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Hello guys, I'm new on this international community of Benz world.
I have 06 E350 base model and i bought LED headlight bulbs, first bought 120Watts...60w/bulb and they were bright but weren't projecting enough light on the road. So then i replaced them with 250W, 125w/bulb and they are sure brighter but still not that bright on the road. Could it be that the projector in the headlight lamp be a bit too old and not letting all the light out? Is there a way to take it apart and clean the projector or what could it be?
This has me scratching my head. Thanks anyone in advance!!
You are using a bulb that is not designed for the projector. You will never get optimum light out put. Accept that and do a proper retro fit.
Our headlights are super easy to take apart and bake. There are several threads including one I posted in showing what I did. If you have factory h7 projectors then you might as well find a pair of e55 projectors and just do a HID retro fit. They are bolt on.
LEDs are not ideal for forward projecting lights. You end up with reduced throw distance, uneven lighting, and dark spots. You should do an HID conversion. Most just throw them behind your halogen projectors and call it a day, but to capture the optimum focal point, you can retrofit xenon projectors. Let us know if we can help you out. We carry top shelf Morimoto HIDs and retrofit kits.
People need to come to terms with the fact that LED kits will never become any better than they already are. Just as HID kits never became better, no matter what Mr Chang Wong has to say about it.
Different types of bulbs require different optics.
Since apparently you're comfortable dumping a pile of money on questionable crap, just throw them on Ebay, and do what NewShockerGuy said
Thanks to all who replied, but getting new projectors would set me back about $200-400 and that is kinda out of my budget. I bought the LEDs for like $45.
Another thing i noted, i had my friend install the LEDs and i never checked how he did it, i found out the new LEDs dont fit and need a little modification to get them where i want. He just placed them inside loose, without clips lol the headlight back cap is their support. The bulbs were kinda tilted upward so the light output thru the projectors was less, i placed a water bottle beneath them to test and it got a little better.
I'm not looking to light up the whole street, just enough light to see at least 50-100 yards. and yes i do think these OEM projectors are kind of outdated. I've looked for new projectors but they are expensive for me.
If there is anything i can do with the current projectors please do let me know thanks all.
My advice. Save your money so you can do it properly. What you have is subpar. (link us to what you have but I can bet my life it's chinese garbage)
If you want something a little brighter and are still with the h7 stock projector, pick up the 65watt h7 nightbreaker by osram. I have them in the highs, also ran them in both low/high on our clk when we had it with zero issues. You will get an increase in lumens.
Ideally though you'd do the above with the following:
e55 projectors: $65
philips bulbs ideally OR you could go morimoto and save money. $50-85
You can get used OEM hella ballasts on ebay or go to the retro fit source. $100
Total $210 for everything, plus your time.
If you didn't get the crappy LED bulbs you'd really be at $170, but it is what it is.
If you get the h7 night breakers at $40 you are at $80 total spent... (see how an extra hundred gets you something much better as a total package)
**** if you didn't want bi-xenons you could easily pick up e36 low beam only projectors which are CHEAP... if you search on hidplanet.com you'd probably get them next to nothing, which would bring the cost even lower.
I'm just trying to inform you of the proper way. I can't see doing what you are using with any car, not even a junker because I like to see at night. But honestly it's ultimately your choice. Hopefully now you have more information to go on with your quest.
As someone who actually has LED projectors, the only company that makes LEDS that work as well as HIDS are Morimoto with the 2Stroke Bulbs at this time of this post. You still need to modify the dust cover no matter what led you use because you have to hook up the high beam setup/plug which is outside the housing.
For the easiest and fastest just get a upgraded H7 bulb.
Oh thanks. That's a big chunk of information.
And about the LEDs i bought, i highly think they are china made lol
Before i get into all that, since my bulbs are sitting in the housing loose, Im going to tie them up to their spot and see how the visibility improves. They are tilted upward a little. If that doesn't do it, I'm going to go with what you said with the E55 projectors.
I placed a water bottle under the LED bulbs and the brightness on the road certainly went up lol
I do really appreciate your help. But I want to give the current supplies i have a try and then move to your suggestion.
But could you please list all the items i would need if i go with E55 projectors and all other supplies?
If you going the E55 or Evox-r projector all you need is that then, whatever D2s led you plan to use, and last new glue known as butyl. It is a direct swap from the factory H7. If you really want to use LED in your current headlights, I have been wondering if those new fanless led bulbs will fit.
Something like the photo below.
hmmm, fanless LEDs, first time seeing those. but what would you use to stick them in the housing? i found this on amazon, the clips that would keep them in place...
because the current LEDs i have has a fan and they are sitting loose in the housing, the tip tilting upward because its heavy from behind. There r no clips with it to click em in there. Their only support is the back cap to help them not to fall outside the housing lol
Once i get a fix of keeping them in their place, i'll see how the visibility is. If its still dull, then i will look for the E55 projectors with the same LEDs.
