W212 Xenon 'Intellilight' System

[grayb]

We are just planning on replacing the bulbs on our 2010 E-class, having come to the conclusion that they are not that bright anymore. I did some reading up about how the lumen output falls over time, which I should have twigged, being in the neon lighting business... (doh!).

I can see from the various resellers that the low beam is the xenon bulb D1S. This got me curious though - the high beams are H7? So do these shine through the inner round lens, the ones where you can see a dot pattern? Or are these fog lights? I can't find anything online that really describes the system and how it works. Can anyone enlighten me or point me towards some literature?

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

This is a video of the cornering function bulb replacement

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Worth a look at this regarding cost of replacement bulbs

 

[grayb]

This is a video of the cornering function bulb replacement

I hadn't noticed a bulb like that in ours - I thought the Xenon lens swivels on the Intellilight system. I will look in the morning...

 

[grayb]

Worth a look at this regarding cost of replacement bulbs

Watched that video - not that helpful actually, other than explaining how he bought non-branded D1S bulbs off eBay (which I will not be doing).

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Watched that video - not that helpful actually, other than explaining how he bought non-branded D1S bulbs off eBay (which I will not be doing).

As you’re in the lighting business you should be able to source something at a reasonable price if you do it’s worth a mention on here

 

[grayb]

As you’re in the lighting business you should be able to source something at a reasonable price if you do it’s worth a mention on here

My business is neon signs, nothing like automotive, unfortunately...

 

[Wighty]

Watched that video - not that helpful actually, other than explaining how he bought non-branded D1S bulbs off eBay (which I will not be doing).

I bought some cheapies , they did not work , followed it up with some Osrams , they worked a treat .

W211 E320cdi Bi-Xenon bulb fitting advice

I’ve decided to try upgraded D1S bulbs in the car to try and eek some more light out of the headlights . Just been out to have a look at the cars access for bulb fitting . Apart from safety advice of either disconnect the battery or pull the lighting fuse wearing eye protection and gloves they...

forums.mercedesclub.org.uk

 

[grayb]

I bought some cheapies , they did not work , followed it up with some Osrams , they worked a treat .

W211 E320cdi Bi-Xenon bulb fitting advice

I’ve decided to try upgraded D1S bulbs in the car to try and eek some more light out of the headlights . Just been out to have a look at the cars access for bulb fitting . Apart from safety advice of either disconnect the battery or pull the lighting fuse wearing eye protection and gloves they...

forums.mercedesclub.org.uk

That's my plan too. Just deciding what other bulbs are needed - the vendor I am looking at (https://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/mercedes-e-class-estate-hid-xenon-2010-10.html) reckons I need H7's and H11's as well. I was trying to understand what went where and why...

 

[alexanderfoti]

The H7s are high beam
The H11 are the cornering/fog lights which sit behind the mottled/dotted lense.

 

[grayb]

The H7s are high beam
The H11 are the cornering/fog lights which sit behind the mottled/dotted lense.

Why didn't I just ask you first, Alex... So where does the H7 high beam shine out from? I must take a closer look tomorrow!

 

[alexanderfoti]

I have them mixed up, see above.
E2E11 becomes high beam in the absence of night view assist. The night view cars pop up a shutter on the xenon projector for high beam.

 

[V6Matty]

I’m following this thread as I need to do the same with mine soon, like yours they are ILS with night vision etc, so a set of D1S should be all I need at this time

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

I bought a pair of "OSRAM XENARC NIGHT BREAKER LASER D1S" for my W212 with xenons, they're good but not a huge difference from the OEM. It's a bit of a pain and requires the arch liner's out unless you have very dainty hands, and have done it before. Once you've done it before, you can kind of get away without taking the liner's off... maybe.

I also changed the H7 turning bulb recently in a family member's car, but am thinking of getting brighter and more white/blue/less yellow bulbs for my car, so that they match the xenons a bit better.

 

[grayb]

I bought a pair of "OSRAM XENARC NIGHT BREAKER LASER D1S" for my W212 with xenons, they're good but not a huge difference from the OEM. It's a bit of a pain and requires the arch liner's out unless you have very dainty hands, and have done it before. Once you've done it before, you can kind of get away without taking the liner's off... maybe.

I also changed the H7 turning bulb recently in a family member's car, but am thinking of getting brighter and more white/blue/less yellow bulbs for my car, so that they match the xenons a bit better.

Thanks for that info. I had wondered about the matching of the colour of the Xenons and H7s. Don't notice a mismatch at the moment...

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

You'll only notice a mismatch if you're turning while also looking at the car, hehe.

If you ever see anybody driving slowly in a W212 with bixenons and they turn, you'll notice that the cornering light is a relatively dim, yellow, traditional halogen bulb. You can obviously get more white/blue ones, and brighter ones too, but it's not a big deal!

 

[grayb]

I don't think I will be bothered with changing the cornering bulbs, but the high beams could be worth it. Have to wait till the New Year now as I don't fancy using the delivery services at this time of year.

 

[FiveAlive]

My understanding is that E2e11 for cars without night view assist is only used for flashing the headlights, not as normal high beam. The low and high beams are both dealt with by the xenon bulb, swiveling up and down as needed. You can see this when the car automatically switches to high beam, as there isn't a sudden switchover - instead, the light beam extends from dipped to high progressively over a short time.

 

[grayb]

My understanding is that E2e11 for cars without night view assist is only used for flashing the headlights, not as normal high beam. The low and high beams are both dealt with by the xenon bulb, swiveling up and down as needed. You can see this when the car automatically switches to high beam, as there isn't a sudden switchover - instead, the light beam extends from dipped to high progressively over a short time.

Interesting. It is certainly true that the change from dip to high beam is a gradual thing when on 'Auto'. Sometimes a bit too slow, in fact...