My dad bought me a mercedes c240 and i feel like changing the old headlight into LED

The mechanical people told me that it cost around $637++ for 1 pair..(something about crystal clear)
But then i saw ebay mostly thy are selling for $300++ for 1 pair of LED headlight

Is there any difference?

And can i know what difference between OEM and taiwan manufacture LeD headlight?
Im a newbie here thx for any given explanation and suggestion

 

You really should do HID head lights, and if you do I recommend upgrading to projector head lights to get the most out of the HIDs.

 

this is the best bang for your buck......

http://www.ebay.com/itm/USA-DEPO-01-07-MERCEDES-W203-4D-SEDAN-D2S-Bi-XENON-HID-AMG-PROJECTOR-HEADLIGHT-/121077529924?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c30c87d44&vxp=mtr
or you can go OEM whihc can run you anywhere from $850 for a pair to $2500 sky is the limit this is one of the most sought after OEM mod people are looking to get their hands on....including myself....

so goodluck...

javvy

 

Well a lot of people that bought that set from eBay I've heard they had to bake the unit cuz as it comes there's a good chance the unit will have some condensation in it. Just a heads up though. I personally don't have these.

 

i have them, not an issue with them for a full year....

 

ermm.. i have 2 more question..



1) does it come with the electronic board? i mean the Electronic Control Gear for Xenon headlight? Is this the converter for normal headlight to Xenon type headlight?

2) and does it really fit C240?

from what i had research, some of the tuned car owner say that after they change the LED Headlight, the dash board will appear an error/malfunction that it can't detect the headlight. Will i have this problem after i changed the light?

 

There is no significant production of LED's that can replace automotive headlights. They will be coming soon.

For your C240 Halogen lamps are standard and Bixenon HID lamps are optional. From 2005 on the housings were improved and reflectors redesigned to eliminate the "frosty" fresnel lens.

There is no HID "kit" that can be sucessfully used in halogen housings. The reflector is not suitable for the HID capsule and you will never have a correct beam pattern. They all use counterfeit lamps with very high failure rates. They are junk. Don't buy any of these kits.

Depo makes HID housings, but they are copied from OEM lamps. This results in molding that are about 1% larger than OEM and cause no end if fitment problems for people who buy these. The high voltage power supply for these are not made with the precision needed for long life under the hood. A good use for these copy products is if your OEM unit is broken and you are selling the car.

Genuine HID housings can be purchased in junk yards and Ebay, and they almost always come with the power supply (sometimes called "ballast") because it is attached to the housing. These are made by Automotive Lighting in Europe and the quality is good.

Installing the housing is not so easy. Among other tasks you need to remove the front bumper. The HID lamps only consume 35 watts v. 55 watts for halogen bulbs. It is necessary to connect a computer to the car and change the "version coding" to read "xenon present." The dealers and many shops now have the multiplexer and software to do this.

Lets assume you have a set of clean OEM housings and manage to install them without breaking any of the plastic tabs. The version coding is done, and the lamps shine flawlessly. You are missing to important parts of the system. You need to replace the front bumper for one with the headlight washer nozzles. Of course you need the control switch and the pump and heater too. Next you need to install sensors to the front and rear axles to command the automatic leveling system. Figure on ripping out the interior to run the wiring harness to the rear, and calibration with Star Diagnose. These are needed to prevent dazzling oncoming drivers.

The prices of C class w and S203 have fallen to the point that there is no longer much of a premium for HID lights. You would be well served to sell your car and buy one with HID from the factory.

 

I was planning on purchasing OEM Bix to replace my halogens but after reading this thread I feel really discouraged!

 

Very informative, Moviela! Apologies for necroposting but is the situation still the same now in 2024?

Note, I have a 2002 C230K *coupe* & I am finding it impossible to find any aftermarket LED-based headlights let alone ones for the coupe. Is such a mod possible? Spyder seems to have one for the W203 *sedan* but the angular lines aesthetically look horrible in the original curved housing IMO. I spoke with Spyder’s Tech Support after discussing modding other brands & they said that even with higher energy efficiency of LEDs, one would have to add (or include?) resistors to avoid (CANBUS?) errors & soak up extra current (which to me seems kinda lame and limits one of the benefits of LED lighting). AFAICT DEPO seems to be the only brand that makes coupe-compatible headlights but they are only (I’m assuming halogen) “projectors”. My headlights are original since 2002! & prior to a recent accident were clouded up (tried polishing it to no avail). My goal is to have well lit roadways, minimize maintenance & energy usage, & look close to stock (in that order). Any suggestions on how to best proceed? If LEDs wouldn’t work, would Xenons?

