WingFlex

Hi all

I have an S350 that came with halogen projector headlamps but I want to retrofit xenon in there. Since it already has a projector and the car is still fairly new, I am considering just buying a HID kit.

1. What type of bulb is the halogen headlamps and foglights?
2. Will it be plug and play (by just installing the xenon bulb + ballast)?
3. What are the pros & cons of such a retrofit?

Thanks!

raymond g-

projectors are not created equal. halogen projector lens vs HID proj lens are
designed with diff focal point needs. just like focusing a camera, a little off
and uncontrolled light scatter...especially with high lumen HID...and the
effects to other drivers becomes dangerous.

as a result, the idea of purchasing a HID rebased kit for your H7 halogen proj
is very very bad idea. this, however, does not prevent folks from purchasing
them. the price is just within reach (approx $400) and well less than a true
HID with HID projector (upwards of $800).

if you go over to HIDPlanet. com you will see countless examples of HID kits
with dangerous glare...again and again.

the best method is to pull out the H7 projector and to determine which of the
HID projectors comes closest to the dimensions. if you're lucky, you can find
one which requires minimum effort to drop in. purchase ballasts, D2S bulbs,
minimum wiring (if worst case, supplemental wiring harness for $30) and walla.

HIDPlanet. com has a forum "HID University" for faqs, including dimensions of
various HID projectors.

because the ballast load is less than your current, filament system, it may
set off a bulb malfunction warning. this is where you swing by your dealer
and to convince them that they should perform a quick tweak to "HID present"
or some such, setting.

WingFlex

thank you for your reply.

now, first of all, if my car came with halogen projector, does it come with self-leveling and steers with the steering such as those on xenon projector headlights?

second thing is, would it make more sense if i just bought an OEM bixenon headlight? will this be a plug and play solution?

raymond g-

if your car came out of the factory with halogen bulbs, it is highly highly
unlikely that it would have come with auto height adjust. i dont have any
experience to answer pt 2, re active headlights. I'd look at your data
sheet (window sticker, invoice, build sheet) to see if these are listed.

catch 22: if you buy MB/OEM HID and ballast you'd probably install yourself,
get in indep to do it, or head down to the dealer. dealer will likely say "no"
for fear of liability etc...seeing as your car is not equipped with autolevel and
washer system.

it is possible to install yourself, but it would be nice to see if other S-owners
have done this and mimick their steps.

be aware that the factory headlamp will have connector for bulbs....as well
as connector for autolevel. you would then leave this latter connector empty
since you don't have this feature. to avoid blinding folks, you would then
want to adjust the cutoff on the low side

you might also luck out and find an HID kit which actually has a good beam,
focused and minimal/no glare. but this is such a long shot that it's nearly
impossible. very few kit people will provide wall shot photos of the beam
as nearly all will show scatter. many people also don't care and will purchase
them regardless.

be it kit or factory HID, adding ballasts to your lighting system will likely
trigger the 'bulb malfuction' msg. usually the cure is to have your dealer
tweak the car settings to "HID present". i dont know if this is user adjustable
in the field using your dash/steering wheel buttons.

WingFlex

thanks raymond you've been most helpful.

i am leaning towards just buying OEM bixenon+everything i wonder if that's going to be plug and play? one thing for sure I'd need to update the HID present on STAR.

raymond g-

re PnP.....pretty much. but i've also never had the hands-on with auto leveling
so unsure what is all involved in calibrating and fine tuning. after that, it should
be pretty much hands off.

WingFlex

thanks for your help. i'll decide on either OEM bixenons or getting kits+projector.