hi, i have a 2004 cl600 with xenon headlights. the manual says to bring car to the dealer for replacement of bulbs due to high voltage. can someone tell me the proper way to replace these bulbs.
also are there any problem with after market xenon bulbs. i have found sylvania xenon 6000k 35watts on line for significantly less than dealer. vendor says they will work on my car. will after market xenon bulbs cause any problems with my system?

 

To replace the bulbs:

• Make sure the lights are OFF.
• Remove the large plastic cover behind the headlights in the engine bay. There are two covers, the smaller one is for the highbeams and the larger one is for the lowbeams.
• Disconnect the small wiring harness (three wires IIRC) from the bottom side of the ballast.
• Twist the ballast (red box) about 1/8 turn CCW (turn the top towards the driver's side of the car) and pull straight back. Sometimes the bulb will come out with the ballast, and sometimes it'll stay in the socket.
• Make sure you don't touch the bulbs with your fingers, as the oil from your fingers can cause them to fail prematurely. I'd recommend wearing gloves or handling the bulb with a tissue (not the lotion kind).
• Reinstall the new bulbs in reverse order. They're keyed to only fit one way. Ensure the small wiring harness is securely connected to the ballast, or it can jiggle loose over time.
• Check the alignment. Park about 25' away from a wall on a level surface and check to make sure the cutoff lines on the beam pattern are even. It should look like this: ___/ŻŻŻ ___/ŻŻŻ.

The Sylvania bulbs will be fine. I'd avoid the really cheap Japanese no-name bulbs, since a lot of them aren't made with the same QC as a major brand. At worst, a cheap bulb will either be misaligned (giving a poor beam pattern) or fail prematurely.

 

thank you very much for your reply and instructions. this is truly appreciated.
the best, harv