steven0720

how bright is your headlight at night? i have 03 E500 with OEM Bi-xenon and i do not think its bright at all.

anyone have problem with it? please post some night time pics with it thank you!

captrivers

You may need adjust them if you can't see the road at night. Or, your auto-leveling(if you have this feature) isn't returning your lights back to their driving position.

pinebaron

Estimated life of Bi-xenon bulbs is between 3200-3500 hrs of actual use; yours may be due for replacement.

vettdvr

We don't have the Xenon's and our low beams might as well be parking lights. Yesterday I switched both beams to Sylvania Silverstar ULTRA and there is a noticable difference in the light. More of it and whiter, not the yellow as before.

pinebaron

You may also want to check the state of your headlamps for pitting etc. If the plastic is anything short of crystal clear, you should get a headlamp renewal kit to bring it back to life. In my experience with my other vehicle, headlamp body replacement was the best option.

steven0720

i just changed the blubs month ago, and even my friend's bmw 335 headlight can cover up my light output ...

pinebaron

How does the headlamp glass (plastic) look? 100% clear or opaque?

Other areas to work on: This is generic information for any vehicle, though unusual on a newer car:
Check the battery ground wire and headlamp ground wire where it is secured to the vehicle. There may be minor corrosion (not easily noticeable). Remove, clean, lubricate with corrosion inhibitor spray and reinstall.

If you are not electrically challenged and have a voltmeter handy, you could measure the voltage across the headlamp bulb terminals with headlamps on and engine running; should be around 13.8V. Excercise the usual caution: watch out for engine moving parts, don't touch the bulb etc.

captrivers

Can you detach the lense from the light housing. I'd like to clean the inside of my lenses. I have the Xenon lights.

SAguirre

If you are saying this, you are leading me to believe that you do NOT have bi-xenon lights. You can't easily change bulbs on a xenon system (well you can, but it is also uses a ballast). I have the impression that you have H7 bulbs and they do leave a lot to be desired.

I have Xenon lights and they are the best headlights out there. I always can notice how much better my splash pattern is on the road when I am driving next to other cars.

Steve

pinebaron

I did some research for you online and elsewhere. A little research indicated you can but the cloudyness is always on the outside even if it appears to be on the inside.
A cheap option is to get a lens cleaning kit from an online source; includes rubbing compound etc.

I googled and found where you can get new lens though he will have them in a couple of weeks. $75 (each side)+ $12 shipping. Someone else viewing this thread may reveal other sources.
Rusty Cullens
BuyMBparts.com
1-800-741-5252

steven0720

it has to be xenon, 'cause i used D2S bulbs

captrivers

Thanks p-baron, it's definitely on the inside. The back cover was off the light when I purchased the car. The next day it rained and that light went out. When I checked it there was a lot of moisture in that lense. That's when I noticed the cover was off.
New lenses are the way I'd like to go. Do you know if you can change the lense without having to remove the assembly?

pinebaron

I don't know and I don't want to guess one way or another; you may need to take a close look at the headlamp assembly of your E500 to check if the retaining clips are accessible.

sgaar

The only way you can get the lens of the housing is to remove the whole assembly. You will need to remove the bumber first beforte you can get to the lights. Onve you have the light assembly off the car you wil need pry them apart as they are held together with sealant similar to 3M strip caulk. I will tell you that getting the lens off the housing is major pain but it can be done.

From start to finish I would say that it will take about 10 hours to replace the lenses.

captrivers

Thanks, just what I expected.

steven0720

okay, i just check my projector, it came out i have the Frost lens projector instead of clear lens projector.anyway we can swap out with the new len or maybe the TSX projector in there?? i love the way how sharp and bright their light are.

Tom T

did you ever get your xenon brighter? because i am running into the same situation.

ap10046

Same problem here with Bi-xenons. Very poor illumination. Thought I was the only one with abysmal lighting.
How much of a difference would changing the bulbs make? Also, the inner, smaller lights..can they be "xenonized"?

Dexion

What do you mean exactly when you say frost projector lens? Can you take a picture?

charliele729

It means that the lense of the projector is not absolutle clear. MB does this eliminate the glare for oncomj g drivers but it does decreae the illumination. If u look at an Honda s2k Projector lense it us crystal clear.

Dexion

Interesting, mine look pretty clear but they could be frosted, I have an 03 but my headlights light up the road very well. I think MB has preset lighting preferences, my left light aims downward, my right one aims normally. I did notice that they are aimed lower than most cars. I used a screwdriver to aim them properly. Now they spread the light out nicely.

Dexion

Well here us a good video that explains the two different projector lenses apparently we have the frost ones

Dexion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLYdmefR1J8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

vettdvr

FYI bought car new and lights were IMO very poor except on high beam. On High Beam they Excell.

jagata

Factory projector lens are inferior, check out djrabbi's thread on the matter.