Finally an end to the bad interior lighting! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

crhenkel · #1 09-21-2007, 08:07 PM

Anyone ever notice how dim and poor the interior lighting is inside our W201 190E and W124 300E and w126 cars? I have loved the car and hated the fact that at night in a dark parking lot you cant find a thing in the dark interior even with both front and rear interior lights on!

Well, I finally found a fix! After trying all sorts of different incandescent and LED festoon bulbs, I have finally found a bulb that is so very much brighter, not gaudy or hotter! The LED festoon bulb is awsome! You can get it in the 39 or 42 mm size and it is soooo much nicer now! I can see inside the car at night!

The bulbs are expensive $16-19 each, but they are LED, very bright, put off very little heat at all, less than the OEM bulb, and are the nice cool white color of the new Mercedes interior bulbs.

I got mine from a company online in St louis called superbrightleds.
www.superbrightleds.com but www.ledlight.com also has them. I would recommend anyone who is tired of teh dark interior check them out. I also found the most perfect instrument cluster lighting bulbs there too! Yes, i know all the dangers and I have worked on clusters for years, these bulbs are not too hot and they are a lot brighter! A lot! Very low heat. No melting the light paths.
PS: I wish I did, but I get nothing from either company and am not affiliated with either. I wish I was but I am not. The bulbs are pricey, but I have found them well worth in in both my MB cars.

aTOMic · #2 09-21-2007, 11:44 PM

42 Draft designs has them for $8. Ungodly bright LEDs and great service, too. Their 194 style superbright LEDs are scary bright.

(Link is fixed, thanks)

http://www.42draftdesigns.com/leds_hi.htm

crhenkel · #3 09-22-2007, 12:17 AM

Couldnt get the web link to work

250 Coupe · #4 09-22-2007, 02:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crhenkel

Couldnt get the web link to work

Too many https,

http://www.42draftdesigns.com/leds_hi.htm

Michael

crhenkel · #5 09-22-2007, 10:32 PM

42 draft designs has a nice line of LEDs and the festoon style interior led bulbs look as if they would provide the same type of lighting, but they so not seem to have the "magic" instrument cluster gauge bulb like ledlights does. they have a super hi intensity 194 style bulb that is a direct fit for the illunimation bulbs that has one led that fires forward and 4 leds that fire to the sides, placing one super hi output LED directly at the light path in our instrument cluster providing a crazy amount of white light on the gauges. They can even be bought in blue, red, and amber; if you want... I think I still like them better. Thanks for the link to a similar and less expensive festoon interior bulb though. I think I will try their interior bulbs to compare.

mbzr4ever · #6 09-25-2007, 11:03 PM

I'm putting an order in for the festoon replacement for my w123. Sure could use more light in the instrument panel - supposed to replace with 194 but there are so many different styles:

http://www.ledlight.com/detail.aspx?ID=132

Does it matter which one as long as it is a 194?

mbzr4ever · #7 06-28-2009, 09:59 PM

Well, I finally got the bulbs (45689) and installed them (fortunately, the instrument cluster came out without a problem) but

THEY ARE NOT WORKING!

I tried to turn them the other way, someone said something about the polarity, but still, nothing.

I was so looking forward to these bulbs, hate to have to return them.

This is for my 79 240D. How can I check if the bulbs are defective? Maybe I can't use the 45689 in the 240D?

Thanks for any direction on this.

mgburg · #8 06-28-2009, 10:42 PM

Check to be sure the rheostat is not turned down or off completely...and another thing to keep in mind...adjusting the voltage to the bulbs might void any warranty you might have...so check with the company to be sure the dimmer switch in your panel won't/isn't causing any problems there...

mbzr4ever · #9 06-29-2009, 02:17 AM

Mgburg, thanks for your reply. I checked and I did not touch the dimmer switch.

I just tried to use the old (good) bulb and now it is not working also. So both lights are not working, old or new bulbs.

How does the power get to the bulbs? The socket that holds the bulbs twist in/out, with small metal arms that look like they are supposed to touch to complete the circuit when twisted in correctly. No wires? Could a fuse be out?

I'll try and take a pix of the socket tomorrow when it is light.

mbzr4ever · #10 06-30-2009, 04:40 PM

Number 1 fuse was broken, so I replaced it. Took some pictures.

Then I noticed the glow plug light was not working.

I disconnected the battery for a minute then connected it again, because a few times when the glow plugs were not working, I did this and this fixed this.

Glow plug light still not working, and the #1 fuse I just replaced is broken again!

Replaced the #1 fuse again, connected the clock, and there is a clicking noise from the silver box, underneath, closest to the steering wheel. Won't start.

Did I just blow the starter or glow plug relay? Hoping it is just a grounding problem....

pawoSD · #11 06-30-2009, 10:07 PM

No you didn't blow the starter or GP relay, those are beefy units......that silver box is the turn signal relay....I wonder if you might have a short somewhere in there that keeps blowing the #1 fuse? I'd re-check everything carefully. Maybe the connector at the back of the ignition switch came off/loose?

I've been considering LED stuff for a long time......but I don't think I'd want the cluster any brighter than the stock lamps, I like it dim so it doesn't hurt my eyes while driving at night....it just needs to be bright enough to see the gauges....and its plenty bright for that. The dome light I would consider....but $15 is steep for a single festoon!

I just put in a later dome light in my '82 SD from a 1988 190E that has the map light in it, and the regular light is actually brighter than my old one....plus it has the map light. So I am happy with it for now.

The whole thing was like $1 at the junk yard. Plus the LED white would look weird against the other lights.....at the very least I'd have to use an amber LED.....

mbzr4ever · #12 06-30-2009, 11:17 PM

pawoSD,

Yes, I'll check again tomorrow. In the meantime, I disconnected the battery. Just seems strange, what should have been a simple bulb change, now the car won't start!

The new festoon I bought was "only " $8. Since it was the same order, I thought I could save on shipping. Moved what was the dome festoon to the glove box; bulb was burnt out there.

I'm very happy with the festoon, much brighter. I hear what you are saying about the LED bluish cast, but I understand these are supposed to last longer. This is what I ordered:

http://www.ledlight.com/SearchResult.aspx?KeyWords=85768

pawoSD · #13 07-01-2009, 01:03 AM

There's a ton of connections and such behind the cluster, if one was nearly loose it could have been easily disturbed by removing the cluster.

Careful with that oil line in there!

mbzr4ever · #14 07-01-2009, 03:42 AM

Oil line? Do you mean the cable that connects to the gauge for the oil pressure? I did not disconnect - too hard to take off.

jcmoyer2004 · #15 09-21-2013, 12:40 PM

Are all the bulbs for the dash and a/c controls 194 bulbs on a 85 300D? I'm wanting to change out my dash lights but want them to match with the other panel lights in the car. Also how many total bulbs do I need to swap all the interior lights to led?