A209 CLK Headlight Upgrade

[Gazwould]

Link to the H7 led main beams , I didn't quite catch the brand ?


Great work .

 

[Blobsta]

For the benefit of others they do need to be coded otherwise they will flicker, its pretty straightforward as long as the person knows there way around the star machine. I can dig out online where on the star machine they need to go to if anyone needs to know. If i recall correctly its just a setting that needs to be changed

The factory xenons will work without the levelling sensors, pass the mot no problem and the levelling can be manually adjusted if required

That's interesting to know. To me they looked as though they needed extra wiring to make the levelling work so I wondered if they would throw errors. Can you adjust them down from inside the car if you had to? I was under the impression that they didn't have the vacuum adjuster on them. Trying to think if I've ever actually used that function as I write this .

I'd like to know where in Star I'd need to change mine as I'll get it done anyway. Mine don't flicker but I'd rather just have the full stable power sent to them regardless and I have a good local indy that will do this for me.

I wonder what it might be like to upgrade the factory xenons as the tech has moved on so much in recent years, you could have an amazing setup with a total factory look.

 

[Blobsta]

Link to the H7 led main beams , I didn't quite catch the brand ?

I had linked the bulbs themselves in a post somewhere already I think but not the kit with the clips, so this is the one I would suggest. I love that they all fit in without drilling holes in the lamps or covers for the wiring.

Home

The chips are placed exactly as per a halogen bulb filament so you get as close to the correct beam as you can with the reflector (not that it matters too much on full beam).

Let me know if you need anything more.

 

[ash1212002]

That's interesting to know. To me they looked as though they needed extra wiring to make the levelling work so I wondered if they would throw errors. Can you adjust them down from inside the car if you had to? I was under the impression that they didn't have the vacuum adjuster on them. Trying to think if I've ever actually used that function as I write this .

I'd like to know where in Star I'd need to change mine as I'll get it done anyway. Mine don't flicker but I'd rather just have the full stable power sent to them regardless and I have a good local indy that will do this for me.

I wonder what it might be like to upgrade the factory xenons as the tech has moved on so much in recent years, you could have an amazing setup with a total factory look.

They were fitted without the levelling parts, otherwise it's too costly to do with a proper levelling setup

The purple vaccum line for the original headlights was disconnected and put to one side when the xenons were fitted.

They thumb wheel to adjust the headlights up and down wont work with the xenons, its fixed but if the headlights were dazzling other road users there are two manual adjustments left and right up and down to adjust them manually.

From the benzworld site, for setting to xenons present
Control Units
-> CGW
-> Control Unit Adaptation
-> Read coding and change if necessary
-> All codes (or Drive Lighting)
-> Xenon Headlamps: "PRESENT"

Then, hit F5 to program the new value

In your case as you don't have ballasts, ignitors etc i dont think you need to change the setting. If you do i do not think it'll do any harm especially if you revert back to normal halogens.

When i was researching also found this site which had useful info

MWSTEWART.CO.UK | Bi-Xenon retrofit

 

[RDclk]

A fantastic Job, well done. Unfortunately, my days of doing this sort of thing are well gone, but, as I said, I would be interested in these if you move them on.

Cheers

 

[andy27168]

Hi
I am going to be modifying my CLS 55 to fit twin fog lights, with the second being the OSRAM LED101 Fog light/DRL.
I have been looking for some decent LED replacement lamps for my original fog lights and the H7 Lamps you posted look really good especially how neat the supplied CAN Bus adapters are.
I am a bit lost what the clips are for as the LED lamps themselves look to be direct replacements, what are they for? spacing the lamp away in the light fitting? Would I need them in my standard fog light assembly?

 

[horatio]

Great thread. I’m considering fitting projectors with better halogen bulbs (for now) as a cheap upgrade.

How do the projectors secure to the inside of the light unit and how do you adjust them?

Cheers!

 

[horatio]

Found this kit on t’interwebs. Any experiences?

Mercedes CLK W209/A209 02-09 bi-xenon HID light upgrade kit for halogen headlights

Headlight upgrade kit with HID bi-xenon projectors for the Mercedes CLK W209/A209 with halogen headlights. Guaranteed improved light output! High-quality retrofit parts

www.retrofitlab.com

 

[Trickythemerc]

I would go for Morimoto stuff.

 

[horatio]

I would go for Morimoto stuff.

Seem hard to find. EMtuning sell a RHD pair for £165 which is way more than I want to spend as this is a punt really!

I had an MOT ‘minor defect’ for headlights which I thought was bizarre until I noticed the reflective chrome is peeling off the reflectors so I’ll have to do something about them. Trying £50 projectors seems a no brainer.

 

[Trickythemerc]

Not when you take into account that it is a one way trip. Once you star you are committed with no way back, so it makes sense to use good stuff.

 

[horatio]

If it fails I’ll just buy used headlights on eBay and forget. I am digging to find decent quality projectors which aren’t expensive.

Would be interested to see which exact parts the OP used.

 

[horatio]

Retrofitlabs sent me photos of a completed W203 projector HID kit. I’m tempted to give it whirl. I have no doubt it be a huge upgrade and wouldn’t dazzle but MOT time is a worry

 

[Trickythemerc]

Mine passed the MOT without any problems, the guy even set the beam pattern up for me. I had managed to get them pretty close using chalk and a handy wall. There is a fair bit of engineering involved to fit the projectors correctly and you need to be pretty handy with a Dremel.

 

[horatio]

Interesting I didn’t realise you had done a conversion too! Did you use Morimoto minis?

Also considering used MB projector headlights combined with an aftermarket HID kit.

 

[Trickythemerc]

Yes I used the mini H1 7.0 units. Initially with LED's but then changed to 35w HID's

 

[Blobsta]

I did a couple of iterations on these lamps, so depending on what your budget is it can be done fairly cheaply. I did the first ones with cheap eBay mini H7 units and then a second set with Morimoto units. The cost was pretty high the second time around and as much as I love them I don't think the improvement was relative to the additional cost. If you want to message me direct, I'm happy to discuss it with you in detail.

Richard

 

[Blobsta]

If it fails I’ll just buy used headlights on eBay and forget. I am digging to find decent quality projectors which aren’t expensive.

Would be interested to see which exact parts the OP used.

I did a couple of iterations on these lamps, so depending on what your budget is it can be done fairly cheaply. I did the first ones with cheap eBay mini H7 units and then a second set with Morimoto units. The cost was pretty high the second time around and as much as I love them I don't think the improvement was relative to the additional cost. If you want to message me direct, I'm happy to discuss it with you in detail.

Richard

 

[Gazwould]

Things are definitely getting smaller .

 

[horatio]

Blobsta has been amazingly helpful answering answering my dumb questions!!

I have the eBay projectors which look reasonable quality - was worried they would be total poop. Awaiting Hylux 35w ballasts with 4300k bulbs from londoncolour.