MB Medic Mercedes-Benz Repair Guides, Service, How To DIY
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In this guide (7 sections)
How to remove, upgrade, and install a new headlight assembly on your Mercedes-Benz E-Class. You can either replace the headlights with OEM Halogen units or upgrade to projector HID lights.
These instructions will be helpful to owners of W210 E-Classes, such as E320, E430, E55 AMG, and E240. Those who own CLK320, CLK430, and W208 will also find the removal and installation instructions helpful. Note that the headlights for W210 and W208 are different.
How to DIY replacement/removal of W210 Headlights Assembly
Follow these instructions to remove the headlight from a 1996-2002 Mercedes-Benz E-Class W210. On the facelift E-Class, you must loosen the front bumper to remove the headlights. You can follow the instructions in this article to learn how to remove the front bumper of the W210 for a facelift.
Tools Required
Parts Required
Part numbers plus Euro Projector Headlight upgrade options with links to corresponding listings on Amazon and Amazon can be found at the end of the article.
OPTIONAL
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| Â Mercedes Benz W210 E320 E430 E-Class Clear Projector Head Lights Lamps | Mercedes Benz W210 E-Class E320 E430 Black Projector Headlights |
Instructions
- Open the hood.
- Remove the 8mm bolt on top of the headlight assembly.
- Remove the 8 mm nut on the side of the headlight assembly. The front bumper covers this. Remove the 10 mm bolt that holds the front bumper cover to the headlight.
- Remove the bolt from the lower outer side of the headlight.
- Disconnect the headlight wiring harness.
Disconnect the turn signal bulb. 
- Pull out the headlight assembly. If you have difficulty pulling out the headlight, you can remove the 10mm bolts from the fender, which will loosen the fender and give you room to remove the headlight assembly. Headlight removed.Â
- Install new headlights in reverse order.Â
- Adjust the low beam aim after you install the new headlights. This is not optional and it is covered properly below.
Disconnect the turn signal bulb. 
If you have difficulty pulling out the headlight, you can remove the 10mm bolts from the fender, which will loosen the fender and give you room to remove the headlight assembly. 
Headlight removed. 
Video W210 Headlight Removal / Upgrade
Mercedes W210 Projector Headlight Upgrades
If you are looking for the best price on W210 Euro Headlights, check out these W210 projector headlight listings on Amazon and Amazon.
W210 E-Class Headlight Assembly Part Numbers
Here are some part numbers related to W210 headlights. These are for Hella Halogen headlight assemblies. You must know if your Mercedes-Benz has HID lights or halogen bulbs.
- 00-02 Mercedes W210 E320 E430 E55 Headlight Halogen Front Right OEM 2108201661
- 96-99 Mercedes W210 E320 E420 E55 Headlight Halogen Front Left OEM 2108201561
- 2000 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG W210 #1005 Right HID Xenon Headlight 2108204461
- 97 98 99 MERCEDES BENZ E CLASS E300 E320 E430 OEM RIGHT XENON HEADLIGHT 2108205061
Aiming the new headlights, which is the step people skip
A replacement assembly does not arrive aimed for your car. Wherever its adjusters happened to sit when it was boxed is where your beam will point, and that is as likely to be aimed into oncoming windshields as at the road. Fitting the light is the easy half.
How to set it. Park square on level ground, a measured distance from a flat wall or garage door, with the car loaded the way you normally drive it and a reasonable amount of fuel in it, because weight in the back lifts the beam. Mark the height of the center of each headlight on the wall, switch to low beam, and turn the adjuster screws until each cutoff sits just below its mark and both sides match each other. Check the result on a dark road before you call it done.
Do each side separately by covering the other, or you will chase a line made by two beams at once.
Halogen or xenon matters before you order
The part numbers above are deliberately mixed, with halogen and HID xenon assemblies side by side, and the article is right that you must know which your car has. Ordering the wrong one is an expensive mistake, and on a xenon car there is a handling issue too, because the igniter behind the bulb runs at thousands of volts. The checks for telling halogen from xenon are set out here, and they take a minute.
If the car does have xenon, switch the lights off and the ignition off and take the key out before anything comes apart, and do not handle the bulb or igniter with the system live.
If a bulb warning appears afterwards
Fitting a different assembly or a different bulb type can leave a bulb out message on the cluster with the light visibly working, because these cars judge a bulb by the current the circuit draws rather than by whether anything is lit. A full system scan tells you whether that message is a live fault or one stored during the swap, and the YOUCANIC UCAN-II Pro reads and clears the body modules that hold bulb monitoring, which a basic OBD-II reader does not reach.
Related reading
Before you buy parts, scan every control module, not just the engine. It shows the root fault behind the warning lights and tells you whether the problem is still active. See how to do a full health check.
