All,

I have been lurking in your domain for a few days as a result of my wife having our third child and we are pondering the replacement of our e350 wagon with a R500. One thing that I am really big on having is the lighting package (xenons, specifically). After reading several posts, it seems that they were packaged with fog lights when sold new, but all of the R500s that I've looked at seem to have "scoops" where fog lights are on the later, facelifted models. Am I missing something? Is there an easy way to detect which 2006 R500s have xenons with the naked eye?

Thanks for your help.

You are correct. Xenons come with fog lights at the corner of the bumpers.

Three items are part of the lighting package:
Xenon headlights
Headlamp washers (rectangle below oval headlight)
Corner illuminating fog lights (oval fog for non AMG bumpers, round fog for AMG bumpers)

*note (Ignore my signature picture, because I have an aftermarket bumper it came with a quad fog setup. Factory fogs are dual.)

Thanks for your reply, Generic. It will certainly help to be able to strike certain Rs from the search right off the bat. While I have your (and everyone else's) attention, do the xenons make that big of a difference on the R class?

Thanks again.

Side note: After modifying my search to look for R500s with the lighting package, I cannot believe how many don't have this seemingly rare option. Am I correct in operating as if the ones with the lighting package are the ONLY ones without xenon headlights (even if its only for the low beam setting)? Of course, I am not trying to account for vehicles that have been retrofitted by their owners.

I've got the Bi-Xenon light package on my R500 and it is nice. Between having the headlights linked to steering and corner illuminating fog lights, there always seems to be plenty of light right where you need it. And since I live in New England, I use the heated headlight washers. Maybe in a warm climate those wouldn't really matter.

And yeah, Generic and I have traded comments regarding the fact that not a lot of R500's seem to have been produced "loaded". The Bi-Xenon package was only a $900 option and they were all the rage back in 06-07. I'm surprised that not many people checked the box.

It baffles me that even the Saks editions that I've come across don't have the bi-xenons. I thought they would have every option box checked simply because of their association with the store.

Yes xenons are worth it. If you find the perfect R but it lacks xenons, you can always install an aftermarket kit, though- but many people advise against installing xenons into a halogen designed headlamp enclosure due to glare in other driver's eyes.

I am trying to hold tight for the "right" R500, but I am growing impatient. Almost none of them have the lighting package, and of the few that I've found that do, they do not have airmatic suspension. I test drove one the other day that had neither option, and when the dealer tried to close me I told him that I was looking for those two options and he simply told me "Good luck." It wasn't a very good feeling.

Sigh... Sorry, I just wanted to ventilate a bit.

Not to derail the thread, or further complicate your search, but the other "feature" you will want to avoid is this:

http://classactionlawsuitsinthenews....-m273-engines/

In my own search for an R-class, I have been obtaining the engine serial # via the car's data card for every car I've considered, to confirm it does not fall within the affected serial number range. The data card can usually be obtained via any Mercedes parts department.

Thanks, Pete in LB. It is for this reason that I'm searching specifically for an R500. I do, however, find it odd that the R500 is not included in the class action list because I thought it and the e500 used the same engine. Does anyone know why this is the case?

Hmm... that is strange it is not listed in the complaint, as I was under the impression the affected motor range was also used in the R-500. Well, it can hurt to check the serial # just to be sure !

True. Thanks again!

I too was in the same boat as you, looking for a loaded r500. they are almost impossible to find. I gave up on hoping for the super rare distronic cruise, I think that was a hidden option that started in 07 and since the 500 was pulled after 07 the chances of finding a 500 with it is very slim.

I also eventually gave up on making the hids a make it or break it type thing, as truth is this is def something that is at least possible to add later.

the third thing I gave up on trying to find was the special conforming seats with AC built in, of all the R's I've looked at I haven't even seen one with these

I winded up finding an R500 that had at least most of the good options that I had to have, airmatic, full leather, keyless go, pano roof, 3 zone climate, solar glass etc, the kinds of things that would really be missed and could not be reasonably added to one that didn't have it. these are the kind of things that really make the R feel like a big fat S wagon,

some guys hate the airmatic but I wouldn't even want one without it, yes there problematic and expensive to repair and maintain, but to me that's what really makes this car special....

at least now I can upgrade the lights to bi-zenon and really have what I want overall. I'd recommend that if you find everything else you want in one of these that you don't let just the hid's stop you from considering that car, otherwise you are almost looking for a needle in a haystack...

