mmgrad

Ok everyone... everyone complains about the yellow driving lights on the CLK, and I am one of those people too.

Factory ones are too yellow and pretty dim, but no aftermarket replacement exists that is bluish while still maintaining fair luminance.

So... I've compiled some comparison shots of different bulbs for reference:
Factory vs. Polarg M17 vs. LEDs vs. Custom Light
(the light on the far right is always the factory light, only the left light is changed for comparison purposes)

mmgrad

Here are the results of my test:

Factory Driving Lights:
- Faint yellowish light, somewhat dim

Polarg M17 lights:
- Bluish color, dimmer than factory lights

LED Lights:
- Very Blue color, not bright at all... dimmer than M17s

Custom Made Lights:
- Whiter than factory lights, not much blue. Very very bright! about 3-5Xs as bright as the factory lights!!!

For me, I choose the Custom Lights... but they are still in the development stages.

mmgrad

Here is another picture comparing the brightness of my Custom lights vs the Factory Lights

You can see below why I like my custom lights better

CLK430_ew

so what is the custom lights ???

mmgrad

Its pretty much a custom made harness with a high output bulb... a local shop is getting it made for me, so I'm kinda like a guinea pig... i'm not sure what kind of bulb it is though.

Supra

Danny , thank you very much
ur report is very detail , thx again

seems that the LED is even worse than the M-17 , do u think so ?

well , i have an idea , is it possible to put a HID kit for the driving light !?
must be the best choice , heheh :p

mmgrad

HID kit for the driving lights? yes, it is possible... but get ready to be pulled over every other night by the cops, not to mention every other car in front of you giving you the finger.

cause essentially, you will be driving with high powered high beams.... its possible, but i don't recommend it.

michakaveli

Some people are looking for a bright city light. I am just looking for an amber LED to replace the stock city light with. Just enough to see a nice amber hue within the lamp housing. For those that have purchased the LED bulbs, which place would you recommend?


Thanx In Advance GUYS!

Brian_I.

Hey Danny, since I know you enjoy posting pics, can you post one with the Xenons turned on. That way we can see which ones match it closest. Personally, from the pics I think I like the Polarg's but since you are judging in person then you must be right.

x15jq

I just got the polarg m17's today, didnt read any threads here first tho too late now..

The bubls look like crap! they look greenish, and they are a dull blue painted bulb apparently. Im dissapointed bc i have 194 wedge bulbs from polarg, and there tinted blue glass, and come up really blueish white on my c230 coupe.

Now i have this off blue color city, and the nice white xenon factory low beam

And these polargs look crappy if u look at the bulb when its lit, its like all yellow and blue mixed tint, but the overall output is this off blue color that is dim. Its not the dimness that bothers me its the color.

x15jq

Guys after reading the E class forum, the lights that our city ones are are H6W. I don tthink there is a need to get the M17 and cut off a tab.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=28646

Those are supposeidly pretty blue and also expensive lol... Im really pissed about the polargs I got, someones got to have a solution.

cl_kruisin

Danny, why don't you wire in a blue neon accent into your custom lights and then you have a blue bright light?

Josh K

It's illegal to have blue lights anywhere on the exterior of your car because it's a police color. You would get pulled over VERY quickly.

bmac002

x15jq, the phillips blue vision bulbs are not that much whiter than the factory ones. In this picture I have the blue vision's in the driving lights and piaa super white h1 fogs.

Josh K

Yeah, the only way to get a color that matches would be to get the LED's but they're not as bright as the stock lamps. Although they look really blue in pics they look more of a bluish white in real life.

mmgrad

You make me sound like a picture post *****... hehehe

I can't do it right now, cause I left my car at MB for a detail job last friday...

I'll try and take some pics for ya when I get it back...

My custom lights look great... very bright, and not too yellow, though it still doesn't match the xenons... I do however have another idea I'm gonna try to get a matching driving light as xenons...

x15jq - its hard to trust what ebay sellers say about their products... afterall, they just want the sale.... in any regards, if you get around to trying it, please do post your findings...

2ndly, you will most likely still have to cut off one peg from the bulb... most stock driving light bulbs have bulbs on the direct opposite sides...

Oh, and finally... if you had just recently bought the M17 bulbs, I wonder why your retailer didn't have the new version... the old version looks like it is actually PAINTED in blue paint... the new version is dyed glass like all those other xenon-like bulbs on the market... those MAY yield better results...

bmac002

The Phillips Blue Vision H6W bulbs require no modifiction. They plug right in. They just are not that white. Still kind of yellow. See above picture. Once I got my so called while led's (Blue, very Blue) I put these back in. They look a little bit more white than factory and seem a little brighter as well.

Brian_I.

That's a total let down. I had all my hope in the Phillips but I guess they have let us down as well. I hope Danny's project turns out ok so that we will finally be able to have a uniform look in the front.

clarkspark

Just do what I do. Drive around with the high beams on! Nobody will be ever know. Um except you guys....Although it sucks that you can't use the fogs when you have high beams on.

Brian_I.

You can't be serious. I already get high-beam flashes with just the Xenons on. I think I'd get shot driving around my area with the high beams on.

mmgrad

you don't pull that crap here in LA... rumor has it that people were driving around without lights on at night... and when you high beam them... they SHOOT you...

it was part of their initiation for some gangs... not sure if it was true... but its enough to tell u not to high beam anyone...

Brian_I.

Yeah, I heard that started out as just an urban legend but a lot of kids started actually doing that to have "fun". Driving with the high-beams is also dangerous because you can blind other drivers.

I would love to have a completely uniformed look with all the front lights but not at the cost of risking lives.

clarkspark

Wow I see what you guys are saying but as you said Xenons are like high beams IMO. And regular high beams don't even come close to Xenons. But I guess if your area is like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, then damn I feel sorry for you guys.

LowRydeR

My M17 looks yellow when I turn on my 6000K HID, so I'm not going to try no more.

-Bruce

mmgrad

Hey Bruce, if that is the case, then you've got to try the LEDs.... they are very blue indeed... maybe more to your liking

they should pair up nicely with your 6000K xenons