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2012 W204 LED Taillight Retrofit DIY
#351
I am sure you are a luck guy because you are driving a beautiful C63
that wouldn't do that for a reason. the Xentry will check the VIN and looking
for update for all of your control units in your car (say REAR SAM), in their database, you will only get same actuation program as your VIN (i,e MY2011 C63). so even MY2011 and MY2012 W204 might use same REAR SAM (just my assumption), but the actuation program is different, that is why you could not get this work. DAS has a function that I can read all data from actuation program and transfer it to new unit, it might be a solution but I never have chance to try it.
I hope it helps.
#353
#356
Alright folks,
Thanks to some good ole' fashioned elbow grease, I figured it out. Most of this can be done with your bare hands but you will need a 9mm socket wrench to make life easier.
Step 1: Disconnect the battery. I'd suggest wearing gloves, but with the car off you should be okay without. There's one bolt you need to loosen before you pull the cable off.
Step 2: Pull out the trunk lining. There are 3 items you need to remove. 2 are the little push pins that you can remove with your fingernails. There's a center pin that feeds and lock the outer pin. I found that it was easiest to remove the center pin then the outer pin. You also need to remove the grocery hook. No trick, just pull straight out. A flat screwdriver might help here.
Step 3: There is only one bolt in the top left that you really need to remove. If you do step 2 and pull back the lining, you'll see it easily. When you remove this bolt, you can tilt the whole module forward (by forward I mean toward your left, away from the right side of the car). There is a brace on the bottom that the module appears to be attached to...you just need to tilt it far enough and you can slide it out of the bracket.
Step 4: Once step 3 is done, you can easily access everything. There are two black snap locks that secure the SAM. Press those simultaneously and shimmy out the SAM.
Step 5: There's one connector that you can squeeze to remove, but there are 3 more that you can't. Just look at the picture and press where the red arrow points, then pull the grey tab where the blue arrow is and the connector should easily pop out. Everything is color coded so you won't have to remember where it connects.
Best of luck to you, gents. I'll be mailing my SAM out to whipple today for overnight delivery and should get it back by Thursday.
Thanks to some good ole' fashioned elbow grease, I figured it out. Most of this can be done with your bare hands but you will need a 9mm socket wrench to make life easier.
Step 1: Disconnect the battery. I'd suggest wearing gloves, but with the car off you should be okay without. There's one bolt you need to loosen before you pull the cable off.
Step 2: Pull out the trunk lining. There are 3 items you need to remove. 2 are the little push pins that you can remove with your fingernails. There's a center pin that feeds and lock the outer pin. I found that it was easiest to remove the center pin then the outer pin. You also need to remove the grocery hook. No trick, just pull straight out. A flat screwdriver might help here.
Step 3: There is only one bolt in the top left that you really need to remove. If you do step 2 and pull back the lining, you'll see it easily. When you remove this bolt, you can tilt the whole module forward (by forward I mean toward your left, away from the right side of the car). There is a brace on the bottom that the module appears to be attached to...you just need to tilt it far enough and you can slide it out of the bracket.
Step 4: Once step 3 is done, you can easily access everything. There are two black snap locks that secure the SAM. Press those simultaneously and shimmy out the SAM.
Step 5: There's one connector that you can squeeze to remove, but there are 3 more that you can't. Just look at the picture and press where the red arrow points, then pull the grey tab where the blue arrow is and the connector should easily pop out. Everything is color coded so you won't have to remember where it connects.
Best of luck to you, gents. I'll be mailing my SAM out to whipple today for overnight delivery and should get it back by Thursday.
#358
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 4,026
Likes: 6
From: Walnut Creek, CA
Vivid Racing '09 C63 AMG
I couldn't edit my original post so I reposted on page 14, post #333...
#360
#361
its actually a 10mm socket to take the battery off. And never remove the positive first. Remove the negative first and connect it last - as arcing/sparking on the ground side wont surge power through control modules which could damage them.
#368
Hey guys, I'm from Indonesia.
I need some help there.
My car is C300 AMG Sports Package.
I was changed my tail lights with 2012 models yesterday and the rear fog lights (I mean the 4 leds at the TOP, RIGHT and LEFT are always bright also with the brake lights in the bottom that's not working like the 2012 models.
So can the Mercedes dealer fix my problem?
For your info my DIY tail lamp are OEM and it comes with the parts number.
Thanks guys and I'm sorry for my bad english.
Cheers.
I need some help there.
My car is C300 AMG Sports Package.
I was changed my tail lights with 2012 models yesterday and the rear fog lights (I mean the 4 leds at the TOP, RIGHT and LEFT are always bright also with the brake lights in the bottom that's not working like the 2012 models.
So can the Mercedes dealer fix my problem?
For your info my DIY tail lamp are OEM and it comes with the parts number.
Thanks guys and I'm sorry for my bad english.
Cheers.
#370
#371
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 4,026
Likes: 6
From: Walnut Creek, CA
Vivid Racing '09 C63 AMG
If you pull away the panel in your trunk to the right, there is a fuse box. Part of that needs to be reprogrammed for the lights to work properly. Finding someone may be difficult.
#372
Has anyone figured out how to do a 2010 car yet? What is the real problem here in not being able to reprogram 2010's.?
#373
Signal Acquisition Module
Its basically a fuse box with a module built in that controls or provides power/communication to everything in the back half of the car. You have a front and rear
Its basically a fuse box with a module built in that controls or provides power/communication to everything in the back half of the car. You have a front and rear
#374
Is installing a 2012 or 2013 SAM into ealier model years feasible, as opposed to trying to get an earlier SAM reprogrammed? No one out there seems to have the answer to/or be willing to do the SAM reprogram anymore. Dealerhips are unlikely and knowing where to go for someone on the side to do a SAM reprogram is practically impossible to find.
I have a 2010 and still want to do this retrofit. Any good, thorough advice is appreciated.
I have a 2010 and still want to do this retrofit. Any good, thorough advice is appreciated.
#375
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 3,704
Likes: 19
From: Denham Springs,LA
'12 C63 Black Series, '12 ML350 BlueTech
Is installing a 2012 or 2013 SAM into ealier model years feasible, as opposed to trying to get an earlier SAM reprogrammed? No one out there seems to have the answer to/or be willing to do the SAM reprogram anymore. Dealerhips are unlikely and knowing where to go for someone on the side to do a SAM reprogram is practically impossible to find.
I have a 2010 and still want to do this retrofit. Any good, thorough advice is appreciated.
I have a 2010 and still want to do this retrofit. Any good, thorough advice is appreciated.