I have a 2013 (pre facelift) E350, the car is a low option car, with standard halogen headlights - I feel the lighting is poor... can this car be upgraded to the optional bi-xenon headlights by simply purchasing the OEM xenon headlamps and installing directly in place of the old halogen ones? Or will there need to be wiring and controller changes made as well?

I know the xenon headlamps can be purchased (not cheap, about US$ 3,000 for a set) but are they plug-n-play replacements for the standard halogens?

https://www.carid.com/2010-mercedes-...-51926819.html

Thanks in advance...

 

Buy a HID kit, like the Morimoto: https://www.theretrofitsource.com/h7...-H7?quantity=1

Much cheaper and the stock halogens use projectors so it'll work well. Thats what I'm doing on our '11 E350 with factory halogens.

 

great thank you... is installation difficult? i am ok with some basic installs but not too handy... they have a variety of options -- 35w vs 50w,? standalone canbus adapters? anti flicker...?

any help you can provide would be appreciated!

 

No halogen in these cars. Xenon IS HID.

 

????

 

in Mercedes land, BI-Xenon is HID, but base model pre-facelift cars still came with conventional halogens, using H7 or something bulbs. Further confusing things, there are some halogens that are xenon doped, like some PIIA bulbs, so these get called Xenon too, even though they are just slightly brighter halogens.

To convert from Halogen to HID, you need a high voltage ballast module between the car's 12V and the HID headlight.

 

I'll give actual experience from my HID install into my E350 back in 2015....

I've done full projector retrofits on other vehicles using E55 and RetrofitResource mini projectors and I would not install HID into any non-projector housing. I found that the E350 projectors used for the P1 halogens appear to the same as those in the P2 (xenon) package. There was no need to change anything about the factory headlight assemblies. My Morimoto kit came from RetrofitResource (no affiliation) and has been bulletproof since the installation. The only issue I found was a pinched ground wire inside the left assembly, nothing to do with the HID kit. The installed kit is a 35W with CANBUS connectors, ballasts and ignitors. In this case a separate relay harness wasn't used nor has been needed in these past almost 6 years. Bulbs are also Morimoto brand (5.5k) and are still the same as initially installed. I did get a set of U-shape bulb clips to go around the new bulb harnesses. Everything is outside of the headlight housing which I prefer to avoid adding more heat inside of it. Just be sure to add some padding to avoid rattles.

Bi-xenon is where the bulb does double duty for both low and high beam, using a movable shutter in front of the bulb to direct lighting. Xenon is a standard low beam only bulb.

Some comments:
- Key considerations are light pattern, cutoff and beam spread. The Morimoto bulbs are very good quality and are oriented properly so that the light pattern is even within the projector. Cut-off is virtually the same as oem projectors with an even "stepped" line that directs light downward from curb to road crown as it needs to be for US (right side) driving. Light doesn't blind oncoming traffic yet helps illuminate curb side of the vehicle.
- the Kelvin rating of 5.5 to 6 for all practical purposes is a clean white light, a huge improvement from the oem halogen bulbs.
- customer service from TRS has been very good for any questions on this or other installs where I used their kit, and there's a decent warranty on the components. I also believe from actual use that the components are very good quality.
- I left the oem halogen high beam bulbs in place, I hardly ever use them and don't really worry about them.
- not once, ever, has an opposite vehicle flashed me when I've had the low beams (HID) on. But this is not unexpected because of the above-mentioned proper light spread and especially the light cutoff.
- I removed both sides front section of the wheelwells to make life easier and to do a more thorough installation.
- All bulbs deteriorate slowly with age but the only reason I'd replace the current bulbs would be curiosity or boredom as I don't really have complaints about the lighting level. I'm older and it helps me considerably to actually see what's in front of the car.
- I used the proper CANBUS (shielded) connectors with the kit to ensure that no "bulb out" warnings came up and also to avoid wiring in a separate resistor that is usually not insulated and gets very hot.

Lots of opinions about HID kits and installs, so my intent is not get into that debate. What I can say based on experience and observation is that this has been one of the best and most consistent improvements I've done on this car. Worth every penny. I'll never even consider going back to the original halogen setup.

