Barry45RPM

Working with Hella, a world-renowned lighting manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz has made a new Bi-Xenon headlamp system available on their E-Class models. The system provides up to 90% better illumination than even regular Xenon headlamps.

Bi means two, and Bi-Xenon refers to two lights in one unit. Both low beam and high beam are Xenon lights. There is really only one filament inside the bulb projector unit but it is used for both high and low beams. To switch from one to the other, a mechanical shutter is moved electrically to its raised position to focus the light through the lens for low beam and the shutter is lowered to focus the light for high beam. Rather than move the shutter when the driver wants to "flash the high beams to pass" as they do in many European countries, there is an additional bulb that provides the brief flash of light.

Part of the better illumination provided by the Bi-Xenon system is because both low and high beam use the Xenon bulb. Most Xenon systems have only low beam and use a conventional halogen bulb for high beam. Xenon bulbs provide twice as much illumination as a halogen bulb but with only 1/3 the power consumption.

Here's The link to the full article... (When you get to the part about the self test don't let it make you crazy!)

Read The Full Story Here...

BooBoo

First, there is NO filament in a xenon capsule. What you have is an electrically charged xenon gas (and other impurities) inside a glass capsule, powered by a step-up transformer (aka, ballast).

A filament is that coil-looking thread inside your conventional incandescent or halogen bulb. When electricity is introduced, this material glows (turning electrical energy to heat). Filament burn-out is controlled by argon and other mixed gasses inside the bulb.

Second, there is only 1 xenon "unit" inside a bixenon assembly. As stated in the article, a mechanical shutter is responsible for focusing/blocking light to/from the proper reflector to produce the low beam and expanded (high) beam.

Brian_I.

Good information. And yes, boox2 is right.

lpolo

Hmm.. my car is W211 2004 E500. I ordered with sport-package and entertainment package. One thing I noticed is that the car can auto-level the headlight when I start the engine, but it doesn't have active cornerlight. The headlight only does up-down, but doesn't do left-right. So, I assumed it doesn't have the active cornering light.

SO, does it mean my car have Bi-Xenon? I never observed the headlight system. All I know is when I use the HIGH BEAM, the "2-INNER HEADLIGHTS" turned on very bright. But they are only conventional halogen bulbs. I think the "2-OUTER XENON HEADLIGHTS" stay same bright. I am not sure because the high beam is bright enough already. Please advise, if I have Bi-Xenon or not.

BooBoo

BiXenon refers to the projector/reflector/shutter assembly.

The motor function that move this entire assembly up and down is called the automatic range adjuster, while the motor function that moves the same assembly left and right is called the active cornering feature.

lpolo

Booboo:

Does it mean my car have Bi-Xenon?

Hey, can you post picture of your car to my e-mail? I am eager to see E500 with E55 AMG bodykit. How much did they charge you? PM or e-mail to: bigbulus@yahoo.com

Really appreciate it.

glojo

If your vehicle has a build date newer than Dec 03 then it will NOT do the "left-right" pre-check no matter whether you actually have active headlights or just the basic bi-xeon lights.

If you go to a thread titled Urgent European Active Headlights (or similar) there is all the information you will need.

Good luck with your car,

John
Sunny Torquay

DavidNJ

Active cornering headlights are easy to spot, the projector assembly is flush with the housing. In not active units it projects in front of the housing.

Bi-xenon is nearly impossible to tell vs. low-beam only xenon because the shutter is hard to see in the projector assembly. However I believe all W211s were bi-xenon. Please correct me if I am wrong on this.

glojo

Unfortunately most of this information is wrong, there is a possibility that US spec vehicles MIGHT all have bi-xeon lights.

Sorry

John
Hot Torquay

DavidNJ

Let's see, the first paragraph is correct.

The first sentence of the second paragraph is correct. I've tried many times ti see the difference in Porsche's and BMWs unsuccessfully. Needed to read the window sticker to tell.

So I guess their are W211 with low beam only xenons?

W210

My understanding is that if you have xenon in the W211 in North America, it will be bi-xenon. It should be relatively easy to tell as the high beams are much brighter. The inside halogens will also lit up.

DavidNJ

Clarification to my second paragraph. It is difficult to tell if the car is turned off and locked. It is moderately easy to tell if you can turn the high beams on (xenons are 6500K, halogens are 3400k)

Barry45RPM

Since most of the US spec cars Bi Xenons only look up & down at start up, (easy to see at start-up) they ARE Bi Xenons...The major topic of disagreement is whether they are ACTIVE, or actually turn a little when cornering, and NO ONE in the world can answer that question for us. Anyone awake at M-B USA? How come we cant get a definitive answer? Window stickers don't agree verbally with the American brochures that describe the light option causing even more confusion. And while the lights, whatever they are, provide fabulous illumination and are well worth the money, we would like to know if there was indeed a substitution we all don't know about... Its more about allaying our suspicions.

