Higher watt bulbs for instrument cluster in W124?
 

I have another bulb burned out in my instrument cluster in my W124.

Since I'm going to have to pull the instrument cluster to get to the one bulb, I'm thinking of replacing all of the bulbs to a brighter / higher watt bulb, if possible. I also notice the current bubls put out a very yellowish light. It'd be nice to get a whiter light.

Anyone done this?

If so, what bulbs did you use?

I've seen "lighting kits" sold by some guy on E-bay that claims to really brighten things up. He is using 5 Watt Xenon gas bulbs that are blue in color. He claims they put out a terrific amount of bright, white light.

I don't want to pay the $42 that he is asking for 3 bulbs and the instrument cluster pullers.

Anyone know where these bulbs can be purchased separately?

Here is a link to the auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2440503544&category=6763

You CAN use any 5 watt 194 or 168 wedge bulbs in place of the existing bulbs, but long term results may be detrimental to the lighting channels of the instrument cluster. Try some LED bulbs because they won't produce much heat, but be careful, not all of them are as bright as they claim.

I'm assuming that the current bulbs are the regular incandescent type, and are 5 watts.

Would a 5 watt Xenon bulb produce more heat?

Does a xenon bulb produce more light than a regular bulb at the same wattage?

The so called "Xenon" bulbs really don't produce much more light than a standard bulb at the same wattage, but because the bulbs are painted blue, the light appears more white, giving the illusion that the light is brighter. This is basically the same concept with a lot of the garbage Xenon headlight bulbs.

In the case of the 5 watt "replacement" instrument cluster bulbs, there really is no miracle here. If you change a 50 watt light bulb in your living room to a 100 watt bulb, I sure HOPE that it produces more light. You can probably achieve the same (if not better) effect with standard clear 5W 194 or 168 bulbs.

The OEM bulbs are 3 watts and a 5 watt is close to double the output, so I'm sure that it does produce more heat. I suggest going with LED's.

PS: The previous owner of my car had 5W 194 bulbs in the cluster. The area around where the bulb sits (lighting channel) was a bit melted. I wish I had it here so I could take a picture of it. I replaced the cluster with that from a 1995 E320, which has better designed lighting channels, resulting in MUCH better gauge illumination over the previous (86-89) models!

Do you really think LED's would put out more light?

Can you suggest a specific bulb or a link to a site that shows the bulb I should buy?

Link for LEDs:

http://www.autolumination.com

In my W201 (which uses the same wedge bulbs as the 124) I used Raybrig "blue/white" bulbs and put in the white cluster faces. The result, even with the white faces, was not great. It's still difficult to read the trip odo at night. The problem is the reflective plastic used to "conduct" the light to the gauge faces. I have purchased a 10 LED array that I'm going to install at the top of the cluster shell and wire them to the bulb holder so that the rheostat will still dim the LEDs.

Paul, someone in the diesel forum (Peyton300TD I think) installed some LED's and was very happy with the results. He used blue ones, but they come in many other colors.

I think he had a resistor wired in somewhere too.

Re: Higher watt bulbs for instrument cluster in W124?
 

I've done it with 5 Watt bulbs and I had a melt down in the clear light channel where the bulb sets... DO NOT DO IT!
Stick to 3 Watt bulbs. I buy mine from Walmart for $1.70 for two. They are made by a German compay called Sylvania and part number on the package is 2821 (W3W) and comes with two bulbs. The package is green. Go to the automotive bulbs section and you'll see the package hanging with all the rest of bulbs. They make both 5 Watt and 3 Watt. use the 3 watt or you'll be sorry. ask me. Good luck.

P.S. It also comes in colors as well, but I'd stick to the regular (original) bulb color. Your cluster will need 3-4 bulbs.

I am puzzled as to why so many complain about their MB instrument lighting. I have always appreciated the fact that MB have adjustable bightness for the instrument lights. I run ours dimmed as at full brightness I find them distracting. For me, it is what is happening outside the car that matters. I only need to see the position of the instrument needles rather than to be able to actually read them to know that all is ok. As for white instrument faces and some of the bright and colourful instruments in some new cars, no thank you! The instruments (white faces) in a new E500 Avantgarde I had use of recently were nowhere near as good as any of our old cars.

As part of the 190's dashectomy, I replaced any bulbs that were out or darkened from use. Once back together, I have had to dim the adjuster a bit to they were too bright.

Check the bulbs or simply put new ones in (correct spec). Often the bulbs are just darkened from use.

Also, I have found rapidly twisting the rheostat quickly, many times helps deliver a brigher output. Probably removes crud and corrosion on the windings.

Haasman

When one of the two bulbs of the cluster went out I replaced both by two of the correct spec. I just read to mutch on this forum about melted sockets ! I toke advantage as the cluster was out the dash to clean the light channels. They were completely darkened up by a dry black dust.
As Greg in Oz, I have to dim them now. On the odo only the last numbers are difficult to read as they are also darkened by the same black dust.
I plan to install an outer temp. Than I'll take the time to take the odo apart to clean the numbers to...

Danny

Danny

How did you clean the light channels? Are you talking about the fiber optic little cables?

Haasman

Haasman,

I never met some fiber optics in a W 124 ! No, when you take the bulbs out of the cluster with their sockets, that will leave you with an opening large enough to get in with a cottonwool covered baton as one uses to clean out his ears or better, the longer ones used to clean the heads of a cassete-player or the lens of a CD-player. In fact I used the same cleaning fluid : it's alcohol based, volatile and doesn't attack the white plastic of the light "channels".
Archaic as a method but very effectif !
Next time you pull out that cluster : try it out.
I only hope your resistor to dim the lights is still working ? You'll need it !

Danny

Hi
On my 124 i just replaced the bulbs with new ones. However i replaced the 5W bulbs that were in it with new 5W bulbs. There was some melting around the light guides aswell! Try new 3W bulbs first I think!!
Gerard