OK - So I have a 2011 W212 - E350 with the P02 Package, which includes the Bi-Xenon Headlights and Adaptive Curve Illumination.

The drivers side lower beam went out the other day. In looking through MB World and YouTube, it looks like this is a project that requires the wheel and inner lining to be taken off to get to the headlight bulb unit.

I’m going to do this myself, but was blown away at the cost of these. Local parts store sells the Sylvania for $99 each, but these are all over E-Bay for as low as 2 for $25.

I don’t want a crap unit that I have to replace in a few months. Seems like most of these are from Taiwan or China, so I’m skeptical.

Has anyone had experience with the after market lower priced bulbs? I appreciate your feedback.

 

Got some on amazon maybe a year ago , around 30 bucks.. when installed , instantly noticed how much brighter they are... so far so good.
​​​​​also bought some off ebay before too , about the same but not really , unless you pay a little more.
conclusion , just dont get the cheapest ones if you want longevity and brightness

 

Personally I would spend the extra $$$ for Osram CBB bulbs. These are similar in color to cars with stock LED and yet also much higher performing than standard bulbs. I've had them in one bi-xenon car and will be putting them in our Macan. Well worth the cost.

 

I would stick with a brand name bulb. Be careful of places like Amazon. They tend to service 3rd party sellers and will throw all their inventory into one bin so even if you buy it from Amazon, you may get a fake that came from a 3rd party. You should get it a vendor that has better control of their channel. Definitely stay away from those cheap eBay items. They tend to be fakes. What happens is that they're fine initially but then they start to flicker and will fail early on you. I still have OEM bulbs in both cars. I wouldn't go too crazy with the color temperature, there's a reason MB went with 4200k it's supposed to be the ideal color temperature. I'm not sure where the trend for higher and higher color temperatures came from, people seem to just like the bluer colors, but it's not as good for night vision and seeing furthest. Real bulbs from Osram or Sylvania are typically in the $50 range so you can get them cheaper it's that when they're $10-$20, those are fakes. Some manufacturers actually put QR codes on the bulbs so that you can check to see if they're real or not. Also you always replace bulbs in pairs as the newer bulbs will be brighter than the old ones, at least after a few hours of use.

 

Thanks to all. I've figured out that I should go ahead and buy the Osram or Sylvania. Always weary of Amazon and E-Bay knock offs! Thanks again.

 

For the record, Osram CBBs are both higher in K temp and also higher in performance than stock. It's been tested. It is true that generally speaking, higher K ratings equals less output.. but not the case here.

 

I have the CBB (cool Blue Boost) - I agree- one of the best bulbs, great light output - really good color. Worth the extra coinage - goes with you get what you pay for in this case. I had tried multi cheaper options - could of saved the money if i had bit the bullet the first time.

Good luck with your choice - and beware of imitations!!! or fakes

 

What size is the low beam bulb? I just bought a 2011 E63 with bixenons and the drivers side low beam is starting to get a bit dim

 

They're bixenons, the low beam and high beam is the same D1S bulb, it just uses a shutter to switch between low and high. I believe stock is 4300k and either Osram or Sylvania. The 4300k temperature is considered the perfect one which is why it was stock. Some people prefer higher ones like 5000k, but while it's brighter in regular weather, you want more yellow in worse weather like rain and snow so that's why I would stick with 4300k as the perfect compromise and that's why the factory used it.

 

Bi-Xenon use only one bulb, like ceti already mentioned, so if your high beam is fine but low beam is dim you have a shutter problem.