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I know I might get some flak for this but here goes.
Starting off, I do have the HID Intelligent light system on my ML and I recently replaced the bulb with a fresh set of Morimoto D1S bulbs. They are fine illumination-wise, I don't necessarily have any visibility problems. However, I do notice that the light output is not up to par with modern day vehicle headlights for some reason. Driving at night when other cars are beside me the illumination on the road from a modern Corolla makes my lights look like their not even on ... I think it has to do with the MB's choice of projector lens that prioritizes even spread of light over intensity. But its still pretty annoying to see this happen.
Anywho, I came across these type of conversion bulbs:
Essentially a D1S conversion to LED, it will take the output from the OEM ballast and use it to power the LED.
Obviously, I have some concerns:
How will the cutoff look? Excessive glare, etc.
Will these get hot enough to damage my headlight housings?
Errors with Canbus?
Longevity? Will this potentially kill my OEM ballast? How long with the LED actually last vs. HID bulbs?
I'm currently in contact with support with this company to see what vehicles they have tested these on before I decide to try them out.
I have seen some BMW guys do this conversion with some success, I think I'm most concerned about the longevity of the bulb and damaging the OEM ballasts. But if this works out it may be a nice upgrade for us outdated HID guys and maybe put our light output on the level of the newer MB LED Intelligent light systems.
Does anyone have experience with a setup like this? or any glaring issues (no pun intended) that I might not see here?
I have nothing to answer your questions with but have one of my own: When's the last time you replaced your HID bulbs? They are known to dim over time.
I know I might get some flak for this but here goes.
Starting off, I do have the HID Intelligent light system on my ML and I recently replaced the bulb with a fresh set of Morimoto D1S bulbs. They are fine illumination-wise, I don't necessarily have any visibility problems. However, I do notice that the light output is not up to par with modern day vehicle headlights for some reason. Driving at night when other cars are beside me the illumination on the road from a modern Corolla makes my lights look like their not even on ... I think it has to do with the MB's choice of projector lens that prioritizes even spread of light over intensity. But its still pretty annoying to see this happen.
Anywho, I came across these type of conversion bulbs:
Essentially a D1S conversion to LED, it will take the output from the OEM ballast and use it to power the LED.
Obviously, I have some concerns:
How will the cutoff look? Excessive glare, etc.
Will these get hot enough to damage my headlight housings?
Errors with Canbus?
Longevity? Will this potentially kill my OEM ballast? How long with the LED actually last vs. HID bulbs?
I'm currently in contact with support with this company to see what vehicles they have tested these on before I decide to try them out.
I have seen some BMW guys do this conversion with some success, I think I'm most concerned about the longevity of the bulb and damaging the OEM ballasts. But if this works out it may be a nice upgrade for us outdated HID guys and maybe put our light output on the level of the newer MB LED Intelligent light systems.
Does anyone have experience with a setup like this? or any glaring issues (no pun intended) that I might not see here?
Cheers!
Nothing to contribute at the moment, but please keep us posted. Thank you for the link to the conversion kit, I would consider it for the W211 when the time for new bulbs comes.
I did this once, it didn't work out at the end because our headlights move when we turning our steering wheel. The light won't have enough clearance to install these kind of led lights, you will be able to install it, but the lights won't be able to turn. Even you still decide to do it, eventually the headlight motor will burnt out
I did this once, it didn't work out at the end because our headlights move when we turning our steering wheel. The light won't have enough clearance to install these kind of led lights, you will be able to install it, but the lights won't be able to turn. Even you still decide to do it, eventually the headlight motor will burnt out
Thank you for that information. However, that means the foot print of the bulb was different, either larger cross-section of the base, or deeper/thicker base. If the foot print of the new bulb is the same it should not be an issue, correct?
Here is a normal bi-xenon for MB
Here are the ones offered on the link by the OP. It seems it is about getting the correct measurements for both and notice the differences.
I found a few threads and E-class guys have done this also, one of which mentioned that he has been running a bulb like this for a year now with no issue. See Below: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...e-how-can.html
That gives me some more confidence, so I here's what I picked up:
A cheaper but highly reviewed option from Amazon, that way if I hate them at least I can send them back no questions asked. They should be coming in today, I'll post an update with my findings
You know whenever you start your vehicle, you will notice the headlights will move around a bit, from left to right and then adjust up and down. Maybe the one I got have larger base... I am not too sure, but the image you posted, looks very similar to the one I got, and my headlight motor was not able to freely move around after the installation. You can always give a try, it only takes 5 mins to install and test it out. Plus you can always return it if it doesn't work out
You know whenever you start your vehicle, you will notice the headlights will move around a bit, from left to right and then adjust up and down. Maybe the one I got have larger base... I am not too sure, but the image you posted, looks very similar to the one I got, and my headlight motor was not able to freely move around after the installation. You can always give a try, it only takes 5 mins to install and test it out. Plus you can always return it if it doesn't work out
, and I also forgot to include weight balance, if the retrofit is heavier and unbalanced, the motor may not be able to move it properly. Those are light motors. Something to keep in mind.
