't have the key in the ignition. Next trying starting the car with the lights running. Do they stay on? If not, try key in postion 1, turn lights on, etc. as stated above.

Good luck...

BrabusCClass

They just flicker on and off. No matter what position the key is in. It just will not stay on. The system works because I had it tested. Looks beautiful. Now I just need to figure out who can turn this thing on for me. My salesman from Beverly Hills MB tried to ask the forman and he refused due to liablity reasons. This really sucks.

young

can you turn the lights on w/out the key inserted?

BrabusCClass

Without the key or with the key in any position they just flicker on then off. With the key in the 2 position its like a stobe like. Does it with a few second delay, on and off, on and off. On the other positions it just turns on, then off once.

BrabusCClass

Does anyone in the LA area know where i can get it reprogrammed. It looks so simple... Im truly frustrated.

BrabusCClass

I was wrong, it just flickers on and off no matter what. I thought it only did it once but it just does it over and over. It will not stay on. I let if flicker for about 30 seconds, I figured its not good for the system but wondered if it would actually turn on. It didnt...

young

well, i have 2 theories...

1. 2001 model c-sedan is different from the coupe...


does brabus newport beach have a DAS computer? will they do it(for a fee of course)? i'd just call various service shops (try independent shops too)

Mike T.

I know this is not particularly relevant to the problem Mr. Brabus is having, but has anyone seen any objective testing of different cars retrofitted with HID lights?

By that I mean...

- illumination range, low beam
- reflective range, low beam
- illumination range, high beam
- reflective range, high beam

... comparing the stock setup to the HID.


Off the top of my head I'd guess that the limiting factor in any HID conversion would be the design of the fluting on the headlight lens, which is designed to work with an H7 bulb, with the light source in a certain position. I assume the HID kit makers are putting the light source in exactly the same location vis à vis the reflector.

So would the HID do anything other than change the quality of the light?

Another question: how hot do HIDs run? Hotter than an H7? If so I'd be worried about messing up the plastic lens and reflector.

Just wondering here...

BrabusCClass

I dont think there is much difference between the 2 besides the self leveling. Which I hate by the way. Self leveling xenons suck when going uphill on a desert road, ie. the 15 to vegas. I cant see anything exept the floor since thats all it lights up. And its like this for 15 miles or so since thats how long the hills are. I thought self leveling was very stupid and I cant believe because of liability, the dealership will adjust my computer. I will test stock xenon vs HID if i ever get my headlights to work. If not its going on my Previa or Im going to run a separate switch. Blah.

young

well, if it's not too much trouble, (the previa uses H7 bulbs?), try one on the previa. b/c my other theory was that something's w/ the ballasts.

BrabusCClass

No they work fine. I tested them. Previa does not take H7. I would need to buy new bulbs. Maybe ill use a switch. But how sad is this. Blah. I am going to try Keyes European tomorrow morning. I know the Service manager and Fleet manager there so hopefully they can do this. If not i dunno who else to ask. Maybe independent shops... but i doubt they can help me. I asked one today and they had no clue.

vadim

This one is easy to answer: since they throw up tp 3x the amount of *visible* light on the road compared to Halogens(H7) *and* at the same time they draw much less current (2.9 Amp. vs. 4.58 Amp. stock), their heat(infrared) output MUST be absolutely negligible compared to that of the stock bulbs. So, they run much colder than the H7.

Mike T.

Thank you for shedding some light on that question

I was imagining the bad old days when people would put 100W bulbs in H1 lights, eventually trashing the aluminised reflector in the process. In the case of the small rectangular H4 lights, the 80/100 W bulbs would sometimes crack the glass lenses too, due to the excessive heat.

BrabusCClass

Hmm... I got the dealer to reprogram it... Now it just stays on for a min then shuts off, then turns on again to repeat this process. I get error messages when it shuts off. Does anyone know why?

TimmyC230boy

First of all, do you smell anything burning?

It sounds to me like you may have a bad ballast? I am no mechanic but flickering usually means that it isnt getting a continual power feed. I would be in contact with whoever you got the kit from and tell them your symptoms and take it from there. Sorry to hear about this man.

young

a couple of more theories...

is it installed correctly... are all the plugs in tight? (please don't take offense at this comment... i do it all the time w/ computers* )

i still wonder about the components. ballasts or bulbs. have you contacted the vendor yet? but, if your previa can handle it, it says the kit is fine.

otherwise, i have no clue... and i would start thinking about another kit to try out.

*i once spent a 2 hours trying to get my cable modem working... messing w/ the network settings (ok, i just installed XP so it complicated things a bit). let's just say it would help if the ethernet cable was plugged into the computer