Thanks!

 

Osram (Sylvania) is selling approved LED bulbs in the EU
https://look.ams-osram.com/m/279bdeb...le-List-EN.pdf

 

I think if you want to put in LED bulbs, you need to change the coding to Xenon present.
If you can find some bulbs that match the wattage specs of the bix with your normal headlights, you should be good to go.
Finding a set of bix headlights might be a pain, but will be worth it.
Luckily the area I live in has very bright roads so I don't have to worry about needing anything brighter than the normal halogens.

 

Thanks, can these LED bulbs work in a standard OEM or DEPO halogen reflector housing? ie: will the beam pattern be correct? Also, do you know if these are street legal in the US? Lastly, how is the range VS xenon lights?

 

Would an older 2002 W203-CL have an updated firmware for a Xenon coding option? How would I check? (I have a (knockoff) SD C4 + Xentry, although not sure if it works).

PS: Dumb question but what exactly is “BiX”? Bi-xenon? as in both high & low beam lamps are xenon? or both night & daytime lights? If not, what is the difference VS just “xenon”? & “HID” (high intensity discharge)?

 

I heard the Depo headlights have hot spots in the light pattern, but that is anecdotal. Honestly I think the big one is to make sure that the LEDs for whatever bulb you're installing have the diodes exactly where the stock H7 bulbs are located. The other thing of course is to make sure the bulbs fit in the housing.

Coding can be changed through Xentry. You'd have to poke around for the specific menu. Time to brush up on your German.

By changing the HID option in the menu, the car expects 35W instead of 55W from the headlights.

Bi-xenon means that the main HID bulb can do both low and high beam. A cutoff plate inside the projector housing flips positions as needed to allow more light out. When high beams are on, the "inner" halogen bulb also switches on for more light.

 

Can't he just use Canbus ready LED's? I've been thinking of replacing the high beam halogen with them.
As far as coding, it's around here somewhere. I just scoured my computer, had it at one point. But I only needed it once back in like 2007.
I may have it in a paper file, but it's definately here on the site. Very specific. I really wonder if it's necessary?

 

Found it! Xenon set to ON.
1. EIS- Electronic Ignition Switch
2. Control Unit Adapations
3. Read Coding and change if necessary
4. All Codes
5. Xenon Headlamp- (Change to "present")

 

I went with the DEPO aftermarket headlight with the 4 projectors (high beams too) and initially had a LOT of problems with hotspots, aiming, etc. I have a C55, so I actually have the W209 CLK style lights. I finally got them dialed in and they have been trouble free. I still like the look, but if I had it to do over again though, I would have gone with the stock HID looking units with the reflector high beams.
That being said, there are still a few caveats:
- The LED bulbs are too long to enclose, so the twist on covers have stayed off (but no water intrusion issues after 3 years). The hotspots can be adjusted to almost nil by rotating and sliding the bulbs in or out in their mounts while aimed at a wall or garage door.
- You can only fit regular bulbs in the high beam projectors due to length.
- The high beams cannot be separately adjusted (they move with the low beams as a unit) and given that they are projectors, the aim is a but off (one side points up and to the side) and they don't flood the road like they should. Still useful, but not as much.

There's no need to re code for Xenon though. In fact it will give you all kinds of errors as you have no wheel level sensors, ballasts, etc. The LEDs are direct replacements for the Halogen bulbs electrically - just a lot longer physically.

 

So, I wouldn't be able to put H7 LED's in my Bix hi beams?
I wonder if I'd need CANBUS ones since it's already set to be ok with 35 watts or less?
Something like this (but not necessarily these) Seems to be the same form factor as the Halogen, no?
Wow the LED's are much cheaper than the HID bulbs. I was looking a replacing my HID's since they are quite ancient.
One side has a slight pink hue and the other is moving towards blue. And my light output seems to be shrinking. Probably both near the end.
But DANG, new Philips D2S 4800K bulbs are like $75 each disounted! $120 or more at local auto parts store.
EACH!