babli007

Hi everyone. I'm a newbie. I have a 1997 E420. Just the other day, I got the 'lamp defective' message. I went thru the other posts regarding this and pretty much did everything without any luck.

Now, I've been looking around for some E55 tail lights. So maybe that will change everything.

What do you guys think. Like I said, I'm new to MB and any help is greatly appreciated.

I will put up some pics soon. Thanks,

-Bob

my E430 rocket

u have a light out and u want to replace the entire assembly......sounds like a plan to me!

babli007

hahaha...well i really want to get those e55 lights, but i read here in one of the posts that even after they upgraded the tails, they were getting that 'lamp defective' message.

so i'm not sure if i need to go the the dealership....i mean, i switched the bulb holders and got new bulbs and played with them a bit, but still no luck!!!!

my E430 rocket

all the lamp defective light means is that there is no circuit through one of the bulbs

MARK CUMMINS

Inspect ALL the lights!Then Inspect the Rear Tail Light Bulb Holders..the contacts MELT and will cause the bulb check light

Then Inspect ALL the bulbs to see IF they match...If You do NOT have the same watt type of bulb the check light WILL come on

Whitey

I know exactly what you mean. Changing the rear light cluster might work as Mark has said, it could be melted holders, or in my case, justs a poorly made holder on the OEM rear lights. In the meantime, did you check the light for the number plate also? Its easy to miss.

babli007

thanks guys...i'll play around with it more.

rp718

From personal experience:

If you find that a rear tailight (usually brakelight) is the culprit, but the bulb is fine, get ready for irritation. The metal contacts between the bulb holder and the lens begin to arc over time. At first, you can get by with a little 220grit once in a while on the contact points. Over time, though, the lens side contact will begin to pit, and you'll find your "lamp defective" light coming on every week. Unfortunately, you can't just replace the metal contact plate on the lens - you have to buy a whole new lens. Or you can deal with the 3X daily sandpaper thing.

007

my problem was with the rear tailight. i never change it and now the lamp indicator is off.time to time , the indicator lamp goes on but usually once every 5-6 months. this only last for one or two days. so i basically just leave it there.
so if it your rear taillight is out and doesnt bother you that much , just leave it alone like i do. hope that helps

my E430 rocket

y don't u fix it...do u mean the fog?

my E430 rocket

y don't u fix it...do u mean the fog?

Whitey

Exactly! It could be just as easy as sanding or filing down the part that joins the cluster on your bulb holder......2 mins job

Maja216

My e 420 does this from time to time but its my own fault the 12 inch woofers in the trunk vibrate the bulbs loose.

Whitey

LOL! Easy fix - tape them on tight :p

rp718

I got fed up with sanding the bulb contacts every day, so I finally swapped out the '96 lenses with aftermarket 2001 E55 lenses. It took me about 3 hours. Most of the time was spent with the dremel. The outer piece fits without mods. The inner piece needs to be reshaped quite a bit. All in all, it looks 100% better and I'm glad I did it.

Whitey

3 hours with a dremel??????? It took me 4 hours with a hand file thinking it was any easy job

Maja216

It'll take me about 5 minutes with the shot gun!!!

rp718

You should've used a Dremel!

Whitey

Call me **** but I just had to get it on once I bought it - it was late at nite and I don't have a dremel......

Maja216

It matters not what tool you use as long as you got it in!!!
Live by these words my friends.

Whitey

rp718 is right.....the reason why I did it (besides the reason given above) was everyone here referred to the procedure as "filing" so I took it literally.....by the time I finished, my hands were in great pain for the next month

rp718

Did you use genuine M-B parts or aftermarket?
I'm wondering since mine were A-M that the plastic housing was a little different than MB part.
I had to grind away in four different areas.
Two of the areas i had to actually grind all the way through the plastic.

As a sidenote, I ordered the lenses online, and the boneheads sent me two sets of rightside lenses. One set with a smoke turnsignal (E55) and one with clear (E320/430). Luckily, they weren't too far away that i couldn't just go exchange them.

Whitey

Original MB......can't remember how many places I cut it, I just went crazy on it and was glad it went in flush in the end (also almost hit the reflectors in some parts).