qban586

I have an 2006 ML 350 without the lighting package. I installed aftermarket 8k HID kit. Looks very nice, but it says headlight out... but they turn on... any suggestions??

AR.Shah

Hi
Im waiting for my ML 320CDI (will hopefully arrive april 2006). When I orderd the specs, I forgot to order xenonheadlights. Regretting this, I am also interested in a aftermarket xenon-kit. The problem with this is that I've heard that the orginal factory xenonheadlights are automatically adjusted with the front supension (a sensor in the front shockabsorbers) making sure that the lights are beamed at a constant level. It is difficult to mount a aftermarket kit because the wireing is in the way of the mechanic adjuster and this often creates a conflict/problem. I

I have tried this on my W211 and we suceeded by pulling out the plug which adjusts the level automatically.

I would love to see how you have done it on your W164.

Best regards
Shah

AR.Shah

It just came to my mind that once you install the new kit, the power consumption will be lover than with the factory bulbs. What you can do is to install some resistance blocks (I dont have the correct phrase for this in english but I did it sucessfully on my W211) which cheats the computer to register the correct amount of power consumption.

see product (only in danish):
http://www.autoxenon.com/produkter.a...roduktid=19035

Best regards
Shah

Birger

Hi "new-Dane",

Come on, don't be silly: If you are in a position that you can afford to buy a ML320CDI in Denmark (with the options you mention, it must be well over 1,000,000 Danish Krone = 159,025 US Dollar) you can also afford to put a set of decent, legal, factory-mounted Bi-Xenon headlights on the vehicle. When your dealer opens after Xmas, go to him and have the order modified. It CAN be done, I assure you - and you will not have trouble with either your dealership for this illegal modification, nor with the law.

Let's be honest: A foreign citizen driving a very expensive vehicle with completely illegal modifications - that's asking for trouble, even in tolerant Denmark.

firstmbml350

What does being a foreign citizen has anything to do with modifying your benz.. your statement does not make any sense. And, how did you assume that he is foreign , he might be very well born in Denmark and a citizen of that country... Your remarks sounds very racial....

Birger

Hi there, firstmbml350

Sorry, not racial/racist at all - just a friendly advice.

The "shah" person joined on XMas Eve, has made 2 posts so far. Being a Dane, I know that no natural citizens of this country would dream of choosing an alias like that.

The "shah" person is asking questions about making illegal modifications to his $160,000+ vehicle, modifications that will automatically cancel his insurance coverage. Thus, if he has an accident and causes damage to other persons or goods, his insurance will not pay - he will (if he's solvent enough to do so).

Due to the taxes in my ex-home country, cars are paid more than 3 times their worth - and a M-Class is not an everyday vehicle. It attracts a lot of attention - from other citizens and the law. Even if you happen to be a born-in-Denmark Dane, driving a vehicle like that you'd better do it unconspiciously and without making a fuss - and having aftermarket HID's does not fit into that pattern. The law will be after you at any moment, seeing that you are driving around "strutting" a vehicle worth several years of pay. That, and only that, was what I was trying to tell the (30ish) "shah" person.

AR.Shah

Hi everyone
Birger> Who told you that modifications of such kind will get in trouble with your insurrance company? I have done it successfully on my current w211 without any insurrance problems. The only problem you face is when you have to take your car through MOT (statens bilinspektion/ Applus), where your car will not be approved if the lights cannot be automatically adjusted and if they dont have a washer system.

in danish (just for you Birger):
Du har helt ret mht. at når man har råd til en bil af denne kaliber, så har man vel også råd til at få eftermonteret orginale xenonlygter. Mercedes forlanger 22.000 for en eftermontering og man har vel lov til at lege med tanken om at få monteret noget til en brøkdel af prisen, selvom man måske i sidste ende vælger de orginale. Hvem vil ikke spare?

To all the others in the forum:
Btw to answer Birgers "new-dane" assumption: yes I am a danish born & raised citizen with a different ethnic backgound and therefore with a different name than the common names here. Try to be more openminded next time and in case you havent realized it app. 10% of the danish population has different ethnic background. Im not blaming you for being a right wing dane or anything bad like that, but I am almost 30 years of age and I am sick and tired of being called "new-dane" and things like that, there is nothing new about you once you reach your 30 . People should realize we are also a part of this community like everyone else and yes we can, like many others in the society, also afford to buy a car like this.

