Dim Halogen Headlights (non-HID)
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 9
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ML320 blue tec
Dim Halogen Headlights (non-HID)
Been frustrated by the poor lighting from my non-HID ML320BT. After the first night of driving, I replaced the stock light bulbs with Silverstars. Little improvement. Tried re-aiming. Little help. Have had other cars with bad headlights. Ferrari Mondial = bad grounds. BMW X5 = weathered outer lens surface.
Noted from inspection that the projector lenses are milky white on their inside surface, closest to the halogen bulb. Could that be soaking up those lumens I'm missing?
After some searching, is a problem with other MB's. ( And Porsches, Nissans, Lexuses, VW's and others). Other projector halogens have had adequate lighting in my prior Audis and Cadillacs.
see: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w251...eadlights.html
Naturally, I am a lazy 26th-Masonic-Level kludger and removing the bumpers to uninstall the headlamp units sounded a bit too much work. There is SOME access room back there while installed. Why not access the lenses from the bulb holes while still in the vehicle?
Others have discribed using huge Q-tips but I saw a suggestion to use a flexible spring grabber tool on this site: http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/z32...-cleaning.html Just the thing for tight access spaces.
Picked one up at Autozone, cut a swatch of microfiber towel, grabbed it with the spring grabber, spritzed it with Windex, laced it in thru the hole with some manipulation and swabbed the backside of the lenses after untwisting and removing the bulbs.
Success! Most haze removed. Eager to see if there's real world improvement tonite.
Noted from inspection that the projector lenses are milky white on their inside surface, closest to the halogen bulb. Could that be soaking up those lumens I'm missing?
After some searching, is a problem with other MB's. ( And Porsches, Nissans, Lexuses, VW's and others). Other projector halogens have had adequate lighting in my prior Audis and Cadillacs.
see: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w251...eadlights.html
Naturally, I am a lazy 26th-Masonic-Level kludger and removing the bumpers to uninstall the headlamp units sounded a bit too much work. There is SOME access room back there while installed. Why not access the lenses from the bulb holes while still in the vehicle?
Others have discribed using huge Q-tips but I saw a suggestion to use a flexible spring grabber tool on this site: http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/z32...-cleaning.html Just the thing for tight access spaces.
Picked one up at Autozone, cut a swatch of microfiber towel, grabbed it with the spring grabber, spritzed it with Windex, laced it in thru the hole with some manipulation and swabbed the backside of the lenses after untwisting and removing the bulbs.
Success! Most haze removed. Eager to see if there's real world improvement tonite.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
ML320 blue tec
After first night drive there is moderate improvement in the beam brightness plus you now notice the blue-shift aberration at the beam edge from the large thick lenses--something I remember from an STS from several years back.
Still ain't no HID's though.
Still ain't no HID's though.
