When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hey Nigel,
Welcome to the forum! I have used mine for about a year for the first pair and a year for the second pair. First pair were great but I got into an accident (wasnt my fault) and ended up having to replace the headlight units. the second set didnt give me any problems until recently. But it was a setting issue; I needed to set xenon=present through DAS. After that, I have no more real issues.
Besides that, I have no real complaints for the amount of money I spent. I dont think I could do better with $400. Its not perfect as I have similar issues as Rudeney but it definitely performs a lot better than halogens.
With that being said, OEM should be the optimal choice if you want it to be as clean as possible but it wont be in everyones budget.
Thanks! Appreciate the info! Honestly I don't think OEM is an option mainly because I saw some for sale and they were over $1200... at that price considering this is our weekend car it's just not worth it to me..lol
I'm very very new to German cars..lol I'm used to American/Japanese so getting things programmed to accept changes as you said xenon=present through DAS is all completely new! I take it this has to be set at the dealer? And is it something where you tell them exactly what you want and then they do it or does one have to jump through hoops since it's not a OEM Mercedes option that came from the factory? (sorry if that's a lame question)
I'm pretty familiar with taking things apart and modding, all our vehicles are modified in some way, and my STi is far from stock. This is going to be purely a fun car for us and I'm excited that it's a Merc as first one!
I take it you got the second ones from the same Ebay guy?
From what I have gathered and searched on Ebay the user is fishcake321. Trying to decide if chrome would look best on an all black car or if the blacked out versions would look good?
Nothing is a lame question. We were all new to these vehicles at one point and another. Also this forum has wealth of knowledge to be learned!
The setting change can be done at any place that has the mercedes star diagnostics. Getting it done at the dealer may be a challenge unless you have a lenient service advisor or a friend working there. I guess it doesnt hurt to ask but chances are the answer will be "no becuase it is not OEM blah blah blah". If you find an independent mechanic, I am certain he can do it for you.
But first thing's first. I bought both sets from fishcake321. And it worked right out of the box without any setting changing. I feel like my car has a mind of its own sometimes. It just stopped working one day and after a lot of troubleshooting, I figured it might be the setting change. So I might just be the unlucky one lol.
I know some members on here have gotten the blacked out version of the headlights. I am sure there are some in the earlier pages of this thread that could help you decide.
Don't get me wrong - I like these lights and they are doing just fine for me, but for $400, they are not OEM German quality that costs 3x-4x more.
As for the "coding" issues, the HID version of these are generally sold with a ballast that emulates the current draw and resistance from a 55w halogen so they are plug-and-play.
Don't get me wrong - I like these lights and they are doing just fine for me, but for $400, they are not OEM German quality that costs 3x-4x more.
As for the "coding" issues, the HID version of these are generally sold with a ballast that emulates the current draw and resistance from a 55w halogen so they are plug-and-play.
Appreciate the honest feedback!
Would you recommend these over the OEM non projectors/halogens that came on the car?
I normally mod, and having a stock car is unheard of for me, but my wife keeps telling me this is only a weekend car and that in reality tinting the car is really what I want to do first... everything else is just for looks really...haha Just trying to justify spending $400 on something that in reality might not be worth it. I like OEM quality don't get me wrong! But trying to find OEM projector headlights so far is going to cost about 1k... which is 1/4th of the price we paid for the car...haha, it's just hard to justify it.
Would you recommend these over the OEM non projectors/halogens that came on the car?
I normally mod, and having a stock car is unheard of for me, but my wife keeps telling me this is only a weekend car and that in reality tinting the car is really what I want to do first... everything else is just for looks really...haha Just trying to justify spending $400 on something that in reality might not be worth it. I like OEM quality don't get me wrong! But trying to find OEM projector headlights so far is going to cost about 1k... which is 1/4th of the price we paid for the car...haha, it's just hard to justify it.
-Nigel
I came from non xenon. Then went to just adding HID lights which helped but other drivers did not enjoy it as much as I did. I took a gamble with the group buy for these and I definitely think its a major improvement from halogens and even halogen + HID lights. As mentioned from rudeney and others, the cut off of the lights isnt perfect but "brightens" my evening when the headlights turn on =P
For $400, yes, it's a nice upgrade over the halogen lights. I was always disappointed in the halogens on the W209. The aftermarket HID kit in these Depo quad projectors is much better. I also put an ID kit in the high-beams. Although it takes a few seconds for them the "warm up" to full brightness, once they do, it's the brightest night time driving I;ve experienced.
Hi everyone. I'm new to this thread and will appreciate knowledgeable advice. I'd like to replace my halogen headlights with projectors. I was thinking about DEPO quad projectors. I know many of you have them, so I hope to get answers to my questions:
-Do I need to seal the seam with silicon caulk prior to installation, or they come properly sealed?
-Has anyone had any experience with USR (Unique Style Racing)? They sell them at good price with option Xenon HID installed. They have the same pictures as fishcake has on ebay. I'm wondering if it's the same seller.
