hotwiredbenz

im looking at some parts at a shop - in search of some used xenon lamps for my E500. I was wondering if anyone knows what I should look for on the sticker (the one on the back of the lamp) so I can identify if its xenon.

benzmodz

The part number

CE750

the ballast electrics will be mounted under the lighting housing.. that's the dead give away!

hotwiredbenz

i have no idea what the ballast electrics look like. i remember seeing a couple saying Hella Dot and XE. Does that mean anything?

CE750

not sure, but I think those are Xenon.

If there are any outside electronic boxes mounted under the lamps, they are Xenon.. the Halogen don't have any external electronic boxes.

monstaloc

what if the lights are installed already? how can you tell?

Also, is that why some bumbers have a square shape cut in them near the light fixture?

raymond g-

no, bumper shape isn't going to give you a clue at all. the ballast is usually
a finned brick about 6" square and about 3-4' thick. Several smaller leads
attached, as well as a thick one (about the size of your little finger) which
connects direct to the HID xenon bulb.

even if i think i know (by visual glance) I can never be sure until I pop the
hood and look inside. there are halogen-halogens, there are xenon-halogens,
and there are ballast dependant HID xenons. the h-h and x-h do not require
ballast, as they can exist powered by simple 12vdc w/o need for booster/ballast.

W211 Ryda

The HID ballast is mounted underneath the headlight assembly so I highly doubt you'll see them from the engine compartment. I saw mine when I removed my plastic skid plate and crawled underneath my car. I found pics online of a Mercedes HID assembly for a W208 that shows the ballast. If you're looking for stickers, I guess you should look for one that says "warning...high voltage" blah blah blah or a picture of a lightning bolt. Probably best to look for the part # to see if its a genuine HID assembly.

Hella ballast


HID assembly


Circled is the connector from the ballast to HID bulb

steph280

For W211, most of the stuff is enclosed within the light housing. Except the ballast if I recall correctly. The ballast is a Hella gen4 which have slimer profile than that picture above (that's a gen3 hella ballast).

For a Xenon housing, usually you will see that triangle warning sticker somewhere indicating high voltage. And when you do find a pair, make sure the bulb and ballast are there. These are the most expensive part and a lot of resellers remove them for resale to other applications.