Oh, I assumed new dust covers were needed for additional clearance based on the below posts. Why is everybody buying dust covers then? (Just in case the stock one tears?)

If the stock dust covers still fit fine (even though the base or heat sink of the aftermarket bulb may be longer), approximately how much clearance is left between the back of the low-beam bulb and the dust cover?

 

It depends what LED bulbs you install. The length of the bulb dictates if you need different covers. I bought covers from LASFIT and on eBay but with the Hikari's I didn't need them.

 

Ah ok, thanks! Did the stock dust cover just barely fit with the Hikari Ultra, or was there plenty of room to spare?

I notice the new Hikari Acme X has a taller heat sink, but also moves the plug connector back to the base like the stock halogen bulb (vs. separate wired ballast unit with the Ultra). I'm tempted to try the Acme X in the interest of science, but seems like the proven Ultras won't have any interference or clearance issues.

 

Good question. Originally, I bought two covers for $25 each and drilled a series of 8mm holes right where I thought the fan was located in the Hikari's but had zero problems with heat. I don't remember which bulbs I mounted but the covers weren't going to fit.

We never bothered to permanently mount the Morimoto LED's or Xenon's because measuring LUX showed they perform as well as the Hikari's. We never bothered to try the new LASFIT LED's but the new Hikari's look promising. One thing for sure is to question the videos on youtube by the guys selling this stuff. Just because it's new and cool looking doesn't mean it's a great performer. I've got a box of bulbs purchased because their videos were convincing. My next GLE is going to have xenons but I hate the black plastic around the wheel wells. Otherwise, I would have bought one by now.

 

A video of an LED factory. I did quality control for steel castings in China and can tell you quality control is BS. That's why you can't trust them to do it, you only can trust yourself.

 

OK, so I attempted the upgrade to Hikari Acme-X LED bulbs today, but quickly realized I had 2 problems:

1. The Acme-X bulbs are too long and interfere with the factory 4" dust cap (won't screw on with bulb in place, plus it would likely block the bulb fan anyway), so I either need to exchange them for the Hikari Ultra bulbs that are a little shorter (and that Bill says will fit with factory dust caps). Or I need to find some deeper or domed 4" dust caps (any suggestions?). The flexible accordion style dust cap that Bill linked to from Amazon is just a little too small (<4" diameter) for this application.
2. The Amazon H7 bulb adapter is horrible. Besides being too loose, once you get it screwed into place in the metal collar on the back of the headlight housing, it never makes positive engagement or "clicks" into place, so minor vibrations would wiggle the bulb loose (or cause dazzle for oncoming drivers). I am going to try the Lasfit H7 adapter for the Mercedes ML to see if it will more securely lock the bulb into place. However, their Youtube comments suggest this LED kit for the 2016 GLE due to the unique factory housing... https://www.lasfit.com/products/cust...enz-volkswagen

 

GearFX, I installed the hikari ultras today. The flat4" dustcap won't fit, so I just left it off. I'd purchased some domed dustcaps but I was not confident they would stay on. As to the adapter, it's important to get the adapters with the little dimples. These worked for me. You get 4 but only need to use 2 (maybe I'll have 2 left if I do the hi beams) I hope this helps.

 

Thanks, I ordered those adapters with the dimples to see if that will solve my problem. Do they feel as secure as the OE H7 bulb inside the factory housing? Or are they still a little loose? The halogen bulbs have zero play, and I'm hoping I can achieve the same tight fit.

Also, did you have to JB weld the bulb collar and the adapter plate together, or just insert them carefully together?

I'm disappointed you couldn't get the factory dust cap to fit with the Ultras either.

Are you happy with Hikari Ultra performance?

How did you secure the anti-flicker decoders/resistors, just tuck them inside the bottom of the housing?

 

No - they don't feel as secure as the original halogens. I did not glue or jb weld anything together. I did use the anti-flicker device and just tucked all inside the housing. It's all kind of tight. However, when I went to test drive last night at 10pm, something is not right. I know the bulbs are supposed to be set with the leds at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and I must have messed up. I need to take a look - hopefully tomorrow. Will keep you posted.

 

So I dug into the lights today. I simply am not able to get things lines up and installed properly with the wheels on the car so I am going to get the wheels off so I can really see what I am doing. More to come!

 

I finally got the new adapters with the dimples to match the factory fitment. But I cannot find a 115mm (~4.5") aftermarket dust cap. Largest commonly available sizes appear to be 105 or 110mm (with many of them confusingly listing "115mm" which is their outer diameter measurement!), and I even looked at other OE dust caps--closest fit so far is Land Rover rubber dust cap that is 4.5" outer diameter but more like 4.25" inner diameter. I still don't know how Bill got his Hikari Ultras to fit with the stock dust cover. I am thinking of making my own dust cap with a rubber membrane (think drum?), because I'm hoping to avoid modifying the original dust cap (though replacements seem readily available).

