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How To's

Thanks to Tim Pack for sharing this FAQ with BenzForum.com

What type of Bulb do I have in my car?

If you have a W203 C Class car you have: H7 55w bulbs for high and low beam, 9006 55w bulbs for fog lights, W 5w for your city lights.

Where can I get real Xenon lighting?

There are several places to get them online.
www.hid4less.com
www.autolamps-online.com/about_us/index.htm

How do I change out my Bulbs?

HIGH/LOW BEAM

Warning: do not touch the glass of the bulbs. wear gloves if possible.

Remove the headlight housing caps (large jar caps) by twisting them off. put aside.
Reach into housing, and twist bulb housing counterclockwise about 15° and you should be able to gently pull them out. (i had to do this blind especially for the driver's side). when you feel it, the flat parts are horizontal.
Using the metal base of the bulb, pull out the OEM bulb. insert new bulb - it is unidirectional and there is a metal flange on the housing that prevents you putting the bulb in the wrong way. again, don't touch the glass parts
Re-insert the housing at 15° off flat, and then twist it in clockwise. it should click in. if it feels loose, it didn't catch. i had to do this several times before i got the hang of it. once in, it should not be loose at all.
Put headlight cap back on - don't forget this step...

FOG LIGHTS

On the driver's side, you must replace the bulb from under the car.

There is a panel just below the light. There is a seam between that panel and the one under the engine.
Remove the screw between these two panels and fish your hand up through the crack (no need to remove the panels).
You should feel the back of the bulb and then you twist it 90° then it should pop out. Replace bulb and put back in.

On the passenger side you can:

Reach down from the top of the car and get it loose
From there is a small hole on the underside of the car right below the fog light.
Drop the connector through there take off bulb and replace then, from top of car, reinstall the light

What is Xenon/HID lighting?

What Is XENON and HID Lighting?

HID/Xenon lights are a fairly new technology for automobiles. It is much more powerful lighting system than Halogen bulbs. Note that it is a lighting system, which consists of more than just a simple bulb. These system are factory options on cars such as BMW, MERCEDES, AUDI, ACURA , and other high-end luxury cars.

What about those Xenon halogen bulbs?

Bulbs that claim that they are filled with xenon gas, or that they are the closest thing to HID are not. They are just simply HALOGEN bulbs with a bluish coating on them. These bulbs with the bluish coating simply filter all but the blue light out, effectively making the light output very little. Other bulbs, in order to make their bulbs brighter simply up the wattage usage of each bulb, which only puts a much bigger strain on your electrical system and your alternator. These bulbs are not legal, and do not in any way approach the brightness of High Intensity Discharge lights.

What does HID Stand for?

HID stands for High Intensity Discharge. The term xenon is comes from the type of gas that is found inside the bulb .

What advantages are there with HID compared to Halogen Bulbs?

There are many advantages to HID.

1/3 less power consumption . Xenon lamps are only 35 watts. The ballasts only draw 1.2 amps of power! This puts a much lower strain on the cars electrical system. Frees up more power to power other goodies, such as audio equipment

3 times the light output: No halogen bulb can even come close to the output of a normal HID light. More light output if you do Stage 2

Safety and Visibility. More visibility equals more nighttime safety. Much more powerful than halogen, HID allows you to see farther and brighter during nighttime driving. Plus, HID approximates the temperature of sunlight, so objects appear more real.

Unique: Xenon lights are found today on most high end luxury and sport cars. Why not on your car?

How do I change the computer settings to recognize the Xenon bulbs?

You must take the car into the dealership for this. It should only take about 5 minutes and can be done in the parking lot. Although some dealers will do it for free the charges may vary.

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