alloutmk23

There isn't much talk about mtec conversion kits, on the W212 section at least. Has anyone installed an MTEC HID kit on their W212?

Im on the verge of ordering the MTEC H7 6000k HID conversion kit and i just want to make sure its compatible with the W212 before i order

CEB

You may want to read this before your pursue a HID "upgrade."

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...nversions.html

Gsc

thats a bunch of BS. I know tons and tons of people whom have used aftermarket kits with no issues.

OP_ Never used that brand, but any reputable brand should be good. Hella, McCulough..

CEB

You may believe that it is a bunch of BS, but that doesn't change the facts that there are no legal conversion kits.

The reason that there are no legal kits is that there is no economical way of designing a system that actually works as intended. No conversion kit will provide adequate lighting without increasing glare.

The only way of retrofitting a correctly working HID headlighting system is to use all OE parts.

I'm often at odds with Daniel Stern Lighting but he's right on this point - even if you do not agree.

Please show me one retrofit kit that works properly. Being legal would be a plus.

Gsc

Many things are illegal on cars, but people still do it regardless.

The OP was looking for suggestion on an HID kit, and obviously you missed his point for a recommednation.

CEB

No, I saw his request asking about a HID kit. In order for him to be able to make a decision, he needs all the facts.

Part of the facts are that there are no HID kits that work properly or are legal.

You said that you knew of some. Care to share?

Another fact is that he may be putting portions of his warranty at risk - the main portion at risk is the entire electrical system.

alloutmk23

Gsc...what is the reason for not going with the mtec brand? I thought mtec was a better quality brand?

Gsc

Never saif they were legal, but people use them. Risks are everywhere, so take a chill pill. I've been using aftermarket kits since 2000 on various cars and no issues. if you buy quality, there should no issues.

Good thing is, all of my 4 cars have HID's from the factory so no aftermarket kits for me.

CEB- Your points are valid, but keep in mind, most people wont care for the facts you bring.

Gsc

Just had good experioence with the Hella's and Mcculluchs.

CEB

Quite simply, I couldn't care less what people do as long as they aren't driving the same roads I am.

My goal is to provide enough facts for the OP to make an informed decision and to keep him from coming back here and whining because something went wrong, he got a ticket, failed inspection or was denied a warranty repair.

On the bottom of this page is an advert by "dashZracing" on headlights. On their site is the following disclaimer

"Due to the attribute of aftermarket parts and accessories, not all parts will fit ideal or operate as desired. All products purchased on www.Dashzracing.com are aftermarket and intended for safe driving only. All products are for off-road or show intent only. The consumer will accept accountability for all violations of local laws and regulations that may result from use of products. The Dash Z Racing is not liable for any fix it tickets or incidents due to the usage of the products. Purchasing a product from Dash Z Racing is an agreement by the consumer to not hold Dash Z Racing accountable of all liabilities or damages. The consumer is responsible for the use or mishandling of the product purchased. The consumer is not entitled to recuperate any damages. Terms and conditions are subject to change without notification."

It seems that the people selling this crap know that it is illegal and are trying to get around the law by selling it as "off road only." The problem is that the law does not have a provision for "off-road only." If it fits on a car then it needs to meet all laws and regulations.

I'm passionate about this because I've seen the results of accidents caused by being blinded by oncoming traffic.


He now knows that there are no legal conversions available, that none of the kits will increase his vision at night and that he may have warranty woes in the future.

If he has the ability to "pay to play" and to mentally and financially accept the unintended consequences of his mod then it is his decision. He does need to know that his decision will affect all oncoming drivers at night and any cars he is following.

EmE247

I was about to post something to defend HID's but CEB has some valid points.

I think the HID product is probably what is most important. I'm sure there are tons of HID kits out there that are crap and cause of most of the concerns brought up by CEB.

I have HID's, they are guaranteed for the life of my car installed by a reputable shop, and they cause no error codes. Sorry but I don't know which brand they are.

If I had a chance to do it again, I would do it in a heartbeat.

I had a BMW 550 w/ stock Xenon's and on-coming traffic would still flash their highbeams.

ghh429

Frankly I think "blinding" oncoming drivers is a load of crap - if you are going to be blinded by an off-the-shelf HID system you shouldn't be on the roads driving at night anyways.

As for an HID retrofit kit, I think for some cars they are fine as long as you figure out a place to mount your ballasts and the bulb fits in properly. However for many cars the bulb will not fit in properly. The HID bulbs require high voltage powersource (ballasts) which in turn requires running external wires. This usually involves drilling and sealing the OEM headlights. Additionally the headlight is only engineered for a specific bulb with a specific beam pattern. A retrofit HID light can often result in overheating which substantially reduces bulb life as well as funny beam patterns which on-coming traffic may find distracting.

