A consensus on HID upgrade?
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2012
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2011 C300 AWD
A consensus on HID upgrade?
After much searching and reading on this forum and elsewhere, I would like to ask if there is a consensus now on which aftermarket HID kit is currently the best?
I am looking for upgrading low beams only. I would not go over 6000K. A kit which is a simple "plug and pray" is preferred over the one requiring a modification of wiring or headlight housing.
A search on eBay shows that more expensive ($300) kits by MTEC/Maruta advertized as a simple plug-in solution. Did anybody try them? Are they worth extra money over other $100 and under kits?
Any advise is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
I am looking for upgrading low beams only. I would not go over 6000K. A kit which is a simple "plug and pray" is preferred over the one requiring a modification of wiring or headlight housing.
A search on eBay shows that more expensive ($300) kits by MTEC/Maruta advertized as a simple plug-in solution. Did anybody try them? Are they worth extra money over other $100 and under kits?
Any advise is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
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Joined: Aug 2009
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From: Charlotte, NC
2015 BMW M235i 6MT
http://aznoptics.com/index.php?main_...products_id=10
This is the consensus on this forum. I have this kit in my low beams, and these are error-free.
You could also go with DDM Tuning, but make sure to buy the error code eliminators with these. Several people have this kit, and I have this kit in my fogs.
This is the consensus on this forum. I have this kit in my low beams, and these are error-free.
You could also go with DDM Tuning, but make sure to buy the error code eliminators with these. Several people have this kit, and I have this kit in my fogs.
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2011
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From: Bay Area, CA
2011 C300 Sport, P1, MM, Wood, Heated FS, DIY rearview camera.
Hi Richard,
How long have you had it (reliability)? 5000K is very white but nothing blue, correct?
I am considering the HID kit, not immediately. My concern is its reliability and possible warranty void?
How long have you had it (reliability)? 5000K is very white but nothing blue, correct?
I am considering the HID kit, not immediately. My concern is its reliability and possible warranty void?
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2012
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2011 C300 AWD
Warranty issues
That is exactly my point - if the HID kit is a plug-in (no wire cutting / splitting, ballasts are plugged directly into old bulb sockets), and does not require housing alteration, then when you have an electrical - related problem, you can simply unplug the kit and install your H7 bulbs back in 5 min., before bringing the car to the dealer.
It is my understanding that all kits require drilling a hole in low beam round plug (cover) to pass the wires through. I would save the original plugs and try to find something else (junk yard?) to pass the wires through.
I am looking for feedback on reliability, longevity, light distribution pattern, color (does anything above 4500K look blue / purple?), etc.
Did you choose 35W or 55W HIDs?
Please share which kit you used, and how satisfied you are with it?
Thanks!
It is my understanding that all kits require drilling a hole in low beam round plug (cover) to pass the wires through. I would save the original plugs and try to find something else (junk yard?) to pass the wires through.
I am looking for feedback on reliability, longevity, light distribution pattern, color (does anything above 4500K look blue / purple?), etc.
Did you choose 35W or 55W HIDs?
Please share which kit you used, and how satisfied you are with it?
Thanks!
Super Member
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: St. Paul, MN
2011 E550 4Matic
Azn's kit is as close to plug and play as you can get, the only modification you make is drilling a hole in the lighting assembly cap. However you can buy a spare set of caps online for like $15 i believe, and if you need to take the car in, swap out the bulbs, unhook the ballast, and use the spare caps. shouldnt take more then 10 min.
35W is what Azn sells, they are the best from what ive read. i have the 8ks and love them, pure white with a very small hint of blue. have had em for about 4-5 months now? and they are perfect, no issues what so ever. The LED eye brows do burn out every so often (hasnt happened to me) but Azn is great with sending replacements
35W is what Azn sells, they are the best from what ive read. i have the 8ks and love them, pure white with a very small hint of blue. have had em for about 4-5 months now? and they are perfect, no issues what so ever. The LED eye brows do burn out every so often (hasnt happened to me) but Azn is great with sending replacements
Super Member
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From: Bay Area, CA
2011 C300 Sport, P1, MM, Wood, Heated FS, DIY rearview camera.
And, what about noise generated by ballast? Will it interfere other electronics such as radio and GPS? The incandescent bulb is cleanest electrically.
