headlights ????HID
Last edited by peabers; Nov 30, 2007 at 09:27 PM.
I am waiting for another emulator to bypass/trick the computer.
How did you do yours?
http://jlevistreetwerks.com/p990/üm·...duct_info.html
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I am waiting for another emulator to bypass/trick the computer.
How did you do yours?
with engine off, I can turn on the lights fine and no flickering. But as soon as I turn the engine on, the lights turn off within 30 seconds, and then soon after that, I get the "bulb out" error for both left/right side.
I don't think mine came with separate wires? Are you guys talking about the add-on relay harness or whatever?
Will getting the Xenon=Present command changed fix this issue?



Xenon=the gas in an HID lamp
BiXenon=an HID lamp system with a mechanical vane to cutoff part of the beam.
Projector=lamp holder design on modern cars, a decade ago reflectors were used with HID lamps. They are inferior to projectors.
Most HID (high intensit discharge) lamps for automotive use are 35 watts. They are made in two basic color temperatures, 4300 and 6000K. There are minor variations around these basic temperatures, depending on who makes them, and what gas is inside. Higher color temperature lamps are not brighter, but they are more blue. 6000K lamps from Philips (best in my opinion) measure about 25% less light. The 10000 and 12000K lamps are usually lesser quality lamps with optical coatings that increase color temperature, but greatly reduce the light.
Early on European manufacturers used xenon lamps with reflectors. They are out of favor now because projector stlyes are so much better. Those early reflectors had a bluish appearence because of the reflector coating, not the lamp. The lamp is a 4300K unit.
Mercedes Benz Bi-Xenon (high and low beam being the Bi part) lamp assemblies are made by Automotive Lighting by about a thousand people in the Czech Republic. Bulbs are from Germany, and electronics are from France. Cars with factory Bi-Xenon come with sensors on the front and rear axel that adjust the beam automatically. Many people who fit the lamps after market feel that this is not necessary.
Philips has made some lamps in automotive style bases that are 50 watts. They are labeled "Not for automotive use in Europe and USA." If you can find them, they are the ones to have, if brightness is your goal.
Some people feel they see better with Philips 6000K lamps, and their opinoins are to be respected, however, they do report also that visibility in rain and fog is diminished. Those lamps do look more blue, like the earlier reflectors, and some people like them because it makes their car different from the crowd, which I think is cool.
Cheap lamps from China are often sold with inflated color temperature claims (how would you measure it, anyhow?) and 300 hour lifetimes. Philips and Osram (Sylvania in the USA) lamps are very near the specified color temperature, and their lifetime is about 2000 hours. Color temperature variations from lamp to lamp are visible to the eye, so the lamps are offered for sale in matched pairs. Automotive Lighting matches the lamp assemblies it makes for Mercedes production lines. Another wrinkle is that there are couterfeit lamps from China marked Philips. Many of these are sold in kits on the internet.
If you do put Bi-Xenon lamps you need to change a setting in the cars computer at a dealer to Xenon=Present. The computer is checking the lamp current, and the lower wattage of the xenon lamp can cause them to flicker if the computer is not set correctly.
There are after market housings, most notably from Depo, for about 500. The dealer will charge about 2400. for a set. (ouch, they are only 800. as an option.) There are also "HID" look units that use regular haogen lamps, but are not worth having. For me the after market sets like Depo would be great on a lease car I am turning in, that had a broken housing or lens.
Lots of kits out there that put new bases on cheap HID lamps to fit in halogen housings. Biggest problem is the reflector is not designed for the HID light source. You get the color, but risk damage to the housing, and will probably have less visibility than stock halogen. If you just want the look, Silver Star halogen lamps for less than 50. are a good choice.
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!