Once i get a fix of keeping them in their place, i'll see how the visibility is. If its still dull, then i will look for the E55 projectors with the same LEDs.
That's your best bet. The best thee things about leds are no warm up times. Don't have to worry about ballast and annoying wiring harness with resistors and, last don't have to switch the Mercedes CPU to HID with the Star Tool.
Only other thing I would do is switch out your headlight lenses if they are foggy.
Only other thing I would do is switch out your headlight lenses if they are foggy.[/QUOTE]
I think it might the projectors that are a bit old. Because i have lower watt LEDs in my Camry and tht thing lights up the street lol but again that has no projectors and throw the light all over.
But switching to E55's projectors will really make a big difference? I bought the biggest wattage bulbs i could find.
I think it might the projectors that are a bit old. Because i have lower watt LEDs in my Camry and tht thing lights up the street lol but again that has no projectors and throw the light all over.
But switching to E55's projectors will really make a big difference? I bought the biggest wattage bulbs i could find.
Speaking for ALL oncoming traffic: I hope you melt your wiring harness with the high power LEDs you're trying to install. Few things are as annoying as modded headlights that don't bother to conform to DOT standards.
Ok, maybe that's a bit harsh. Seriously though, are you entitled to blind everyone so you can see better? The glare you'll get from all the reflective signs will limit your vision more than throwing light all over will help you see.
Do it right. If you want better light, get what is needed to put the light where it belongs. We who share the road with you thank you.
Last edited by rapidoxidation; Jan 22, 2017 at 01:38 PM.
Yeah, I find these threads quite disturbing. What the OP is doing is illegal. For street use, lighting has to be DOT approved. If you read the fine print on most aftermarket LED and HID, many will say for off road use only. You can get a ticket for having improper equipment but it's low on the list of enforcement unless it's obvious like 8000k headlights that were never DOT approved. Having the right headlights so that the driver can see and not blind other drivers is a safety issue. I've been blinded by some other drivers that just pop the wrong bulb in their headlights. Thankfully there's no other pedestrians or objects on the road that caused an accident. I think driving with the wrong headlights is willful malice, the operator doesn't care about the fact that he can't see as far as a properly aimed headlight and that he's blinding other drivers at the same time. OP should just stick with the night breakers, at least those are legal.
As others have mentioned if you really plan to get LED projectors align them properly to have a nice clean cutoff. I spent a good amount of time and a yard/meter stick playing around until I got the perfect beam.
The driver side is slightly higher due to US dot regulations however you can't see it unless I put the high beams on as shown.
@cetialpha5 and rapidoxidation...
first, idk how to multi quote lol im new here
i get what you two are saying. I have a guy living on my street, idk where da hell he got his lights from, they light up the street probably a quarter to half a mile, on his old Ford truck. They are brighter than my high beams, and he drives pretty reckless too.
My LEDs in my other Camry are like 25W a bulb, yea they light up bright but ive driven against that car and i was able to focus on the road without a trouble. On my Mercedes, i can barely see something beyond 20 feet. Plus even if i put in the brightest bulbs in there, the projectors are set so low it wont hit someone in the eye. When i installed the current LEDs, the light hit below my hips when i stood in front. Your argument is valid, but ive been blinded by the brand new car's new LEDs. they are DOT approved. you wish my wires to burn? i hope ur wish comes true one day...if you sit in my car and drive on a winding 25mile road 3am (i start work early) with current lights and without using high beam, i will go back to stock halogen lights then.
They say, walk a mile in someone's shoes before judging them. I can go on on this issue but not worth my time.
oh thats nice. are you with stock projectors? tell me what kinda set up you have in there. Mine lights up like a old *** lantern on his last breath lol
oh thats nice. are you with stock projectors? tell me what kinda set up you have in there. Mine lights up like a old *** lantern on his last breath lol
I understand the factory H7 are horrible for a Mercedes. I am running EVoX-R Projectors with Morimoto Led 2Stroke. As of this post in time the best led you can by are Cree XHP50. The cree XHP70 is the newest at this time however they run hotter so they are not implemented into LED car bulbs as of now.
The EVoX-R are just a upgraded version of the E-55 projectors both will work fine.
@cetialpha5 and rapidoxidation...
first, idk how to multi quote lol im new here
i get what you two are saying. I have a guy living on my street, idk where da hell he got his lights from, they light up the street probably a quarter to half a mile, on his old Ford truck. They are brighter than my high beams, and he drives pretty reckless too.
My LEDs in my other Camry are like 25W a bulb, yea they light up bright but ive driven against that car and i was able to focus on the road without a trouble. On my Mercedes, i can barely see something beyond 20 feet. Plus even if i put in the brightest bulbs in there, the projectors are set so low it wont hit someone in the eye. When i installed the current LEDs, the light hit below my hips when i stood in front. Your argument is valid, but ive been blinded by the brand new car's new LEDs. they are DOT approved. you wish my wires to burn? i hope ur wish comes true one day...if you sit in my car and drive on a winding 25mile road 3am (i start work early) with current lights and without using high beam, i will go back to stock halogen lights then.
