Today's ligthing project

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CincinnatiFiero
Posts: 2908
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2007 2:47 pm
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Today's ligthing project

Post by CincinnatiFiero »

If you guys are game to read about German cars a bit more I was going to try to post a little bit more in this section even if its not full on build threads. This was yesterdays brief project, and a lesson in what really is EURO.

First the 200TD wagon, had a friend in Holland send me some true Euro E-Code marker lights. On a Benz everyone calls clear lights euro, that is not the case, there may be a country or two where clear corners was their national law, but in Germany, France, Holland, UK, etc. E1 e-code turn signals do not have a reflector in them for a running light. The side markers are only uses on a German car of this era as a turn signal. The side marker is a "city light" inside the housing of the headlamp which you can really only see if the headlight is off but the parking lights are on.

USA left - E-Code Right
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Installed, disregard the crap stuck to the bottom of the headlight trim, previous owner had lamin-x or something to protect the glass euro lights, the plastic peeled off then my headlight was coated in dirty adhesive, I scraped it off, then got a phone call walked away, and didn't brush the adhesive off, temp warmed up, now its stuck to my car haha. I'll get some goo-gone or something on it soon. The difference is very subtle, but given my 200TD is true euro car, its correct, and I like the darker orange.
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The next project was French headlights. As many know France had yellow headlight laws in the 70s and 80s. On Benzes of the era for some reason they only seemed to have yellow fog lights. I do not know if maybe they used a yellow light filter over the hi/low bulb instead of a yellow reflector, like Mercedes did for yellow fog lights on USA-spec Benzes 1986-1993. Or if in French cars the fogs were wired as running lights. I don't know, but I've seen W124s in D.C. on French diplomat tags with the lights like this and seen Benzes in France, this is what they look like.
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This picture with the subtle yellow glow on the high/low reflector leads me to believe they just used a filter on that bulb
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So, here is my true Euro 1990 190E 2.0L imported from Spain with rest of Europe Bosch E-Code lights. The car has USA-spec turn signals on it, the car was never federalized, but I hit the corner of my garage and cracked the passenger side one and tore up the bumper strip. I put in a matching pair of USA side markers until my fresh matching set of E-codes came in from Holland.
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W201 190Es 87-93, W126s and W124s 86-93 in USA-spec have yellow fogs but they are yellow because of a filter like this
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1984-1986 with their hideous USA sealed beam lights have truly yellow fog light reflectors, and local pick and pull happened to have one.
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Got the reflectors for $6.99/ea, kind of a lot but I will bitch about p&p prices another time
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Opened up my Bosch E-codes
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E-code marker installed on the drivers side as well, you can see the difference between DOT and E-code.
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Including the trip to the junkyard it took about an hour to do this, I think it looks cool, and in the rain yellow fogs are very functional. Also I like it since its technically not "custom" is just a conversion to French Spec.
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Emc209i
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Location: Charleston, SC

Re: Today's ligthing project

Post by Emc209i »

Very good to know. Thanks for sharing. I hate sealed beams too.
The Dark Side of Will
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Re: Today's ligthing project

Post by The Dark Side of Will »

US lighting laws have been bass-ackwards for decades and DOT shows no indication of pulling its head out.

Euro lights are very fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

Euro lighting is a big deal in the BMW community... but there isn't a very good signal to noise ratio over what's legit and what's "cool" aftermarket crap, like angel eyes on an E30.
CincinnatiFiero
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Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2007 2:47 pm
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Re: Today's ligthing project

Post by CincinnatiFiero »

Mercedes people are the same way, whatever isn't US-spec is immediately called EURO, even if its an eBay made in taiwan projector LED angel eye embarrassment to styling,

I put E-codes or at least Depo reproductions of E-codes on almost all of my cars. No equipment inspections in Ohio and the difference in light output is simply incredible. Mercedes W124s, post '86 W126s, and '87-on W201s used these goofy faux sealed beams that are much better than the true 81-85 126 and 84-86 201 sealed beams and look much better, but still don't hold a candle to true E-codes. They are a glass housing separate from the fog light which sits under a plastic cover, and the high/low is an H4 bulb.

1984-1986 USA W201
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1987-1993 USA W201
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1984-1993 Euro E-codes
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