Subject car: 1999 E300D fitted with USA OE HID headlamps

Guys, is there any way to adjust the high beams on an early W210 car? I can find the height and lateral adjusters for the main beam but can't see any method to adjust the inboard high-beam units. Am I stuck with the high beams as-is

Thanks.

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1998 W210 diesel (wiped out by a texter)
Baum spring compressor "for rent"

AFAIK it's a solid unit and the headlight adjustments move the low AND high beams simulaneously.

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1998 E320 4-Matic Wagon

low beam (outboard lamp only):





high beam (inboard and outboard lamps):

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1998 W210 diesel (wiped out by a texter)
Baum spring compressor "for rent"

You're suggesting the mechanism moves both inboard and outboard units at the same time meaning no independant tweaking is possible

The halogen lamps are that way. I've never seen the HID's, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Matt, thanks for your note. I've adjusted the headlamps on both our 1999 and 2002 E Class cars. I had assumed the high beams were fixed and could not be adjusted. I guess in the era of cost-cutting, using a single aiming mechanism for both hi and low makes sense.

It's easy enough to verify. I'll check it.

On my 1999 car, the HID is low beam only. Our previous cars had bi-xenon (hi and low) and that's how I expected the Benz to be set up.

I really dislike having tremendous illumination in the foreground, provided by the HIDs, and very weak hi beams projecting down the road. There's almost no change apparent in overall lighting when switching to high beams under this design. My eyes don't like it and it's hard to get accumstomed to.

My wife does not have HIDs on her '02 wagon and the lights are great on that car - - both high and low beams - - at least to my eyes. I'd never complain about the uniformity of illumination.

Sounds like I am stuck. Glad I don't drive that much at night.

Seems like a bit of a nice engineering innovation. Saves your time, too.

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Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles

Update: I ultimately determined the poor lighting I was experiencing on high beam wasn't due to height adjustment. I removed the bulbs and found that "MADE IN KOREA" label. The bulbs were those blue tinted type. Upon removing them and installing traditional bulbs, I found the high beam illumination to be quite good