S211 License Plate bulb failure
06-02-2017, 12:30 AM
#1
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2005 E500 4Matic Wagon
S211 License Plate bulb failure
Hi all,
I have an 05 E500 Wagon that is perfect in every single way- except the license plate bulbs do not work.
As a result every time my lights come on "Left license plate bulb out" *sigh* *read* "right license plate bulb out" *sigh* *read*
I've read posts about this on the sedans but haven't found one on the Wagon. And yes before you ask, I've replaced the bulbs. Sometimes the left one will flicker, but that's all about all I'll get.
Thanks in advance,
Max
I have an 05 E500 Wagon that is perfect in every single way- except the license plate bulbs do not work.
As a result every time my lights come on "Left license plate bulb out" *sigh* *read* "right license plate bulb out" *sigh* *read*
I've read posts about this on the sedans but haven't found one on the Wagon. And yes before you ask, I've replaced the bulbs. Sometimes the left one will flicker, but that's all about all I'll get.
Thanks in advance,
Max
06-03-2017, 01:20 PM
#2
Super Member
I'm having the same exact issue on my E500 4-Matic. Right license plate lamp out.
I cleaned the lamp holder contacts & replaced the lamp. That worked for a few weeks. Now it's out again. The bulb is good. I'm looking to get at the bulb holder next to inspect it.
Not sure if I can just remove the chrome cover on the tailgate and pull down on the individual lamp fixture or if I have to get at it from the back by removing the carpeted tailgate cover.
I hope just I find a loose electrical connection back there...not a broken wire in the harness god knows where or the rear SAM failing.
I cleaned the lamp holder contacts & replaced the lamp. That worked for a few weeks. Now it's out again. The bulb is good. I'm looking to get at the bulb holder next to inspect it.
Not sure if I can just remove the chrome cover on the tailgate and pull down on the individual lamp fixture or if I have to get at it from the back by removing the carpeted tailgate cover.
I hope just I find a loose electrical connection back there...not a broken wire in the harness god knows where or the rear SAM failing.
06-04-2017, 12:00 PM
#4
Super Member
Don't freak out kind Sir. I'll dig a little deeper into the issue. Of coarse there is a lot of information for the Sedan models but very little, if any, on the wagon's tail gate.
It was interesting that in my case the lamp did flicker as I manipulated it in the housing so I suspect the connector behind it is corroded. We'll see.
My new iCarsoft MBII reader shows no failures in the rear control module, but I'll run another scan before I start taking things apart.
Hopefully someone will chime in on the procedure to get at the license plate lamp holders in the W211 Wagon's tail gate.
It was interesting that in my case the lamp did flicker as I manipulated it in the housing so I suspect the connector behind it is corroded. We'll see.
My new iCarsoft MBII reader shows no failures in the rear control module, but I'll run another scan before I start taking things apart.
Hopefully someone will chime in on the procedure to get at the license plate lamp holders in the W211 Wagon's tail gate.
06-04-2017, 05:29 PM
#5
Super Member
Okay, fixed for now. I ended up really scraping the lamp holder contacts a second time as even though I thought I had cleaned them enough previously. There was some nasty green oxidation on the contacts I missed. Now they light up 100% with no flickering. This can probably be done without accessing the back of the fixture or removing the license plate lens as long as you are good at cleaning those contacts.
I went ahead and did an inspection of the wiring anyway. No need to remove the top carpeted trim around the window. I removed the plastic lower & middle carpeted panel and the chrome exterior trim piece from the wagon's tailgate to access the back of the license plate lamp fixtures. The trim piece did indeed have two nuts that had to be removed from inside the tailgate. Remove the connector on the tailgate "close" switch
Remove the small courtesy light fixture from the carpeted panel first so you don't have to deal with it in the air. There is a small tab you must compress to get the electrical connector off of it. The interior door handle cover and strap need to be removed first also.
Once you get the panel off there's not much to see there except the 2 wire connectors that were in fine shape. I removed the fixtures anyway to give them a good inspection.
Note:
Each fixture has a plastic clip that you must compress pretty hard in order to remove it from the tailgate's sheet metal. I just pressed on it with a screw driver. I wrap some masking tape around the screwdriver to prevent scratching any paint.
Both lenses were cracked so that allowed moisture to get into the fixtures in the first place. I'm just going to order up some new LED replacement fixtures. They are now typically less than $20 for a pair and claim to not set off the "lamp out" display. You must do the panel removal procedure above if you want to convert your incandescent license plate lamp fixture to LED.
One note on removing the plastic retainer studs/ anchors from the bottom & carpeted panel: You should remove the center pin before trying to pull out the entire anchor. Pry up on the center pin with a screw driver just enough to get some needle nose pliers under the head. Then pry up with the needle nose pliers to pop the center pin out. Repeat for the body of the anchor.
I went ahead and did an inspection of the wiring anyway. No need to remove the top carpeted trim around the window. I removed the plastic lower & middle carpeted panel and the chrome exterior trim piece from the wagon's tailgate to access the back of the license plate lamp fixtures. The trim piece did indeed have two nuts that had to be removed from inside the tailgate. Remove the connector on the tailgate "close" switch
Remove the small courtesy light fixture from the carpeted panel first so you don't have to deal with it in the air. There is a small tab you must compress to get the electrical connector off of it. The interior door handle cover and strap need to be removed first also.
Once you get the panel off there's not much to see there except the 2 wire connectors that were in fine shape. I removed the fixtures anyway to give them a good inspection.
Note:
Each fixture has a plastic clip that you must compress pretty hard in order to remove it from the tailgate's sheet metal. I just pressed on it with a screw driver. I wrap some masking tape around the screwdriver to prevent scratching any paint.
Both lenses were cracked so that allowed moisture to get into the fixtures in the first place. I'm just going to order up some new LED replacement fixtures. They are now typically less than $20 for a pair and claim to not set off the "lamp out" display. You must do the panel removal procedure above if you want to convert your incandescent license plate lamp fixture to LED.
One note on removing the plastic retainer studs/ anchors from the bottom & carpeted panel: You should remove the center pin before trying to pull out the entire anchor. Pry up on the center pin with a screw driver just enough to get some needle nose pliers under the head. Then pry up with the needle nose pliers to pop the center pin out. Repeat for the body of the anchor.
