Aftermarket HID Conversion Kits & required setting XENON=PRESENT thread

[Ramad]

i've never heard of a "whole complete kit" for the coupe. can you tell me where it is? i'd like to take a look. thanks. i assume you are not implying that there is an OEM Hids kit... btw, i asked autolamps about a group buy and they have a 5% discount for 10+ buyers. so that about $30 less. Sorry, it's a kit for the C sedan. i don't really know if it will be easy to install and i woulk like to have your guys opinion on it. Here is the picture; in the comments part, they say it's the xenon for the new C class W203. it is on ebay. Thanks

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[Buellwinkle]

Couldn't find it on E-Bay, do you have a link. It looks interesting.

[greg230]

Originally posted by tommy
Young - sounds great. I'll have to call Keenan soon. Do you think they'll remember me from when I bought my crx from them 7 years ago?

hate to burst everyones bubble, but the service manager said no go on changing the setting to xenons, since retrofit kits arent exactly legal. I think someone posted that r&s would do it, and i havent checked with MB of P.

apparently you can get the xenons to work, if you turn on the lights when the key is in position 1, then start the car (you will get a warning, but they will work.

[young]

Originally posted by Ramad
Sorry, it's a kit for the C sedan.
i don't really know if it will be easy to install and i woulk like to have your guys opinion on it. Here is the picture; in the comments part, they say it's the xenon for the new C class W203. it is on ebay.
Thanks

well, that kit looks good to me! actually, if i had a sedan, i would've gotten the hids as an option and if i didn't do that, i'd still get the oems vs a kit like hids4less.

if it is an oem kit, i'd guess that the dealer would install it for you so it will be easier in that way.

greg and tommy, i'd highly recommend finding out where you can get the settings changed before you install the kits... yesterday, i tried turning on the lights in an underground garage, but it gave me an error. not sure exactly why. i thought i was doing the same thing... but i think you turn the lights on, when they're on, insert the key and start the car up.

[tommy]

Keenan's not open on Saturdays anyway, so that wouldn't be any help to me. I'll check with Prestige, but they were such a$$holes about my spoiler that I couldn't imagine them being better about hids. I'm going to Globe for a tech session as part of the n NJ branch of the MBCA; I'll ask them there. Also, I guess I can call Millenium and others in NJ.

Young - when are you getting yours reprogrammed by your dealer? If they'll do it, I may have to resort to them after exhausting all other possibilities. Are they open on Saturdays?

[Davidta]

I convinced my dealer up here in NH to do it, I left the car unchanged before I had the settings changed, but they did give me a fairly hard time about it, they also said they wouldn't release the car with the settings changed with the lights wouldn't turn on... since I hadn't changed the actual lights to the Xenons I was a little worried. MY advice is leave it stock to you get your settings changed. If it clears up I am putting the kit in today!

[tommy]

Well, much as I expected, the guy at Prestige service said that they wouldn't change the settings (after going through the requisite speech on how evil mods are - luckily, I cut him off mid-stream).

I know that SEMA would say that this is illegal, but he said that they have voided the entire electrical system of cars that had aftermarket HIDs. Don't know if that's just an idle threat or if they have actually done it.

So, I'm back to being on the fence, even though I've got the kit collecting dust in the apt. Having it sit around for another 3 1/2 years until the warranty is out seems very silly and totally cojoneless, but at the same time ...

On a good note, the little UPS man/woman (gotta be pc!) dropped a note on my front door - my Renntech shift knob will be in tomorrow, and on my car on Saturday.

So, Young, I'd say to go ahead and make that pencil mark for the 20th very light - I could be sitting on this fence for awhile.

[young]

just got back from the dealership...

*xenon present
*fuel settings to stage 2 (still don't know what this exactly does... but it was recommended) and 93 octane
*speed sensitive volume changing set to 0dBs
*alignment better
*car washed (but it's pouring...)

i'm as happy as... well, something very happy.