Super Member
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: St. Paul, MN
2011 E550 4Matic
I've never had a single problem like that, and to my knowledge neither has anyone else on here. You may get issues like that from a really REALLY cheap low end kit, but Azns are very well built.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2009
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From: Charlotte, NC
2015 BMW M235i 6MT
I've had the DDM kit for just over a year. They were originally in my low beams, but moved them down to my fogs last fall. My first pair of bulbs burnt out. Those were 6000K which had a slight hint of blue, but I bought 5000K ones on ebay, and they've been working great ever since in my fogs. The tricky thing about installing fogs is keeping condensation out.
I've had my AZN_Optics kit in my low beams for over half a year, and they've been working flawlessly. 5000K is pure white. There's a slight hint of blue when you first turn them on, but that goes away quickly as the bulb warms up.
And about the noise from the ballasts, you can't really hear it unless you have the hood open.
Oh, and I did get a spare set of low beam caps. I switched back to stock after my first set of bulbs burnt out, but every ballast I have has been working great.
I've had my AZN_Optics kit in my low beams for over half a year, and they've been working flawlessly. 5000K is pure white. There's a slight hint of blue when you first turn them on, but that goes away quickly as the bulb warms up.
And about the noise from the ballasts, you can't really hear it unless you have the hood open.
Oh, and I did get a spare set of low beam caps. I switched back to stock after my first set of bulbs burnt out, but every ballast I have has been working great.
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Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2011
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Black C300 Sport
I have installed a kit from xenonhidconversionkit.com and it has worked pretty well for mr not the cheapest thought cost me $110 dlls i think but the ballasts are canbus which mean error free for mercedes without having to install any capacitors or anything to get rid of the error messages, also good thing is they are 55w which are brighter than 35w ones, check them out and see if you like them. I posted a thread with a 10 dlls off coupon they gave me for members of the forum. I would definitely go with one of the ddm,azn or this one because the cheap ones i have tried are really bad beleive me.
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From: North Jersey
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MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Charlotte, NC
2015 BMW M235i 6MT
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From: Los Angeles
2012 Mercedes E350 RWD, 1999 Olds Alero
I was considering the HID modification but the manual basically states to not mess with anything electrical. Bright white lights are becoming passe. In this area I will see some impressive bright white headlights and then see that it's an older honda civic or toyota camry. Mercedes spent millions R/D these halogen lights, it seems silly to replace them with $100 made in taiwans.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2012
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2011 C300 AWD
I was considering the HID modification but the manual basically states to not mess with anything electrical. Bright white lights are becoming passe. In this area I will see some impressive bright white headlights and then see that it's an older honda civic or toyota camry. Mercedes spent millions R/D these halogen lights, it seems silly to replace them with $100 made in taiwans.
My previous cars (last 3) were Japanese (Infiniti G35x, Lexus IS250AWD, and Infiniti M35X). All of them had HID headlights. As silly as it sounds, I always buy 1-2 years old cars with low mileage, skipping first year depreciation. However, when you buy used, you don't have too many choices. My '11 C300 4motion Sport is reasonably well-optioned (multimedia/nav, panorama roof, photochromic mirrors and even useless motorized rear shade). For monetary reasons alone, M-B decided to make HID lighting package a separate item. The difference between my previous Japanese and the new C300, when it comes to lighting, is literally day and night. Not only the headlights are dimmer and yellowish, they have a very sharp cut-off line for low beams. That is absolutely unacceptable to me. There are tons of deer - vehicle collisions in my area. My son had one a couple of months ago. I already replaced stock H7 with Silverlights, but the improvement is more aesthetic than functional. Therefore I am looking into the available HID options.
About the upgrades in general and "what the manual states", if you are concerned about the warranty coverage, make sure that your upgrades are easily reversible and non-damaging to the car. For example, instead of drilling the holes somewhere in engine compartment to install HID ballasts, attach them with long cable zip - ties. A dealer will not deny warranty coverage unless they can claim that your upgrade directly caused the problem, or contributed to failure. Say, if you installed aftermarket HIDs and then your headlight relay melted, your modification likely caused the problem.
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From: St. Paul, MN
2011 E550 4Matic
