209MAD

Hi All,
I've recently had this problem and I'm curious if anyone else has had it. Lately, I've noticed that the right xenon headlamp has been flickering quite a bit, most noticeably when shone against a wall. In one or two instnaces, it actually went off, leaving only the left side on, and a malfunction on the dash.
I suspect something is going to fail, but am unsure what it might be coz I don't want to replace the wrong part.

Any help would be greatly appreciated...Thanks!

Toog4me

Bring it in. You're under warranty.

209MAD

THanks for the suggestion, but I'm out. It's an '03.

MBenzNL

most probably the igniter

greetingz,

209MAD

Thanks Steve! Is there anyway to check for sure? How much is an ignitor going to set me back?

MBenzNL

I am not sure - mercedes offers 2 different xenon repair kits...one for the hella lights and one for the bosch lights...one of these 2 kits are reasonably priced and the other one is way overpriced...

The repair kit exists of an igniter that sits in a modified cover that goes on the back of the headlight and replaces the one that is integrated INSIDE the headlight (and thus impossible to get to unless the headlight gets taken out and the lens gets removed).

greetingz,

filip75

are you out of warranty already?

Toog4me

Already asked that question in this thread.

209MAD

Thanks for the inputs fellas. Tonight, the headlight went out again. I'll go to the dealer's tomorrow and have them take a look at it. I'll post their comments. I'm hoping it wouldnt cost an arm... The flickering is starting to become embarrasing...

blk350c

just to warn you, when the lens comes off it is more likely to hold condensation.
so make sure that you ask them to make sure and reseal it well when doing the repair.
dealer will most likely recommend the lamp unit. the techs only do the repair under warranty because they have to(mb does not like paying for all those expensive xenon units when there is another option), so you might want to mention it if this occurs.

MBZFAN55

It sounds like the igniter as noted above, but don't rule out a loose connection as I had on my 2004 S500. I had the flickering and a slight change in color from blue to pink. It turned out that a poor connection vibrated loose and falsely appeared to be the igniter. It might be worth a second look, especially since you're out of warranty.

209MAD

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to check the connection. QUick question though, where is the ignitor and what does it look like? Is there only one for both lamps or is it one per side?