A Different question about headlights
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Super Member
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 604
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From: Atlanta, GA
2001 S500 (W220) / 2007 GL450 (X164)
A Different question about headlights
I have the Bi-Xenon lights and I don't know if something is adjusted wrong but my bright lights don't really light much more road then the regular lights.
I also have a 2017 Nissan Maxima...is there any way to get the headlights as bright at that car or is the technology just too different?
I also have a 2017 Nissan Maxima...is there any way to get the headlights as bright at that car or is the technology just too different?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,475
Likes: 439
From: Ball Ground, GA (N of Atlanta)
2003 S500 2007 GL450
The bi-xenon lights on my 2003 S500 are very effective on low beam, and "Oh, wow!" effective on high beam.
There could be several reasons for your dim lights. These include:
The reflectors can slowly lose their reflective coating. The first Mercedes that I bought (2003 S430) had the standard halogens, not HID. The car was essentially not safe to drive at night. The low beams gave astonishingly low levels of illumination. New bulbs didn't help. The lenses were clear. I bought replacement headlights, and the difference in light output was amazing.
The lenses (clear headlamp covers) can yellow and roughen, reducing the light output. You can buy an expensive "refinishing kit", or a cheap tube of Colgate toothpaste (which is just as effective) and polish the lenses - but if your lenses are clear, that wouldn't help. Some folks have also reported that the lenses can get dirty on the inside, but that would be a pretty small effect.
The bulbs do reportedly slowly lose light output as they age. I have seen graphs for HID bulbs that show a loss of fifty percent after 1500 hours of usage. That would be 75 hours a year for you, or an hour-and-a-half a week... Don't buy cheap Chinese bulbs - Philips or Osram would be better. Reportedly, the ignitors either work or they don't.
The lights could be maladjusted - probably not likely, but possible. The bi-xenons should show a sharp cut-off line at the height of the headlights, and a huge increase above that on high beam.
The shutters might not be functioning correctly. Again, the bi-xenons should show a sharp cut-off line at the height of the headlights, and a huge increase above that on high beam. The change is NOT subtle! Look at the shutters from the side as someone flicks the lights from low to high.
Give me a PM if you plan to be up in the Canton area after dark, and we can compare light outputs.
There could be several reasons for your dim lights. These include:
The reflectors can slowly lose their reflective coating. The first Mercedes that I bought (2003 S430) had the standard halogens, not HID. The car was essentially not safe to drive at night. The low beams gave astonishingly low levels of illumination. New bulbs didn't help. The lenses were clear. I bought replacement headlights, and the difference in light output was amazing.
The lenses (clear headlamp covers) can yellow and roughen, reducing the light output. You can buy an expensive "refinishing kit", or a cheap tube of Colgate toothpaste (which is just as effective) and polish the lenses - but if your lenses are clear, that wouldn't help. Some folks have also reported that the lenses can get dirty on the inside, but that would be a pretty small effect.
The bulbs do reportedly slowly lose light output as they age. I have seen graphs for HID bulbs that show a loss of fifty percent after 1500 hours of usage. That would be 75 hours a year for you, or an hour-and-a-half a week... Don't buy cheap Chinese bulbs - Philips or Osram would be better. Reportedly, the ignitors either work or they don't.
The lights could be maladjusted - probably not likely, but possible. The bi-xenons should show a sharp cut-off line at the height of the headlights, and a huge increase above that on high beam.
The shutters might not be functioning correctly. Again, the bi-xenons should show a sharp cut-off line at the height of the headlights, and a huge increase above that on high beam. The change is NOT subtle! Look at the shutters from the side as someone flicks the lights from low to high.
Give me a PM if you plan to be up in the Canton area after dark, and we can compare light outputs.
Last edited by wallyp; May 18, 2021 at 04:32 PM.
