So im thinking about replacing the headlights on my 300E. Well...im not sure whether to replace the "headlight covers" by that I mean the plastic piece surrounding it, since it is cracked and dirty.

Or buy some aftermarkets such as these on ebay { http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/86-93...QQcmdZViewItem } Is there any major problems with these headlights, do they not look right, are they not very good quality? A no or a yes?

And what about the european headlights, everyone seems to have those? Whats so special about them?

Advice from anyone would be great. Thanks

Jody

 

Im also thinking about getting a keyless entry system. Are they difficult to install? Any special tools needed? Or is it a just plain bad idea?

I could get something like this
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...QQcmdZViewItem

 

well, the euros give off better light than the US lights that are on your car now. There are various companies that sell euros. They are Bosch, Hella, TYC, and ...Depo. All are good but the best would be the first 2. I personally don't like the look of the "crystal clear" but more of the frosted look given from the other euros. I would either save up for the regular euros or get the ones with projectors in them and then retrofit some hid bixenons in there.

 

Go with real flat glass euro headlights, those are plastic and will be nasty within years.

Can someone give us any input on the remote and flip key, im really interested in those especially if you can turn it into a remote start as well.

Pete

 

You can go keyless entry, but you need extra parts that interact with the vacuum locks. That cost me an extra $100 when I had my alarm installed. Remote start is what I want next. Shouldn't be a problem.

Flip keys *may* be able to be cut to fit our cars, but I really doubt it. The keys that operate alarms will not work with our cars.

 

here's my input on the lights...

this is my car with the same headlights on the link...they utilize H3 & H4 bulbs... but euros work great too! it all depends what floats your boat.

-OG

 

I've been debating on whether to get the OEM (glass) Euros or the plastic Ebay ones. Both look great and the plastic ones won't turn yellow as long as you maintain it with some Meguairs Plasticlear. My gut is telling me to go with the glass ones but they're becoming harder to find.

 

so that keyless entry kit like the one i linked above, it comes with the remote on a flip key...that key wont fit our cars and it needs a 100$ part to finish the installation?

 

The TYC euros that Katmac sells have glass lenses.

 

OK, so I looked at that listing after reading the above post. It says that it will work with the vacuum locks, but it also says that you can get the keys cut at Home Depot or some place like that for $2.00 and that's just not true. Cutting those keys is done through the dealer only, and they order them from some central location. You have to go to the dealer with proof of ownership and then they order them.

I suppose you could take those blanks to them and they could send those to be cut, but if the listing was wrong about that, then what else are they wrong about? Just research it more before you spend your money. I suppose it's possible that this thing does everything it says, but be careful.

 

I installed such a system, also from Ebay, but from a different seller. The flip key unit, however, looks identical to mine.

I was under the impression that if I installed it as per instructions it would also arm the factory alarm, but Rik (2phast) kindly set me straight. So now I have a remote that locks and unlocks all the doors and trunk, but does NOT arm the factory alarm. To do that I need to use the key in the door as before.˜

I actually prefer it this way, as it allows me to determine whether or not I want to arm the factory alarm (most times I don't.) Alarms do little anyways to deter theft of vehicle (although it does help with theft FROM vehicle). Our members from England, where Thatcham (www.thatcham.org) sets the standards for anti-theft devices, know what I mean. If you want to prevent theft OF vehicle install a three-point immobiliser, not an alarm. In my previous life, I was a licenced secuirty consultant, and helped write the Canadian Underwriter's Laboratories Standard for anti-theft devices : )


At first I could not get it to work because I didn't realize that the blue wire I had to cut was the wrong blue wire. Who in their right mind puts two identical diameter blue wires in a wiring harness? Only German minds, apparently.

Someday I'll do a writeup on the install, I did take pics all the way through.

As for the key in the ad, yes it does work, but you have to let them know the year and model of your car, as the key cross-section varies. If you get the wrong key blank you won't even be able to insert it in the lock, never mind turn it.

As for getting the blank cut, Matt is sort of right. I've never tried to cut it at Home Depot, so I can't say. But having owned a key cutting machine before, there are two ways to cut keys. You can "duplicate" them by placing a key in one jaw, and then using that key as a pattern to duplicate the other key. Obviously the result will not be as accurate due to the duplication factor, and how accurate was the original, or was that a duplicate also? Hence people having keys that they have to jiggle to work in locks.

The second method is cutting by code. That means using a machine that can cut a key based on the factory standard depths and spacings. Obviously much more accurate. A locksmith with such a machine SHOULD be able to cut a key as accurately as the factory. The only problem is MB won't let the locksmith know what the code is. Sometimes a really good locksmith (familiar with car locks) can just "read" a key by looking at it. I can still do that with Mul-T-Lock keys (www.mul-t-lock.com) as I sold them for 10 years. It sometimes freaks out my clients when I do that in front of them : )

So can you get that blank cut at Home Depot? Maybe, but they will just trace your already worn key, and I'm not sure if the jaws of their key machine will even be able to hold that particular key. Plus only if the clerk is willing to cut what is obviously NOT a house key.

Rik (2phast) has a nice writeup on his keyless entry install on his website (www.2phast.com/500e). Like him, I also bought a factory key and dremeled the end to fit the flip key unit, as the supplied brass keys wear out inside the car locks, leaving tiny brass shavings in them. Not good.

(The pic shows a M-B money clip on the right that has a M-B logo which was the perfect size to fit in the round indentation on the back of the unit. I bought it just for the logo and glued it onto my flip key.)