Poor dipped beam on my 211!

littlewimp

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I know I'm getting older and my eyesight wouldn't be as good as when I was 30, but I really must try and sort the headlights out on my 211, I did remove the relatively new hid bulbs from my s class before I sold it and am planning on fitting them to the E -class , Main Beam is Good but as soon as I need to dip its shocking , I'm hoping that its just the bulbs that have lost there efficiency over time, I found the s-class really good and probably the only thing that never gave me trouble during my ownership! even the Wife's Dacia with normal h4 lights would out perform mine at the moment.
 

malcolm E53 AMG

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I think there is a drop off in bulb intensity as they age, the xenon dipped beam bulbs in the 210 at 18 years old have noticably dropped off
 

A.J.

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I had the same problem on my previous W204. A set of Osram Night Breaker H7's in the dipped beams sorted that !! :)
 

Craiglxviii

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HiD lamps have a lifetime of around 8-9 years and halogen 5-6. Beyond that it's wise to replace them.
 

Westheath

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I know I'm getting older and my eyesight wouldn't be as good as when I was 30, but I really must try and sort the headlights out on my 211, I did remove the relatively new hid bulbs from my s class before I sold it and am planning on fitting them to the E -class , Main Beam is Good but as soon as I need to dip its shocking , I'm hoping that its just the bulbs that have lost there efficiency over time, I found the s-class really good and probably the only thing that never gave me trouble during my ownership! even the Wife's Dacia with normal h4 lights would out perform mine at the moment.

^ ^ ^
Most likely :)
 

silestanix

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I had the same problem on my previous W204. A set of Osram Night Breaker H7's in the dipped beams sorted that !! :)

This. I haven't managed to get hold of a good set of OEM Xenons for my W202 yet but the NightBreakers are fantastic, and I found a better light spread and beam than the Philips Xtreme 130's that they replaced.
 

umblecumbuz

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Another for Osram Nightbreakers.
Strangely, the CLC I recently bought had excellent lights, far better than my S204, but I put Nightbreakers in anyway, and now they are superb.
 

Chrishazle

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Another + for Nightbreakers - I have them in both cars, NB+ in the 968, NB Ultimate in the MB dips and NB Lasers in the MB mains. Don't think the lasers are worth the extra over the Ultimates, but even the NB+ are good in the 968.
 

Craiglxviii

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Another + for Nightbreakers - I have them in both cars, NB+ in the 968, NB Ultimate in the MB dips and NB Lasers in the MB mains. Don't think the lasers are worth the extra over the Ultimates, but even the NB+ are good in the 968.

Little bit of data for you- the NB Laser do not have any increase in luminous flux density over the NB Ultimate ;)
 

forrester

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I have noticed that nearly all older mercs have opaque head light lenses, which would affect the performance of the lights.
I had to polish mine on my '03 320 & they are now good using standard bulbs.
 

Craiglxviii

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I have noticed that nearly all older mercs have opaque head light lenses, which would affect the performance of the lights.
I had to polish mine on my '03 320 & they are now good using standard bulbs.

This is the odd thing, it isn't nearly all- it's a very spotty issue all around the world, and looks to be batch- specific for the polycarbonate used to make the lenses. From some research I've seen it only affects around 2% of cars.
 

JBell

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This is the odd thing, it isn't nearly all- it's a very spotty issue all around the world, and looks to be batch- specific for the polycarbonate used to make the lenses. From some research I've seen it only affects around 2% of cars.

Loads of car near me have opaque headlights, I do wonder if some drivers can actually see the road at night they are so bad
 

Craiglxviii

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I remember stopping after a VERY filthy drive oop north- it was during the foot & mouth crisis , light fog across the country and there were whole herds being incinerated all up and down the M1 & A1- A19. I had to stop for fuel, looked at my headlamps and the lenses were yellow. Genuine, caked-on, encrusted "yellow wobbly bits". After I cleared them off (much hoiking) I realized that I could see about twice as well as before. It's really surprising when something happens gradually, how well your body adapts to the "new normal".
 

Westheath

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Loads of car near me have opaque headlights, I do wonder if some drivers can actually see the road at night they are so bad

My valeting guy does headlight restoration, any thing from old Nissan's Citroen's to Mercedes BMW etc etc
anywhere there's UV light to cause the oxidization once the OEM protection coatings worn off.
 

JBell

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My valeting guy does headlight restoration, any thing from old Nissan's Citroen's to Mercedes BMW etc etc
anywhere there's UV light to cause the oxidization once the OEM protection coatings worn off.

So does mine although there is a company that specilaises in them near me
 
OP
L

littlewimp

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  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #16
Would someone have the info regarding fitting new headlight bulbs on my 2005 e55 amg. i could probably figure it but its nice to have a heads up before i start. Thanks
 

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