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Old 04-22-2013, 12:08 PM   #1
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Upgrade Headlight Bulb in 2000 E350 ?

Being a novice, I wanted to know if it is possible and makes sense to upgrade
the light bulb in my headlamps for my 2000 E350?

I was going to buy a set of Rigid D2's for driving lights as extra comfort while on dark roads.

Then I thought maybe I can save money by upgrading the light bulb in the stock headlamp
on it now. I don't even know what the current wattage is but I do know that many other vehicles provide greater depth and much brighter than mine.

Any suggestions would be great.

thanks
copes

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Old 04-22-2013, 02:12 PM   #2
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Re: Upgrade Headlight Bulb in 2000 E350 ?

I haven't tried it in the van but I did this in a couple of other cars. The brighter bulbs were brighter but the optics weren't correct and they blinded oncoming drivers. They also burnt out a lot faster.
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Old 04-22-2013, 02:22 PM   #3
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Re: Upgrade Headlight Bulb in 2000 E350 ?

I know this has come up a number of times, maybe it was BillWillson or Gnarvan. A little searching should find it.


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Old 04-22-2013, 04:23 PM   #4
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Re: Upgrade Headlight Bulb in 2000 E350 ?

I replaced mine with some PIAA http://www.highperformancebulbs.com/pixtwhpl90ht2.html which helped, but the biggest improvement was replacing the headlight assemblies themselves as the lenses had hazed over. Also make the van look much nicer!
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Old 04-22-2013, 07:00 PM   #5
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Upgrade Headlight Bulb in 2000 E350 ?

I upgraded mine and got new enclosures. They are almost worse and the high beams are definitely worse. An HID kit is the only way to go I'm afraid. My lighting is basically the piaa lights on my bumper right now. Maybe an led light bar would do the trick also.
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Old 04-23-2013, 03:57 PM   #6
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Re: Upgrade Headlight Bulb in 2000 E350 ?

Thank you Baja.....for the link as I will try that before replacing the the unit.

I have read or seen TV ads for a product that is like a polish to take the haze off lens.

I will try to locate that as well. Thanks.
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Old 04-23-2013, 04:17 PM   #7
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Re: Upgrade Headlight Bulb in 2000 E350 ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by copescobra
...I have read or seen TV ads for a product that is like a polish to take the haze off lens.

I will try to locate that as well. Thanks.
While I have a headlight polishing kit, which works well BTW, in a pinch, you can used toothpaste which is a mild polishing material.


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Old 04-23-2013, 06:35 PM   #8
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Upgrade Headlight Bulb in 2000 E350 ?

Or Brasso, it works too.
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Old 04-23-2013, 07:15 PM   #9
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Re: Upgrade Headlight Bulb in 2000 E350 ?

The replacement (aftermarket) cost me $23.00 ea.
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Old 04-23-2013, 11:16 PM   #10
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Re: Upgrade Headlight Bulb in 2000 E350 ?

FWIW: Retrofitting HID elements without also replacing the reflector with a projector lens is fundamentally broken. It is very unlikely to result in reasonable low beams.

Swapping in projectors is lots of work, unless you can find a third party assembly for the whole thing -- I'm not aware of one for the ford vans.

I have the non-sealed beam type headlamps, and am happy with them, once I polished them and swapped in some Sylvania SilverStar Ultra bulbs. The PIAA's are likely even nicer, but are usually just a bit more money.
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