Headlights don't seem bright enough

[likourgos]

I have a 1993 190E 2.6L and since I purchased it in Aug 2003 the headlights don't seem bright enough. New bulbs didn't solve the problem. The lenses are clean and scratch free. My first guess is the alternator.

 

[SNAP ON]

I have a 1993 190E 2.6L and since I purchased it in Aug 2003 the headlights don't seem bright enough. New bulbs didn't solve the problem. The lenses are clean and scratch free. My first guess is the alternator.

cant see it being your alternator,you have drove the car for two years.....i take it the car starts ok....try bigger bulbs,100w...

 

[mike65]

I remember being disapointed with the standard 55/65 bulbs so swapped them for 80/100s, which are nice and bright. Someone will proberly tell you they'll burn out the electrics but I've not detected any overloading issues.

Mike.

 

[SNAP ON]

no they will fit straight in and work ok,people who have not fitted them will tell you it cant be done....

 

[Bolide]

Dim headlights

This is one of my few complaints about the W124. The lights on the 190 are smaller so I would think they're even worse!

On mine I ended up buying a pair of late headlights to replace the old ones. The silvering on the reflectors degrades and the dip beam, in particular, goes very dim

110/90 bulbs do help, of course. You can get 130/90s but that'd just exaggerate the awfulness of the dip (90 watt) compared to the main beam (130). For off-road use only, of course

These bulbs will double (or more than double in the case of the 130s) the current draw so your multifunction stalk will be on borrowed time unless you install relays


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[mike65]

I should proberly point out that my time driving in the dark is very modest - 40 mins a day in winter and vitually none of it on main beam.

Mike.

 

[turnipsock]

I think this topic has been covered many times before. You can run 100W bulbs on standard wiring. 130W will overload the electrics and someting will give. The wire is rated at 10A (8A fuse) so any more than that and you will have problems.

The power a bulb draws isn't directly related to the light it produces. Go for good bulbs like PIAA, it makes a big difference.

I have the PIAA 80W/80W bulb and they are great, I also have some uprated PIAA bulbs for the fog lights. I have no problems with night driving now, but I used to.

 

[turnipsock]

I should proberly point out that my time driving in the dark is very modest - 40 mins a day in winter and vitually none of it on main beam.

Mike.

Then I would get the PIAA fog light bulbs. I'll check tomorrow what I have, but you can drive pretty well on these alone.

If you are driving on dipped beams, you will have the option to turn these off or on. Because of the positioning of MB fog lights, most other drivers don't know they are there.

 

[drainaudio]

Hi,
I bought the direct Bosch replacements but the Xenon version, took 2 mins to swap them out and they are plenty bright enough.
Cheers, Geoff.

 

[drainaudio]

Hi,
I bought the direct Bosch replacements in the Xenon version, took 2 mins to swap them out and they are plenty bright enough for general driving - also polished my lenses with Autoglym glass cleaner and checked that the reflectors are in good condition. I also use RainX on all the glass inc' the headlight lenses - that stuff is genius!! People are amazed when I let the windscreen get completely obscured by rain (while stationary of course) and then one pass of the wiper throws the entire lot of in a huge sheet. I'm going to be doing a lot of driving at night soon through probably not so well lit areas and so the PIAA bulbs sound interesting. Can someone explain what they are? I imagine they are a more efficient bulb for the fog lights and when required you can turn them on for an extra boost to low beam without dazzling oncoming drivers?
Cheers, Geoff.

 

[1993190E]

I had same problem on my 190E '93 model, solution replace with AutoExpress 2005 60/55 w H lamp bulbs - Philips Vision plus
http://www.powerbulbs.co.uk/
they arrived in 2days

I have known drivers pulled over when using 100w bulbs!

 

[flying haggis]

I have a 1993 190E 2.6L and since I purchased it in Aug 2003 the headlights don't seem bright enough. New bulbs didn't solve the problem. The lenses are clean and scratch free. My first guess is the alternator.

having read the previous replies to this question can i just bung in my tuppence worth. I to was not impressed with headlight performance so invested in two pairs of Osram Silverstar bulbs for my e classther (bought of E-bay from Fergusons of Stirling) and they do make a hell of a difference so another pair was duly purchased for the foglights. As I do a lot of early starts in my job and I drive to work on 90% unlit roads, the different bulbs mean I can see a lot further and avoid the local wildlife that seems intent on trying to modify the front of the car at four in the morning

 

[turnipsock]

http://www.a-pp.com/shop/piaa_bulbsplasma.htm

Plenty to look at here.

The fog bulbs I have are the H-109.

On the PIAA system they quote the power drawn and then what they think the light output is equivalent to (this is meaningless in my opion).

From the posts above, it's clear that there is a great varity in the performance of bulbs.

I tried the Hellfords 100W bulbs that cost £5 and was warned about how bright they were when I went to pay for them. I was also warned that they were illegal for road use. In reality they were dimmer than the 60W PIAAs I have in my 230TE.

 

[silver fox]

I seem to have the same problem with my E320T, however it isnt helping that the inside of the glass on my headlights looks dirty! Its present on both headlights, and all year round. My question is, how can i get in to clean the inside of the lenses, and how big a job is it???? Anyone had the same problem, or even taken step by step photos to their removal????

Many thanks
SF

 

[wireman]

Watch out with the RainX, I have tried the stuff and yes it does just what they say,
BUT
when the wipe is over a slight fogging of the screen occurs for about half second or so which reduces the vision markedly,only for the half second.
During this half second you will travel 22 feet at 30, time enough for an unobservant pedestrian to get in your way just as they did with me, I turned left from a minor to major road with a zebra crossing immediatley after the junction, the wipers (intermittant) wiped as I turned and I couldnt have seen afore said errant pedestrian if I'd been concentrating totaly on the crossing. Nothing came of it and I stopped in good time but polished off the RainX asap never to apply it again.

 

[kid-jensen]

First check your charging voltage to make sure you're not chasing the wrong problem.....

Should be above 13 volts when driving along.. any less will give you a huge reduction in brightness.

I seem to remember that 10% higher voltage gives twice the brigtness (although your eyes are logarithmic), though I may have dreamt that..