I have a 1983 300D and it looks like there was work done on the driver's side front at some point in the very distant past. All is well with it except the fog light was also replaced. Now the original fog lightg on the passenger's side is very, very faded, from yellow to essentially clear. The newer one is much more yellow (although badly faded itself). It's mostly just an issue of aesthetics, but it annoys me every time I see it or use the lights. Are there quality aftermarket reflectors that would fit? Can the OEM Boschs be re-yellowed? Or would I just have to shell out big money on fleabay for another old pair that are probably halfway through their life expectancy anyway? I'd appreciate any help if someone out there knows more than I do about it.

I was wondering the same thing. I have a nice yellow one and a half yellow/clear one.

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1985 300d smoke silver/red int. (204k) <--Sadie the 80's Mercedes from Hades!
1985 300TD 587 cabernet red/155 Creme (143k)
2007 Ford Expedition EL (54k)

"Seems to me you bought a hobby... not a car" - My dad.

FWIW. I saw some used fog lenses on ebay that weren't priced too bad. If I had a pick-n-pull here I'd just go find a decent one and yank it out.

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1985 300d smoke silver/red int. (204k) <--Sadie the 80's Mercedes from Hades!
1985 300TD 587 cabernet red/155 Creme (143k)
2007 Ford Expedition EL (54k)

"Seems to me you bought a hobby... not a car" - My dad.

Duplicolor metalcast paint, in yellow.

Colourless/White/Clear lamps converted to Selective Yellow

The orange works good on faded turn signal lenses too:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/312980-turn-your-yellow-us-turn-signals-into-dark-euro-turn-signals.html

-Jason

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

Good Idea!

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1985 300d smoke silver/red int. (204k) <--Sadie the 80's Mercedes from Hades!
1985 300TD 587 cabernet red/155 Creme (143k)
2007 Ford Expedition EL (54k)

"Seems to me you bought a hobby... not a car" - My dad.

I've also redarkened old red tails by spraying from the inside with testors candy Apple red model paint.

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1982 300sd from craigslist $800 greased on one tank with NO CONVERSION in the Hot Texas Sun. (currently dead & awaiting engine damage investigation and/or longblock swap)
new daily: '03 vw 5speed jetta tdi wagon. bagged&chipped

I got 2 replacements for my fogs from my local pick and pull just in case... I'd need to sell my car to be able to buy OEM. Besides, I'm saving my pennies for euro lights anyway...

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[/SIGPIC]~cirrusman

1983 Mercedes Benz 300SD - Wife calls him "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"
[SIGPIC]




1983 Toyota Tercel (Tommy, The little Toyota that could)
1965 Ford F100 (Grandma Ford)
2005 Toyota Sienna (Elsa, Wife's ride)


Gone:
1988 Toyota Pickup
2004 Subaru Outback

1987 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham
1986 Volvo 740 GL Station Wagon - Piece of junk.
1981 Volvo 242 DL 2 Door - Hated to see it go. R.I.P.
1987 Pontiac Fiero GT

Why does everyone want euro lights? is it cosmetic or do they function better? I like the looks of the round lights. The car looks a little too '80s with the squares IMO.

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1985 300d smoke silver/red int. (204k) <--Sadie the 80's Mercedes from Hades!
1985 300TD 587 cabernet red/155 Creme (143k)
2007 Ford Expedition EL (54k)

"Seems to me you bought a hobby... not a car" - My dad.

Compu 85, thanks for the idea!

I am soooo envious of all you people with junkyard cars to pull parts from...I've lived in this area for the better part of a decade and only seen one W123. And I bought it. So my parts sources not nearly that convenient.

Hey, about the euro lights. I converted my 300D to Bosch euro H4 lights and I absolutely love them--greatest investment ever, they really are hugely better than the American sealed beams. But I retained the original round front lights appearence and it only cost $50 (well, $70 including a pair of Bosch H4 bulbs). The Bosch H4 reflectors fit directly in place of the DOT sealed-beam bulbs with no modification or wiring work at all, it was amazingly straightforward. Check busdepot.com, they specialize in VWs but the VW bus uses the same 7" sealed beam that Mercedes does. They have a link to a great FAQ which will answer all your questions, too.

there are also clear fogs which the earlier 123s had - no fading. i myself do not like the yellows.

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'77 240D, 504H, OM617.952, etc.

Mostly, probably to look apart from the 'crowd' (not that there is much of a crowd of 1980s Mercedes running around in many places these days).

In addition, at one time the knockoff brand, or decent used OE ones, were a price-effective alternative if your car had busted up headlight doors with the NA-spec lights. That is why I had them on my w116. The headlamp doors used to be bizarrely expensive, but based on the last sets I saw on eBay they are now more reasonable.

I agree, the big square lights aren't everyone's taste. I find it depends on the model (I dislike them on Coupes) and even the colour of the particular car.

Honestly once I got them installed on my 300d I was a bit underwhelmed but as I had already earmarked the lovely, intact original headlamp doors and fogs for my TD, whose front end had seen too much TX/OK heat and sun, they stayed.

Many people prefer the 'round lamp' style of Euro lights but they are more expensive as I don't think there are any knockoffs for those.

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

The euro lights have much better output than most or all of the sealed beam lights you can buy today.

-J

Bringing this thread back from the dead with a long-term status update for anyone interested in the topic (insert spooky music and zombie groaning here).

I used Duplicolor Metalcast in yellow and it worked very well to darken the lights, using more coats lets you darken the shade to exactly what you want. Quite happy with that. Not so happy with the durability of the results, I got less than a year before the paint started flaking off the meticulously-cleaned glass. Not a huge shock, I guess, to get adhesion issues when painting on glass. But if you're interested in this method, try a coating of Duplicolor adhesion promoter first (probably my next step after I clean the old paint off) or try the Krylon yellow instead. Or just be ready to repaint.

And a quick note on faded taillights...my side running lights were distressingly pale and faded when on at night, but looked all right when off in the daylight. You can fix that, no problem and no paint, by switching to red LED bulbs. I'm hugely pleased with mine, if you go to the trouble of finding and paying for the good bulbs, they're bright and a beautiful deep shade of red now.

i heard rumors the 70s BMW 2002 amber foglights will work also
has anyone tried these..
id really like to score new ones.
i really love the amber look