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I have a Mercedez Benz E240 W210 2000 and I have two issues that I am looking for help with. Keep in mind my location is Australia if that helps
Issue 01 - The driver side (right hand side) headlights are not working. Do I assume the fix is just buying a new bulb for each light and that is all? Can I do any testing myself (I don't have any diagnostic tools or machines and prefer not pay someone either)
Issue 02 - Both headlights right and left have very poor light performance. What I mean by this is they are not very bright and it seems as if the plastic light covers (is that what it's called?) are getting old/blocking most of the light that the bulb is illuminating. Can I clean/polish these or need to buy replacements?
Headlights are not working (bulb need replacing?) Dial to turn on headlights is definitely switched to on. Headlights are not very bright and seems the colour is slightly off and covers are blocking the light from coming through.
I don't want to sound like a j**k, but the question you're asking has been discussed here gazillion times. Instead of just asking, do your own search, either here or on the net. You get much more help that way. And it's not very hard, both search and fix.
Then why I'm not telling you? Corrupt/cause could be very simple, but there's so many factors involve. As you said, could be the bulb, or could be the wiring, could be................. You got the idea,
So do a search, look for it yourself and if you can't find or don't understand, come back and ask the question. You'll get much more help that way.
Bulbs come and go - that's probably all it is. Not expensive to find out.
Removing the oxidation takes elbow grease and makes a little mess, but mine turned out great. Find yourself a video such as
My experience is you've got to do the rinsing and ever finer sanding to get the old yellow out. As a final step, I polished mine with rubbing compound. When the sweat is over, be sure to re-coat them the UV protective (available at any car parts place).
Shortcuts like toothpaste and WD40 are BS. Put in the work and you'll get a great result.
This is 2 years since I redid mine.
Last edited by davmil2002; 11-05-2023 at 10:49 PM.
Reason: add picture
Don't forget about the biodegradable wiring harness inside the headlights! You can purchase replacement harnesses on eBay. Otherwise, you have to rewire each individual wire in the harness internal to the headlight. Don't forget to check eBay see if there's some New Old stock lenses somewhere in the world for your right hand drive car. For what it's worth I found a pair of lenses for my car in the Baltic country of Latvia.
I use "painter's tape" whenever I polish headlight lenses to prevent damage to the paint. No damage to the paint so long as you remove it as soon as possible. Leaving it on for days or weeks will not be good for the paint...