Upgrading headlight bulbs?

[JCM1]

I'm wondering if any of the members have done a headlight upgrade on model year 1992 with H4 100/80 watt hi-lo beams and H3 100 watt foglight as bulbs as described in the "Mercedes-Benz E Class Owner's Bible 1986-1995" pp277-286.

I drove my car last week during a rainy night and found it difficult to see the road with normal beams and had to revert to highs to see. High beams helped but I'm wondering if there are any other tips for improving visibility at night. I know we don't have sufficient space for LED bulbs but perhaps some have found a solution.

Thanks in advance,


Joe

 

[gsxr]

Joe,

Yes, you can use higher wattage halogen bulbs in Euro-spec headlight assemblies. However, before doing that, make sure the inside of your lenses are clean, AND the reflectors are not dirty or corroded. If the lenses or reflectors are not great, brighter bulbs will not help much. Visibility in the rain is often lousy regardless of bulb output.

If using high wattage as mentioned above, larger wiring plus relays is recommended / required. This is a bit complicated to do properly.

There are LED H4 replacements that do fit, however the beam pattern may be sub-optimal, and/or the color temperature may not be to your liking (most are too "blue" / high color temp).

Read the entire thread linked below. I have been using the Auxito brand LED's in my beater E420 for a year or two now but I'm pretty close to removing the darn things, because they have excessive glare into oncoming traffic, and into the vehicle directly ahead of me. I also don't like the high color temp. I'd like to find a better LED solution if one exists, since high-wattage halogens have a short lifespan.

The Hot Setup in H4 bulbs (the headlights) | Electrical, CAN and Wiring

Hi gang, May I inquire - what is the hot setup for H4 bulbs ('93 pre-facelift Euro headlamps) these days? The old Osram 70/65 H4 bulbs are NLA Is the hot setup the VOSLA 60/55 +100 H4 as so - http://store.candlepower.com/64205.html ? Or is it the PHILIPS Xtreme Vision 60/55 +130 H4 as so -...

www.500eboard.co

 

[northNH]

From my series of posts in the above link Dave provided:


<<FWIW...After installing relays and upgraded wiring for 80/100W H4s and 100W H1s for my 4-headlight BMW coupe, I went a
different route with my 300CE...

I simply swapped in 100/80W H4s (into Euro facelift buckets). No relay(s), no wire gauge upgrade, tho' I added a pair of 10A fuses just upstream of the headlight connectors to protect the remaining wiring in case the draw ever turned out to be too much. For the first 6 months I made damn sure I carried extra bulbs, and fuses...

That was 2 years and many hundreds of hours of night use ago, with zero bulb, fuse, warning light or "hot" wiring issues...
And plenty illumination to feel safe at night among the wandering herds of deer.

Likely the bulbs would be a bit brighter with relay/wiring upgrade, but based on my experience it shouldn't be safer.
Or less work.>>

<<My 80/100W off-road (=better vibration isolation) German Hella's were $12/pair.
Best color light, plenty of illumination, hassle-free installation, proven long-term safety...>>

<<No relays added or wire gauge upgrade, just (retrospectively unnecessary) additional fused protection, as noted in post #6.
Car has made zero self-immolation attempts, with marked visual improvement over any lower wattage alternatives including, IMHO, any LEDs that I've seen...”>>

All still true today.

 

[JCM1]

Joe,

Yes, you can use higher wattage halogen bulbs in Euro-spec headlight assemblies. However, before doing that, make sure the inside of your lenses are clean, AND the reflectors are not dirty or corroded. If the lenses or reflectors are not great, brighter bulbs will not help much. Visibility in the rain is often lousy regardless of bulb output.

If using high wattage as mentioned above, larger wiring plus relays is recommended / required. This is a bit complicated to do properly.

There are LED H4 replacements that do fit, however the beam pattern may be sub-optimal, and/or the color temperature may not be to your liking (most are too "blue" / high color temp).

