C Class recall for tail lights
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 147
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2009 Mercedes C350
C Class recall for tail lights
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/04/29/m...light-failure/
Anyone not read about this yet? I was wondering if this would pertain to me, as I have been having issues with my rear tail lamps (bulbs intermittently not working, warning lights saying bulbs are burnt out, and the rear terminal of a bulb actually corroding inside the holder).
My only concern is I am currently living in Germany on military orders. The recall says it is only for American cars. Yes, my car is American, I brought it here with me, but seeing as I now live in Germany does that complicate things as far as getting the recall taken care of? I havent received anything saying I am eligible and the article states they will start notifying people in June, are the issues I have been having the ones they are trying to fix with this recall? Is there someone I can call that can help me find out if I am eligible for this recall? They dealers here in Germany rarely speak English (and even more rarely do they speak good English) and again, it stated it is for American models, not Euro Spec, so I doubt they know much if anything about it, or could help me even if they did.
Anyone not read about this yet? I was wondering if this would pertain to me, as I have been having issues with my rear tail lamps (bulbs intermittently not working, warning lights saying bulbs are burnt out, and the rear terminal of a bulb actually corroding inside the holder).
My only concern is I am currently living in Germany on military orders. The recall says it is only for American cars. Yes, my car is American, I brought it here with me, but seeing as I now live in Germany does that complicate things as far as getting the recall taken care of? I havent received anything saying I am eligible and the article states they will start notifying people in June, are the issues I have been having the ones they are trying to fix with this recall? Is there someone I can call that can help me find out if I am eligible for this recall? They dealers here in Germany rarely speak English (and even more rarely do they speak good English) and again, it stated it is for American models, not Euro Spec, so I doubt they know much if anything about it, or could help me even if they did.
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Bruges, Belgium
1998 W202 (wife) & 2007 W204 (mine)
It's not exclusively a US spec thing.
On my (euro) '07 I noticed one taillight was brighter than the other. Turns out the ground pin of the lail light connector was correded/damaged/melted due to bad contact / sparking. Both left and right sides had the problem.
I've seen several W204's over here with similar problems. It's also talked about on euro forums.
If your car is included in the recall, you should have it done at a dealer offcourse, but you'll need a letter from MBUSA.
On the bright side, it's easy to fix (mine was out of warranty offcourse).
What I did is simply connect a second ground wire to the bulb holder (drilled a small hole and screwed a wire on. Then I connected this new ground wire to a chassis ground, using the threaded ground pin already present just behind the light unit in the trunk.
As for the original connector, I cleaned it using contact spray and fine sand paper and left it alone. The current through the connector will be minimal, as electricity follows the path of least resistance which will be the new connection.
Oh, BTW, I included a simple but good connector in the new ground wire, so I can still remove the light unit without having to cut or undo the new wire.
Works like a charm and took all of 30 minutes.
Hope this helps.
On my (euro) '07 I noticed one taillight was brighter than the other. Turns out the ground pin of the lail light connector was correded/damaged/melted due to bad contact / sparking. Both left and right sides had the problem.
I've seen several W204's over here with similar problems. It's also talked about on euro forums.
If your car is included in the recall, you should have it done at a dealer offcourse, but you'll need a letter from MBUSA.
On the bright side, it's easy to fix (mine was out of warranty offcourse).
What I did is simply connect a second ground wire to the bulb holder (drilled a small hole and screwed a wire on. Then I connected this new ground wire to a chassis ground, using the threaded ground pin already present just behind the light unit in the trunk.
As for the original connector, I cleaned it using contact spray and fine sand paper and left it alone. The current through the connector will be minimal, as electricity follows the path of least resistance which will be the new connection.
Oh, BTW, I included a simple but good connector in the new ground wire, so I can still remove the light unit without having to cut or undo the new wire.
Works like a charm and took all of 30 minutes.
Hope this helps.
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
2010 C350 sport
Contact mercedes (1-800-367-6372)
Have your Vin number ready. If you are experiencing the problem now they will do a temporary fix until they get the parts in which I think it's supposed to be by the end of this month or mid September. They will make a note of it in their system and you can take it in to your nearest mercedes at no charge when you schedule appointment. Worked for me.
Have your Vin number ready. If you are experiencing the problem now they will do a temporary fix until they get the parts in which I think it's supposed to be by the end of this month or mid September. They will make a note of it in their system and you can take it in to your nearest mercedes at no charge when you schedule appointment. Worked for me.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 295
Likes: 3
From: Brentwood,CA
2009 C300 Sport Palladium Silver & 2012 GLK350 4matic Black
Went to the dealership yesterday and was informed by my service advisor that they already have the tail lights in stock.
If you got the 1st recall letter from MB don't wait for the 2nd letter. Check your with your local MB dealership.
If you got the 1st recall letter from MB don't wait for the 2nd letter. Check your with your local MB dealership.
