Gaari Means Car. Car Reviews & Car News

By 

E. E. Campbell, III (Ewingville, The Hub of NJ) –

  

Replacing D1S bulbs these days reminds me of what it was like to get disk brakes repaired 30 years ago: it’s newer technology, many folks have no experience yet, thus there is fear. We later found disk brakes to be simpler to repair than shoe brakes, and the rest is history. The point is, the built-in HID headlight system is so complex that when a bulb blows, the failure can send all sorts of mortifying messages to the information display, or the dashboard, making you think you have to go to the dealer and spend five hundred dollars getting your HID system reconfigured, or some other such idiocy. The only trick at all to replacing these bulbs is the matching of the color. HID bulbs come in colors rated 4100º, which is somewhat yellowish, all the way up to about 16,000º, which is very purple, and not good at all for normal driving purposes. The most normal of the choices seems to be about 4,300º, which is almost yellow, to about 6,000º, which is what they call “bright white.” Probably the best thing to do is to just replace two bulbs at a time. It also seems the color shifts as the bulbs age, making it a little tougher to match colors based on a number. These bulbs seem to be in the 4100º area. I’m not sure, and this seller didn’t indicate in his item description what the color temperature is. This bulb does not match my other bulb at all, so I may end up buying a second one just so the car looks normal. The neighborhood retailers all want about a hundred and thirty dollars for D1S bulbs, apiece, so even with this additional purchase, I’m still ahead. Installation took a few minutes. I opened a protective cover on the back of the headlight assembly. This is about 4.5 inches in diameter, and rotates a few degrees to unlock, then just pulls out and gets set aside. Inside, there is a square housing, which is the base of the bulb, held in place by a spring clip. Unlatch this, back out the bulb, disconnect the wire connector from the bulb, and put the old bulb out of the way. Then move the new bulb partially into the assembly. Be very careful not to get any finger oil on the glass. Reattach the wire and slide it home. Latch the spring clip back into place, put the lid back on, and you are done. If you really want to feel good, call a Mercedes dealer and ask how much to replace an HID bulb. Then figure what you just saved yourself. You should then be able to justify going out for a very nice burger and a few beers to use up the hours you just didn’t waste sitting in a waiting room to get skinned. I put mine in a few hours ago. I have no idea how long it will last, or if my car will burn to the ground the next time I turn on the lights. But right now, I know I saved about $244.00 at the SAAB thief, and I’m spending the saved time eating a nice lasagna with my wife.

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