If you're interested in this $150 slim digital HID 55w kit, with additional warning cancelers, please email me or PM so I can refer you to the seller. This doesn't require a relay kit and is plug & play and I do not have any melting issues. You will notice the passenger side blinks 1-2x (10% of the time) but remains lit after its triggered ON when Auto On is set. It took trial and error to finally get this blinking scenario on video since it rarely occurs. I've tried 5 different kits even with relays and this kit is close to perfect. You will notice the white color of the 6000k with a hint of blue at certain angles.

Sorry about the bleeding color due to brightness of the hid bulbs as a result from my iPhone but I hope you'll notice that the scattered light is minimal. I posted this here because I wanted viewers to see the lights in action instead of simply taking my word for it. I also don't want to publicly post the seller's email due to possible spam and don't want to violate Youtube's or this forum's user policy.

There are plenty of other threads that specifically discuss members' opinions of the entire topic of HID kit so please minimize your opinion of scrutinizing aftermarket HID kits since most of us already know that these could hardly replace OEM but for many of us, we are satisfied with such kits and it's obviously your choice to go that route.

I hope this helps those who are interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3F_uOoY-RI

 

...I forgot to add this:

SUBJECTIVE NOTE: My 2012 Audi A4 has OEM HIDs and my ML350 is not any brighter nor dimmer in comparison. The only difference is the temperature color: ML Aftermarket hid kit has a slight blue tint @6000k at certain angles as mentioned earlier.

 

Im interested in the sellers info.

 

Here is John's email: hidkitsconversion@hotmail.com

Don't forget to ask John for the additional warning cancelers and let him know that Eugene referred you so he can reference your vehicle to my experience of troubleshooting this hid kit.

-Eugene

 

I'm going to reach out to your guy as well. The North East was pretty bad these last few days.

 

Usually you can spec your desired color temp on the bulbs - 5000°k would be a little less blue, or you can even get stock 4300.

 

Sounds good. Don't forget to mention to John about including the warning cancelers. Good luck.

I'm sure happy with my hid kit.

-Eugene

 

I am interested as well. How much all in?

 

$150 with the warning cancelers. This seemed to supplement the canbus configuration of the slim digital ballast. Without the cancelers, my passenger side hid would blink 2x every 3-5 minutes or so. Very annoying. Now, the only blinking concern I have(as mentioned in earlier posts) is that 10% of the time when Auto On is activated, the passenger side blinks 1-2x but remains lit afterwards. Again, 1 out of 10 times is livable to me and they are just as bright as my 2012 Audi A4's OEM HIDs. I'm impressed about the minimal scattered light on the road. With my kit, I do not see strayed reflections off of freeway signs 1/2 mile away like those annoying GMCs and Dodge's have with their retrofitted bi-xenons.

 

Thanks for the info and I was wondering if any other members finish installing this on their ML's without any issues? Sorry if I'm a little cautious but I also tried another member's recommendation and that was a failure. ML12NYC I'm also in NYC and let me know how it worked out for u. Thanks.

 

@duckiefx. I emailed you. Like I stated in the email I attempted to install over the weekend however I am not certain how the HID bulbs will not bounce around since they do not lock into the bulb housing. The kit did not come with double sided tape or screws for the ballast/warning cancelers. There is also very limited space to install the ballast and warning cancelers. You will also need to cut out 2" round holes in the light housing cap to run wires. When I find more time I will attempt again to install.

 

@duckiefx, ML12NYC, and others.

Please PM or email me if you guys are having trouble with the hid kits that I recommended to you.

As for the bulb being loose, you need to use the OEM metal clip that holds the bulb in. I had to get rid of the rubber flange that came with the kit since I didn't drill 2" holes in the rear plastic headlamp cover. You have to remove the aftermarket rubber flange/grommet in order to get the metal OEM clip to the bulbs. Since the wire connectors are a millimeter or 2 wider than the opening on this OEM metal clip, I had to force the wire connector through while slightly enlarging the rectangular opening by simply bending it slightly(or you can simply file off a few millimeters off of the plastic bulb connector).

This is the part of my story that most people do not agree with:



I simply put the ballast and warning cancellers into the headlamp assembly. If this is the route you choose, you have to do this through the inner wheel well due to the lack of space through the engine bay. I initially thought overheating of the ballast or melting issues would occur but I took the gamble on my previous 2009 ML and had no issues when I had the vehicle for 3 years. The space in the headlamp assembly is actually pretty open, but not with the warning cancellers and ballast tucked in the headlamp assembly, which limited movement from vibrations. I’ve had my current kit for about a week or so before I started this post on my 2012 ML and haven’t had any issues with the installation process. I drive at least once a week at night for 1 hour each way, with no issues.


