C32 AMG, C55 AMG (W203) 2001 - 2007

has anybody ripped out the factory HID ballasts and swapped with 55W HID kit?

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Old Aug 14, 2009 | 01:29 AM
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has anybody ripped out the factory HID ballasts and swapped with 55W HID kit?

The reason I ask is because my bulbs are pretty dim, no surprise, they are 7 years old. It makes more sense economically and practically to do a 55w conversion. With my previous car, I ripped out the old ballasts and popped in new 55W digital ballasts (and bulbs, obviously) and everything was gravy (and BRIGHT). Will the car give me errors if I swap over to 55W ballasts?
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Old Aug 14, 2009 | 03:40 AM
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I installed 55w HID into my foglamps recently...they look awesome although now the foglight is more like 'showlight' useless when it does get foggy...and it BLINDS on coming traffic...few drivers have flashed their highbeams when switched on my 55w HID fogs

with the main headlight though i have the factory Bi X, i'm not sure how to get 55w to work, the ballast of the Bi X is quite complicated, it is like the headlamp has it's own ECU...you may lose the self levelling utility of the headlamp
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Old Aug 14, 2009 | 09:45 AM
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Originally Posted by AMGV6K
I installed 55w HID into my foglamps recently...they look awesome although now the foglight is more like 'showlight' useless when it does get foggy...and it BLINDS on coming traffic...few drivers have flashed their highbeams when switched on my 55w HID fogs

with the main headlight though i have the factory Bi X, i'm not sure how to get 55w to work, the ballast of the Bi X is quite complicated, it is like the headlamp has it's own ECU...you may lose the self levelling utility of the headlamp
The ballast is tied into the self leveling motor? That's unusual.
I have the factory frosty reflector HIDs. All I'm wondering is if the car will complain after I rip out the stock 35w ballasts and pop in some 55w ballasts.
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Old Aug 15, 2009 | 01:37 PM
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anyone?
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Old Aug 17, 2009 | 09:18 PM
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hello? anybody?

what are my options for upgrading the factory xenons?
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 07:47 AM
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honestly..i would just try putting in new bulbs. you would be surprised how much brighter the lights are with new bulbs. Since your bulbs are 7yrs old...they already color shifted and is putting out a lot less lumens then when they were new.

i would get new bulbs first and see if it makes a difference first.

you can buy oem philips 4300k on ebay for $100 or cheap chinese bulbs for $25.
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 10:23 AM
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Originally Posted by TemjinX2
honestly..i would just try putting in new bulbs. you would be surprised how much brighter the lights are with new bulbs. Since your bulbs are 7yrs old...they already color shifted and is putting out a lot less lumens then when they were new.

i would get new bulbs first and see if it makes a difference first.

you can buy oem philips 4300k on ebay for $100 or cheap chinese bulbs for $25.
I'm sure that new bulbs will be quite a bit brighter, but if I'm already spending $100 on new bulbs, why not just get a 55w kit for the same price?
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 10:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Dingleberry
I'm sure that new bulbs will be quite a bit brighter, but if I'm already spending $100 on new bulbs, why not just get a 55w kit for the same price?
you can try if you want...you might get a light codes though. Since you already have hids, the ecu is expecting 35watts of power not 55watts.

i'm running 55watt kit on my car but my car came with halogens and i'm running the ballasts on its own harness thats directly connected to the battery.
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 11:21 AM
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Originally Posted by TemjinX2
you can try if you want...you might get a light codes though. Since you already have hids, the ecu is expecting 35watts of power not 55watts.

i'm running 55watt kit on my car but my car came with halogens and i'm running the ballasts on its own harness thats directly connected to the battery.
I think the connectors for my factory xenons might be different. Do you know if my connectors will mate up with the 55w ballasts?
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 11:26 AM
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i dont know what the oem connectors look like i know the aftermarket 55w ballasts uses 9006 connectors for power input.
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Old Aug 22, 2009 | 09:59 PM
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It can be done, however it is not fun to do as we have done 2.

but let me give you a basic run down of what you need to do and what you'll need in terms of parts.

Since you want to do a 55watt kit, you will obviously need a pair of 55watt ballast with D2S bulbs, with a D2S adapter cable.

You will then need to remove the headlamps, and remove the old ballast. You will need to find the power wire inside of the headlight that send the power signal to the ballast, this will be your power source for the 55w HID ballast. then find a good ground, after that is done you'll use the D2S adapter cable to plug into the back of your factory or aftermarket HID bulb.

You will not get a code if done correctly as your vehicle is already equipped with the xenon lights and the xenon present setting will already be enabled.

hope this helps

James
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