C55 headlight igniter question
08-31-2012, 04:59 PM
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2005 C55 AMG
C55 headlight igniter question
My right headlight bulb (xenon) blew out of nowhere. The dealer tells me the socket that holds the bulb is no good and burnt out. I'm assuming this is the igniter. Naturally that part is not sold seperatley and they can only sell me the whole headlight assembly ($1000+). Am I correct to believe the socket which holds the bulb is the igniter? Also any reason why this would happen? Been looking for the igniter on ebay to no avail.
What do you guys think about this link?
http://www.benzpartsforless.com/part...ponent=Igniter
What do you guys think about this link?
http://www.benzpartsforless.com/part...ponent=Igniter
08-31-2012, 07:14 PM
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The whole time I thought that was the headlight control module.
If purchased the igniter doesn't come with the bulb holder, which I presume is why the dealer wants to sell me the whole assembly. Any ideas on where to get the bulb holder?
If purchased the igniter doesn't come with the bulb holder, which I presume is why the dealer wants to sell me the whole assembly. Any ideas on where to get the bulb holder?
09-04-2012, 09:15 PM
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I had this happen on mine a few years ago. Its a pretty common issue for all MBs. The igniter is actually a black box with 2 wires that connects to the headlight connector. Its all one piece. MB used to sell a repair kit that would splice the old wires into a new connector so you didn't have to replace the whole headlight assembly. They stopped making it a few years ago.
The dealer will only replace the whole assembly because the igniter is actually inside the assembly and can only be removed by taking out the headlight and then you have to take apart the whole sealed assembly in order to get to it. By the time a dealer gets it apart (trust me, its sealed together pretty good) and then reseals it, its probably cheaper to just replace the whole thing. Not to mention you have to get the headlamp out of the car first.
I bought a used CLK assembly off ebay for $75.00 and used that to take it apart and get the igniter out and put it into mine and it worked perfectly. It was nice to have the assembly from the CLK to practice on. You have to heat it up to get the adhesive loose and pry it pretty good to get the cover off the headlamp.
The dealer will only replace the whole assembly because the igniter is actually inside the assembly and can only be removed by taking out the headlight and then you have to take apart the whole sealed assembly in order to get to it. By the time a dealer gets it apart (trust me, its sealed together pretty good) and then reseals it, its probably cheaper to just replace the whole thing. Not to mention you have to get the headlamp out of the car first.
I bought a used CLK assembly off ebay for $75.00 and used that to take it apart and get the igniter out and put it into mine and it worked perfectly. It was nice to have the assembly from the CLK to practice on. You have to heat it up to get the adhesive loose and pry it pretty good to get the cover off the headlamp.