It was a gamble for me to install it in this manner but I was willing to take it since I was extremely upset about not having HIDs on a $50+ vehicle.



Plus, I'm quite a stubborn person(my wife would agree) in making this work even with the risk involved as I mentioned earlier.

 

is there regular 35w kit in aftermarket kit? 55 watts sounds like a bad in a non oem design headlamp. isn't there too much glare?
My kit works, but the passenger side wobble effect is noticable sometimes.
These kits are not plug and play. lots of mods and creativity is required to install these.

 

I'm actually quite impressed and surprised with the minimal glare with this 55w kit. It's nothing like those GMC, Dodge trucks', etc. retrofitted bi-xenons that shine up the freeway exit signs 2 miles away. My ML's light output appears to be very linear in the sense of noticing where the top portion of the light beam has 'leveled' when I park in the enclosed garage.

With one of my other kits that I initially tested, I had the same wobble effect every 2 minutes or so; as if the arc has fluctuated for a 1/2 second. I first thought it was the bulb but a different bulb did the same thing. My current kit luckily eliminated this effect with the same bulbs. Just like you jtorrebl said, it's trial and error with creativity.

 

Okay fellow members, the seller has expressed to me that some of the buyers felt a little uneasy giving him your credit card # over the phone, which I totally understand. So, I provided his direct webpage link below:

http://xenonhidconversionkit.com/ml3...0-4matic-2011/

Even though the site says "2011", it's still for our 2012's. Also, if you Google the keywords "hid kit" without the quotes, you'll notice his store is the FIRST LINK or FIRST HIT! Lucky you guys; he just lowered the price of this kit from $150 to about $111 and John will include the warning cancelers.

Oh yeah, mine are still running strong since November 2011 with the extremely minor incidents as mentioned in my first post of this thread. And to mention, my AUTO on headlamps turn on/off everyday when I pull in and out of my garage. I also drive about 2-3 hours at night per week.

 

Will there eventually be plug and play HID upgrades available, either from OEMs or from MBUSA?

Thanks much.

 

No way. Oem is halogen and hid bulbs are made I. The same base and can be plug and play with older cars that have pressure wire holding the h7 bulb in place. MBZ's design though has a twistable bracket so not designed to hold the hid bulb with all those wires coming out the back of it.

 

Got the kit yesterday and installed it today and voila! Finally a successful kit after 7 failed kits. Thanks metidogeno and John from HIDconversionkits. Hopefully there won't be any issues for a while but if there is at least I know the kit comes with lifetime warranty.

 

how you get the bulb to hold on to the housing. did you reuse the OE metal clip or just left it in? and did you get the 55w one and do you have a melting problem or issues? thanks.

 

Yup I reused the OEM clip and yes I got the 55w kit and so far so good... No issues except tonight I noticed a quick flicker and it went away... No error messages

 

now the ballast is it one piece with build in igniter or it's a separate unite? also did the kit come with a connector that will mate to the stock harness or just two blade wire? got any pics? thanks again.

 

Did you do the install yourself and have you had any issues come up?

 

Ok fellow members,

Ok everyone, I just returned from Las Vegas with my family and decided to show you guys my ML again as valet pulls up with the HIDs on (Auto on). Remember, I started this thread back around December(2011) to share my frustration and timeless efforts in finding a kit that doesn't trigger the upgraded artificial intelligence(at least that's what it seems since the OBC is becoming even more intricate on our new ML!). In this short video, the lights look more blue than they really are. As you can see the DRL LEDs are more white than portrayed here.

Also, this may be coincidental and just plain crazy, but it's almost as if the OBC "learns" the voltage/amperage variations with the kit since NOW, I do not witness any of the 10% Auto On blinking(blinks 2x within a 2 second duration) when they first start up. They turn on every time my wife pulls into the dark garage and my stubbornness checks in with the status of my 10% blinking issue, and still no reported problems since my last reply(my poor wife has to endure my OCD). It's almost as if the OBC learns and adjusts to the voltage/amperage over time and recalibrates the threshold of cutting power to the kit for a few milliseconds or so which may cause the blinking when I had the kit for the first few weeks.

And NO MELTING ISSUES, even with the 3.5 hour drive to Vegas with the kit on the whole time!

Again, I hope my experience helps those who are interested. Most of the time, I usually use the Internet to troubleshoot issues like most of you, but as you may've experienced, there isn't much out on our new vehicles yet.

Here's the link to the 15 second video clip:

 

So do you recommend 6k over the 4300k?

 

IMO, yes, I do prefer 6000k over 4300k since I do enjoy the more "white" light, with the slightest, slightest, hint of light blue. If you would like your lights to match the OEM DRLs in the fog light area, then maybe 4300k would be a better choice for you. Plus, 4300k may would have more light output(lumens) than the 6000k, but not much more IMO.