Thanks for your insight, turbocad. I, too, have never seen one with Distronic and/or conforming seats with AC. Those seats would be so welcome on longer road trips. I use the massaging ones in the wife's wagon daily, and the adaptive bolsters are pretty cool too. I was under the impression that anything beyond heated seats was on available on the R63s.

I am happy to say that we're working a deal on an R500 with xenons that's requiring us to give up keyless go and full leather (I think--I've never had two side by side to compare). If this one doesn't pan out for whatever reason, I have another in the wings that looks the part (though it does not have 3 zone climate).

Are you talking about just doing an HID conversion for the low beams or truly retrofitting the Mercedes headlamp assembly for Bi-xenon Hi/Low beam in a single lens? Because the latter seems like it would be an expensive and complicated undertaking. Also, the factory Bi-xenon option included a link of the headlamps to steering, fog lights that doubled as corner illumination, and a heated headlight wash system. They also include a self leveling system check at startup. Adding all that after the fact will not be cheap or easy. The headlight washers are part of the bumper.

My R500 is pretty well loaded. I didn't really want distronic cruise control. My wife's car has it and we don't like it. And rear seat entertainment is something we've had in other cars. The kids never wanted to use it. The only thing I would have liked to have would have been Keyless Go and rear seat heaters.

I do have......

• Bi-xenons
• 10 spoke wheels
• Bi-xenon package
• Nav
• Premium interior package with full leather
• Walnut wood trim
• Interior ambient lighting package
• 6 disc CD changer
• Walnut and leather steering wheel
• Power tailgate
• Satellite radio
• Panoramic Roof
• Voice recognition
• Bluetooth
• Harman Kardon Logic 7 sound system
• Rear audio controls
• Power rear quarter windows
• Airmatic

When I found the car back in December with 36,000 miles as a CPO vehicle, I test drove it and bought it on the spot. Alabaster white. No regrets.

mshii, best of luck with it if it works out for you. personally keyless go was huge for me and I would have been perfectly happy trading keyless go for the hids. actually, truth be told, in a way I kind of did

I was in a rush when I first looked at it, I seen how many extra options this one had and I mistakenly assumed it just had to have hid too, wasn't until I came back that evening for a test drive that I noticed the lights were pretty dim, by then I was in love with the condition and price and that wasn't going to stop me from buying it at that point.

spud racer, man that sounds like a really nice car with only 36k on it, mine is not nearly as young with 92k but really clean with full history and never hit, my real #1 priority. I was really glad to not see rear entertainment because those rear screens would have been something I'd want to rip out on day one. mine actually has:

full leather with premium package
speed sensitive varo steering
adaptive dampening with skyhook?
parktronic
garage door opener
RF seat power w memory
inner and outer dimming mirrors
memory package drivers
leather steering wheel, no wood
side airbags in L&R rear
ashtray package?
tele aid usa
panoramic roof
tire pressure loss warning
3 zone climate control
power folding mirrors
rear audio
command with nav
HK logic 7 audio
Sirius satellite radio
center console for second row
heat insulating and ir reflective glass all around
wood burred walnut veneer
cd changer
electric side windows (qtr glasses)
front heated seats
keyless go
automatic rear end door(tailgate)
exterior chrome package
18" ten spokes
and a few other things on the build sheet not worth mentioning


I can't imagine why someone would order something so well equipt and then not add the hids...


I really don't care so much about headlight washers and fogs are a non issue for me, I'm the type who will wind up changing the front bumper sooner or later anyway, maybe even the whole nose. my whole reason to want the bi zenons is performance. I can live without the headlights steering around corners, truth is that a good bi zenon projector will have a wide enough dispersion to not really even need that.

for mine I'm going to open up the headlights and retrofit a proper bi zenon projector in there, not just stick an hid bulb in the halogen housing. I'm probably using infiniti FX projectors, one of the better projector setups out there, have these in my fx and I really love them, there every bit as good as the bi zenons I have in my S500 tbh and I have a few extra sets laying around to scavenge the projector from

once you get accustomed to the lighting you get with a real good bi zenon setup it's hard to do without it, but I'm the kind to modify so I didn't sweat it, something I noticed most benz owners really don't like so much, modifying stuff. I'm the opposite, I had my dash in pieces and started cutting burlwood before I even transferred plates to it

You're hanging out in the wrong section of the forum. Go take a look in the AMG section. My SLK32 AMG has intake work, a 65 mm supercharger pulley and a tune from EuroCharged. It also has the EuroCharged TCU tune for full manual control of the transmission. But that's a relatively simple car and it's fun. My R500 is the family hauler and it's loaded with a lot more stuff. I'm not touching that.