2007 E350 Headlight Assemblies

[Wombat457]

I tried this on another forum and was told to get my eyes checked and to buy "spot light lights" - very helpful indeed, NOT!

Anyway - the headlights, especially the low beam, are horrendous in wet weather. Essentially they do absolutely nothing when it comes to alluminating the road. They are so bad that I can turn them off and there is little or no difference to my forward visibility. High beam is better and produces a visibility I get from the low beam of my darn Nissan Rogue, and that is really sad.

So, the car is 17 years old with 17 year old headlights. Obviously headlights and lights in general have become better since 2007 with the advent of LED Headlights that produce a MUCH better road illumination all round. Therefore, the question is this:

Is there a top end After Market LED (or better) Head Light Assembly available for my 2007 E350?

If not, and bearing in mind that I have had the globes in mine changed for supposedly "brighter ones", what would you guys suggest?

 

[Blobcat]

I’d suggest banning all LED headlights, all they do is blind everyone else and give those with halogens the impression they don’t work anymore
(I have halogens on my SLK, most owners absolutely hate them)

There may well have been an option for bi-xenon lights when yours was new, you’ll need the lights, the headlight washes and the suspension arm - possibly from a breakers.

Not sure on the legality where you are for fitting LED/Xenon into your exhorting units - not legal in the UK

 

[Wombat457]

I’d suggest banning all LED headlights, all they do is blind everyone else and give those with halogens the impression they don’t work anymore
(I have halogens on my SLK, most owners absolutely hate them)

At the risk of sounding hypocritical, I agree with you 100%! And, it is worse when they (LEDs) are on damn pickups whose lights shine higher. They should be banned; however, the old adage of - if you can't beat em, join em applies around here especially when you live in the bush and have to dodge deer, bear, bob cats, coyote etc etc etc. Good headlights are a MUST.

There may well have been an option for bi-xenon lights when yours was new, you’ll need the lights, the headlight washes and the suspension arm - possibly from a breakers.

Not sure on the legality where you are for fitting LED/Xenon into your exhorting units - not legal in the UK

I can't imagine there being any laws that might prevent me from upgrading the headlights, after all - they are already on current vehicles here. That being said, vehicle lighting laws here are (to be as kind as I can be) retarded! Your allowed to have what we would call "driving lights" on your vehicle BUT they have to be wired into your "LOW BEAMS". Having them wired to your High Beams (where they are actually needed) is illegal here. Oh, and you can also have a million and one damn spot lights on light bars without an issue as well .......

Point being, I don't think here (New York State anyway) really cares one way or the other and am just as sure my mechanic will know the legalities (if any) of the upgrades.

So one (maybe two) further question - if I may: I am assuming that my current (factory fitted lights) are of the halogen type so these bi-xenon lights will be an improvement correct? That being said, what is the difference between bi-xenon headlights and LED/Xenon lights? I geuss there is also the question about projector head lights as well, maybe?

Heck, maybe I should just buy a new E350 and be done with it

 

[DSK]

Philips and Osram do LED kits.

I have 2 cars 23 years or older Volvos and they are on the original light units and lenses but with new halogen bulbs and they work beautifully. My other previous older BMWs with halogens worked great, as did the 2013 Astra GTC. However, the CLS 219, with perfectly clear lenses etc was beyond a joke! I turned the lights on and there’s next to no difference! Driving on unlit country roads was horrendous and part of the journey I just switched them off and used the tree top lines and put my foot down using some good old fashioned skills. Brighter halogen bulbs made no difference. I do not know what legislation and testing they passed but they frankly may as well not exist. So it’s not case of your eye sight but, the design of those units with halogens is just simply woeful.

I put LEDs on the CLS 219 and had to get a few sets to get a decent pattern but, I wish I hadn’t and just got a decent 5000k HiD kit. The HID kit is simply less of a farce. It’s now better but, the fact is the light units themselves are useless and whoever designed and signed them off I hope is dead.

The 2010 E350 I had came with the xenon’s and they are good. People will love that stupid auto high beam but, it’s a gimmick, it’s too slow to adjust for oncoming vehicles if your going at a serious lick and when it reverts to dipped you may wrongly think the lights are not strong when in fact they are perfect. I don’t use that auto beam gimmick.