First impressions, the quality is very surprising for an Amazon bulb. Compared to the original Phillips bulbs in the pics below it looks be on-par quality wise.
Side by Side: The filament and LED's seem to be aligned.
Weight wise we are looking at a 5gram difference. 68g for the original Phillips and 73g for the LED.
LED D1S on left vs. 1 year old Morimoto D1S HID on right
Low Beam:
High Beam:
Both LEDs are installed and the cutoff is maintained perfectly with fantastic intensity
These things are insanely bright, road illumination is significantly improved and quite honestly I'm blown away by the performance. In the last pic, I will say that it's actually a bit harder to look at the headlights just at a regular standing position because they are so bright. BUT I have had a similar experience looking at a family member's BMW with factory LED headlights...
They also do the alignment dance without issue on startup. Having instant-on lights is also pretty sweet, especially if you need to use the beam flash during the day. Something that I didn't even realize that I missed.
The last thing to think about is longevity, I will gladly update this thread if they decide to die out or give any issues. Overall right now, 10/10 if you have complaints about your factory HID bulbs, give these a try.
After reading the reviews, it appears longevity is an issue with multiple reviews stating the bulbs failed quickly and often. Seems the vendor warranties the bulbs but failure is serious concern. Check in from time to time and let us know how it is going.
Good thing is, it shows that OEM's see value in LED conversions. I wonder if it's just a matter of time before we see D1S, D2S, etc. LED bulbs coming from the OEM's. I assume there are some legal loopholes that they would need to jump through to get these certified.
Yes my post as above on the W212 forum -
As a ref - I have 3 sets of D1s LED bulbs -
2011 E550
2008 ML550
and the above 2014 ML550...I have so far had no issues with any of the 6 bulbs\3 sets.
My friend with a GL450 - also has a set I bought him for a present and also zero issues.
Im sure they will fail at some point - but even if I had to buy a set ever 3 years - I feel they are worth it..(all the sets I have came with a 2 year replacement warranty)
There was some debates about them being DOT approved etc - I was not going to fight that battle - end result to me is - they have great beam pattern - have been reliable and great color and brightness.
Some times - trying out - is best way - as camera shots can be over exposed etc.
Enjoy if you do pull the trigger and try them - as noted in the other post - I think you will like them.
Swapped the LED's into the HID housings this evening. The Phillips HID cells that were in there came out without issue and are safely in the LED box the new LED cells came in. The LED cells were a bit difficult to twist into place; the cast aluminum mounting flange has the right shape but none of the give that the sheet steel flanges on the HID's have.
The lights dance as they should on startup. No flickering; good steady beams.
The low beams are bright with good spread to the sides. No shadows or artifacts. I like the low beams.
The high beams are underwhelming. There's just not a lot of long distance throw to them. Close up objects are brightly illuminated but that illumination seems to drop off quickly. Yes, my lenses are clean and clear.
Not sure yet if I'll stuff some fresh HID's back in; I'll give it a bit of time night driving before deciding.
Swapped the LED's into the HID housings this evening. The Phillips HID cells that were in there came out without issue and are safely in the LED box the new LED cells came in. The LED cells were a bit difficult to twist into place; the cast aluminum mounting flange has the right shape but none of the give that the sheet steel flanges on the HID's have.
The lights dance as they should on startup. No flickering; good steady beams.
The low beams are bright with good spread to the sides. No shadows or artifacts. I like the low beams.
The high beams are underwhelming. There's just not a lot of long distance throw to them. Close up objects are brightly illuminated but that illumination seems to drop off quickly. Yes, my lenses are clean and clear.
Not sure yet if I'll stuff some fresh HID's back in; I'll give it a bit of time night driving before deciding.
I didn't necessarily experience this but I'll give the high beams another test at night. Was the road wet when you tested by any chance? Possible to post a pic of your beam patterns?
I found a few threads and E-class guys have done this also, one of which mentioned that he has been running a bulb like this for a year now with no issue. See Below: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...e-how-can.html
A cheaper but highly reviewed option from Amazon, that way if I hate them at least I can send them back no questions asked. They should be coming in today, I'll post an update with my findings
I am about to pull the trigger on these, months later they are good?
So far I've had no issues; been running them since August. Winter is coming... I'll ''see'' how they do in the dark of winter and how focused they are in blizzards
07-27-2023, 02:32 PM
... I think it has to do with the MB's choice of projector lens that prioritizes even spread of light over intensity. But its still pretty annoying to see this happen.
, and I also forgot to include weight balance, if the retrofit is heavier and unbalanced, the motor may not be able to move it properly. Those are light motors. Something to keep in mind.
