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Need help trying to figure out which LED bulb to buy replace halogen bulbs
I'm hoping someone can help me figure this out. I have a 2010 E350 4Matic - the VIN is WDDHF8HB7AA103889
I want to replace the low beam Halogen bulbs with an equivalent LED H7 bulb but I'm not sure which one will fit as I understand that if the car can only take a screw in type base, then an LED bulb won't work. Apparently only the cars with the spring loaded tension clip can accomodate an LED bulb. I have no idea which one my car has - screw in or tension clip. I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction.
The LED bulb that seems to be a potential replacement is the H7 by Sylvania. If someone has experience with a better alternative, please let me know by sharing a link.
I have attached a pic of the car as well as that seems to an important point regarding facelift vs. not.
Last edited by hameed; Jan 9, 2025 at 01:55 PM.
Reason: correct typo
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
Originally Posted by hameed
I'm hoping someone can help me figure this out. I have a 2010 E350 4Matic - the VIN is WDDHF8HB7AA103889
I want to replace the low beam Halogen bulbs with an equivalent LED H7 bulb but I'm not sure which one will fit as I understand that if the car can only take a screw in type base, then an LED bulb won't work. Apparently only the cars with the spring loaded tension clip can accomodate an LED bulb. I have no idea which one my car has - screw in or tension clip. I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction.
The LED bulb that seems to be a potential replacement is the H7 by Sylvania. If someone has experience with a better alternative, please let me know by sharing a link.
I have attached a pic of the car as well as that seems to an important point regarding facelift vs. not.
H7 describes the base and shape of the bulb. Never heard of a 'screw in' H7. They are pressed into the lamp assembly from the back, then usually a locking ring is put in place to clamp them, then you plug in the wiring harness.
H7 describes the base and shape of the bulb. Never heard of a 'screw in' H7. They are pressed into the lamp assembly from the back, then usually a locking ring is put in place to clamp them, then you plug in the wiring harness.
In the US, ALL aftermarket LED bulbs are ILLEGAL for on-road use. They are for off-road use only. check your country's regulations.
In the excellent photo provided by @Left Coast Geek , you will notice the 'bulb' has a dark cover over the 'front'. This is part of the cutoff design. The LED does not have this.
Am**on sellers rarely tell you this. Independent bulb specialists will usually have a disclaimer buried somewhere.
My experience--- the Auxito shown will only work with a resister put in series. It only draws 16 watts,
The bulb out warning light needs at least about 35 watt LED in a Mercedes.
There are a several brands (not sure about Auxito)that now draw enough power..
The video does show the driver side which is a pain. Paasneger side is easy and doent require removing the wheel
For the OP (and maybe others) in the YT video OP posted above, there is this disclaimer:
"When I use the word 'headlights', I am referring to legal off-road use or fog light use only, as replacing factory halogen bulbs with LEDs for headlights in the US is not currently legal nor a DOT approved practice."
and not to forget my Northern Friends, Quebec (with a similar national) regulation:
...."aftermarket LED bulbs or HID lighting kits typically do not meet DOT standards...." for Canada.
So, the bulb swap you are attempting is not legal in most of the Continent and will adversely affect other drivers at night.
For the OP (and maybe others) in the YT video OP posted above, there is this disclaimer:
"When I use the word 'headlights', I am referring to legal off-road use or fog light use only, as replacing factory halogen bulbs with LEDs for headlights in the US is not currently legal nor a DOT approved practice."
and not to forget my Northern Friends, Quebec (with a similar national) regulation:
...."aftermarket LED bulbs or HID lighting kits typically do not meet DOT standards...." for Canada.
So, the bulb swap you are attempting is not legal in most of the Continent and will adversely affect other drivers at night.
Yes I know none of these kits are legal. However the OEM halogen headlamps in this car have to be the worst headlights I've ever experienced in any car. I can barely see out at night - they're that bad.
Are you suggesting I sell the car and get one with better headlights?
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
question, are the lenses of your headlights hazy or fogged ? if they are, they diffuse the light, and you do NOT want to diffuse even brighter LED light, that WILL blind oncoming drivers. You can get kits to polish the headlights
You could try one of the two below in the passenger side and check the results. Neither should require a resistor.
Passenger bulbs very easy to change.
My experience in a 2012 E350 was that LEds did not blind other drivers and the high beams were much better than halogens.
Legality is another issue. IN PA the state law ws only to have white headlights, Federal??
OXILAM M5S H7 LED Bulb 22000LM 700% Brightness, 6500K Cool White Light, 1:1 Size No Adapter Required, Plug and Play Fog Light Halogen Replacement, Pack of 2
or
TECHMAX H7 Bulb, H7 Fog Light Bulb 800% Brightness 6500K White Light No Adapter Required w/Fan Plug and Play 1:1 Small Size Bulb, Pack of 2
question, are the lenses of your headlights hazy or fogged ? if they are, they diffuse the light, and you do NOT want to diffuse even brighter LED light, that WILL blind oncoming drivers. You can get kits to polish the headlights
You could try one of the two below in the passenger side and check the results. Neither should require a resistor.
Passenger bulbs very easy to change.
My experience in a 2012 E350 was that LEds did not blind other drivers and the high beams were much better than halogens.
Legality is another issue. IN PA the state law ws only to have white headlights, Federal??
OXILAM M5S H7 LED Bulb 22000LM 700% Brightness, 6500K Cool White Light, 1:1 Size No Adapter Required, Plug and Play Fog Light Halogen Replacement, Pack of 2
or
TECHMAX H7 Bulb, H7 Fog Light Bulb 800% Brightness 6500K White Light No Adapter Required w/Fan Plug and Play 1:1 Small Size Bulb, Pack of 2
MB Halogens headlight package seems to work only when new. Once the bulb wears out, not burnt, and the lens becomes hazy they are equivalent to a pair candles.
I have a facelift, so no halogens to worry about. However, we have 2 W166 with the halogens. For my sister, just replacing the existing halogens with a new set a
, but brighter halogens was enough.
I wanted more, so took the LED H7 route with the understanding that is nearly impossible to get an H7 LED "bulb" to work within reason in a reflector based housing: too much scattering and high beams were not my problem, so high beams remained halogens.
On the low beams, the W166 uses a projector based housing, similar to the W212 pre-facelift, and H7 LED conversions work better in those housings, those have a cover similar to the original halogen pointed out earlier. I installed one side by side with a new halogen, and compared the cut against a wall at a specified distance and cut off were very similar, but the brightness is a lot better.
I have been using LasFit Pro-MB2 on the low beams since summer 2023 with no issues whatsoever. High beams are stock. Not certain, these bulb are plug and play for the pre-facelift housing, but it was trivial to change in the W166.
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