McGG

Strange...I'm pretty sure the ones you linked are AFS ones (which move when you turn the wheel). The add says not compatible with model year 2012....

McGG

I was looking at this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/07-08-09-10-11-12-mercedes-GL-GL320-GL350-GL450-GL550-xenon-HID-left-headlight-/181211305664?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a310916c0&vxp=mtr
Looks like it only has one ballast?

vladc77

I think these are the same headlamps. The one I showed is in Euro style. The one you showed is regular (you have orange sides). Electrically they should be the same. One control unit. Perhaps because of styling the part numbers are different. I am working on retrofit for the model 2007-2012 (maybe up to 2010), not sure if cars after 2010 are very different in here.

McGG

Are the ML and GL headlights the same?!

That would make life pretty easy, i think.

McGG

I wonder also if you have a 2012, the one-ballast lights will jsut drop in?

vladc77

I am not sure. I know the ML headlamps a little bit different but may electrically be the same. I am not positive on it. It is a risk. I found DIY for ML series but not sure if it will fully help.

vladc77

Did you mean the car made year 2012? Not. I work on the car 2007 year.

McGG

No, I mean my car is a 2012...so I wonder if it is different than yours being a 2007. I think yours had the AFS system installed, whereas mine never did. Maybe I don't need the 4th connector?

vladc77

That is probably right.

vladc77

I just wanted to share with the status on Xenon retrofit.

I FINALLY did it. I installed the set of Bi-Xenon OEM headlamps, did wiring and programmed the car. Now, it is working pretty well. I was surprised that Xenon will work even without programming with no flickering on my machine but will not do any leveling. After reprogramming, the units work with leveling. I can control all level and motor actuations through MB Star diagnostic tool for testings.

I will test more to make sure everything is working properly. Actually, the work is not that hard. I am glad I did not go with HID kit instead.

McGG

I was going to bump this to see progress!

I pick up my 2012 GL350 on Monday, and have a set of HIDs sitting there waiting for me. Can you be kind enough to take the time to write a detailed write-up?

vladc77

Yes, I will do that. I need some time though.

BJ021

Ironically last night I pulled my aftermarket HID's that I paid decent money for because they flickered too much, which made the radio have flutter sounds, etc. My HID supplier claimed the headlamps need to 'warm up', I said it happened all summer in every temp! Maybe I got some junk lights, but it was a real pain in the *** to do the retrofit...I liked the lighting when they worked, but they need to WORK! So in went the highest power halogens I could buy. Next vehicle will have them as std equipment... But I am very pleased with my 2008 GL320 with soon 100K miles on it, Knock on wood, the only issue I have had is these stupid lights!

McGG

So I received my ebay xenon headlamp housings.

I'm pretty sure they have AFS drives in them, but have only one ballast (and are the newer D1s style). I know when Harris was doing his, he claimed that the AFS was dropped at some point.

Or maybe I'm not seeing it right with the motor in the housing.

KrustyKustom

You going to photo the wiring portion of the modification? What year is your GL?

Do you see a date stamp on the new headlights?

McGG

I haven't looked for a date stamp, I should. They def aren't new.

vladc77

Below are few leads to anyone who is planning to do this retrofit. I most likely will provide a detailed DIY but the information below is enough too.

1.
I ended up buying the cable harness from KabelDaviko - http://www.kabeldaviko.de/product_in...n-harness.html. Even though, it is possible to buy all parts for this cable harness from dealer but it does not make sense to go this route. You also need to provide Headlamp part number during checkout in order to get the right cable harness.

2.
Cowfunone provides a great DIY for ML series which is really close except programming. You can find it here: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w164...20-cdi-bi.html

FYI,
The light obviously is a huge improvement over what was. I was planning to create some sort of DIY but still trying to overcome a minor issue I am having. As a result, I am waiting until I fix this issue. The issue is while the light switch is in position Low Beam and key is removed from ignition switch then the low beam light is not turned off automatically. I must turn it off by using the light switch. It works well when the light switch is in position Auto. The light goes off as it should be. Everything else seems to work great.

vladc77

I hope it helps.

McGG

What did you do for the programming?

vladc77

I had to go through a different interface plus I needed to apply settings for Xenon system in quite a few controls.

cntrysthbst

first, thanks for good info on conversion, will be doing soon.

and if you dont mind me asking, what kind of star tool or program tool did you use to program the lights to work? is this something i can buy?

cntrysthbst

was also wondering if it matters with either xenon or bi-xenon, and having the leveling system. its all based in the headlight assb right? i do have the lighting package but no xenon. all these headlights seem to fit 2007 gl450's, some are single xenon's, some double, so with and without als.

vladc77

You are welcome! I got a chinese replica MB Star C3 similar to what you'll find from here: http://www.dhgate.com/wholesale/mb+star+c3.html. You will need to install Xentry/DAS system or buy it a replica. If you are not familiar with that, you will have to learn quite a bit. The most important is to get a good replica. Now, you can get a newer version - MB star sd connect c4 that has wireless connection. I did not bother getting this one.

McGG

Vlad, do you think it is worth the effort/cost to get the MBstar system?

Or for the lights, is it just worth it to pay a shop to do the software work?

vladc77

It is a personal decision. For me, it is important to have it. It cost me around $400 plus some time setting the system up (not easy process). You will need to have a designated laptop for it with Windows XP on it. It is definitely good to have (must for me), pays off after few times of use. I don't want to depend on dealer plus I figured they are, in most cases, not the best experts anyway. Of course, some of them can be but definitely not all. In addition, they even don't have access to Developer Mode. So, it is up to you, but if you decide to have it then you will need to spend some time figuring out how to use it.

In case if you only want to re-code the car for Xenon retrofit, you don't really need to buy it. You can do it at dealer. I just don't have a trust in working with them. The dealer charge like crazy but not necessary provide quality job.