HID Help!
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Super Member
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 545
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From: Toronto & California
2015 ML400 4MATIC, 2016 C300 4MATIC, 2014 E350 4MATIC (Totaled), 2006 E350 (Sold)
HID Help!
Hello. Have an 2006 E350 and only have 68,000 miles. Wanting to install some hids since it's so dark here at night. Any brand of gods do you recommend. I was thinking of Morimotos but they are pretty expensive. I've seen Kensun & DDM but they seem cheap. Any good balance. Also. There are a bunch of tiny cracks in the headlight. The car sits in the garage 10 months of the year in a hot garage. Please. Thanks
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Joined: Jul 2010
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From: California
MB W204/W212, BMW E66, Porsche 958, VW MK6 TDI, Maserati Ghibli SQ4
Hello. Have an 2006 E350 and only have 68,000 miles. Wanting to install some hids since it's so dark here at night. Any brand of gods do you recommend. I was thinking of Morimotos but they are pretty expensive. I've seen Kensun & DDM but they seem cheap. Any good balance. Also. There are a bunch of tiny cracks in the headlight. The car sits in the garage 10 months of the year in a hot garage. Please. Thanks
Let me know if we can help you out.
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 795
Likes: 189
From: San Diego, CA
2016 E350 Sport; Mom Wrecked the 2008 E350; sold the 2002 C320
As the old saying goes, you pay for what you get. Vehicle lighting systems are actually very sophisticated engineering and it's not just about the light that the headlights put out in front of you. It's equally about putting that light in the right place and keeping it out of the eyes of oncoming motorists. The halogen E55 projectors perform decently with aftermarket HID bulbs. Nevertheless, they are not ideal as they were not designed for HID bulbs (bulb alignment and projector physics have a lot to do with it).
If you want to go with the most inexpensive route possible, Morimoto is the way to go. Anything else is pretty much a waste of money. That's how I started but I wasn't completely satisfied until I did a full retrofit. I highly recommend you do a little research into HID retrofitting.
To do things right, source a pair of E55 bixenon projectors, or you can go with Morimoto's EvoX-R aftermarket projectors (each has its pros and cons). On HID Planet's classifieds you can often score very good bargains on the components you need. On your 2006, a retrofit is relatively easy, as everything is pretty much plug-and-play, and getting the vehicle coded for "XENON=PRESENT"
If you want to go with the most inexpensive route possible, Morimoto is the way to go. Anything else is pretty much a waste of money. That's how I started but I wasn't completely satisfied until I did a full retrofit. I highly recommend you do a little research into HID retrofitting.
To do things right, source a pair of E55 bixenon projectors, or you can go with Morimoto's EvoX-R aftermarket projectors (each has its pros and cons). On HID Planet's classifieds you can often score very good bargains on the components you need. On your 2006, a retrofit is relatively easy, as everything is pretty much plug-and-play, and getting the vehicle coded for "XENON=PRESENT"
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 744
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From: Bay Area
W218 Stage 2, E85
I drive the same 06 e350 and i retrofit with E55 bi xenon projectors and Morimoto's Elite D2S HID kit with 5500k, 35watt. Honestly, the light output is great compared to halogen but it kind of didn't meet my expectation i desired. The kit cost me $140, TRS site has it for $160 but theres a code to get 10% discount, TRSHJ on checkout.
That is the only HID conversion i've done. I am a little picky on stuff i get and how it turns out. Everything is great about this kit. Easy to install, get it with Canbus H7 and no issues at all.
The light output is great, the E55 projectors' cut off line is perfect. The light spreadness to the sides is pretty good. But, like i said it might be me being a little picky, the throw distance isn't that strong. I'm not sure how other HID kits are so i can't compare. I drive thru hills almost every day is why i went this route and it kinda leaves blind spots and hard to see. If you drive mostly on straight freeways then this is a good one but for me it kinda is not the best kit.
But for regular street/freeway driving, it's perfect but on sharp turns on hills isn't fitting me the best. I may need better/upgraded projectors like EVO-XR which uses LED bulbs but it was double the price of E55 projector i bought.
Just throwing my thought on it. It cost me $140 some and 65 for the projectors. It maybe the bulbs they provide. I heard the Osram and Philip bulbs are the best and a pair runs for about 70-80 bucks.
That is the only HID conversion i've done. I am a little picky on stuff i get and how it turns out. Everything is great about this kit. Easy to install, get it with Canbus H7 and no issues at all.
The light output is great, the E55 projectors' cut off line is perfect. The light spreadness to the sides is pretty good. But, like i said it might be me being a little picky, the throw distance isn't that strong. I'm not sure how other HID kits are so i can't compare. I drive thru hills almost every day is why i went this route and it kinda leaves blind spots and hard to see. If you drive mostly on straight freeways then this is a good one but for me it kinda is not the best kit.
But for regular street/freeway driving, it's perfect but on sharp turns on hills isn't fitting me the best. I may need better/upgraded projectors like EVO-XR which uses LED bulbs but it was double the price of E55 projector i bought.
Just throwing my thought on it. It cost me $140 some and 65 for the projectors. It maybe the bulbs they provide. I heard the Osram and Philip bulbs are the best and a pair runs for about 70-80 bucks.