My personal opinion is that HID retrofit kits are not worth it - optics issues aside there are substantial hassles involved with running HID retrofit kits. Given how good the OE MB headlights are I really would not consider running a retrofit kit unless the kit is specifically re-engineered to work with our cars which would be highly unlikely.

CEB

So they will blind oncoming traffic? According to you, if your half-assed attempt at an HID retrofit blinds me, then I shouldn't be on the road?

Somehow, there is a bit of missing logic there.

BPhillyBenz

Wow. Intense thread. I'm just putting my 2 cents in. I got aftermarket 6k HIDs installed. Love em. They arent blinding anyone or flooding the atmosphere with ambient light. Had em for a year and I have never been flashed by other cars thinking I had my high beams on or were being blinded.
I have heard of cases were this has happened, guess I lucked out.

ImInPA

I think the take-away from this thread is this. If you choose to swap out your halogens for an HID kit, be aware of some of the issues you may encounter. Many have done this upgrade with great success. If you start having folks flashing you all the time, consider going back to your halogens, or, get a better quality kit. Seems simple enough.

alloutmk23

Well for those of you who have successfully installed HID's and have not had any issues whatsoever. What kit did you use?

I am pretty sold on the H7 MTEC kit because my brother and buddy both had it in their mercedes for the past 4 years and they haven't had one problem. But then again, there really isn't anyone on this forum who has installed the MTEC kit in their W212, which is why it raises concerns for me.

I appreciate the concern for all of the "legal" and "safety" issues, but the fact of the matter is, our OEM halogens are aimed WAY too low and are crap at that. I have a better depth of vision at night in my moms Camry (IMO).

K-A

I haven't read through this, and I see that it's "heated" (pun intended).

I don't know what makes certain aftermarket bulbs or kits INCREDIBLY ANNOYING to other drivers, but every time I see some stupid a$$ car (usually a big lifted Chevy, to make matters worse) with hyper blues/whites who's bulbs are actually not increasing their own visual quality, instead just blaring and glaring all over the road like a mess, I want to take my LED flashlight and shine it in the drivers eyes for 5 minutes so he/she knows how it feels.

I don't know what kits cause this, or what not, but for the sake of anyone else on the roads, make sure you at least get some high quality ones that don't do that! I think M-B's "fix" to this problem (and I'm sure other newer cars are doing the same) is the HID's that adjust according to the cars in front of it, thus never providing full power unless necessary (but always keeping that cool ice white/blue color that we all crave).

ghh429

No that's not what I said and there's no missing logic. A hot chick walking across the street might be distracting but not blinding. Come on.

Your typical HID kit per lamp will not push more than 3000 lumens - probably even less because the light is not being properly collimated. If you're getting blinded by these lamps especially enough to be a danger to yourself or others you really shouldn't be driving on the road at night and or YOU are the one with the equipment problem. There are plenty of light-sources that can be just as blinding and if this is causing a problem for you need to evaluate whether or not you should be driving on the road - or better yet clean your windshield and get some higher intensity lamps for yourself (it's the contrast that cause blindness)

CEB

And that is, unfortunately, the attitude that keeps these aftermarket manufacturers in business. Ignorance about what causes glare does not cause glare to disappear and the "if you get blinded then get off the road" attitude demonstrates a lack of willingness to comprehend the problem.

I have no desire to argue with people who are wearing blinders and are glaringly oblivious to facts.

CEB

If those other cars blind you then YOU are the problem. You should get off the road immediately.

CEB

BINGO.

K-A

You're right. And if you look directly into the sun, and it "blinds you", then you shouldn't go outside. Great logic.

CEB

Yeah. Unfortunately most forums have posters that are so self centered to believe that they can do what they want and it is your fault if their decision adversely affects you.

To state that aftermarket HIDs don't blind people (especially after I posted a link that included testing by reputable organizations) is just absurd.

I remember one incident about a Civic driver with those absurd 10k bulbs driving through Mississippi. He got stopped by the local cops for unsafe equipment and then tried to tell the cop it was legal. The cop broke out both headlights with his ASP and said "no they aren't. Now let's get this car to impound."

ghh429

What's more unfortunate are forum posters that attempt to carry on an argument without any real understanding of the complex issues at hand, the mechanics of the products (we are talking about cars after-all), in this particular case the motivation for regulatory actions of the NHTSA, often times never having seen much less installed the product themselves, and confusing simple technical details such as the 10k color temperature of a product with its luminosity.

The OP wanted to know about which aftermarket HID kits, but instead some of us launch into a rant about why HIDs are blinding. That's like answering each performance modification thread with "speeding and emissions violations are bad." For those of you who wish to continue to rant about being blinded by HIDs here's a great venue for you to do so:

http://www.aarp.org/online_community/groups/

golfster

This thread is quite enlightening.