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Facelift W210 Headlamp Lenses on Pre-Facelift Car (Pics)
Hi there, been a member of this forum for quite some years now, but haven't been posting (at all) until now. Hopefully I can give back some useful info.
So basically, I wanted to clean up the look of my 1998 E430 (AMG Appearance) and was not liking the options. I wanted clear lenses, but with a stock-ish appearance. Anyway, I bought some new Lenses (off ebay, from China) that I thought were for a pre-facelift car, but when they arrived, were for a later model!
I took the headlights apart and noted all the differences, and decided to try to graft the lenses onto the pre-facelift housings. Here are the results. Im not quite finished yet with the driver's side light, but the passenger side is done. Thought I would show you guys what this unusual combination looks like. To my knowledge, it hasn't been done yet?
Looking forward to thoughts!
I'll have to get some better pictures during the day!
you get a thumbs up for effort....but I must caution you on the potential results and it may not
be good. reflector based designs rely on either a faceted reflector to focus the beam or, if
the reflector is smooth, the lens uses a computer designed fluting which handles the focusing.
based solely on the photo you supplied, you may have eliminated both sources of beam
control. what you may find is that the beam will simply scatter and you will lose any useful
focus or 'throw' forward
did you have a chance to light up the assembly yet and view or measure the beam on a
wall using the basic headlight focusing guidelines yet?
I bought the facelifted lenses on eBay, they came from China Directly. Took over a month to receive them! The quality is great however.
As for the beam focus, I had this concern as well. (I'm not a novice by any stretch) and I have seen plenty of other cars with factory clear lenses ( E46 BMW) and nothing but a reflector to focus the beam.
I have turned them on and the light seems slightly more concentrated, but overall brighter, and the cutoff is about the same. Really!
you get a thumbs up for effort....but I must caution you on the potential results and it may not
be good. reflector based designs rely on either a faceted reflector to focus the beam or, if
the reflector is smooth, the lens uses a computer designed fluting which handles the focusing.
based solely on the photo you supplied, you may have eliminated both sources of beam
control. what you may find is that the beam will simply scatter and you will lose any useful
focus or 'throw' forward
did you have a chance to light up the assembly yet and view or measure the beam on a
wall using the basic headlight focusing guidelines yet?
I concur with Raymond on this. In addition, the lenses may not meet NA DOT standards in the correct light beam direction. Some of these lens replacements used may be designed for the European markets where the headlight lenses refract the beams point in the opposite side of oncoming traffic in the opposite lane (ie. they drive in the opposite lanes vs. North America). I'd be P***ed, if I had oncoming low beams from the opposite direction blinding my road vision. These sellers of these lenses (from China or elsewhere) "may say" they are for NA use, but talk is cheap when they are half way around the world and you've got delivery of your replacements and you're gleeming cheek-to-cheek to get them installed. Just my 2 cents. Maybe I'm wrong....
Kudos to you OP! Didn't know that was even possible but always felt there was a large resemblance between the headlamp covers between pre-post facelift models... I've done a similar retrofit, I've fitted prefacelift AMG headlights on my facelift model car (as well as the whole front end, so that's possible as well haha! See attached pictures of the same vehicle before and after!
I concur with Raymond on this. In addition, the lenses may not meet NA DOT standards in the correct light beam direction. Some of these lens replacements used may be designed for the European markets where the headlight lenses refract the beams point in the opposite side of oncoming traffic in the opposite lane (ie. they drive in the opposite lanes vs. North America). I'd be P***ed, if I had oncoming low beams from the opposite direction blinding my road vision. These sellers of these lenses (from China or elsewhere) "may say" they are for NA use, but talk is cheap when they are half way around the world and you've got delivery of your replacements and you're gleeming cheek-to-cheek to get them installed. Just my 2 cents. Maybe I'm wrong....
