Halogen HID-Like Alternative?
01-20-2014, 01:02 PM
#26
Member
Thread Starter
I'm torn between the following three options:
1. Sylvania zXe H7 (More White, More Light Output, Legal)
2. Phillips CrystalVision H7 (More White, More Light Output, Legal)
3. Phillips DiamondVision H7 (More Blue, Less Light Output, More HID Like, Illegal)
The HID upgrade is inevitable for me. I'm gonna go ahead and do it. I can't stand driving the car with these lousy yellow headlamps lol. Drives me off the wall...
I was thinking of getting one of the above for now and do the HID upgrade in the Spring when the weather gets warmer. Anyone know which ones to get from the Retrofit source or which ones will work perfectly for my 2013 C300? Thanks!
The W203 featured the ability to adjust the headlamp levels with a screw. Is it possible to level these as well to adjust their cutoff levels when I get the HIDs installed?
Thanks!
Vlad
1. Sylvania zXe H7 (More White, More Light Output, Legal)
2. Phillips CrystalVision H7 (More White, More Light Output, Legal)
3. Phillips DiamondVision H7 (More Blue, Less Light Output, More HID Like, Illegal)
The HID upgrade is inevitable for me. I'm gonna go ahead and do it. I can't stand driving the car with these lousy yellow headlamps lol. Drives me off the wall...
I was thinking of getting one of the above for now and do the HID upgrade in the Spring when the weather gets warmer. Anyone know which ones to get from the Retrofit source or which ones will work perfectly for my 2013 C300? Thanks!
The W203 featured the ability to adjust the headlamp levels with a screw. Is it possible to level these as well to adjust their cutoff levels when I get the HIDs installed? Thanks!
Vlad
Last edited by Vlad-II; 01-20-2014 at 01:12 PM.
01-20-2014, 06:53 PM
#27
Member
Thread Starter
Ok so I brought the Sylvania zXe H7 Headlamps this evening. I did go against my will because I wanted to get the Philips Diamond Vision but I was worried about the diminished light output. So after careful planning and weeks of studying threads I finally decided to go with the zXes. Not gonna lie the results are really nice. They are certainly not HIDs but the looks is certainly there. The nice white crisp light I'm looming for is certainly there. It's noticeable with the human eye and in person. I did take some pictures I'll post them up so you can see it for yourself. But the cell phone camera really does not do it justice.
They are a very nice improvement over the stock headlamps. Makes me wonder why Mercedes did not go with something like this in the beginning. It's so much better and "richer" looking than the stock. The blue is not there but there it's more of a natural clean and white look. There is a hint of yellow but no where near as bad as the stock. The light output is certainly improved as well over stock.
This will certainly buy me more time to get some HIDs when the weather gets warmer. But honestly I don't know if it's even necessary. I may ultimately stick with these, because I don't want to mess up anything with wiring or ballasts and blind people on the street it's certainly not worth the aggravation.
They are a very nice improvement over the stock headlamps. Makes me wonder why Mercedes did not go with something like this in the beginning. It's so much better and "richer" looking than the stock. The blue is not there but there it's more of a natural clean and white look. There is a hint of yellow but no where near as bad as the stock. The light output is certainly improved as well over stock.
This will certainly buy me more time to get some HIDs when the weather gets warmer. But honestly I don't know if it's even necessary. I may ultimately stick with these, because I don't want to mess up anything with wiring or ballasts and blind people on the street it's certainly not worth the aggravation.
Last edited by Vlad-II; 01-20-2014 at 06:59 PM.
01-20-2014, 07:21 PM
#28
Senior Member
Ok so I brought the Sylvania zXe H7 Headlamps this evening. I did go against my will because I wanted to get the Philips Diamond Vision but I was worried about the diminished light output. So after careful planning and weeks of studying threads I finally decided to go with the zXes. Not gonna lie the results are really nice. They are certainly not HIDs but the looks is certainly there. The nice white crisp light I'm looming for is certainly there. It's noticeable with the human eye and in person. I did take some pictures I'll post them up so you can see it for yourself. But the cell phone camera really does not do it justice.
They are a very nice improvement over the stock headlamps. Makes me wonder why Mercedes did not go with something like this in the beginning. It's so much better and "richer" looking than the stock. The blue is not there but there it's more of a natural clean and white look. There is a hint of yellow but no where near as bad as the stock. The light output is certainly improved as well over stock.
This will certainly buy me more time to get some HIDs when the weather gets warmer. But honestly I don't know if it's even necessary. I may ultimately stick with these, because I don't want to mess up anything with wiring or ballasts and blind people on the street it's certainly not worth the aggravation.
They are a very nice improvement over the stock headlamps. Makes me wonder why Mercedes did not go with something like this in the beginning. It's so much better and "richer" looking than the stock. The blue is not there but there it's more of a natural clean and white look. There is a hint of yellow but no where near as bad as the stock. The light output is certainly improved as well over stock.
This will certainly buy me more time to get some HIDs when the weather gets warmer. But honestly I don't know if it's even necessary. I may ultimately stick with these, because I don't want to mess up anything with wiring or ballasts and blind people on the street it's certainly not worth the aggravation.
Glad you like them.
01-20-2014, 08:07 PM
#29
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2009 Mercedes C350
01-20-2014, 10:02 PM
#30
Super Member
Don't turn then on.
Nah you are fine, MB could carless about a bulb being replaced.
01-20-2014, 10:02 PM
#31
Member
Thread Starter
Nope they're just regular bulbs. No where near close to HIDs. Dealer wouldn't notice anything at all. Not sure why they call it "xenon attitude" when they're no where near HIDs at all. Terrible marketing but still they are better than stocks and certainly add a bit more character to the car. They are a temporary solution until I purchase the HIDs when the weather gets warmer to install myself.
01-29-2016, 05:06 PM
#33
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2014 C300 4matic Sport Avantgarde
They are a very nice improvement over the stock headlamps. Makes me wonder why Mercedes did not go with something like this in the beginning. It's so much better and "richer" looking than the stock. The blue is not there but there it's more of a natural clean and white look. There is a hint of yellow but no where near as bad as the stock. The light output is certainly improved as well over stock.
I think they use the generic bulb for longer life. Autozones website shows the ZXE's rated life at 125 hrs and the Basic Sylvania H7's life at 270 hrs. ZXE's are warranted for 1 year. Not sure about the basic bulbs. I still like 'em over the standard MB H7. I had the ZXE's on a BMW some years ago and liked the whiter light. I just bought a set of ZXE H7's myself. If one burns out in less than a year I'll ship it back. I have an old set of SS ultras I can swap in. Or buy another set while waiting for warranty replacement and always have spare ZXE's. Anyways gonna put one in and wait till dark just to see the diff.
01-30-2016, 01:44 PM
#35
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2014 C300 4matic Sport Avantgarde
Me too. Even wore some thin rubber gloves so I didn't get only prints on the bulbs. Whiter than the stock bulbs which are from Hungary I see. Whiter and a little brighter than 2 yr. old stock bulbs. 
