Halogen to Xenon headlights

[Thompson90]

Hi, so i know this has probably been asked plenty of times before, just wondering if anybody has used this seller on ebay? Just bought myself a W204 C250 estate but now want to put the nicer looking headlights on.

Mercedes C Class W204 LED headlamps headlights facelift projector drl c63 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Mercedes C Class W204 LED headlamps headlights facelift projector drl c63 at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Deleted member 113659]

I'll be reading the replies with interest as I'm looking at these for my Vito:

V-Class W447 Vito 14-present LED Halogen Headlight Black for Mercedes-Benz RHD | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for V-Class W447 Vito 14-present LED Halogen Headlight Black for Mercedes-Benz RHD at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[bob6600]

Xenon (HIDs) do require washers to be legal and self levelling sensors. I would also imagine they require coding. However, the seller is stating they are plug and play which in simple terms means they will plug straight in but may not work fully. Does the description say anything else?

 

[markjay]

Xenon (HIDs) do require washers to be legal and self levelling sensors. I would also imagine they require coding. However, the seller is stating they are plug and play which in simple terms means they will plug straight in but may not work fully. Does the description say anything else?

They might work without coding if not retrofitting the self-levelling feature.... I mean, if you supply power, they should just work, no?

The obvious issue in having a retrofit which is technically illegal (i.e. if not retrofitting self-levelling and headlamp washer system), in terms of insurance - you could declare the mod, but then it will be inspected in the case of a serious crash.

That said, it would probably not be an MOT failure, because the MOT tester is testing the systems on the car, but they are not obliged to comment on systems not fitted... I think.

In terms of road safety... well how do you make sure you don't dazzle oncoming traffic at night? Tricky.

 

[markjay]

Another question... are the supplied from the UK, and are they for RHD cars (i.e. for LHD traffic) ?

 

[whitenemesis]

If fitting to a pre-facelifted car it will need a new bonnet.

 

[whitenemesis]

From GOV.UK
"HID headlamp unit requirements

Therefore a HID headlamp unit sold in the aftermarket should:

• be type approved to ECE Regulation 98 as a component
• when fitted to the vehicle should enable ECE Regulation 48 to be complied with (although no government inspection will take place)
• comply with RVLR as far as “use” is concerned

In practice this means:

• the headlamp unit (outer lens, reflector, bulb) shall be type approved to ECE 98 and be “e-marked” to demonstrate this. That can only be done by the headlamp supplier - Hella, Valeo, etc - who must test the headlamp in an independent laboratory
• once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have “self-levelling suspension” and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam
• the headlamp must be maintained in good working order, kept clean, and aligned/adjusted correctly in the same way as any other headlamp

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not legal.

In summary: it is not permitted to convert an existing halogen headlamp unit for use with HID bulbs. The entire headlamp unit must be replaced with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs and it must be installed in accordance with the rules stated above."

Aftermarket HID Headlamps

www.gov.uk

 

[bob6600]

They might work without coding if not retrofitting the self-levelling feature.... I mean, if you supply power, they should just work, no?

I would think so, this was exactly what I did with my W210, it was literally plug and play, didn't even need coding. No errors but I didn't get around to fitting the self levellers as they were not sent to me and neither was the loom but that's a different story. On a W204 and newer models in general, electronics are getting more and more complex. I think they will work (power on, indicate etc) but they will not 'dance' and self level etc.

 

[whitenemesis]

I think the product description says they will not self-level presumably as they wont have the levelling motors installed..

 

[markjay]

From GOV.UK
"HID headlamp unit requirements

Therefore a HID headlamp unit sold in the aftermarket should:

• be type approved to ECE Regulation 98 as a component
• when fitted to the vehicle should enable ECE Regulation 48 to be complied with (although no government inspection will take place)
• comply with RVLR as far as “use” is concerned

In practice this means:

• the headlamp unit (outer lens, reflector, bulb) shall be type approved to ECE 98 and be “e-marked” to demonstrate this. That can only be done by the headlamp supplier - Hella, Valeo, etc - who must test the headlamp in an independent laboratory
• once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have “self-levelling suspension” and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam
• the headlamp must be maintained in good working order, kept clean, and aligned/adjusted correctly in the same way as any other headlamp

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not legal.

