Water in Headlight - Advice Needed
 

Hi all,
I just picked up a new C63 after my last one was wrecked.
Last night was her first big rainstorm and this morning I found the passenger headlamp was "full" (enough) of water that hasn't cleared/evaporated in the last 12 hours & 2 hours of driving.

I never had this problem with the 2011, or ever, is this a warranty issue, or a DIY something I can take a look at?
Lazy searching hasn't revealed anything but I'd appreciate any advice from anyone who's been through such a thing.

Thanks in advance

Absolutely ask for a new one. My BMW dealer replaced one that leaked in another car of mine...they said they routinely replace any headlight ass'y that leaks during the warranty period because they found that an attempted fix rarely cured the problem (short of something obvious).

Hey bhamg,
Thanks for the fast reply.
Good to know that this is a "routine" process.
I'll contact the dealership on Monday.

This is why I like the forum, fast, knowledgeable replies!
Thanks again.

Be sure to check back in if the dealer doesn't help and this becomes an issue that you have to take care of yourself.

My first choice would be the dealer. That being said, I've taken apart countless numbers of headlights for various reasons. If worse comes to worse I'm sure I can figure out a solution you can do.

@Purple,
I'll make the call Monday and see when I can get it in for service.
Any local Houstonians want to chime in for recommendations.
I keep trying the MB Greenway (downtown Houston) but they take soo long and overcharge for everything, so I go to Sugarland, but i keep hearing "interesting" things about them...
Ah stealerships, gotta love em.
I'll update again when i hear back.
Thanks again for the help!

I had a similar situation with a C350. I pushed hard and the purchase was recent, so they finally caved and replaced it. I wouldn't take no for an answer especially since you just bought it. You have a 30 day warranty that covers this kind if thing. New headlight is in order....especially since they ain't cheap.

To close the information loop.
I did take my car to the dealership and asked them to look at the headlight.

From what they told me, since our headlights are not truly sealed beams, some water is allowed to leak through, but there's a "test" to check the leak-rate vs evaporation-rate.

In my case, it spectacularly failed and they did replace the full unit. Of course it wasn't in stock and they kept it since the 3rd, but I finally have my car back.

A little off topic, but I needed to comment on the C250 loaner..
Obviously it's not a AMG, nor even the most powerful non-AMG Mercedes C Class, but good gracious it's slow. Until that ~1500RPM where the turbos spool i classify it as just weak.

Especially in comfort where the transmission keeps the engine revs as low as possible, there were times I step on the gas and had to look down to make sure the car wasn't stalled...it was really unimpressive.

In addition, and this is the part that really perplexes me, where I don't know if I should be extremely impressed with the 6.2, or rather disappointed with the 1.8, but I got an average only ~20mpg. Yes, I didn't drive it like most who would buy the 250, but seriously, 20mpg? I can average that in the 6.2 if I behave (and probably end up with just about the same speed/acceleration rate).
So for anyone needing an excuse to buy the AMG over the standard Merc, see attached.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...3243c8e22b.jpg


Plus, subjectively, as both a pro&con, the adhesion limits are soo much lower. This did help let me have a little fun on corners while still in legal speeds, but the turn-in grip of the AMG is sooooo much better.

Candidly, I didn't realize I became so accustomed to the mental Merc variant, but as I've said before, take a moment and appreciate your C63 for a truly upgraded and much more impressive car.

I don't think i would be in a w204 chassis-ed Merc if it wasn't for the AMG, as it seemed very Junior Varsity compared to the competition, but C63 really does step things up so well.


Anyway, for anyone else with water in the headlamps, yes, apparently there should be some, but not a lot& it should go away quickly, and yes, you can push to get it replaced without too much hassle.

Thanks for everyone helping me out earlier.
Cheers,

I'm glad u got ur headlight replaced under warranty.

But I gotta disagree with the "there should be some water in the headlight, but not a lot".. No water or condensation should formed in the headlight unit at all. At least, I have never seen any in all my vehicle no matter rainy or snowy days.

Been in the same boat with the C250 loaner car...compared to the AMG there is absolutely no excitement that can be generated except for the fact that there's a low boost turbo in the engine, but even that isn't enough to satisfy.

And the mileage thing...you have to understand that the way you drive an AMG "efficiently" is waaaaay different than driving a C250 efficiently. The throttle response of the AMG is more direct, where as the boosted engine, you have to adapt to the lag and modulate the throttle in anticipation for the boost. I think I was about to get about 25-26mpg when I had my loaner.

Just my 0.02 :D

My wife has a C250. She pretty much gets 320-350 miles per tank every time, comparing to my 250 miles per tank.

With a domestic that had water in it I carefully dismantled, baked and sealed with rtv. It did not work. This is a fairly common problem, but not expected in a MB.