I'm looking for recommendations on upgrading my 2016 GLE headlights to HID ones. I've looked around online and there seems to be a lot of options and price ranges. I noticed that they appear to look different so does that mean they require a different level or type of installation? I am not handy so I am looking for just a 'plug and play' type of installation. For example I saw 'Philips Ultinon LED Kit 6000K White H7 Two Bulbs Head Light Low Beam Replacement'.

Any brand and model recommendations would be appreciated.

 

I can not help with your exact question. We purchased a 2016 GLE with the 319/640 Option; 319 Lighting Package: Dynamic LED Headlights; 640 : LED Dynamic Headlamps, 608 : Adaptive Highbeam Assist
These things are amazing, even in broad daylight.

We also have a 2007 ML350. I tried replacing the halogens with new LED aftermarket H7 bulbs. They worked o.k. but I constantly got an error on the dash that the headlights were out. Could not get the computer reset to recognize the lower power consuming LED's. Switched back to the halogens.

One of the problems I encountered with the aftermarket LED bulbs is, most of them have a large heatsink at the base of the bulb. The heatsink interferes with the ability to put the headlight enclosure cap back on. You do not want to leave the cap off. If you do, dust and dirt will collect inside the headlight enclosure, and get the reflector and optics dusty. It won't be a thing of beauty over time.

You may want to see if you can get the above referenced 319/640 Option from a MB parts dealer. You'll likely have to replace the entire headlight enclosure with bulbs included. If it's a plug and play upgrade with a complete new headlight and can be done, you will not be disappointed.

Wish I could be more help. Good luck.

 

Hello - if you're car does not already have HIDs in place, I don't think that you can simply do a 'plug and play' - it will require a new control unit and some electrical configuration. There are adapter kits available, but are $$

 

I upgraded the headlights on my 2015 ML350 from the stock halogens to HID, so I can answer this.
Firstly, to ventilate a bit, it is really surprising that Mercedes, or any brand that purports to be high end, would be selling a car in 2015 with headlights as lousy as these Mercedes stock halogens! I bought my ML350 a couple years ago as a CPO, test drove it in the daytime, and it never occurred to me check out the headlights. Big mistake. I guess I forgot headlights can be an issue because every car I've had for the last 20 years had good headlights. My 2000 Acura TL, which costs a fraction of the ML350 had WAY BETTER xenon headlights. So did two Honda minivans and my stock 2004 BMW E46. Anyway, if you are trying to deal with this issue, I hope this helps:

I upgraded my lowbeams with HID's instead of LED's because the headlight housing doesn't have enough room for the LED heatsink.
The ML350 takes an H7 bulb and you will need an adapter b/c Mercedes uses a proprietary base that holds the H7 bulb in place and the bulb plugs into. The aftermarket adapter is just a small metal piece that holds the new HID bulb in place.
PARTS:
I used the GTR Ultra Series H7 HID System 35 watt 5000K GTR Lighting Ultra Series H7 HID System I HR (headlightrevolution.com)
The adapter I used is this from GTR (it was not visible on their website) H7 HID Adapters: Euros HID Bulb Adapters I GTR (gtrlighting.com)
Or this adapter on Amazon looks about the same The only other items I needed were some black zip ties and a spade drill bit set
PROCEDURE:
- turn the front wheel all the way over and turn off the car
- Remove plastic access door from inside front wheel well (pull the pin out and slide the door up)
- unscrew the round plastic cover on the back of the headlight housing, about a quarter turn and it's off
- unscrew the headlight bulb base (with the two wires) about a quarter turn and it will come out
- observe how the bulb base clips in to the headlight housing, you are going to need to use the aftermarket metal adapters to do this on the HID's
- remove the old bulb from the base (I used a screwdriver to gently pry it out while holding the little metal tab away)
Prep the new headlight system:
- Thread the wires and rubber grommet on the new bulb system thru the adapter so the bulb base can be seated against the adapter
- Clean the adapter and metal base of the bulb with rubbing alcohol
- Glue the adapter to the base of the bulb. I spread Krazy Glue on the adapter where it seats against the base of the bulb and clamped them together (gently) for an hour. (The glue bond was strong enough to hold the bulb and the adapter together which made it easier to work with).
- Drill a hole in the round plastic headlight housing cover that you unscrewed from the back of the headlight housing. The hole has to be big enough to thread the HID system plugs thru. I used a 1" spade bit, but 7/8 might have worked too. The GTR instructions said 3/4" but that was too small. Measure the right size before you drill, it is much easier than enlarging it after.
- Thread the HID system wires and plugs thru the hole you drilled, and fit the rubber grommet into the hole so it is weathertight
Install the headlight:
- clean the HID bulb with rubbing alcohol to remove any oil from your fingers
- gently insert the bulb with the adapter glued to the back so that it is properly seated in the headlight housing. Holding the adapter, carefully turn clockwise so that it is secure in the housing (if the bulb comes unglued from the adapter it is very difficult to work with). I did it with the blue (positive) wire on the top and the black (ground wire on the bottom, but I am not sure if that makes difference.
- connect the HID's power by plugging the two spade connectors on the HID headlight wires into the base the halogen H7 bulb was originally plugged into. I think the ground wire goes closest to the indented tab.
- push the loose wires into the headlight housing
- install the round cover door to the headlight housing, turning clockwise to close up the headlight housing
- figure out where you are going to mount the ballast inside the engine compartment (better to keep it away from the engine) I used the foam adhesive pads in the kit to glue it to the bottom of the headlight housing on the driver's side and another flat surface on the passenger side (clean surface with rubbing alcohol first)
- connect the wire plugs from the ballast to the plugs from the HID bulb that are coming out of the headlight housing, start up your vehicle and make sure the headlight works with no error codes
- Permanently affix the ballast to the location you selected
- zip tie the wires so they won't shake around
- re-install the plastic cover in the wheel well
- repeat the procedure on other side

I just completed the install today and took the ML350 for a spin. It was all good. Works fine - no error codes. The quality of the lighting is good, not great. (For example it is not as good as my 2016 Acura MDX with LEDs). But it is a huge improvement over the Mercedes stock halogens, which I thought were unacceptably weak, yellow and dim. The HID's with 5000K give you a nice bright white white beam.