Also, I came across Spyder headlights for w209 Part number: 5038029 with LED. Any info on them will be appreciated.
Thank you.
I have the DEPO quads - you can see my comments on this thread. None of these will be OEM quality. If you're willing to spend a bit more, you should be able to find a pair of used OEM bi-xenon headlights for under $1000 total in good shape.If you are willing to do some repairs, like fix broken tabs or replace the ballasts, you can get them for less than that.
Today I was replacing my w209 stock halogen headlights with depo Quad Projector Xenon HID 6000K. Everything went smooth and easy including bumper removal. But I have 2 questions.
Do I need to remove the rubber tubing at the front bottom of the headlight (shown on the attached picture)?
Is it normal, it feels like the wire connector doesn't go all the way into the socket of the headlight? The headlights work fine and look much better than halogens.
Thanks for the help.
Today I was replacing my w209 stock halogen headlights with depo Quad Projector Xenon HID 6000K. Everything went smooth and easy including bumper removal. But I have 2 questions.
Do I need to remove the rubber tubing at the front bottom of the headlight (shown on the attached picture)?
Is it normal, it feels like the wire connector doesn't go all the way into the socket of the headlight? The headlights work fine and look much better than halogens.
Thanks for the help.
I don't recall that rubber tube on mine, and it seems that it might interfere with the bumper placement. As for the connectors, check the pins - I had a bent one on one of mine and I have heard others with similar problems.
I actually like these better mainly because of the city light. It's in the housing rather than a separate round piece like in the quad projectors...
figured I'd ask. I don't like the single projector headlights that have the half led ring on the bottom, it looks way too riced out to me and doesn't look like it belongs on a mercedes.
Does anyone know the actual HID systems that comes with these, I assume they are probably not the greatest...? I usually do all retro-fits or HIDS through retrofitsource, and get their morimoto/philips ballasts and philips bulbs but since this is h7, that's not possible with OEM bulb...
These are the Spyder LED headlights that I was asking about.
Hey Westfield,
I acutally got these and I'm returning them. It could have just been my unit but I was not the happiest and did not like the LED strip at the bottom... as it was not very bright. Made the car look like it was suffering from insomnia =P.
The bulbs did not fit properly into the assembly and the light would refract off a metal band that held the halo causing the light to be separated into sections. hard to see in the picture (first two)
When you twisted the bulbs around so that the light was at another angle the light would refract off the housing and spill up.... (3rd and fourth picture)
I wouldn't recommend them but it could just be my experience
I acutally got these and I'm returning them. It could have just been my unit but I was not the happiest and did not like the LED strip at the bottom... as it was not very bright. Made the car look like it was suffering from insomnia =P.
The bulbs did not fit properly into the assembly and the light would refract off a metal band that held the halo causing the light to be separated into sections. hard to see in the picture (first two)
When you twisted the bulbs around so that the light was at another angle the light would refract off the housing and spill up.... (3rd and fourth picture)
I wouldn't recommend them but it could just be my experience
Dang that 4th picture is horrible for light... Glare everywhere...eeek!!
Keep looking on ebay for OEM headlights.
I ended up picking up a pair super cheap and then changed out the Fresnel lenses to clear and it's awesome.
I wish more people would post pictures of the cut off... it may seem like a good deal for projectors until you see the light output then it's game over.
Dang that 4th picture is horrible for light... Glare everywhere...eeek!!
Keep looking on ebay for OEM headlights.
I ended up picking up a pair super cheap and then changed out the Fresnel lenses to clear and it's awesome.
I wish more people would post pictures of the cut off... it may seem like a good deal for projectors until you see the light output then it's game over.
-Nigel
I'm looking but I don't have a lot of time as I don't have a pair of headlights ATM.... I'm probably end up buying one of the DEPO pairs from USR but they only have the quad projectors in the black housing in stock and I'm not sure how that would look on an all silver CLK... might just go with the OEM look they have with the HID upgrade
I actually like these better mainly because of the city light. It's in the housing rather than a separate round piece like in the quad projectors...
figured I'd ask. I don't like the single projector headlights that have the half led ring on the bottom, it looks way too riced out to me and doesn't look like it belongs on a mercedes.
Does anyone know the actual HID systems that comes with these, I assume they are probably not the greatest...? I usually do all retro-fits or HIDS through retrofitsource, and get their morimoto/philips ballasts and philips bulbs but since this is h7, that's not possible with OEM bulb...
Thanks,
-Nigel
Hey Nigel,
I just got these from USR and installed them! I'm not sure if you are still looking to buy but once installed they really do look good but installing is a struggle (at least for me).
The technical stuff like taking the bumper off, ect, is easy but my unit had the connector issue where the pins were not touching and it was an absolute ***** to get them working (driver side was the most problematic like others). Once I got them connected properly they worked great and so far they have not given my any problems!
As you suspected, the ballasts are not the best and there is a couple second warm up time for the xenon bulbs but the light output is good for me and the car looks quite aggressive.
