eddieo45

I know I missed out on a group buy not long ago, and I read that a little bit of "custom work" was required with that one, mounting a separate ballast etc. Since the same seller, fishcake 231, now advertises "plug and play," can I assume that that's no longer the case?

03-09 Mercedes Benz W209 CLK Class Chrome Quad Projector Xenon HID Headlight

Another option I've seen is this dual projector, which I'm told is SLR-like (I defer to you more detail oriented members):

W209 CLK 2003-2009 Chrome Dual Projector Headlight
That one says "Integrate with headlight auto leveling system" which I'm not sure of the meaning of (does it auto-level or not?)
There's already a thread about "halo lights," but most (including me) prefer a more OEM look:

03-09 Mercedes Benz W209 CLK-Class Halo LED Projector Head Lights Lamp
Of course, there's always OEM for just a little more than triple the price:

W209 03-06 Headlights Pair Xenon

What's the best solution for someone who wants a relatively OEM look (and function)? Are there other options I should consider?

Klinh

Louie D. is one that came to my mind.

NsXTaCY168

Eddie, that first picture you posted is my car.

I have those projector lights on my car and I think it looks better than OEM xenons.

eddieo45

That's too funny; it came from fishcake's eBay listing. Care to recap what level of an ordeal the DIY install was? How are they different from OEM? Are they really "quad" projectors, i.e. 4 projectors? fishcake says "plug and play" in his listing, so do you think the ballast is now integrated? I guess I have delusions of not only figuring out what my own headlight upgrade options are but also making a thread that would be a one-stop resource for others.....

NsXTaCY168

Eddie, I was the first to install those lights and later set up the group buy. I took the pictures for "fishcake" who used it in his ebay ad. However, I did not install it myself, I paid a shop to do it because I didn't have the know how on how to do it and didn't want to take any chances. Read the thread below for additional details.

https://mbworld.org/forums/clk-class...ming-soon.html

I know there are members who installed the lights themselves, but I highly recommend paying a shop to do it, less headache.

kbahl21

i would rather have the OEM ones just becuase in my opinion they just look cleaner. I want to slightly tint the inner chrome part black also. If i retrofitmy existing lights it just wont look the same. Ive seen it done and i dont think you get the "clean" look you get on the OEM ones. O and i hate the LED strip on the aftermarket ones

eddieo45

I'm not sure what you mean by "retrofitting your existing lights." Do some aftermarket lights require using our current housing?

Clkboi

I have had 3 head lights on my car including the one i just purchased.

First OEM halogen were pretty good in light output with HID bulbs just not aggressive enough for the CLK IMO

I purchased OEM bixenon and loved them. I f**** them up trying to sand them down and am forced to sell them now.
OEM quality is awesome. Heavy headlights thick plastic and all that. Problem is that if your ballast or ignitor go bad you are screwed. Mercedes made them so you need to open the headlight to change any of these.

I just received my aftermarket quad headlights today. They look great and the quality is great as well. DEPO brand has a long story with aftermarket Mercedes parts and lots of people are happy with them.

What to get is a tough call really. if you can afford to buy and maintain OEM bixenon go for it.

The quad headlights are much cheaper and have a more aggressive look IMO (SLR style)

Depending on the light output quality which i will find out tomorrow i will re-edit this and let you guys know what was better in my experience.


Thanks

eddieo45

what's the deal with the aftermarket lights (from fishcake, for example) stating that they only fit cars that came with halogens, not cars that came with OEM BiXenons? If that's the case, how can guys like kbahl21 and Zeke switch from halogens to OEM BiXenons? I admit I'm especially clueless here, but I'm trying to learn first, buy later, rather than the reverse, which I've done before, lol

I think I've already been made to understand that projector lights on the W209---whether OEM or aftermarket--- are not going to self-level when turned on, as my E350 does. That's too bad, as it's a cool element of those lights....

Rudeney

It's because they would require recoding to change from HID to halogen, and Fishcake doesn't want to get into that. If you buy his lights for a halogen car, no coding is necessary unless you change out his base bulbs with HID, then you either need a compensating resistor (which is often built into aftermarket HID kits) or you would need to code from halogen to HID.

eddieo45

Thanks Rodney. Everything I learn leads to more questions.I guess I need some schooling, like headlights 101..so, HID bulbs: I could buy those and put them in my current OEM (halogen) headlamps, right? So if I might also contemplate putting HID bulbs in new projector headlamps, what is the advantage of the projector headlamps anyway?