Here are the finished headlights installed. They look and function great. No issues at all with blinding oncoming traffic, or anything of that sort. They did have to have the adjustment corrected slightly since it changed a bit over the course of the retrofit. Also, I dont want to give anyone the wrong impression, or make it seem like this was a simple, or easy task. The facelift lenses are **NOT** by any means compatible with the pre-facelift headlight bezels. I just set out to do it, and i did. Took probably 8 hours (i lost track) of labor to complete EACH headlamp assembly. Tons of modification, and it's not for the faint of heart. (Of course MB would do this to two very similar headlights!)
As I mentioned I would post some finished pics, in the daylight. Here they are:
(Anyone know where to get some AMG Tow hook covers?? )
Modified LenseS (two now) on the pre facelift bezel
Last edited by johnathan1; Apr 14, 2018 at 09:12 AM.
Reason: Grammar errors
Your car is simply gorgeous! That is the exact spec i would have looked for if this silver E430 hadn't fallen into my lap! Silver W210 Club!
What I would like to know is where the heck you got that parking pole! I had one on my 1987 560SEL years ago, but had never seen one on another car. I would love to buy one for the 210.
Originally Posted by akinghorn24
Kudos to you OP! Didn't know that was even possible but always felt there was a large resemblance between the headlamp covers between pre-post facelift models... I've done a similar retrofit, I've fitted prefacelift AMG headlights on my facelift model car (as well as the whole front end, so that's possible as well haha! See attached pictures of the same vehicle before and after!
when you get a chance, jonathan1, can you post a picture of the beam against a wall or garage door from about 25' out? i would like to save this for my archive as a potential DIY
Kudos to you OP! Didn't know that was even possible but always felt there was a large resemblance between the headlamp covers between pre-post facelift models... I've done a similar retrofit, I've fitted prefacelift AMG headlights on my facelift model car (as well as the whole front end, so that's possible as well haha! See attached pictures of the same vehicle before and after!
Looked much, much better before. Even with the cloudy as **** lenses.
when you get a chance, jonathan1, can you post a picture of the beam against a wall or garage door from about 25' out? i would like to save this for my archive as a potential DIY
Those lenses look like the ones from the depo projectors, they make the car look alot newer.
That is probably true, but I just can't stand the thought of using a non-genuine or aftermarket part for such a large component. I wouldn't like my car if it had DEPO lights, (even if they were identical) I'd rather put in the hours and use a genuine headlamp assembly with some aftermarket lenses. I'm ok with this because a: it's not obvious, lol b:there aren't any other options for this particular look and c: they are made to look and function exactly as the original lenses (and they do). Or sometimes, when the aftermarket option is actually an upgrade over the OE part! I don't think these lenses will get hazy for a lot longer than the originals for some reason. I also used some UV-blocking Headlight coating/sealer on them to keep them looking new (works so well it's a little hard to believe)
I also used some UV-blocking Headlight coating/sealer on them to keep them looking new (works so well it's a little hard to believe)
Look into some of the films. I have Lamin-X on my E63 and am 100% satisfied with their product.
I'd trust the films before some coating/sealer that you put on the lights. The film also helps to protect the lights from rocks and other things you encounter while driving. Once it's on, it's only noticeable if you're looking for it. Super easy to do a clean installation of it too.
the nice advantage of the laminar products (I have lamin-X also) is that they offer a little more
protection from airborns particulates, most of which are from grit impacts during driving. so it
isn't just the UV I'm concerned about. i've had mine on for about 6 yrs and have not noticed
any visual degradation in clarity yet
Here is a link to the eBay auction page, sold by "skfauto". Most of their items are extremellllllly cheap lol. The headlight lenses however seem to be of reasonably high quality. I'm certainly more than happy with them.
Interesting. Let us know how it works out (beam, leaks, etc). It looks like a clear xenon lens without the diffuser. As long as you keep the stock halogens, i don't see how this mod would be any worse than a yellow opaque lens, scattering light everywhere. Definitely a cheaper alternative to buying whole housings.
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