Headlight Conversion
Thanks in advance




If you bought a 2014-2016 facelift, at mere minimum, you have 5K LED low beams and 3200K Halogen high beams. These can be upgraded to Phillips Diamond Vision H7 Halogens equal in 5K brightness to the low beams simply by replacing the bulbs.
No faults, errors, etc, just white light. You can buy LEDs for the high beams, but there is no need to do so. The LED aftermarket beams available have huge heat-sinks attached to the back, for which you will need to make room behind the headlight housings. Not easy to do, and results vary wildly, so be forewarned.
Last edited by DFWdude; Jan 31, 2021 at 09:22 PM.




Slapping Chineseum aftermarket H7 LEDs in the existing buckets, you have to make room for the massive heatsinks as someone said, and there just isn't much room behind the buckets.
If you bought a 2014-2016 facelift, at mere minimum, you have 5K LED low beams and 3200K Halogen high beams. These can be upgraded to Phillips Diamond Vision H7 Halogens equal in 5K brightness to the low beams simply by replacing the bulbs.
https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Diamo.../dp/B007JZKBVW
No faults, errors, etc, just white light. You can buy LEDs for the high beams, but there is no need to do so. The LED aftermarket beams available have huge heat-sinks attached to the back, for which you will need to make room behind the headlight housings. Not easy to do, and results vary wildly, so be forewarned.
but while we’re at it how would you rate the bulbs you have




This was the very first "mod" I performed on my car, almost 3 years ago. The lights have held-up well as High Beams, as I live in a Suburban area, and have very few occassions to burn the High Beams at all. The only trick to installing them is to be certain you handle the bulbs with tissue paper to keep your finger oils off the glass. Just $25, one and done.
Xenon headlights are nothing new... I could have bought them as new on my first Mercedes... in 2001. Yawn. The Intellignet Lighting system is interesting, but not remotely worth $4,000 to install them, and trouble-shoot unknown electronic issues that follow. An idea that's DOA to me.
If I HAD to spend $4,000 on anything, I'd spend it on a set of new wheels and tires. At least you use the tires anytime you drive the car. You use the lights only if and when you drive at night.
Last edited by DFWdude; Feb 6, 2021 at 12:14 PM.
I hated the weak halogen lo beam output. In 2015 I installed a Morimoto 35w HID setup with 5k bulbs and CANBUS connector for lo beams. I didn't care about hi beams because I never use them so stock was fine. Has worked perfectly since, one of the best changes I've made . The beauty of using the halogen projectors is that light cutoff is almost perfect, no light scatter like in regular reflector housings, so no blinding oncoming traffic. The cutoff height is right plus it follows North American driving direction. Slight rise on the cutoff towards the right or curb side.
I've done a couple of full retrofits on other vehicles using ML55 bi-xenon projectors ( they use DS2 bulbs and have the internal shutter system). When I compared the lo beam light output and pattern to the HID in the stock E350 halogen projectors, the ML55 was slightly better but the HID was very very close. I think the difference was in the bulb type and the positioning of the shutter. Note that the stock projectors in my car are lo beam only, so no shutter. Makes me wonder though if the W212 PS-2 xenon equipped models actually use the same projectors. Dunno.
I know the headlight bulb choice will always be under debate, I'm just relating my particular long term experience in my older 2011 model. Might be completely different in newer versions.
Last edited by Mud; Feb 1, 2021 at 10:06 AM.









