Headlamp options in a W123 - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Ara T. · #16 10-28-2005, 02:03 AM

Well I ordered a coupla those Bosch 7" units and a coupla Silverstar halogen lamps, and pawoSD I really hope these silverstars are not like those lights that you mention annoy you, cause I can't stand them... the blue-ish lights are the worst.

boneheaddoctor · #17 10-28-2005, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnhef

I have the silverstar bulbs in mine, although I do have euro lights. absolutly no complaints on the bulbs, they are plenty bright.

I do also...Silverstar bulbs in my W123 Euros.......I have regular H-4 bulbs in the W116.

riethoven · #18 10-28-2005, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ara T.

Well I ordered a coupla those Bosch 7" units and a coupla Silverstar halogen lamps, and pawoSD I really hope these silverstars are not like those lights that you mention annoy you, cause I can't stand them... the blue-ish lights are the worst.

For the money you are spending you could have had a good used set of European headlights with height adjustment. You already have the switch on the dash, and I would guess, still have the vacuum lines to the headlights. Then you could adjust the height of the headlights to suit the load you have in your car.

Zerohour3k · #19 10-28-2005, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riethoven

For the money you are spending you could have had a good used set of European headlights with height adjustment. You already have the switch on the dash, and I would guess, still have the vacuum lines to the headlights. Then you could adjust the height of the headlights to suit the load you have in your car.

Hmm. How much would it be for a good set of Hella Euro's, though, including the bulbs? Are the foglights as effective as the US ones?

Only other thing I wonder.. is if my car would look nice with them or not. The 7" circles look like a very "classic" 80's car, while the Euros give it a more "modern" look. Wouldn't converting the things be a pain, too? The switch is still in the dash, but I don't think they kept the vacuum lines there, either.. so that would likely be a pain to run, too. I dunno.

I know what I need, though. Another 300D, so I can stick euro's in one, and bosch H4's in the other!

boneheaddoctor · #20 10-28-2005, 10:52 AM

I need the dash headlight adjuster...I have adjustible Euro lights and no adjuster for them...

Ara T. · #21 10-28-2005, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riethoven

For the money you are spending you could have had a good used set of European headlights with height adjustment. You already have the switch on the dash, and I would guess, still have the vacuum lines to the headlights. Then you could adjust the height of the headlights to suit the load you have in your car.

I think you are talking about the original poster; i dont have a eurocar/switch on the dash or vacuum headlights... so it doesnt really make sense for me to spend more money to get the same light.

Zerohour3k · #22 11-02-2005, 12:19 AM

Just got a pair of the 7" E-Code Hella H4's. Installed them this afternoon (in the dark, with a flashlight.). After fiddling with the aiming (which I may or may not have 100% right yet.. though it's pretty darn close).. and driving around for a bit..

All I have to say is.. Wow. I don't know how I EVER got along without these things. They fit into the same socket, use the same power (I ended up getting the pair with regular old H4's, which are plenty bright, from rallylights.com).. and are a TON brighter. Whoever reccomended the site.. thank you so much. The sharp cutoff on the left side will take some getting used to (I'm used to the lights illuminating cars parked / passing on the left).. but other than that.. the low beams are as bright as my high-beams used to be. I'm reccomending these things to all the locals down here with W123's.

Ara T. · #23 11-02-2005, 01:32 AM

Interestingly enough I installed mine today as well, the bosh 7" with those Silverstar bulbs. The difference is really amazing but I need to get them aimed properly, how did you do it Zerohour?

Zerohour3k · #24 11-02-2005, 09:41 AM

The aiming process is relatively easy. I'll summarize, since the articles I've seen on it tend to be.. well, long winded and confusing.

Find a level area, with a wall. A side of a building works great for this.. so long as the cops in your town aren't going to scream at you for putting masking tape on the wall for a short period of time. Pull the car against the wall (careful not to HIT the wall, obviously), and mark two X's in front of where the lights are. Now, pull the car back about 15 feet. Easiest way to "aim" the H4's? Flip on the high-beams.. the "hot spots" of each beam should hit dead-center on those X's that you marked.

Since the high beams are linked to the low beams on these lights.. this is pretty much the easiest, and quickest way, to align the lights. At least, this is how I did it. And the difference between these things and the old sealed beams, is like night and day! (No pun intended)

*Edit*
The Bosch's that you got.. are they E-code lights? Or are they the DOT-approved ones?

HIDGolf · #25 11-02-2005, 02:32 PM

The proper way to aim your E-code (ECE) market headlamps.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

Stay away from any bulb that does not have a clear glass. Any tint will reduce your headlamp performance.

The 7" rounds are nice as they are modular, and you can add plastic protection grilles to keep the glass from breaking or pitting. The flat face lights are more likely to crack than the curved face lights that Hella sells in the US. Cibie offers curved face. The lighting performance difference is not noticeable. The flat faced lights are better for the old headlamp wiper systems.

As for keeping the stock 7" outer and 5/3/4" inner, here's food for thought...Add the ECE 7" H4 outter lamps and then replace the fog light with an aux high beam with an high wattage H1. Then mount a rectangle foglamp below the front bumper. Dont forget to redo the wiring with correct relays though. It makes a huge difference.

If you get 'flashed' a lot, check your tire pressures, suspension, the 'trim' of the car to see if the car is not sitting level. If you usually carry several hundred pounds of stuff in your trunk, leave it there when you reaim your headlamps. As the back goes down, the headlamps go up into other driver's eyes and you loose light on the road.

The 'flush' rectangle W123 headlamps (OE ECE) from Europe were not legal as in the US the headlamps laws required sealed beams until 1983. You couldnt have anything but the 2 large round, 2 large rectangle, 4 small round, or 4 small rectangle sealed beams at that point. More sealed beams were added later. The OE ECE lamps also lack the 3 aiming pads that were required on 83 and up composite headlamps in the US. The H4 bulb was also not legal in the US until a bit later.