duron

Hello,

I purchased some bulbs from mercedes source for my 93 400E that were supposed to make my instrument cluster brighter (which it did.) However, now when I have my lights on, my left turn signal arrow in the cluster is lit. The right one is fine. When I engage the left turn signal, it blinks as normal so it is the bulbs.

Before this happened, I took out the cluster to add some white gauge faces and noticed that the bulbs had melted some of the area of the cluster housing around it. I contacted mercedes source and they said this would not hurt anything.

Later, I noted that the left arrow was lit.

Question: Mercedes source said that I would have to replace the cluster. Is that true? Is there anything that other than that I can do to repair it and how much would a new cluster cost for a 93 124?

Thanks for your help.


duron

RJI

Could the damage be repaired with some type of plastic repair material?

Is mercedes source admitting that their bulbs caused the melting? Their web site claims that the bulbs won't cause damage. I bought some recently but haven't installed them yet. If they cause this type of problem, the product is being misrepresented!

duron

So that I don't tarnish the rep of mercedes source, Please read the following email exchange with them. I don't know if I can repair it, that was what I was hoping someone could tell me.


Duron, I have put a lot of these lights in cars including my own 124
chassis. I have only seen problems like yours a couple times and it is
usually due to poor bulb contacts.

I would recommend you purchase a used instrument cluster housing from a
wrecking yard and then just go back to using the regular bulbs. That
will solve your problems for good.

JKB

On Dec 22, 2003, at 10:02 AM, bduronb@ix.netcom.com wrote:

> hello,
>
I Ordered and installed the dash light upgrade
> bulbs from you and had written previously about them melting some of
> the area around them. You told me that it would stop before anything
> was damaged.
>
> Well what has happened now is whenever the dash lights are on now, the
> left turn signal arrow is illuminated as well. It is as if the dash
> light has extended itselft to include the left blinker. When I use the
> blinker, it blinks brighter which tells me there is nothing wrong with
> the blinker itself. It just seems that it is getting extra light from
> the dash light.
>
> The right side is fine, no problems there. It just seems the left one
> is putting light into the left blinker.
>
> Before I take it apart, I was wondering if you know right off hand if
> there is any kind of prizm reflectors in the dash assembly and if so
> which one would you think is bad so that once I take this apart, I can
> have the part ready to fix it the first time as oppossed to going in
> to investigate and then having to go in again to repair.
>
> Getting the cluster out of tedious.
>
> Please help. Also, what can prevent this in the future.
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>

chupper

Just so you know-
I put Mercedes Source's xenon upgrade into a BRAND NEW cluster and it still melted the cluster.

From what I have heard on the Benzworld forum and here, it sounds like his product does not live up to its statement saying it won't melt clusters

Jer

This is scary. I installed those lamps in my cluster about a month-and-a-half ago. I'd better pull the cluster to check for damage. I will be so PO-ed if the cluster is melted!

Jer

I just removed my cluster, and just as I feared, the plastic light guides were melted. I re-installed the old 2W lamps and everything seems to be fine. Be wary of these "Xenon" upgrades!

Also, for duron, your directional signal problem might be a result of the round 15-pin connector being inserted incorrectly. The half-moon key can break off the female plug enabling the connector to be inserted any way, which includes the wrong way. Check and make sure it is inserted correctly.

duron

Thanks guys,

Now I guess what I need is a source for a new or used cluster in great shape. Any ideas?

Duron

Jer

eBay.

chupper

You can go to a dealership for a new one. They might be a little costly, but I don't remember them being outrageous.

Arnie

I always check with wrecking yards first.

duron

Found one and ordered it from Pototmac auto parts $51 shipped!!!



Duron

brett

WOW! i remember a thread a while back where i was considering adding those and decided not to after much debate in this forum. i am happy that i decided to scrap the idea now. Maybe potomac will pay for the new cluster?? i think they should only because their site "specifically"states taht it will do no harm. IF that was omitted from the site maybe i would buy the "buyer beware" option but in this case its not unreasonable for them to at least pay the 51 usd?/

Kestas

FWIW, I just finished a forensic analysis for a headlamp manufacturer. He had a headlamp returned from warranty with a variety of problems. Results of the analysis strongly suggested that the owner beefed up the power to his lighting system, thus causing these problems.

I always urge people not to reengineer their car unless they know EXACTLY what they're doing and what they'll be losing. For every improvement, there is always a corresponding drawback.

duron

Brett,


Potomac sold me the replacement cluster(good). Merecedesource sold me the bulbs that caused the problem(bad.)

Just want to make sure that the good guys are not confused with the others.


Duron

ebennz

A-MEN!!

i don't feel sorry for people who muck up their stuff.

like you said if you don't know EXACTLY what you're doing, plan on doing it several times and paying out the butt.


mercedessource does not know mercedes or cars at all. this guy's pricing is outrageous.

ebennz

A-MEN!!

i don't feel sorry for people who muck up their stuff.

like you said if you don't know EXACTLY what you're doing, plan on doing it several times and paying out the butt.


mercedessource does not know mercedes or cars at all. this guy's pricing is outrageous.

pifcat2

ebennz,

I haven't shopped from Mercedessource for awhile but I always thought they priced parts competitively. Where do you shop for less?

bamberger_1

Check out some of my ecent threads concerning the upgrade of the illumination of the cluster.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...threadid=57326

It won't work with regular bulbs, since the thermal load on the acrylic glass lenses is too high and they melt, get out of shape and dont distribute the light properly. You need to go LED for example. Repair is possible but it take some skills and patience. Best try is, as most posters recommended, the junkyard.

ebennz

just about everywhere except the stealership.

parts shop, fast lane, caliber motors,potomac.

awhile back here was selling a 30.00 grill insert [w124] for about 65.00.
i emailed him and asked and he said it was list price, a bunch of B.S.

duron

to BAMBERGER (or anyone else who may know.)

Is it possble to repair the lens as I have two other cluster housings that do not look at good, but have great lens. It seems as thought the white cover on the top was "melted" onto the housing as an assembly process by the factory. What would be the best way to get this off and exchange lens without destroying both the "donor" unit and my cluster that looks great (my glass looks better than the donor units."


Thanks,


Duron

Oh, and by the way, you are right. I will not do any more of these types of modifications as it did not end well and is costing money just to go back to the way it was in the first place.

bamberger_1

You need to very carefully drill out the melting points. Then the white cover comes of. NO FORCE!!!! To put it back together hot glue should work well. When the white covers are off, the lenses are free to be swapped. The lenses shall not be bend or brownish otherwise the you can try to copy the lenses with clear acrylic glass and and a hot air gun. But the front is edged and kind of hard to copy.

duron

Bamburger:

Please forgive the ignorance on my part, but when you say drill out the melting points, I need to make sure that I completely understand. The housing has black posts that the lens and the white cover go over and are melted into.

Are you saying that I should drill the post away or drill around the posts on the white cover making the hole on the white cover larger.

Please consider me completely ignorant and take me step by step including appropriate tools to use as I have one chance to either do this right or scew it up.

Thanks again,


duron