Euro headlight reflektor quandary; please weigh in!
 

Hallo from Berlin Germany!

I am taking the plunge into the euro scheinwerfer changeout for my 114 '73 280 with some good luck I am finding success.

I found a pair of headlights for cheap cheap, but the reflectors are "blind" as they say in germany. So I walk into a mercedes dealership here in Berlin, and find the nicest man ever, and he works with me and discovers he has a pair in stock in that location. We were both flabbergasted, they cost way more than I got the headlights for. but what the heck, when I get back to the states I want to pop these babies in.

Now as I inspect, I find a problem! Here is where peach parts expertise comes in.

If you look at the photos:

The old main reflektor which is installed in the assembly has and extra hole cut and an extra bulb mounted as well. They are quite different actually :( The original reflector seems to hold two 12V 55w bulbs..

I'v looked at several aftermarket reflectors on ebay, which match to the OEM ones I have just purchased.

Has any one who have done these change-outs come across this problem?

Should I return these new reflectors while I'm still in Germany...?

Thanks much for any and all opinions!

W114 early lights are different then the late ones, the early ones use an R2 lamp, late ones ues an H4 halogen lamp. It looks like the reflectors the dealer got you are for R2 lamps. They make H4 lamps with an R2 base.

Do the reflectors physically fit in your housings?

-J

Here is a pic of the inside of the original reflector, and yes it is the same size.

Does this look familiar, the older/newer version you were speaking of.

It has housing for 2 12v 55w bulbs and one tiny bulb above.

Thanks for your thoughts~

I'm not familiar with your twin-lamp 55-watt 7" Euro reflectors, but my '60 Fintail has early Euros with one R2-Bilux bulb, and a second tiny bayonet-bulb mounted in each reflector that functions as a low-watt parking-light.
My early Fintail Euro wiring hook-up was strictly 'Plug-N-Play, but later cars may require some rewiring with a Euro conversion for all the lamps to function correctly.

Happy Motoring, Mark

It looks like your original lights took H1 lamps? I wasn't aware they made W114 fixtures that took those. Interesting...