newyorktoLA

I tried removing a bracket in the engine compartment to change the low-beam H7 back to stock...I got my 10mm socket wrench and twisted away...
Then, the metal 10 mm head that attached to the socket fell into the engine bay and next to the windshield washer reservoir. I immediately tried to grab it with my hands but couldn't reach it so I got a ruler and poked at it until it fell to the bottom plastic tray in the engine bay. I decided to drive until it fell out and after 20 seconds, my engine kept clunking...It was night, I forgot my flashlight in the garage, and so I walked home (3/4 a mile), got my wife to help me locate it. Couldn't find it so I decided to drive home and see if I heard the noise again. I did and all of a sudden, my wife, who drove both of us up the hill, saw it on the street! Yay, bolt found but I wondered: Did the metal socket hit the wheel or paint on the way out therefore scratching anything? I guess I got lucky...I didn't see any scrapes on the wheel where the only opening from the bottom of the engine bay is...

Anyways, just thought I would share a story with y'all. In the future, hopefully, nothing else will drop into the engine bay hahaha If it does, I'm screwed.

BM2BZ

wow , it's more of a lucky story than a funny story even though it's still funny . did you change your stock low beam bulbs to something else before? what made you change them back to stock ?

newyorktoLA

I had Philips Diamond Visions, which sucked really badly! The light was a great color, but the vision output was worse than stock. I changed out the passenger bulb in a matter of 20 minutes and I'm in the middle of changing out the driver's side as I write this (I'm giving myself a break). I've been trying to change the bulb from the engine bay for about an hour. All I've been able to do is remove the bulb bracket. Now, I'm trying to remove the bulb from the retaining clip and in such a constricted space, it's no easy task....ughhhhh

BM2BZ

i would've changed them to hid kit to begin with but to each their own. i just wish i know how .

captj3

Converting to HIDS is really easy. The hardest part is getting access to the drivers side low beam. I did mine and the place where I bought them had me install them without drilling the front cover plate to get the wires in. I just notched the dust cover. It took a little longer to do, but it is a cleaner install.

Raymond Lee

It is so easy to do. When I work on something like it, I plug below with news paper so it wound stop falling into unknown place.
You are lucky and that was really good for you.

RNBRAD

You need a 3 dollar magnetic pick-up tool.

hyperion667

glad it worked out in your favor.....
yeah, one of those magnet things would be handy

BM2BZ

did you take any pics during the install? i've just read numerous posts about how difficult it is to change the driver's side.

BenzV12

Good to see , it was ended in your way otherwise you know it could become worse

ImInPA

That was the least funny story I think I have read. Sounds like you almost screwed the pooch and had to get your wife out looking for a bolt in the middle of the road. Oh well, maybe I am just too old to to see the humor in this story, or, maybe it is just that it's Monday. That is a pretty nice wife though that will go out and look for a bolt for a dolt...lol

CEB

Following the whole drama is funny. I was criticized for being a naysayer about the initial bulbs. Then there was a water leak issue in the housing because of a missing cap. Then came the long drama about trying to go back to stock.

There is a reason why only qualified people should attempt to mod their cars. There are reasons why the owner's manual warns against trying to swap the headlight bulb onthe driver side.

We should thank the OP for having the guts to say what we were afraid to say "there are just some things I shouldn't try to do without the proper training."

If we all followed that motto then there would be far fewer botched mods.

newyorktoLA

I'm going to miss those bulbs though. They didn't cause glare because I moved the headlights back to the ground, but they just didn't give out enough light...

I'm still deciding on HID's though...maybe I'll have them done by professionals in the summer. After all, I do most of my driving in the evening and in summer, the days are "longer" so I won't have to drive with the headlamps on for so long.