[Davidta]

Have you guys aimed you lights yet, I am having a problem doing it, which was is up which way is down, and is responsive, I do not feel like like turing the nut or what ever it is, is getting an effect, is it like one turn moves it up half an inch or ten turns moves it up a half inch?

[young]

i aimed the car at the garage door last weekend and i could see the light hotspot on it. i think, if i remember correctly, turning clockwise lowered the light. i remember it was very gradual but it did go down a notch every full turn... not sure how it works but it didn't seem to have a real bottom. right now, it is too low so i plan to aim it better this weekend.

just to make sure, the plastic nut is located on top of the headlight housing between the low and high beam bays.

[Lenny]

There are 2 typs of HID Kits that I Found on :

http://www.autolamps-online.com

H7 Xenon HID Headlamp conversion kit $499.00 H7 Kit
H7 6000K Xenon HID Headlamp conversion kit $579.00 H7 Kit

They seem to be the same kits that are sold for $550 and $750

at Hids4Less. Take a look.

[DtS]

If I remember right you have taken a picture comparing the OEM-lights of the Coupe with a Jaguar OEM-Xenon. (I think that you had two white garage-doors serving as "targets").

Can you take a picture with your car lighting up the same doors, so we can do a comparation between the OEM and you newly installed hids?

Thanks!

[greg230]

this may seem odd, but i dont have a digital camera.... as much of a gadget freak as i am, i never can commit to one. Do i want a memory stick one??? or the kind that writes on CD, or SD or flash.... bleh.

if i get a good picture of my xenons, i will have it developed to CD and post it.

[young]

Originally posted by DtS
If I remember right you have taken a picture comparing the OEM-lights of the Coupe with a Jaguar OEM-Xenon. (I think that you had two white garage-doors serving as "targets").

Can you take a picture with your car lighting up the same doors, so we can do a comparation between the OEM and you newly installed hids?

Thanks!

hi dts,

no, it wasn't me w/ the jag. it was buellwinkle... sorry.

greg, you need to get a digital camera right away! the problem w/ the memory stick is that you start thinking all the stuff you get needs to have the memory stick slot... my camera, my clie, my vid camera, my next computer... you see? sony's smart *******s!

lenny, i don't know exactly what the difference between the autolamps/hids4less kits are... here's what someone at another forum says about hids4less and their stage 2 kits, <b>"My conclusion is that they are disorganized and also not customer oriented when it comes to business dealings. And I BELIEVE the reason why this is the case is that HIDS4less is taking a product that is VERY NEW to the U.S. market and make it available to consumers who want them here. Keep in mind that when I first initially did my investigation on HID for my MDX I went to GREAT lengths on research before I made up my mind to purchase from MTC lighting. You see...HELLA is a German company. They make a VERY specific Xenon bulb that no one to date can make available to the U.S. market. I dont know how MTC are able to obtained them and have it here to the U.S. They must have contacts there in Germany at Hella because from what I know, this "stage II" Xenon bulbs is not available in U.S. cars. The HELLA 6400K bulbs are JUST released in the new 2003 Lamborghini Mucielago, the new 2003 Aston Martin Vanquish and the Ferrari 360 Modena and was available ONLY on Le Mans racing cars!!!</b> other than the warranty, they look similar to me and i'd consider the autolamps kit if i had to do it over again.

[DtS]

Originally posted by young

hi dts,

no, it wasn't me w/ the jag. it was buellwinkle... sorry.

Sorry for the mixup! :o

[greg230]

my lights are up and running!!! MB of princeton gladly changed the light setting, no problems, no questions asked, 19 bucks for the change.

my service advisor asked me what aftermarket alarm i had, i told him it was the norway setting for the car, that it was stock, and he didnt believe me hahahaha

nice guy though, and far better then their sales team.

[bagwell]

GREG, so who helped with your install, or did you accomplish it by yourself ????

I thought you were trying to bribe Young and Tommy to help???