They say, walk a mile in someone's shoes before judging them. I can go on on this issue but not worth my time.
I know what you're saying, but there's a lot of murderers and thieves out there too, but I'm not one of them.
The lenses can get cloudy with age and some people do polish up the lenses. But I would just go with the brighter halogen bulbs. The problem is your projectors, they're only designed with one type of light in mind. It may improve your short term range, but might be worse for long term range and vice versa. The projector is only designed to focus one type of light, with something else, it's out of focus. It's well known that even with high beams on, you can overdrive your halogen lights if you're doing more than 45. I understand being blinded by LED lights, that seems to happen with trucks and SUV's that sit higher, but they are still DOT approved. But I see lots of Civics that never had xenon lights with super blue lights and they're way too bright.
I understand the factory H7 are horrible for a Mercedes. I am running EVoX-R Projectors with Morimoto Led 2Stroke. As of this post in time the best led you can by are Cree XHP50. The cree XHP70 is the newest at this time however they run hotter so they are not implemented into LED car bulbs as of now.
The EVoX-R are just a upgraded version of the E-55 projectors both will work fine.
How many watts each of your bulbs has?
I dont know much about bulbs for cars. I just know LEDs are brighter than any other types out in market lol but i have these LEDs...COB CHIP CREE LED. Brand:
SUNWOIF.
Then i started to think the projectors are ****ty. And the projectors you are running are little more than double the price of E55's.
I just need the adapters that fit LED bulbs to fit them in the housing atm. I have yet to see the current bulbs on their full potential thru the stock projectors. As i said they are sitting loose and tilted upward so light output is low. If that doesn't cut it, then i will try for the E55's projectors and see what difference do they make.
I know what you're saying, but there's a lot of murderers and thieves out there too, but I'm not one of them.
The lenses can get cloudy with age and some people do polish up the lenses. But I would just go with the brighter halogen bulbs. The problem is your projectors, they're only designed with one type of light in mind. It may improve your short term range, but might be worse for long term range and vice versa. The projector is only designed to focus one type of light, with something else, it's out of focus. It's well known that even with high beams on, you can overdrive your halogen lights if you're doing more than 45. I understand being blinded by LED lights, that seems to happen with trucks and SUV's that sit higher, but they are still DOT approved. But I see lots of Civics that never had xenon lights with super blue lights and they're way too bright.
As i stated in my above reply to CDIJeff...i dont know much about bulbs for cars. And yea SUVs LEDs sits higher, but i actually find Corolla's led light spreading a bit too much around. That car's lights always give me problem.
And those guys you talked about in Civics...if i cant see where im going cuz of their light hurting my eyes, i just turn my high beams on them, only when there is no other traffic near by. Iknw ima ******* sometimes lol but that is just completely wrong. I understand ur point as well.
But good thing every car maker are using projectors now. You can focus and adjust where the light goes. Compared to old cars the light hits even the pedestrian walking on the other side of road, with bright-bright LEDs.
I am not sure why you think that projectors can be focused. They're only designed for one type of light, it's impossible for a halogen projector to focus a HID light, the HID light is just designed completely differently. I'm not sure about LED lights though, someone may have manufactured one that will fit a halogen projector. But the key question again is, is that setup DOT approved? I did get a Corolla rental once with the LED, I thought my stock bi-xenons were brighter. And bi-Xenons are brighter than LED, but they also cost more so that's why the whole line went to LED.
hmmm, that also makes me question some things, on my side lol
not sure if they would be DOT approved since they are all aftermarket. Idk abt HID but the stock halogen projectors dont hold the LEDs, because the clips/adapters are slightly narrower from its middle opening because of small sized halogen bulbs. Whereas not sure if all, LEDs are a little thicker so ima need new pair of clips/adapters to stick them in their place.
As CDIJeff said, i might go for E55 projectors if that's the only solution if keeping those LEDs in place with new clips wont work for me.
I kinda hate it that when i got my E350, why didn't i know about the facelift of it in 07 08 models lol they come with bi-xenon and a lot of other features. some of the looks are just...........!!!!
hmmm, that also makes me question some things, on my side lol
not sure if they would be DOT approved since they are all aftermarket. Idk abt HID but the stock halogen projectors dont hold the LEDs, because the clips/adapters are slightly narrower from its middle opening because of small sized halogen bulbs. Whereas not sure if all, LEDs are a little thicker so ima need new pair of clips/adapters to stick them in their place.
As CDIJeff said, i might go for E55 projectors if that's the only solution if keeping those LEDs in place with new clips wont work for me.
I kinda hate it that when i got my E350, why didn't i know about the facelift of it in 07 08 models lol they come with bi-xenon and a lot of other features. some of the looks are just...........!!!!
Just go with the E55 projectors & 2Stroke leds. The 2Stroke LEDS from Moromito are designed for projectors.
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the headlight clarity....