MCF

I am 6'4" and large hands and I changed out my driver side bulb in about 10 minutes. Move the little bracket out of the way and jam your hand in there and get in a position where you can do what you need to do to change the bulb. If you are afraid of scratching up your hand pretty good it is not a job for you.

newyorktoLA

MCF, I was able to remove the bulb from the bulb holder but wasn't able to securely fasten the holder back into the latch openings on the projector....My arms are so sore! I took the car to the dealer today to have them install a new bulb. They asked for the old "fused" bulb. I just gave them the working bulb from the factory and said it was broken because I didn't want them to see that I installed aftermarket parts on the car - the Philips Diamond Vision; otherwise, they would have charged me labor. Anyways, they installed the bulb via removing PART of the wheel well liner (they said there's a service opening; I think they just removed the front half of the wheel well although the rivets were securely fastened...maybe they went from up top?) Anyways, they did it for me.

CEB

Congratulations for having committed warranty fraud and increasing the costs of repairs for everyone else.

OTOH, your dealer sounds like a complete idiot, crooked themselves or extremely lenient.

I don't understand how normally rational and law abiding people can believe that it is OK to brag about theft of services. Everyone who has any time reading this forum knows your saga of these lights. you broke it and you should pay for the repair. Don't brag about screwing the dealer.

This just validates all my previous posts. Research a proposed mod carefully. Weigh the benefits against possible downsides and be mentally and fiscally prepared to pay the price for failure.

In this case the OP didn't listen to advice, completed a mod he later regretted, couldn't fix it and decided to commit a crime to get it fixed.

Make no mistake about it, warranty fraud is a "real" crime - just like stealing parts from a loaner.

newyorktoLA

atleast I gave them a bulb rather than saying, "oh, i left it at home." not to mention, i loosened the bracket for them, reducing the work time by half. the bulb is cheap for the dealerships and because i gave them a bulb, even one that was working, mercedes will pay the mechanic who swapped out the bulb. i'm sure mercedes can afford one repair! the lights were working completely fine, both the diamond vision ones and the old h7.

btw, i didn't mod the car in any way. i changed out a $7 h7 bulb available at auto zone to a philips bulb. i didn't do an hid kit, which modifies the vehicle. the h7 from the factory isn't even manufactured by mercedes!

this dealer is the same one that installed the bulbs. i doubt they would have cared whether or not i told them about the philips bulb again. these mechanics swap out bulbs all the time. why is it such a big deal if i removed the old bulb for them and made their job easier?

its my car, the dealership would have performed the repair via goodwill (the dealer said that if i couldn't give them a stock bulb, they would perform the swap out of goodwill). at least now because i gave the dealer a stock h7 headlight bulb, the mechanic will get paid.

it would be warranty fraud if the dealer swapped the bulb after explicitly seeing a philips bulb, but since i removed it, the dealer has "no knowledge" of an aftermarket part being installed

CEB

To quote your original post "I took the car to the dealer today to have them install a new bulb. They asked for the old "fused" bulb. I just gave them the working bulb from the factory and said it was broken because I didn't want them to see that I installed aftermarket parts on the car - the Philips Diamond Vision; otherwise, they would have charged me labor."

While Mercedes "can" afford your 1/2 hour repair, how long before all of those " it'll just take a few minutes, they can afford it" repairs start adding up as higher repair bills for all of us. In this case MB lost twice - once for the cost for your repair and another for the repair that the tech could have been billing had he not been fixing your problem.

This was not a warranty related problem and neither the dealer nor MB should be expected to pay for it. It actually seems that you lied as you told them that there was something wrong with the OE bulb (something about it being "fused" - whatever that means.) You broke it, you pay for it.

It would have been a different story had you gone to the dealer and said "you installed one of these aftermarket bulbs for me. The one I installed is leaking. Can you do a goodwill repair and put it back to OE."

That would have been the correct thing to do.

In the big scheme of things this is pretty minor but the concept of doing the right thing is what needs to be driven home. Not doing the right thing thing ultimately affects all of us.

I suspect that if you own a MB then you can afford a half hour of labor. If not, then you should at least be smart enough not to brag about it.

newyorktoLA

Ok thanks for your opinion. I'll make sure to scam the dealer from now on. I hate the dealer. They don't replace half of what should fall under warranty so I guess they got what they deserved. I regret even giving them the working stock bulb...