gytis123

Does anybody know if aftermarket HID's installed on CPO vehicle void the warranty.

dimitristx

I can't see how this can void the CPO warranty, unless you use lower-quality HIDs and balasts and short the electrical wiring. Otherwise, the HIDs should have no bearing to anything else mechanical that you should care about with the CPO coverage

alx

Unless you install hid specific lenses- please do not. Just like your question about the 22" wheels- you will gain questionable visual appeal, but you will lose functionality- light on the road will be less and you will blind oncoming drivers.

BlownV8

The GL H7 reflectors work very well with the aftermarket HID kits. I posted an DIY on this many years ago and showed the cutoff. It's very flat and uniform. As long as your lights are aimed properly, it will not blind oncoming motorists.

I've had the HID lights installed for over 150k miles. The stock H7 lights are so bad they are dangerous. The first time I drove the car at night I didn't think I was going to make it home safely because I couldn't see the road. I was really upset that such an expensive car could come with such crummy lights.

alx

any reflector- based bulb-only hid retrofit will blind even if the light ceiling is where it should be.

in addition it will throw less light on the road- if you think you are seeing better- it is in your head- especially in inclement weather.

i have seen a few x164 with chinese hid retrofit and every single one of them has been as described above.

BlownV8

I went from not being able to see at night to seeing very clearly. Obviously, that's not in my head. See thread I created with pics. The lighting increase was rather dramitic.

BlownV8

Here is the link to the post with pictures.

https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...-pictures.html

alx

No. You get the impression that there is more light as more things - signs, trees etc get illuminated. But the light amount that matters - the one on the road is always less with higher kelvin focused the same way as a lower kelvin (which is what you have with a Chinese retrofit). Things get much much worse when visibility decreases as light bounce increases even more.

it is simple physics that i can elaborate and give you articles on, but I am sure you can do your own reading unless you are content with your mind trickery

The best bet with incandescent reflectors is upgrading to brand name high perf bulb (like the ge night hawk). This way you will increase the light output without changing the frequency and sending bouncing light everywhere.

BlownV8

Keep believing what you want. I tried different bulbs and saw a slight improvement but the HID retrofit made a huge difference. Sounds like you need to do some research. The lumens of the HID's are significantly greater than the stock halogens. The light output of a 35 watt HID is around 300% more than a 55 watt halogen bulb.

On the topic of degrees Kelvin, you can get the bulbs in whatever degree you want. I have 5k in mine now. The light output is fantastic. It's just as good as in my E55 with stock HID'S and better than my previous CL600 that also had HID's from the factory.

alx

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

I will just leave this here.

You are a smart guy - I simply cannot believe you have conditioned yourself in thinking a hid bulb in incandescent reflector is an upgrade.

BlownV8

I'm not using a reflector housing. Comprende? These are projectors. If it was a reflector, I would agree 100000% with you but it's not. I really don't care about Daniel Sterns' generalities about the projector retrofits. There are some absolute garbage ones where it doesn't work worth a damn and there are some really good ones. I have seen first hand and have driven for aprox 150k miles with the HID bulbs in the MB H7 projector. The light dispersion is great. HID's produce so much more usable light than the stock halogens it's not even close. The cutoff is perfect and I have never been flashed for improper lighting alignment.

Like I've said over the last 7 or so years, the stock halogens in the GL's are HORRIBLE. Anything is an improvement! The HID bulbs in the stock projectors worked really well for me. If you don't believe in it, don't do it in any cars you own but don't try to discount what I have experienced first hand.

BlownV8

No disrespect meant ALX so don't take my posts the wrong way.

gytis123

In the meantime while I was searching about how to improve lighting on my GL , I have tried a couple things: first decided to try H7 Philips x-treme power bulbs and I really liked them , but it still wasn't bright enough for me. Althogh it was an improvement over stock ones ( brighter lite and a little longer beam) . Like I said before " still not satisfied " , so I purchsed H7 canbus 6000k 35W Hid conversion kit from ebay seller : "autohidguy" over 8300 100% feedbacks. And yes I know it is not a big name kit , but after reading here on the forums, that people having issues even with a hight $ hid kits , I decided to try it. And let me tell you , what a difference , it's like day and night. So far no issues on the dash or blinking or any kind. Maybe it is too early to tell , but I am very pleased for what I have got and the bright side of this, that it cost me only $49.

BlownV8

My experience too. It is remarkable what a difference the HID makes. I did further research on our projector lighs. According to some HID websites I researched, the MB H7 projectors are one of the few that works really great with an aftermarket HID installation. I have tried them in other projectors and the lighting was not consistent.

I'm going down to a 4.3k bulb. From what I've researched, it is the best HID temp for automotive lighting. I will share my results if it makes a difference.

gytis123

To be honest with you , I was thinking about doing the same thing changing to 4300k or maybe 5000k . It is nothing wrong with 6000k but it looks too rice on the mercedes

islandbeef

Agreed with you 100%. The stock GL halogens are so dim on the road, it looks like I'm driving by candle light. Why are luxury cars such as ours have any business using halogens and not HID/Xenons? /scratching head

Our previous vehicle (2012 Honda Odyssey) suffered from the same issue and I promptly updated the bulbs to HID (DDM 4300k, 33w). 4300k is closest to OEM style HID/Xenons without being too "ricey" or attracting attention from the police. The stock projectors worked great with HID upgrade with a crisp beam cut off at the top. Street lines were much clearer and everything on the road just "pops". And no, that wasn't "in my head" because seeing is believing.

My wife is getting her GL fitted with new HIDs today (DDM 4500k, 55w). IMHO, one of the best cost effective mods you can make. The kit was about $60 out the door, has a lifetime warranty with easy return and replacement.