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Considering a C55 which checks all the boxes besides having Xenons. I'd like to replace the halogens with OEM HID Xenons but am finding very little information about part numbers, install, etc. Has anyone done this? From what I can tell, the car will need to be re-coded for the headlamps; not a big deal, I have a good MB indy. Is this a complicated install? From what I can gather, I'm looking at about $2500 in parts.
I think I am just going to go the OEM route for HID. Seems FCP has new HID headlamps for ~$650 each. Could also get some used ones on ebay, I suppose.
From everything I've read, it is plug and play but I'll need the car coded by STAR as XENON=PRESENT. I wont have auto-leveling but the dealer or my indy doing the coding can manually adjust them.
Has anyone done this? I'm shocked by how little information there is out there on this. Maybe because the projector retrofit route is much cheaper.
An interesting thread to find after I started to mess with my E55 headlights yesterday.
⚠️ Fair warning ⚠️: once you open your lenses, be prepared to possibly have a wire insulation problem on your hands, which happened to me. Not sure how old your car is, but mine is 06 model with xenon headlights. Once you open your lenses and start messing with wires this is what could happen:
As you can see, the insulation around the wires got dried up over the period of years and became extremely brittle. Now I have a problem on my hands of insulating every single wire, as the slightest movement of wires chips more and more insulation.
Not saying this WILL happen to you, but be prepared.
I'm going to keep searching on forums to see if others ran into this and for any suggestions on how to remedy this problem.
Appreciate all the replies. Decided to just stay OEM and swap them new Hella headlamps from FCP Euro. Toyed with buying used xenon headlamps and going the quad projector route but think I'll just stay OEM, get my car programmed for Xenon present and be done with it.
Does anyone know if the active curve Xenons from a CLK will fit the C55? Is the wiring the same? Understand that putting in the headlamps to a C55 wont have auto-level or active curve but cant seem to find an answer as to whether they will fit and are plug and play+coded via STAR. Think the CLK active curve xenons are a bit better looking than the stock OEM xenons.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