Read the entire thread linked below. I have been using the Auxito brand LED's in my beater E420 for a year or two now but I'm pretty close to removing the darn things, because they have excessive glare into oncoming traffic, and into the vehicle directly ahead of me. I also don't like the high color temp. I'd like to find a better LED solution if one exists, since high-wattage halogens have a short lifespan.

The Hot Setup in H4 bulbs (the headlights) | Electrical, CAN and Wiring

Hi gang, May I inquire - what is the hot setup for H4 bulbs ('93 pre-facelift Euro headlamps) these days? The old Osram 70/65 H4 bulbs are NLA Is the hot setup the VOSLA 60/55 +100 H4 as so - http://store.candlepower.com/64205.html ? Or is it the PHILIPS Xtreme Vision 60/55 +130 H4 as so -...

www.500eboard.co

Hi Dave,
Thanks for the response. I will investigate the higher wattage bulbs and see if that helps. I also saw the comment about re-plating the reflective surface of the light housing. Do you know of any companies that offer that service? My lenses are fine but the passenger side body is slightly oxidized.

All the best,

Joe

 

[JCM1]

From my series of posts in the above link Dave provided:


<<FWIW...After installing relays and upgraded wiring for 80/100W H4s and 100W H1s for my 4-headlight BMW coupe, I went a
different route with my 300CE...

I simply swapped in 100/80W H4s (into Euro facelift buckets). No relay(s), no wire gauge upgrade, tho' I added a pair of 10A fuses just upstream of the headlight connectors to protect the remaining wiring in case the draw ever turned out to be too much. For the first 6 months I made damn sure I carried extra bulbs, and fuses...

That was 2 years and many hundreds of hours of night use ago, with zero bulb, fuse, warning light or "hot" wiring issues...
And plenty illumination to feel safe at night among the wandering herds of deer.

Likely the bulbs would be a bit brighter with relay/wiring upgrade, but based on my experience it shouldn't be safer.
Or less work.>>

<<My 80/100W off-road (=better vibration isolation) German Hella's were $12/pair.
Best color light, plenty of illumination, hassle-free installation, proven long-term safety...>>

<<No relays added or wire gauge upgrade, just (retrospectively unnecessary) additional fused protection, as noted in post #6.
Car has made zero self-immolation attempts, with marked visual improvement over any lower wattage alternatives including, IMHO, any LEDs that I've seen...”>>

All still true today.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try higher wattage bulb as I have Euro lights. I'm also looking for a re-plater who can freshen up the reflective surfaces.

All the best,

Joe

 

[gsxr]

Hi Dave,
Thanks for the response. I will investigate the higher wattage bulbs and see if that helps. I also saw the comment about re-plating the reflective surface of the light housing. Do you know of any companies that offer that service? My lenses are fine but the passenger side body is slightly oxidized.

Try contacting forum member @simeon40 and see if he can help.

Additional discussion here:

500E - Re-silvering headlight reflectors | Electrical, CAN and Wiring

Hi folks, I live in New Zealand and have a facelifted Japan-spec 500e. Moisture has got into the headlights and broken down the silvering on the reflectors. The headlights no longer project the correct beam pattern and I cannot get a "warrant of fitness" until I resolve this problem. I have...

www.500eboard.co

 

[simeon40]

Thank you for bringing me here Sometimes higher wattage bulbs are not the solution. I have tested some 100W claimed bulb which have around 80W real power and they are not that brighter than a regular 55W good bulb. Often the seller claims that the bulb is more powerful, it's on the label or the bulb itself but they are normal 55W ones and most of the times are not as bright as regular Hella ones.

For the LED bulbs - each bulb illuminates differently in each different headlight. For H4 headlights I use one particular LED bulb with 4300K color but it needs few modification to make it proper replacement - adding thermal paste(almost non from factory) so it will last longer and installing spacer for properly adjust the aim. It's much better at dipped beam but weaker in high beams. I would recommend 4300K led bulb on the H3 high beams. If there is enough attention for this post I will make some comparison between the bulb I use - brand new halogen Hella ones and the LEDs.