M-B owners are NOT Toyota Camry type owners who are content to get from one place to another with no problems. We need to know and understand our cars and all their nuances. Its a relationship with a car. Not personal transportation.

imthduke

The way I know my lights are cornoring is to cornor At night driving slowly when you turn the wheel back and forth...the light sweep back and forth looking for the center.

lpolo

Well I can live without Active Cornering Headlights. But I am not sure if my 2004 W211 has Bi Xenon headlights. Anyone knows how to confirm it for sure? Read previous posts here and can't get definite answer. Yes, the headlight is bright for sure, but when I do high-beam the only thing that is lighting up is the halogen beam. The xenon only do low-beam.

scorchie

If you have a US car with xenon headlights, it is bixenon. That's all there is to it. There are no headlights in the US that are not either bixenon or halogen-only.

Isn't this good enough proof?

If you must have more, have someone sit in the car and flip between high beam and low beam. You should stand next to the headlight (prefereably with the engine not running) and hear the click-clack of the shutter solenoid. If you don't hear it, don't come back here and say "well I am not sure" because the only way you are going to be sure is if you take the headlight apart and view the shutter/solenoid assembly.

-s-

glojo

I totally agree, the 211 will either have halogen headlights or bi-xeon. The active option is a seperate issue and this is an 'extra' in some countries. The US I believe have only very recently started importing vehicles with this fitting. Here in the UK it is option 616, but that only applies here due to the fact that we drive on the correct side of the road. The European option number is a different set of numbers. Unfortunately I have read differing numbers when I have looked at US spec vehicles.

Bi-xeon though are excellent headlights and well worth paying the extra money.

Regards,
John
Sunny Torquay

BooBoo

How to tell...

1) If your car is equipped with XENONs...

- the first time you turn on your headlights, the color of your lights starts out as a slightly bluish tone then turns into white.

2) If your car has BIXENONs...

- turn on your high beams and observe the low beam projector preferably against a wall; if the light "scatters" (in some cases, a clicking is heard - shutter), then you have bixenons. In the W211, the shutter is enabled with the actual high beam headlamps (the ones closer to the grille).

3) If your car has RANGE ADJUSTERS...

- Your low beam headamps go up then down the moment it is turned on.

Contrary to the US belief (US DOT), this is not always the case that this is coupled with the Xenon headlamps. In some countries, the RANGE ADJUSTERS are also present on HALOGEN headlamps.

4) If your car has ACTIVE HEADLIGHTS...

Your lights move to the direction your steering wheel is turned above 8mph.

Nonetheless, here is a picture of the PHYSICAL COMPARISON from a shop's website.



Take note of the low beam ellipsoid.

W211 Ryda

Another way of checking for bi-xenon is to park your car against a wall... cover up the inner high beams (halogens)...turn on your headlights (the xenons)....then turn on your highs permanently by moving the turn signal switch "forward". Now check to see if the xenon light moves upward against the wall or if the light intensity increases.

Barry45RPM

Excellent work you guys! Clear accurate info w/ pictures. Gotta love this board!
B

glojo

Hi Barry45RPM,
I just thought of a really easy way of knowing if the 211 has bi-xeon headlights.

If the vehicle has an adjuster wheel to alter the angle of the headlights (located on the dash) then you have halogen lights. No adjuster, means you have bi-xeons.

Apollo has posted a photograph showing his COMAND and evidently the adjuster wheel can clearly be seen. Bi-xeon headlights are an optional extra on the Elegance.

Nice speaking to you,
John
Windy Torquay

W210

John, North American W211s actually do not have the adjuster wheel for their halogen headlights, unlike the European version.

glojo

Hi 210
Whoops, there was me laying in bed last night congratulating myself on thinking of this easy option.

Thank you very much for putting me right. This forum really highlights the differences in the 211.

Thanks again,
John
Windy Torquay

Barry45RPM

Actually, I AM SURE my car has BiXenons. (Although I never noticed the difference in the projectors until I saw the photos) I noticed they look up & down every start, and the illumination is great. I just am not so sure they are active, or turn with the wheel. Either way, I'm happy with them & would never have known that there were Bi Xenons that are NOT active if I hadn't read about some suspicions on this board. I can't believe there are so many versions of the same car & so many versions of the same option. Maybe a good way to save some money would be for MB to not have so many variations on each option, types of wood trim, etc. Anyway, except for my rear end seal leak/rear end replacement, and audio system software update, the car has been otherwise trouble free & enjoyable to 5,000 miles. I wouldn't mind them coming up with a software update for the 7 speed to smooth it out at very slow parking lot speeds.

DTMCLK

hi Barry45RPM.

I have Bi-xenon on W209 CLK

however I notice that only the low beam is xenon light and the high beam looks just normal halogen light is that correct?

because i defintely sure i ordered the bixenon headlight.

how to verify?

Cheers