Aftermarket Updated Headlight With Hid Kit?
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,842
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From: Chicopee Ma
White S63 AMG W/Designo Interior
Aftermarket Updated Headlight With Hid Kit?
I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT GETTING ONE OF THOSE AFTERMARKET PROJECTOR HEADLIGHTS THEY SELL on ebay and putting them on my s500 and just retrofitting a h7 rebased hid kit to fit in the halogen projector, is it possible to do this even though my car came with factory xenon, i know the plugs wont plug and play but if i can throw an hid kit inside the 300 dollar headlight it should work perfect no?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,939
Likes: 178
From: Seattle WA
99 E320
in my experience, no, it won't be perfect. the projector, reflector, and cutoff
of the cheap aftermarket headlights are designed around a halogen bulb.
remember how you will move a magnifying glass back/forth to find the sweet
spot before flame is produced? same optical principle is used but they are
calibrated for halogen. when you place a D2S bulb within, the focal distance
is at a different point and a diverging of light occurs.
most aftermarket projector headlights are made by Asian manufacturers and
their R&D...as well as quality control is lacking. on rare occasions, you will
find someone who has installed a rebased bulb within a halogen projector and
the results are acceptable. but you can always tell the cobbled-on-the-cheap
HIDs from the real thing. the only retrofits which come close and even match
OEM HIDs are those using OEM projectors which have been fitted into previously
halogen enclosures.
OEM retrofits into halogen cost as little as $500 and run as high as $900 or
thereabouts. since they use OEM projectors, the beam pattern is usually
clean, precise and will bring a smile to your face each time you flame on.
of the cheap aftermarket headlights are designed around a halogen bulb.
remember how you will move a magnifying glass back/forth to find the sweet
spot before flame is produced? same optical principle is used but they are
calibrated for halogen. when you place a D2S bulb within, the focal distance
is at a different point and a diverging of light occurs.
most aftermarket projector headlights are made by Asian manufacturers and
their R&D...as well as quality control is lacking. on rare occasions, you will
find someone who has installed a rebased bulb within a halogen projector and
the results are acceptable. but you can always tell the cobbled-on-the-cheap
HIDs from the real thing. the only retrofits which come close and even match
OEM HIDs are those using OEM projectors which have been fitted into previously
halogen enclosures.
OEM retrofits into halogen cost as little as $500 and run as high as $900 or
thereabouts. since they use OEM projectors, the beam pattern is usually
clean, precise and will bring a smile to your face each time you flame on.