In summary: it is not permitted to convert an existing halogen headlamp unit for use with HID bulbs. The entire headlamp unit must be replaced with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs and it must be installed in accordance with the rules stated above."

Aftermarket HID Headlamps

www.gov.uk

I think it's obvious that the majority of these retrofits are illegal, which is why they are usually sold by sellers outside the UK, or they are labelled as 'for off-road use only' etc (in the small print), and it is also obvious that both those who sell them and those who buy them are fully aware of this but don't care too much. In most cases the buyer will find a friendly MOT tester, and the only real risk of getting caught is in the event of the car being inspected due to a serious crash etc.

The bottom line is that pretty much the only legal way of improving the light output from Halogen headlamp (apart for fitting Osram Nightbreakers / Philips Extreme etc) is via a complete HID retrofit including self-levelling and headlamp washers, which is doable but costly. Until, of course, someone will come-up with a CE-approved LED conversion kit.

 

[markjay]

If fitting to a pre-facelifted car it will need a new bonnet.

True... though the OP has a '2013 C250 Estate'.

 

[whitenemesis]

a complete HID retrofit including self-levelling and headlamp washers, which is doable but costly.

Tell me about it!!

 

[markjay]

Tell me about it!!

I remember you had it done at PCS....

 

[ash59fifty-uk]

I fitted them to my prefacelift when I had all the facelift parts. They work brilliant, although back then it was aftermarket harnesses, new headlamp switch and other gubbins to get working

They're plug and play nowadays, but as mentioned won’t be legal without washers, sensors, levellers etc

Do what I did and just buy the car with the spec you want

 

[Thompson90]

I don't need to worry about he headlight washers and self levelling as im a mechanic so if i can find 1 being broken i can take off and swap onto mine no problems. Just needed a pair of headlights to be plug and play to start with as for levelling motor can just strip my current lights and swap over if i need to. I can also fit and level them at work to make sure they don't blind oncoming traffic as i hate when that happens to me.

 

[whitenemesis]

Those lamp units are unlikely to be approval marked. I doubt the internals would accommodate the levelling motors. Coding may be difficult if your model year only accepts the official files from Germany.
Don't underestimate the amount of work required to fit the washers. A different bumper and reinforced beam to start with.
The amount of trim that needs removing to fit the levelling loom is significant.
It's all doable, Mercs are great that way!

 

[Thompson90]

My other option will be to source all genuine parts over time from ebay/ cars being broken and then find somebody local to me with STAR who can code the bi-xenons to the car, this will be my only struggle so far getting them coded.

 

[ash59fifty-uk]

I don't need to worry about he headlight washers and self levelling as im a mechanic so if i can find 1 being broken i can take off and swap onto mine no problems. Just needed a pair of headlights to be plug and play to start with as for levelling motor can just strip my current lights and swap over if i need to. I can also fit and level them at work to make sure they don't blind oncoming traffic as i hate when that happens to me.

My other option will be to source all genuine parts over time from ebay/ cars being broken and then find somebody local to me with STAR who can code the bi-xenons to the car, this will be my only struggle so far getting them coded.

You can’t level these, they have a cornering light in the middle you can see on the stock photos. They won’t adjust electronically or self level

You can pick up a used pair of OEM facelift xenons units for under a thousand pound, so twice the price of those. Or you can buy new for a little more. You may as well find a donor car and take it all from there, including the loom, sensors, bumper, washers, suspension stuff etc etc

A lot of money to spend for some fancy lights, been there got the T-shirt and the T-shirt wasn’t worth it