 

OK - I had the wheels off today and think I got the Hikari ultras in properly. I will say it is not easy even with good access! What I have to say now refers only to Hikari ultra led bulbs. You want the actual leds to be at eh 3 and 9 o'clock positions. For these bulbs, that means the power input wire needs to be at either 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock. What I did was first install the mounting ring with adapter into the low beam socket. I found that the tab on the mounting ring/adapter had to be in the down position....I think it was about 7-8 o'clock. Then you push the bulb in and may need to forcibly rotate it to get to the proper orientation. One of my bulbs has the wire pointing down and the other is pointing up. Also, when I tested the lights, one was off....just had to flip the connector...clearly must be sensitive to polarity....then it worked. My first test seemed that the lights looked good. I will test later tonight in the dark outside while driving. As to the dust cover, I had purchased 2 soft rubber hemispherically domed covers, but things are really too tight for these to work. I just left the dust covers off. If you come up with a dust cover approach that fits and works well, please let me know. I was also concerned about adequate cooling with a tight fit dust cover.

 

The Hikari's Ultras fit in my '18 GLE without using the aftermarket dust covers. I've been running them for a year with no issues which I consider a success. I was so happy with them that I bought Hikari's for my daughter's Jeep Sahara which has much worse halogens than the GLE. Nothing beats my wife's C43 with LED'S. Not even my CL600 although it comes close.

No more cars with halogens for me. I've seen the light.

 

Thanks for the install and clock position tips. Did you use a tool like a screwdriver to rotate the mounting ring/adapter (and lock the bumps into the dimples) in the low beam socket, or just use your fingers (with one finger in the hole)? When I did a test fit today (before the rain started), it seemed like it required a lot of force to lock the mounting ring/adapter into place, but the stock bulb holder comes out very easily. Maybe I need to adjust the dimple tabs (so they are level or more shallow for less engagement).

Also, do you think the o-rings fit into the mounting ring tight enough (to prevent the bulb from rotating, moving, or bouncing while driving) or is there a safe (fireproof?) way to make that fitment even tighter? I notice the heat sink/fins get hot quickly, just not sure how warm the neck or body of the LED bulb gets.

So what's the verdict after a few days with the new HIkari bulbs? Worth all the trouble and effort? Any and before-and-after pics? Or photos of one halogen low beam shining next to one new LED against a wall?

I may have a solution for the dust covers, but don't want to prematurely post the setup until I validate my fitment (hopefully tomorrow).

 

Hi GearFX....Sorry I didn't take any photos. I am still happy with the ultras....my primary observation is not that the beams travel that much farther, but they are much whiter and seem to broadcast over a greater angle in the horizontal plane. I just used my fingers to install the mounting ring and adapter. It was not easy at all to get the 2 aligned properly and to get the dimples in place. I found that the bulbs ended up pretty tight once I rotated them to get them aligned properly. A comment....I owned a 2007 BMW335i and those beams were the best I've ever had. I believe these were xenon HID. I'm interested in your possible solution for the dust covers!

 

Thanks everyone for your tips and links. I completed the LED low-beam upgrade yesterday with good results.

TL;DR - Skip the Hikari Acme-X in the GLE if you want plug-and-play, just go with the Hikari Ultra with smaller form factor for less clearance issues. See previous posts in this thread for links to H7 retainer adapter (with dimples) and CANBUS decoders (both will be needed). JB Weld the H7 retainer adapter and LED bulb ring to make installation easier. See link below for deeper dust caps.

On to the pictures:







I attempted to install the LED bulb + LED bulb ring + H7 retainer adapter into housing socket as one assembly, and it was impossible to get them to lock in place together. Then I tried just the retainer and ring by themselves, but that was still a PITA. Once I JB Welded the retainer and ring together, it was a piece of cake to snap into place and then insert the LED bulb afterward (but make sure to wait minimum 15 hours for JB Weld to cure).





Pay attention to the orientation of the retainer when inserting into the housing. It will only go in and lock in one way. (and it is not exactly the same way for driver side vs. passenger)



This is where the Acme-X size and shape (square peg in a round hole?) becomes a problem. The corner is touching the inside lip of the housing, but you still need to insert the dust cap with 1/16" width of plastic rim into that gap. I was able to get the passenger side to fit with LED at 9 and 3 o'clock, but driver side would only fit at 10 and 4 o'clock. The Hikari Ultra wouldn't have these challenges because of its round heat sink design. I think the reason why some people can fit the stock dust cap and others can't may be to due to headlight aim adjustment. Before I corrected mine, my driver side halogen H7 was aimed too high, which may explain why I had more difficulty getting the driver side LED to fit--so maybe adjust them beforehand to gain more room? not 100% sure if the adjustment screw moves the bulb or lens or both).