Get a decent HID kit or, the factory xenon units retrofitted.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[EmilysDad]

...... and whoever designed and signed them off I hope is dead.

....

.... a bit harsh!

 

[Wombat457]

However, the CLS 219, with perfectly clear lenses etc was beyond a joke! I turned the lights on and there’s next to no difference! Driving on unlit country roads was horrendous and part of the journey I just switched them off and used the tree top lines and put my foot down using some good old fashioned skills. Brighter halogen bulbs made no difference.

Sounds identicle to what I am experiencing on my 07 E350.

I put LEDs on the CLS 219 and had to get a few sets to get a decent pattern but, I wish I hadn’t and just got a decent 5000k HiD kit. The HID kit is simply less of a farce. It’s now better but, the fact is the light units themselves are useless

If it is the assembly design that is creating the problem, or at least contributing to it, then would replacing the factory assemblies for current after market ones make any difference?

The 2010 E350 I had came with the xenon’s and they are good.

But the assembly is also slightly different to the 07 - 09 assemblies as well. That, together with, possibly, improved globes could explain the improvement.

People will love that stupid auto high beam but, it’s a gimmick, it’s too slow to adjust for oncoming vehicles if your going at a serious lick and when it reverts to dipped you may wrongly think the lights are not strong when in fact they are perfect. I don’t use that auto beam gimmick.

Have rented vehicles with this "auto high beam thing" and it was a pain in the rear end for all of the reasons you stated in my opinion. Can't recall the vehicle make (it was a fair time ago) but I recall having the ability to turn the thing off, which I did.

Get a decent HID kit or, the factory xenon units retrofitted.

Will try that first and see what happens. It will have to be better than what I currently have, and what I currently have is (in my humble opiinion) dangerous to drive at night when raining.

 

[DSK]

LEDs just seem to be a pain depending on the vehicle. Firstly for it was the retaining clips. I bought spares from the dealership as I knew it would be a pain in the rear. I used a Dremel style tool to modify them, then upon fitting I was not happy with the beam pattern so ordered a couple of different styles. I think it was Novisght that I have. Then one day whilst waiting opposite a building for about 15 minutes, I noticed each of the bulbs going on/off in turn with no real pattern in the reflection. As a result I needed to get some extra decoders which sit external to the lamp assembly and there’s no decent rubber grommet as you get with HiD kits. So I spent an age making the caps water tight. Also having to do it all by feel due to a Mercedes crap design didn’t help.

With HIDs (at least a good kit) the canbus will be better, you can choose your colour (I like 5000k) and bulb type, as LEDs in my experience tend to be a bit more blue than what they state. If I ever get LEDs again, despite the cost I’ll be looking at Osram and Philips first.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sonic]

I had a 2001 & a 2004 CLK, & I found both fine. The 2004 CLK had xenon's, not sure about the 2001.
But I started off driving with a 1961 VW Beatle 6 volt with tungsten bulbs, they are really dim.

 

[Wombat457]

I had a 2001 & a 2004 CLK, & I found both fine. The 2004 CLK had xenon's, not sure about the 2001.
But I started off driving with a 1961 VW Beatle 6 volt with tungsten bulbs, they are really dim.

Obviously lighting (headlights at least) have improved over the years and I am equaslly sure that in a further 50 or 60 years people will be telling tales about the "particularly dim/poor" headlights they had to endure in 2025

I suppose to be fair, what annoys me more than anything is Nissan can produce excellent lights, at least on their Rogues, while the Germans around the same time period seemed to have been floundering a bit. It also should be emphasised that the main issue with my headlights (the mercs) is at night when it is raining; otherwise, they aren't too bad so long as you can maintain high beam.

With that being said I will look into the Phillips or Osram globes and see which is the best - 5000 or 6000k lumens seems to be a decent brightness. I am also going to look into aftermarket (full) assembly replacements as well just so I can make comparisons.

 

[V6Matty]

The 5-6000k doesn’t represent lumins, that’s their colour temperature, the higher the number the bluer they are, in reality you don’t want to go must over 5000k, I had 5200 in my previous 211 and that was blue enough, for visibility your better looking at around 4500k

 

[Wombat457]

The 5-6000k doesn’t represent lumins, that’s their colour temperature

Ooops, sorry my mistake - wasn't thinking when I wrote that