[n_roorda]

Anyone expierience the pleasure of having the defective lamp notice on thier dash for the city/parking lights? I replaced and it blew out again. $8 bucks a bulb. I had a buddy put a volt meter to it and it read fine putting out 12volts. Did notice the plastic around the metal casing where bulb sits was broke and exposed. Thought maybe the exposed metal was somehow touching the inner part of the hpusing for the light??? but isnt the housing made of some sort of ceramic?

Well temp fix is i took out the other bulb BUT still having to deal with defective lamp light..if you can help, please let me know! Thanks

1999 E430 pre-facelift

 

[Kajtek1]

You want to get rid of warning without installing new bulb?
Get metric electrical tape and metric slide caliper.
Use the caliper to measure the width of the cluster display, cut the tape to the size and put it over it.

 

[Check Codes]

They sell a repair kit that is the socket with pigtails. In fact I have one in my car, just trying to find time to replace it. Once the socket cracks (mine has) that can momentarily interrupt current flow, which can cause bulbs to blow. You also want to *not* handle the bulb and if you do, clean it with alcohol before installing it back into the fixture.

Last, stop buying bulbs at the stealer. I learned that lesson very quickly and in fact put together a list of every exterior bulb on the car (most of them are oddball things) and then ordered at least one of every bulb (2+ of some) from autohausaz.com. I keep them in a little rubbermaid container in the trunk with some small bubble wrap to protect them, so when one blows, I have it on hand. And I saved more than a hundred dollars over typical stealer prices.

Good luck.

 

[n_roorda]

could it possibly be an exposed wire? a short of some sort? like i stated the volt meter read 12volts?

i do SEEM to smell a slight electrical burning and when i checked it out the metal inside the plastic pigtail casing was burnt slightly..
CODECHECK where did you buy the pigtails and waht was the part number?

 

[Check Codes]

I got it from Parts.com, it's currently $14.40 but shipping will add a bit so buy some other stuff to make it worth your while. List is $24, and dealers charge whatever they want.

P/N: 210826058264 Description: LAMP HOLDER

The metal inside isn't really the issue, it's that the plastic actually holds the pins on the base of the bulb. Once it cracks the bulb is no longer held securely; one ear is totally broken off mine. They get brittle from the heat, mine broke after I replaced a bulb and was re-inserting the socket into the housing.

 

[n_roorda]

thanks for the help CHECK CODES..i will buy new harness for both as i notice the other side breaking abit also.

So the broken pieces of plastic is what is making the bulbs blow out immediatly after i turn on the parking lights?

Is it possible for you to explain to me how this happens? Thanks again

 

[Kajtek1]

Last, stop buying bulbs at the stealer. I learned that lesson very quickly and in fact put together a list of every exterior bulb on the car (most of them are oddball things) and then ordered at least one of every bulb (2+ of some) from autohausaz.com. I keep them in a little rubbermaid container in the trunk with some small bubble wrap to protect them, so when one blows, I have it on hand. And I saved more than a hundred dollars over typical stealer prices.

Good luck.

I am learning new part of you Greg.
Howcome you drive so much with lights on?
In last 20 years in CA I spend likely $50 on automotive light bulbs and most of those were not for MB

 

[Musikmann]

I have had only 2 bulb failures since I bought the beast almost 6 years ago. One was a brake light, and the other one of the marker lights up front. For that matter, I can't remember the last time I had failures in my other 2 cars and both are several years older than Benzie.

 

[sleepysan]

anyone ever change the city lights to something less yellow? i'm sure this is an old topic. I just did the headlight restore and my regular headlights are super bright now. Just makes the old city lights look that much more yellow.

 

[Elvis_Presley]

to me the yellow makes it look more European. You should embrace the look!

 

[renault12ts]

to me the yellow makes it look more European. You should embrace the look!

Emm...we are changing ours in Europe to LED because they are too yellow.

 

[Elvis_Presley]

you guys are getting rid of everything that's cool about you! First, you get rid of l the different and odd currency, and now this!
I haven't been there in more than ten years. Don't tell me people don't roll their own cigarettes anymore, have stopped taking naps in the afternoon, etc...

 

[Kajtek1]

Human taste change every few years. Now the cars stylized to those manufactured in 1960's are the hot item.
I personally hate the LED light in present designs. Not only got blinded at red light by them, but yesterday on Audi barely recognized blinker, what was a row of about 10 LED spread on about 2 feet section under the front bumper.

 

[renault12ts]

you guys are getting rid of everything that's cool about you! First, you get rid of l the different and odd currency, and now this!
I haven't been there in more than ten years. Don't tell me people don't roll their own cigarettes anymore, have stopped taking naps in the afternoon, etc...

Don't confuse France with the rest of Europe.

 

[renault12ts]

Human taste change every few years. Now the cars stylized to those manufactured in 1960's are the hot item.
I personally hate the LED light in present designs. Not only got blinded at red light by them, but yesterday on Audi barely recognized blinker, what was a row of about 10 LED spread on about 2 feet section under the front bumper.

Strange what you say... Audis with LEDs dim the LEDs when the blinkers are turned on.

 

[Kajtek1]

Strange what you say... Audis with LEDs dim the LEDs when the blinkers are turned on.

I think I wrote 2 separate issue in confusing way. The hard to recognize blinker was under front bumper and it wasn't even a straight line, but looked like a wing.
In US lot of vehicles have tons of lights on them, when I did see motorcycle with about 30 marker lights. Is such arrangement it is hard to tell LED blinker spread on wide area from marker lights.
Talking about French, do they still have 2 months vacations every year?

 

[renault12ts]

I think I wrote 2 separate issue in confusing way. The hard to recognize blinker was under front bumper and it wasn't even a straight line, but looked like a wing.
In US lot of vehicles have tons of lights on them, when I did see motorcycle with about 30 marker lights. Is such arrangement it is hard to tell LED blinker spread on wide area from marker lights.
Talking about French, do they still have 2 months vacations every year?

Only if there are 2 months in the year

 

[sleepysan]

you guys crack me up. i never really noticed until i was driving another car in front of my wife.. there must be something to do with out the look of leds.

 

[Check Codes]

I am learning new part of you Greg.
Howcome you drive so much with lights on?
In last 20 years in CA I spend likely $50 on automotive light bulbs and most of those were not for MB

Maybe I should clarify. I didn't use all the bulbs at once, I just bought them all at once. But for the price of a few bulbs at the dealer, I have the entirety for whenever the need arises.

But this car has gone through more bulbs than others I've owned. I have a sense the barely-sized wiring is part of that for the headlight and foglight bulbs. Since I redid the fog light connections a few years ago, I haven't lost one since.

 

[renault12ts]

I have never replaced the fog light bulbs...they've never worked.