Since the launch of the mk3 on thing for me that has always looked a little plain is the LED DRL in the headlight.  On its own it has little style, no shape just plain and flat.

I though I would have a go at a little modification so I have now customer crafted a set of Genuine OE Mercedes E Class / C Class DRL's into the mk3 original fog light housings.  It wasn't exactly simple but the results are very good - they look very factory fitted.

 

Previously I put in Cree 30w H8 replacement bulbs but they just didn't look right - poor optics of the lens (not designed for LED).

I picked the merc ones that I'm sure everyone has seen because they are extremely bright but very 'white' in colour.  They also employ a diffuser lens on the front to create a block of light using just 4 LED's rather than lots of LED's in a run where you see little dots.

 

Here are the LED units

 

I was surprised to see the LED was so small and actually not that bright - you do get what you pay for and the curved reflector design really amplifies the brightness.

 

I started by cutting the back of the fog light housings to remove all of the reflectors and gut the inside.

 

Test fit of the Merc LED unit into the housing - getting the exact angle right was a little tricky but the reflectors inside the DRL are not straight.  Luckily they are angled so the back does not have to be straight.  

 

Power up and checked working, they are only 2 pin - battery voltage at full brightness and PWM'd for dimming

 

I soldiered a H8 plug on the end so it will plug into the fog light harness without modification (plug and play), then sealed them up and fitted them.

I just have to decide now on whether to keep the original DRL in the headlight AND these or disable them completely (they are currently disabled) - I'm thinking on it :-)

They are currently programmed as 100% on DRL's and then dimmed down to 25% for side lights.

 

Pics fitted 

ON THEIR OWN

 

WITH THE ORIGINALS AS WELL

 

HEADLIGHTS WITHOUT ORIGINALS

 

HEADLIGHTS WITH ORIGINALS (ignore the brightness as they were at 100% not dimmed to 35% as standard)

 

 

Close ups

Edited 1 March, 201511 yr by xpower

SWMBO must be very....er....accommodating!  Mine would go mad if I started modifying car parts on the dining table. 

Haha, she is indeed!!! If I'm happy messing then she's happy :-)

Neat wee project.

I don't get the 'style' though. Your thoughts are the OEM lights lack design, being just a straight line of light. So you created your own, stright line of light instead? I was expecting something like that tick shape that's styled into the front bumper.

Like I say though, neat wee project.

I quite like double DRL effect. Nice to make use of the foglights. They seem useless to me at the moment.

Neat wee project.

I don't get the 'style' though. Your thoughts are the OEM lights lack design, being just a straight line of light. So you created your own, stright line of light instead? I was expecting something like that tick shape that's styled into the front bumper.

Like I say though, neat wee project.

I get that comment, I just feel like the mk3 vRS has no distinguishing features in terms of presence. You could have an elegance (example only) behind you with led DRL and bixenons which looked the same as a vRS. At least with the mk2 if it had LEDs in the bumper it was a vRS - very distinguishable.