ZEEK

If you just install HID lights (remember HID Lights not HID Headlights) two different things. Anyway, if you install HID lights in your current headlights, you will have HID going everywhere. Up, down, left, right. That is because its not being projected correctly. If you get the projector headlights, even if you have regular yellow bulbs in projector headlights, the light is projected on the right straight, instead of going everywhere. That is why the projector headlights are very common on cars that dont even come with HID (xenon) package.

Clkboi

I had HID on my halogen lamps. If you adjust them right you can avoid the glare really...

Still annoying for the car in front of you if you are on a hill or bumpy road but yah

Rudeney

Years ago, probably in the W163 ML forum, I wrote a long dissertation on headlights. Basically, there's nothing special about "HID light" vs. "halogen light" except that HID is brighter and whiter. It doesn't "scatter" more; the photos still refract and reflect the same. However, to the human eye, as you move toward the blue end of the spectrum, the light is perceived differently than when you move to the red end. So whiter (i..e bluer when compared to halogen) light will be perceived as "scattered".

The real issue here is beam pattern. Most halogen headlights allow the light pattern to extend upward where HID has a more sharp cut-off. This is because HID is brighter and the cut-off is to reduce the light projected into the eyes of other drivers. Any headlight type - projector, reflector or diffuser - can create a good cut-off pattern for HID light. The problem is the reflector lights in the W209 do not. They are designed to allow some light to extend upward to aid in illuminated signs, and thus if you put HID bulbs in there, it will annoy other drivers. Most projector headlights use the same beam pattern with a cut-off for both halogen and HID. They do this because (1) it makes it less expensive to manufacture only one lens, and (2) because projectors concentrate the light more, so even with halogen bulbs, a cut-off is appreciated by other drivers.

So, you probably shouldn't put HID bulbs in your CLK's reflector halogen light assemblies. If you buy Fishcake's reflector headlights, you can do either HID or halogen and it won't be a problem for other drivers as the cut-off should be OK. Finally, you should use a "white" bulb. While some people like a more blue or even violet color, it does not illuminate as well in terms of what your eye can see.

zuzu_pali

zuzu_pali

zuzu_pali

zuzu_pali

Rudeney

I see no reason why you couldn't use the aftermarket headlights on a car that came with factory HIDs, but there are some caveats. First of all, standard halogen bulbs draw 55w and HIDs draw 35w. The front SAM needs to be coded for that. So, your factory HID car expects the bulbs to draw 35w. However, most of these "upgrades" are designed to retrofit to a car with factory halogens, and they figure the owner won;t have access to SDS to re-code a SAM, so they use "error -free" HID kiss that actually draw 55w instead of 35w. So, you could use that, but you;d need you car re-coded for halgone headlights. Or, you could just swap out their error-free kit for a standard 35w aftermarket HID kit. The other issue will be that your car has the auto-levelers, but that's no big deal - just don't connect them (which you couldn't anyhow, since there is no connection on those aftermarket units).

zuzu_pali

Michael Hadley

Zuzu Pali, did you ever try installing the LED DRL headlights? I am in the same boat you are. I have the original HID Xenon headlights. They look fine but the clear coat on the lenses is all fogged up. I might try restoring them with a kit, but ultimately I would like to replace them with the new LED DRL lights. I understand there are issues with the wattage differences and the SAM. Any suggestions on how to handle it?

I have found this option on Amazon. It has the LED DRLs and a HID Xenon upgrade
It says the bulb is 35watts, probably the same as my current Xenons. Perhaps the LED need the 55 watts?

These seem awfully complicated.

Thanks,
Michael

Rudeney

All HIDs are 35w. What you don't want is a kit with "error cancelers" which have resistors to make then draw 55w.

zuzu_pali

Rudeney

Possibly - I am not sure. Some of those HID kits use an external resistor/canceler, others have it built-in to the ballast.

zuzu_pali

S o how can i find out? i have purchased this item already? are you willing to help me figure this out ? When it comes in i can text you pictures of everything.