I succumbed to peer pressure (I'm taking to you AMG and Lemon) and got some HID's. Ordered a Morimoto 55w kit with 5000k XB35 bulbs from TRS. Here is my product/install review:

Ordered Wedenesday and received my package Friday afternoon. Ballasts and Canbus adapters were heavy and well built not too big. Bulbs looked nice I suppose, and wires and harnesses good quality. Ordered the Euro H7 brackets and here is my complaint - I received 2 different brackets, and only one had a cutout for the wires!!

On to the install. I start on the passanger side because I've heard it's a PITA and I'm a glutton for punishment. Get the old bulb and adapter out no problem. I grab the adapter I bought with the wire cutout and find out that it woln't fit over the base of the XB35 bulbs. There is a plastic cover that is too big for the rectangle hole. I see the plastic cover on the bulb has clips holding it on so I remove it. Thankfully it is only cosmetic so I slip the H7 adapter clip on it and try to get it to seat in the projector housing. No luck. I connect it while loose in the projector to see if I want to continure banging my arms ro quit. Looks good so I try some more.

After an hour I decide to stop as I must be doing something wrong and I don't want to damage my new HID bulb. I know My arm was damaged at this point. I see where and how it connects but it just woln't. I move to the driver's side and find out the plastic screw holding the expansion tank is stripped and woln't come out. So now I decide to put the OEM halogen back in the passanger side to see if I can and learn if I'm doing anything wrong. I grap the bulb and the clip ( I have 3 one with wire cutout from TRS, and 2 without one from TRS one from removed from the car and I can't see much difference between the two). Another hour of beating my forearm and wrists and I decide to go read some forums.

After some research I wake up Saturday determined to install my HID even if I have to remove the headlights which means taking the bumper off. So after reading this and this I did. Took 1.5 hours to remove bumper and lights (I took my time). I also used my 3" griots Dual action random orbital polisher with Meguiares PlastX polish to clear up the lenses.

Now I can see what I'm doing. Took 5 min to figure out the following. The one bracket I was trying to get the bulb back in with was not working because it was sent from TRS and was incorrect see pic (OEM left TRS right).

The new HID bulb with TRS bracket with cutoff went in easily. Drilled hole in the dust cover, fed wires and grommet. 3M taped the ballast and Canbus into place and hooked up the wires - success. Modified the drivers clip so the wires could slide in and hooked it up the drivers side the same way.

Another hour putting the bumper back on.

Here are the results. I'm happy with it. Only thing I would do differently is also doing ZKW projector lens swap since I went to the trouble of removing the headlights.

 

Glad you finally did nerd, now we don't have to take your lunch money anymore.

Hahahaha in all seriousness I think it looks really good, glad to know the Morimoto kit was more plug and play than the DDM Tuning, which took some more hacking together with respect to the capacitors and electrical issues. You described the exact same problem I, and many others, have had and that is those stupid retainer clips and no room to work. Your arm gets all scraped up and it's miserable. Luckily I'm a skinny little kid so it was easier. Aftermarket clips solve the problem. The coolant tank you're describing with the stripped screw is actually a pop up clip, I made that mistake too at first. But unless you have someone to hold the tank for you it isn't very easy to move since it's connected at the bottom with a hose. Unfortunate you have to take the bumper off to take the lights out, but glad you figured it out buddy. Looks great!

Now get some matching 5000k city light LEDs from AZNOptics for somewhere around $15 and you'll be set!

 

+1 on the city lights.

too bad you had to do the hard way, but hey, whatever floats your boat! bottom line is it looks great and you have a better vision at night! great job!

 

Man that guide to take off front bumper is confusing as hell and over complicated. Felt like an eternity trying to take it off my first time. But I'm glad you finally decided to join the HID club

I'd love to see more people do the ZKW lens swap. Since you're already going to open up the headlights, you should probably consider buying a used set of face lift headlights as well and swapping the lenses for that face lifted look. It'd look great.

 

Thanks guys! Think I will get some new AZN city lights - I tried amber bulbs to get the old-school look, but they didn't put out enough light. Might also do a 35w fog.

The bumper guide is overly complex, I also found a .pdf of the WIS on the internet, but couldn't find the link when I wrote this (didn't want to post copywrited material). It was better organized if anyone wants it PM me. I managed fine without jacking or ramping the car up, but I did remove the wheel-well linings (easy and gave better access to the bumper/fender clamp.

I've thought about face-lifting (or E63) my car, but like the softer layed-back look too.

My wife hit a pylon parking and bent my front license plate. I took the plate and the plastic mounting bracket (holder) off during this mod. The bracket was missing a bottom mount so I figured I'd get another one. Assuming its a $20 MB part (It's literally a few cents of plastic). Nope http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-w211-E-class-ELEG-License-Bracket-FRONT-number-plate-mount-base-/230992374585?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35c837eb39&vxp=mtr#ht_682wt_1314 a $100. Think I'll fix mine or fill and paint the holes.

 

Lol it was $180 for my e63 style bumper! Complete total ripoff.

I think a lot of people will have trouble trying to figure out how to take off the strip terminals from both sides. The rest is pretty straight forward.

 

I'm not required to have a front plate (have a MB star plate) but at that price I'd take a ticket or two before installing. Especially on that E63 bumper. Maybe I should sell the ones I don't use.

 

I hate the look of the front plate honestly, mostly due to Colorado's green and white ugly pieces of aluminum they call plates. The reason I rock the europlate is because of the moron that drilled the holes for my mounting bracket decided to make way too many holes and all off any sort or center or regular pattern. Plus the scuffing from the bracket. I could give you my bracket if you want just DM me.

 

Decided to take my front plates and bracket off recently, turns out my idiot body shop drilled 6 holes into my front bumper, 2 of which aren't even completely drilled through..

 

Mine look like someone decided to take a screwdriver and while blindfolded mount my front bracket. The front license plate law is stupid, no purpose, and it ruins the look of cars. If it weren't for a hit and run accident where the front license plate of the suspect was imprinted onto a snow bank around the time they were trying to abolish the front plate law in Colorado, we wouldn't have to have them.

 

???

 

They have bots on these forums that do that, I'm not sure if they serve a legitimate purpose for search queries or something or if they're spam accounts for whatever reason.