Changing xenons from left to right hand dip for Europe

[wazzuptommi]

Hi i have a CLK 55 AMG W208 I was told that it may be possible to change the dip direction from left to right to comply with driving in Europe without having to use the headlamp sticker kit.Is this correct because the main dealer is a bit vague on the matter.the lights are self leveling xenons.

Thanks

 

[Blobcat]

Hi & Welcome,

Stickers will not work on Xenons. There is a little lever in the back of the lights to switch them from Left to Right dipping. They can break off and they can be quite hard to find. This has been covered quite a few times on the forum, pls have a search.

 

[Blobcat]

Try these two;
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=20898
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=19280

 

[wazzuptommi]

Thanks Bobcat I believe I have found the lever it is yellow and as you said hard to get to,who ever designed the lever never tested the design, though Im sure it looked good on the cad.


No wonder they had so many problems with the V2.:wink:

 

[Bowruss]

I had this issue before we went abroad in September this year.

I read all the threads and popped round to my (extremely helpful) dealer. The technician took me and the car into the workshop and hooked it up to the computer inputting all my car's details.

He did this to check if my E Class - a 3/04 E320 CDI Avantgarde estate - had a facility for altering the beams using the inbuilt programmes available from the steering wheel. He said that some cars had this. We could'nt find one on mine - either by using the s/wheel buttons or by searching through the computer to see if it could be turned on.

We next turned to the small lever option. He spent a good 30 mins with various high powered lamps looking for them and also removed some bits of under bonnet trim to make things a bit more accesible.

We could not find any levers!

He said that he knew the levers existed - he'd done the switching before - but thought that on my car, they had been ommitted.

I said that it seemed that the yellow/clear bender stickers might be the only way but that I'd heard that they couldn't be used on Xenons. I muttered something like "is it because they get too hot?" He said no - the outer lamp cover doesn't get that hot at all. The problem is where to stick them since there's no deflecting lines moulded into the glass.

He suggested I get a pack from Halfords and do the old wall trick. I said something about doing this on a 1985 Mondego and surely MB technology had moved on a bit! He agreed but after some further thoughts and headscratching, I thought the stickers would be the only option as we were off the following day.

He then said - and this why I really like my dealer - buy them, bring them back to me and I'll stick them on using a beamsetter to get the optimum deflection.

I duly did this, he stuck them on and they worked perfectly.

I said we don't want all this every 4 months or so and I asked him should I draw round the stickers with a special pen so that I could stick them on quickly next tiome. He thought the line would wash or wear off and suggested I make a card template which I did.

A long story but it points up two things - maybe some E class cars don't have the levers or they are impossible to find even by an experienced technician and also, what great service I got from my dealer! No charge for what amounted to about 2 hrs work! He's due a bottle wine...

Cheers, Russ .

 

[television]

When I first looked, I looked for an hour, they are right up front, a long way in.
Even when I came back to the uk,it took several min's to find them.

Malcolm

 

[timodell]

Just to add, I believe the normal (UK) position of the levers is "up* which should give an assymetrical "ear" on the left side of the beams when projected on eg. a garage wall. In the "down" position I believe you should get a symetrical beam with no "ears".

 

[wazzuptommi]

Thank you for your help gentlemen.Iwill show my dealer the switches and get them to do the deed.that way if they break them it is down to them,plus it will need a technician with very small hands,telescoptic wrists,x-ray vision and nerves of steel.