 

Well, close, '10 thru '13 came with four H7's for high beam and low beam, with the lighting package you got HID headlights with cornering lamps and mechanical flaps for high and low beams.
'14 thru '16 camp with LED low beams and H7 high beams, with the lighting package came with full LED headlights and cornering lamps. Both lighting packages came with auto high beam and curve illumination.

 

correct, that is what i have, pre facelift car with conventional halogen bulbs for low and hi beam... the headlights are dim, poor for night high speed driving, therefore my desire to find a sensible upgrade path

thanks for the clarification...

 

thank you - very helpful - i will try to order this kit

 

ordering from their website... they have two h7 bulb conifgurations, a vs b - which is the correct one for our cars?

 

As you can see, the difference is in the orientation of the electrode.
My 2011 used the "A" version but I suggest you contact TRS directly to verify for your 2008.

 

thanks mud
mine is a 2013, so same headlights as your 2011
'a' config it is!

 

Oh, sorry, for some reason I had 2008 in mind. Even though your first post was clear about a 2013. Age......
PM if you run into any glitches along the way.

 

I have 2013 E350 4 matic around June 2019 I could not stand the halogen light. I buy LED AmazonSmile: TIANFUYAO H7 LED Headlight Bulbs - 100W 12000LM 6000K Xenon White - High/Low Beam,Fog Light Bulb Conversion Kit - IP67,CSP Chips,360 Degree: Automotive
I also bought adapter AmazonSmile: Febrytold 4 Pcs H7 LED Headlight Bulb Adapter Holder for Mercedes-Benz C200 C300 C350 B260 B200 GLA200 GLA260 GL350, CHERY G5, Pentium B50 B70, Ford Edge: Automotive
The LED much better than Halogen. That time I didn't know for my car which had projector HID will be better than LED. But I already happy with LED compare to Halogen
Now I think I will do the same with ML350 will use HID this time.
I also upgrade my Honda Pilot 2003 using LED same brand as the one I used for E350 and that one better than OEM.

 

How did it come out?

Chris

 

Thank you for this post. I have purchased basically the same kit you bought with 5K bulbs and a newer generation of Morimoto ballasts (possibly smaller). I made the right guess, apparently, on the H7 bulb (the "A" type). I won't be able to install mine until the spring but I intend to do it after taking the front bumper cover and wheel well plastic off for other reasons (broken lower grille). I want a clean and totally rattle free install; I HOPE to make/install brackets or some kind of sheet metal structure to bolt somewhere for all of these loose parts - I also think throwing it all into the housing is a very bad idea.

 

Were these the options you selected?

Chris

 

"Were these the options you selected?"

Yes. but keep in mind I haven't installed this yet. I don't THINK the capacitor is needed.

 

Smart move. The beam pattern on the high beams seems less suited to my Morimoto kit for some reason *and* there is a brief delay when hitting the high beams.

 

most factory HID systems that use separate highbeams have halogens in the high beams since HID takes several seconds to get up to full brightness. the alternative is moving shutter lamps where its the same HID for both, and they lift a shutter to generate the high beam pattern

 

Which would make sense as the pre-facelifts have the shutter system for the lighting package cars and the regulars have a projector for low beams and a reflector for high beams,

 

I'm looking to replace my factory halogens with Xenon HID on my 2013 E350. But while an installer says that he can do it with the right kit he sells, without replacing housing ($475 parts + labor), the MB dealership Parts person tells me that I cannot upgrade this period. Too many modifications required. Just buy a light bulb for $18. Not sure who to believe. Advice?

 

I've upgraded 3 different halogen equipped cars with LEDs from www.auxito.com with very good results. I used the suitable 12000 LM 6500k bulbs, got excellent low beam patterns and plenty of high beam. They have worked well in both reflector buckets, and projector lamps. Depending on the lamp type used by your car, these are $50-65 a pair.

 

I have a set of LEDs on this site for sale if you are interested. Make me an offer.

Chris