You're absolutely right about the danish car registration duties and a person willing to spend such an ammount, could easily afford to have the orginal factory xenonlights fitted afterwards. Whats wrong with trying to save some money? On my W211 I did it and I will take it off before I sell the car.
The other thing is that I ordered this car 3 months ago and I have spoken to Mercedes about this problem several times and each time the answer is that it's impossible to make any changes now because the car is already in the bookingsystem.I would love to see how you could convince them, I tried but with no results.

Birger

@ AD Shah:

Regarding the insurance problem: If you perform any kind of modification that is not authorised by the factory or the authorities - and this is true all over the European Union - the vehicle is no longer considered roadworthy, and if you have an accident, the insurance company is not obliged to pay. In some cases they may shut an eye, if they consider that the modification has nothing whatsoever to do with the cause of the accident - or if you have used OEM factory parts to do the modification - but they are in no way obliged to. And this may become painfully expensive - and you may end up in jail, or at least get a heavy fine. In the case of these headlight modifications, the odds are not good, especially if an accident happens at night - just a suggestion from the other driver that he or she was blinded by the bogus Xenons amy be enough to get you in serious trouble. And as you have mandarory DRL's in Denmark, the danger is there round the clock.

I am convinced that the dealer (or the importer) can still have the original factory Bi-Xenons added at this stage. With an April delivery date, your vehicle will not be produced for quite some time yet. Otherwise, tell them that you'll wait another month or so.

I see that it can be tempting to spend a few thousand kroner to get these HID bulbs instead of the 22,000 you'd have to pay MB for refitting the OEM Xenons - but again: If you have forked out ± a million kroner, then this amount shouldn't be a problem. And the cheapo solution doesn't get you anything near what you're getting from the factory. No Xenon high beams, no turning headlights, no low-speed bend illumination, and no headlight washers.

As far as your various (VERY ) remarks concerning your "different ethnic background" go: Let's just leave it there, shall we?? You may be sick and tired of being called "new-dane" - and likewise, a great number of people belonging to the traditional European populations are getting increasingly sick and tired of having their lifestyles dictated by the latest arrivals, who, as you so correctly state, are still a small (but quite loud) minority, and not very willing to blend in. Finally, a statement like "right wing dane or anything bad like that", coming from a 30-year-old who has the money to buy a ML in Denmark - - but you may of course be right in that I've never voted for the left-wing parties when I could do so.

And now, let's engage the ESP on this thread and get it back on track......

AR.Shah

Birger> It was you who started these very remarks and I agree that a topic like this does not belong in a forum like this, however you start by saying "lets just leave it there" and then you carry on with your personal opnions about how the the minorities have not blended in etc. This is no way to end a topic, the minorities in Denmark have been here for nearly four decades so we are in no way "latest arrivals" and as for this "blending in" issue, I hope that your not talking in general, because you will then again be wrong and narrowminded. Anyway I hope this stupid topic ends here

In regards to the xenonlights I totally agree with you about the original being the best choice, the people at mercedes give you a price for the complete lights but they forget the extra things for washers, new wireing, sensors/shockabsorbers, front bumper and charges for installment of all this. All this just adds up.
I dont know how the Mercedes supply chain works in regards to last minute order changes (even though the production will not start before Feburary 2006) but do you really think that I would be asking questions about aftermarket HID if it was possible for me to change the order? Im not even sure that I can get these factory installed xenonlights by cancelling the current order and placing a new order, because I have paid deposit for this particular order. I have waited a long time for this car and a further delay in deliverytime is simply unbareable for me.. I think I will also be able to manage without the xenonlights..


Best regards
Shah

Birger

AR Shah,

I didn't start anything at all, sorry. I just pointed out that the combination young, male citizen of different ethnic origin + "flashy", VERY expensive vehicle + low-buck, illegal aftermarket HID's was not the ideal thing to confront the law with.

You then responded lengthily by the traditional yabber-yabber - and I permitted myself (I am still a part of the traditional inhabitants of Europe) by an equally traditional yabber-yabber. That's it - punktum, finale. If you want to go on, let's take it to PM - pls.

To get back to the topic: You're probably right that retrofitting the original Xenons will be too expensive. I would still have a serious go at persuading the importer to change your order - or else live a happy, Xenon- and trouble-free life with your new vehicle.