[Ariel Pozzo]

The other night I was driving on a highway at about 100kmph when heavy rain began to fall...and in a given moment I drove over some standing water I didn't see in time.
Moments later, the "check Left Dipped Beam" message appeared.
Upon arrival at home, I realized the left headlight was wet inside and nonworking.
The morning after, off I went to the dealership to have my E350 Coupe checked.
Ok...they found the following:

The water lifted by the rotation of the left front wheel had caused a small plastic cover located on the inside of the left wheel opening (used to access the headlight lamps) to come off, and got into the left headlight thru a small ventilation tube, causing the left Xenon lamp and the ILS control module to fail.
So, just by driving over standing water on a highway at about 80kmph caused the following:

- replace the left headlight, since it was full of dirt inside and couldn't be cleaned
- replace the left xenon lamp
- replace the ILS control module for the left headlight
- put a new plastic cover, which was blown off by the water.

In short: make sure your E Class Coupe hast that damn plastic cover in place...otherwise your're in danger of ruining your ILS headlamps.

 

[dcoz]

Covered by warranty? If not, what was the cost? Was there any discussion about this being a poor design?

 

[Ariel Pozzo]

Covered by warranty? If not, what was the cost? Was there any discussion about this being a poor design?

Sadly my car is just out of warranty, I had to pay it from my own pocket. It was, parts and labout, about the equivalent of US Dollars $1400. All this caused for driving over a puddle of water at speed.
I don't think it's poor design since the right side had no problems...I suspect someone left that plastic cover loose when doing maintenance work on the headlights.
I just want to warn you guys...this cover is extremely important since its absence can cause major damage if you drive over water.

 

[1motime70]

Can it be reused after its dry

 

[rudeney]

Welcome to the forum @1motime70 - please take a moment to read the information on the link below. It explains how to update your user profile so that your car's details and your location appear on each post below your avatar. This is good information for others to know when trying to help. It also has good information about how the forums are organized and how to use the search feature:

Find your Forum Section, Navigate & Search

This thread is over 6 years old, and the posters have not been around for about that long (you can click or hover on their names to see their "last seen" dates). You might want to describe your specific problem so you get better help from current forum members.