The decoder just tucks inside the housing (there's plenty of room). If the lights don't work the first time, turn the 2-pronged plug 180-degrees--the socket is polarity-sensitive.



Here's my solution for the dust cap. The stock one wouldn't fit, but a very helpful eBay seller named autolights_wholesale actually examined their collection of dust caps for all different kinds of cars for me (including Dodge, Land Rover, etc.) until he discovered that his Mercedes dust cap (part 147 353-00 for 1998-2009 W251 R350 R500 models) is the same size but deeper and fit a GLE housing on his bench. I have no affiliation with the eBay seller, but he spent so much time test-fitting different dust caps for me that I hope those reading this thread reward his kindness with your business. He really went the extra mile to send me photos, take measurements, and said he'd even accept a return if they didn't work out for me. But they worked out great! You will note that they are the same design with the 4 channel tabs, just with a deeper dome.







To get them to fit, I did have to take some tin-snips or sharp scissors to trim down the 4 exterior twist handles/tabs. I also recommend marking the position of the channel tabs (where they start and end) just to make it easier to insert and "thread" the dust cap while fumbling in those tight quarters.







Don't forget to adjust the vertical aim of your low beams afterward. Under the hood look for 2 holes on either side (behind the headlight housings) with little Phillips head screw driver heads like this:




Here was my beam pattern with the stock H7 55W halogens (the driver side was aimed too high):



And here is my new (adjusted) beam pattern with Hikari Acme-X. You can tell the driver side is not quite 9 and 3 o'clock but the light output is still acceptable (just more color fringing and rainbow prism effect). Right in the center (where oncoming drivers will be) it still has a sharp low cut-off, but gradually flares upward at the sides to better illuminate the shoulder, wildlife, cyclists, etc.








Can't comment on longevity yet, but for the price I am very satisfied with the light output. Is it as good as the LED headlights on my E450 wagon? No. Is it as good as factory HID xenon or aftermarket retrofit? Eh, not quite. Is it better than the yellow halogens? Hell yes. Before I would say the factory halogens were borderline unsafe (I live in a rural area with lots of wildlife). Now they are at least acceptable for use. Note that because the optics of the projector haven't really changed, the low beam range or reach hasn't really improved either, but because the light is brighter, you can spot things like street signs or racoon eyes easier even if they are only in the periphery and not located within the main beam area.

Uniformity seems to be good as long as you properly orient the LED bulbs at 9 and 3 o'clock (otherwise a few degrees off will introduce some prismatic rainbow effect and change the shape of the hot spot--I was unable to dial in my driver side to exactly 9 and 3 due to fitment issues, so that side is more like 10 and 4 o'clock and you can tell a difference). The built-in cut-off shields ensure I don't blind oncoming drivers, but what I do like about these Hikari is that they throw more light to either side, illuminating the shoulder better.

The 6000K color also modernizes the look of the car. Pardon the dead bugs on the lenses.

 

Fantastic bit of work, especially on the dust covers! I'll be ordering some from your ebay guy! Thanks so much!

Tom

 

You're welcome! Glad I could return the favor and share some of my own tips.

 

@gearFX ,

I have a similar GLE like you and I wanted to change it to LEDs. I bought the LASFIT ones but the dust cap was not fitting. I was able to follow your instructions and bought bigger dust cap from ebay with the model number specified here and was able to change it myself today. All good, just wanted to thank you all for sharing this information, appreciate it!!!!

Regards,
AR

 

You're welcome! Glad it worked out for you too!

 

I did HID conversion for less than 40 dollars. And they are super bright. I just bought a 2018 GLE and hate stock light. I did a little custom fit. I removed the clip and fit on the H11 HID rest was simple. I know it takes H7 but H11 HID can also fit with simple customization. I had in my garage so used it. I will post a separate thread on this

 

Hey I also am going to purchase some LasFit for my 2017 GLE but do not know which dust caps to purchase . Can you send me a link or give me the model number of the ones you purchased off eBay ? Thanks

 

If you want OEM caps, I bought MB R-series caps. They fit perfectly and provide enough room for the LED bulbs.

Mercedes-Benz/Hella Large Headlight Rear Bulb Access Cap 147 353 00 >PP-T40<

 

. Thanks a lot I appreciate the info

 

Great post and lots of details. One thing I had to do was put the original and modified clip into the headlight assembly and then insert the bulb I just could not get all 3 parts in in one go and locked in place.