These headlights, like my other picture has glare but very minimal glare and I suspect it can be easily solved by adjusting the lights with the knobs.
I ordered LED city lights when I ordered my headlights and to my surprise USR installed them for me ! Paid 455 for the xenon upgrade DEPO headlights withe 6000k bulbs AND the LEDs for the city lights. I'm happy with the purchase as I can't find OEM upgrades for anything less than $1200. '
I just got these from USR and installed them! I'm not sure if you are still looking to buy but once installed they really do look good but installing is a struggle (at least for me).
The technical stuff like taking the bumper off, ect, is easy but my unit had the connector issue where the pins were not touching and it was an absolute ***** to get them working (driver side was the most problematic like others). Once I got them connected properly they worked great and so far they have not given my any problems!
As you suspected, the ballasts are not the best and there is a couple second warm up time for the xenon bulbs but the light output is good for me and the car looks quite aggressive.
These headlights, like my other picture has glare but very minimal glare and I suspect it can be easily solved by adjusting the lights with the knobs.
I ordered LED city lights when I ordered my headlights and to my surprise USR installed them for me ! Paid 455 for the xenon upgrade DEPO headlights withe 6000k bulbs AND the LEDs for the city lights. I'm happy with the purchase as I can't find OEM upgrades for anything less than $1200. '
Will post some pictures soon!
Appreciate the update! I ended up getting oem bixenon's on ebay for $120. took them apart, cleaned them changed out the Fresnel lenses and painted the entire housings black and couldn't be happier. OEM and no issues, other than having to get a indy to set them to xenon=preset!
Appreciate the update! I ended up getting oem bixenon's on ebay for $120. took them apart, cleaned them changed out the Fresnel lenses and painted the entire housings black and couldn't be happier. OEM and no issues, other than having to get a indy to set them to xenon=preset!
Looking forward to your pictures!
Thanks,
-Nigel
$120... wow that's is beyond amazing. Was there anything wrong with them?? Congrats on the find!!
$120... wow that's is beyond amazing. Was there anything wrong with them?? Congrats on the find!!
The outside lens parts were hazed and pitted. Insides of the headlights were dirty since I guess the car got into an rear end collision. They pulled the headlights, and it was missing a rear cap... not a biggie. I had a spare anyways since the halogen headlight caps work on these and are the same.
I baked the headlight apart, and had to wet sand the lens, then polished it. Other than that I did minor tweaking to the lens assembly to get the best cut off. This the thread I started.. I posted before and during/after pictures.
I think it came out really good. Sometimes it's not bad to look for headlights if they aren't in the best condition... obviously one's time is important... but I look at it that I saved a ton of money. These are OEM and if I decide to sell them I could easily get $600+ for them with everything that has been done. Had I not found them I would have gone with what was in this thread. It was just by luck that no one bid on them I think, the auction pictures made them look "rougher" than what they were, but they still needed some work. Now they look new and are better than how I received them.
The outside lens parts were hazed and pitted. Insides of the headlights were dirty since I guess the car got into an rear end collision. They pulled the headlights, and it was missing a rear cap... not a biggie. I had a spare anyways since the halogen headlight caps work on these and are the same.
I baked the headlight apart, and had to wet sand the lens, then polished it. Other than that I did minor tweaking to the lens assembly to get the best cut off. This the thread I started.. I posted before and during/after pictures.
I think it came out really good. Sometimes it's not bad to look for headlights if they aren't in the best condition... obviously one's time is important... but I look at it that I saved a ton of money. These are OEM and if I decide to sell them I could easily get $600+ for them with everything that has been done. Had I not found them I would have gone with what was in this thread. It was just by luck that no one bid on them I think, the auction pictures made them look "rougher" than what they were, but they still needed some work. Now they look new and are better than how I received them.
-Nigel
Fantastic job Nigel! Your work definitely paid of and the headlights look great and look even better on the car! Is the silver clk one on the thread yours as well? When I clicked the thread link and saw the picture I thought I was linked to ****. The silver finish wit the black rims and headlights look gorgeous and is starting to make me regret not getting my headlights in the black matte color
Time is valuable but I see these things as hobbies that are enjoyable making it worth the time!
Oh, and sweet garage! When I get a home I would love a lift
Anyone that had the connection issue still having it? Sometimes when I get in the the only the driver side high beam does not work and sometimes it does, particularly when I wiggle around the connected cables but that also occasionaly will disrupt the connection for the low and city lights too...
I really like the look and do not want to deal with the hassle of exchanging them with USR as I don't have an old pair of headlights I can pop on while waiting on the exchanged pair.
I've tried pulling forward the male connectors and sometimes I think they are just falling back in... if that is the case then what confuses me is why does the connection disconnect or reestablish when I move the wires on the female connectors???
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.
! Paid 455 for the xenon upgrade DEPO headlights withe 6000k bulbs AND the LEDs for the city lights. I'm happy with the purchase as I can't find OEM upgrades for anything less than $1200. '
