Xenons not bright, 2005 E320s
 

I am looking at a 2005 E320 wagon, with xenons.
They are clearly not bright.
I believe that only the low beams in this car are xenon.
Plastic lens is a little faded, but not enough to cause the light drop off that I see.

Any ideas as to what might the problem be, and cost.


I recently gave up my 124 wagon with 206k miles.
Leased a 2013 C300 w4. GREAT CAR!

Looking for another wagon for the fleet.

thanks,
Paul T

xenons not bright
 

I guess I was trying to say,
Is it likely that the ballast is at fault?
Or, are the bulbs replaceable?
Do I need the entire headlight housing?

Xenons do age and color shift. Get some 5000 kelvin degree temperature bulbs. Reputable brand.

Make sure the headlights are also aimed properly too. This may sound unrelated, but it's so common on Xenons I recommend it to *everyone*.

not bright
 

They are somewhat downcast.
I don't know if that self-leveling bucket can be aimed.

The W211 pre-facelift headlights can be aimed.
The procedure is similar to this.

Make sure to aim it against the door of a garage, or something similar.

That's great
 

thanks for that.

There is a procedure in the owners manual for the MY1998 on how to adjust them. It involves parking near a flat vertical surface (wall, garage door), making some marks and then backing up about 25'. For accuracy the car must be on a level surface. The modules have a built-in bubble level and two hex knobs for vertical and horizontal adjustment. As mentioned, bulbs age and develop a color shift. They should be replaced as pairs.

It was the bulbs;
 

2005 E320 wagon with dim xenons.
Bgt two bulbs from Amazon, $70.
Done.