[greg230]

banins auto installed my hids for 50 bucks

i cheated

[edvpt]

Well, I received and installed my HIDs yesterday, took only about 1 hour to install as I choice not to remove the wheels and liner; Dealer is changing the Xenon Present Setting today at 11:30. Install went fairly smooth, the HIDS4Less H7 bulbs are not the best fit with the factory clips but I made it work and the light output is awesome. The Stage I bulbs are exactly the white light I was hoping for. I’m no longer envious of my wife’s TT Xenon lighting. I still have some aiming to do tonight as the Xenon Bulbs are a little off center so the lights need to come down a little to keep it from blinding bypassers.

I plan on installing the H1 set I purchased for my Mothers new Beetle tonight. I have heard they look great on the new Beetle because of the standard elliptical Lens.

Young, Thanks for all you help and guidance with the Group Buy and detailed instructions.

[slcvr6]

edvpt, congratulations on your install. I wouldn't mind taking a look at yours up close to see the install and the light output. I can also show you my car with the staggered AMGs installed.

Granted, I have yet to drive mine at night yet and experience the light output in stock form, but I do love the lights on my ML, which is the bigger driver.

[BrabusCClass]

For those who had the dealer fix their light settings what did you say? Im curiuos.

[edvpt]

Originally posted by BrabusCClass
For those who had the dealer fix their light settings what did you say? Im curiuos.

I went to the dealer in person, got my salesman to introduce me to the Sr. service manager. Figured that would be better then a cold call over the phone. It’s always easier to say no over the phone. I explained that I needed a quick change made to the cars computer and needed to know if they wanted me to schedule a quick appointment or if I should just bring the car in at a quiet time of the day. Anyway the Service manager did not exactly understand what I needed done and did not think they could do that given that it was aftermarket. I explained that I would have used MB for the lights, but that it was not available on my C230 and I really needed the extra light output of the HIDs. I mentioned that one of the reasons for buying the MB over the BMW was that I knew that Xenon lights were available aftermarket for the C230. Well the service manager then paged one of their mechanics into his office, who told us both that it was easy. He in fact was aware of the Xenon Present option, and just told me to bring it in the next day during their lunch break when the DAS would be free to use. I thanked them both and ran out of there before the Service Manager could object. I could tell he was reluctant to make the change but the Mechanic did not see any reason they wouldn’t.

Well I returned today at lunch time as requested, wondered the service bays until I found the same mechanic, he stopped what he was doing, hooked me up to the DAS and made the change in about 15 minutes. No charge. Works great. And I just love the light output.

Ends up this mechanic was a good guy, I was probably lucky. So I gave him a gratuity, something my office produces and off I went. Oh and I also found the service manager and gave him the same gratuity and thanked him as well. Turns out they were both good guys. I guess it really depends on the people you end up dealing with at the service department.

Sorry All for the long message.

[edvpt]

Originally posted by slcvr6
edvpt, congratulations on your install. I wouldn't mind taking a look at yours up close to see the install and the light output. I can also show you my car with the staggered AMGs installed.

Granted, I have yet to drive mine at night yet and experience the light output in stock form, but I do love the lights on my ML, which is the bigger driver.

Rob, Would love to see your car in person, and show you the Xenon lights. We should do it at dusk or night so we can compare the lights side by side against a wall somewhere. I'll send you a pm in a few.

[young]

i called my service dept cold b/c i've never been there. 1st guy i spoke to, i asked if i needed an appointment to make computer setting changes or if i could just come in. he said they'd appreciate an appt, just in case they were busy one day. 3 weeks later, after i found out when i would get the kit and could install it, i setup an appointment w/ them.

when i dropped off the car, i had to explain to the service consultant what i wanted done. told him i have xenons, need the light setting changed. he said incredulously, "you have xenons?" i think he knew that the coupe doesn't come w/ xenons. i said yes and he just wrote it down on the service form. (i also had a few other things changed). i also gave him a printout of the instructions just in case.

that's it. picked up the car later, and it was fine.

i like edvpt's idea of the sales guy introducing you to the service guy.

[BrabusCClass]

Thanks for the info. BTW what is a DAS? Do you think i can refer to it? Is it the machine that actually does these adjustments? Hehe. I think these forums are so useful.