Difference between our tail light, but your schematic called it E3e17 too, that E3e11


.



.




.






Have you done voltage drop test while loaded ?


Find the brightest led array hoping it as highest load, and probe voltage drop.
I am kinda confused here now, as I do not actually know where is your BRAKE LIGHT Led array is ? E3e17 or what ?
For mine I know a 100% it is E3e4 as BRAKE LIGHT Led array. Similar ID in your tailight is E3/1e4 , but it has that extra 1


=============

Here is some info I summarize based on your W207 Rear SAM page 1.


CAR IS COUPE, NOT CONVERTIBLE
U240 , non start-stop
B95 , Battery Sensor
U611 , valid for coupe
U23 , valid for convertible


Positive sources :

01. Circuit 30 , terminal 2V at rear sam from F32 terminal i1.
Cable size 10mm red.

02. Circuit 30g, terminal 1V ar F32 terminal IG1
Cable size 16mm red


Grounds :

Rear SAM connector 7i pin no 1 to W7/1 ( coupe ) or W7/7 ( convertible ) 2.5mm brown wire
Rear SAM connector 7i pin no 2 to W7 ---> W33/4 both are 2.5mm brown wire

W18 to E18/5 Right Luggage compartment Lamp,if such light is on the car.
0.5mm brown wire. Terminal/[in 1 at 2 pins connector.


[u]W7 many connections, they are to :
1 – Rear SAM, connector 7i pin 2. 0.5mm brown wire.
2 - E18/4, Right Luggage compartment Lamp. 0.5mm brown wire.
3 - S88/10 U23, Code 494 (USA). trunk lid emergency opening switch. 0.5mm brown wire.
Terminal/pin no 1 at 3 pins connector..

4 - E3/1 LEFT tailight assy. 0.75mm brown wire. Terminal/pin 1 at at 6 pins connector.
5 - E4/1 RIGHT tailight assy. 0.75mm brown wire. Terminal/pin 1 at 6 pins connector
6 - E6/3 LEFT rear side marker lamp. 0.75mm brown wire. Terminal/pin 1 at 4 pins connector
7 - E6/4 RIGHT rear side marker lamp. 0.75mm brown wire. Terminal/pin 1 at 4 pins connector



=======


Check, clean and tighten F32 prefusebox and all grounds.


You will never find B1 in F32 layout
But at the F32 itself, you will find B1 marking. Use torchlight, its a fine print.
F32 Schematic has B1.


Example my E400 F32, at least it has label for IG1 and IM1 ( ur eqyivalent i1 )



Mine






Each terminals has this label. Bad for our old eyes





Tomorrow I will connect my Xentry again to my Rear SAM, see what signals when I do KEY in Accesories Mode vs Ignition ON mode.


Later.....

 

Thanks Prihadi for all the details and trying things on your car.
I will try recording in similar fashion and upload the video so we can compare.

Answers to some of your questions :

Yes, my car has the same Light switch as yours.
Yes, all this data I gathered was actual actuation using the car buttons, knobs etc.. and NOT BY the scanner.
Yes, when I tested the FOG lights , it had the switch to the Low beam mode ( the last setting on the dial clockwise )
There was a typo in my Fog light numbering earlier. It was supposed to E3/1e5 and E4/1e5.
E3/1e5 was supposed to turn ON .

One more Observation I had was that When I push the FOG light button, a sign on the dash screen comes on BUT the front FOG lights turn OFF.
When I push the FOG button again, the sign on the dash screen disappears BUT the front FOG lights come ON.
Ofcourse , the rear FOG light does not work in any case, but I was puzzled by this behavior. I thought it should be other way round , meaning, the FOG lights should
come ON when the sign in dash screen appears.

I will do some tests on the FOG lights and post.

Also, the battery is pretty new and charged.
I replaced it just a couple of months back. I do not have any battery tester but the voltages seem good to me , ( recalling ) anywhere between 12v and 14v

Regards

 

Reading REAR SAM circuits.



These relays/circuits has nothing to do with powering up the tail light.





The so called driver of the tail-light, we do not even know it is powered by Circuit 30 or 30g ( via K2 relay at F32 prefuse box ).
The page 1 of 7 W207 Rear SAM only shows driver circuit existence, but not its power source.
Perhaps it uses a chip/surface mount type of fuse and not the usual ATOC fuse.


BTW, 7 pages of Rear SAM is not a split of 7 pages from one main wiring diagram.
Each page has its own sub-circuits.. Some connection can cross over to other pages, some dont. Do take note. Front SAM is the same too.
One page can show XX fuse serving device A, other page can show the very same XX fuse serving device B. Thus reading it need to be read all 7 pages. 10 pages if W212.




I went into developer mode :


.



.





I guess this page shows which led array is not being used in my car.
The 411 and 617 data box is unique. When I turn ON Fog Lamp ( right side rear only for my RHD car ) vs I turned OFF the rear fog light, these two devices changed its status ACTIVE/NOT ACTIVE.
Looking at yesterday's video, we know that there is no brightness change to 411/617 E3e17 and E4e17

NOTE : My car has the Code 641 Dynamic LED / ILS, the higest variant of headlight for W212.
Its front Fog Light is a manipulation of beam shaping, and not extra LED array specific to front fog lamp. Thus I do not have a front fog light switch. The only switch is for the rear fog lamp.
Too much "electronic/software decision for my front headlights, I don.t like it. It sucks too for brightness level.


.





After you take similar tailight manual actuation video like I did, we shall compare and from there we can troubleshoot further.



Our rear lights seems very different

Rear Lamp, left side

W212.065
A2129060703 LEFT, body side
A2129060903 LEFT, trunk side


W207.359
A2079060358 LEFT, body side
A2078200364 LEFT, trunk side

So perhaps actual LED array positioning or maybe operational logic could also be a bit different.

.

 

I forgot to ask.....

When you did the test, was/were there on-going DTC/s at that point in time which was/were active/permanent ?
If so, DTC/s still exist now ?

 

Apologies for the delayed reply Prihadi.
Here are a couple of videos I have captured.



I have not had a chance to take a look at the thick power supply wires and terminals you have pointed out in your posts.
Will take a look at them this weekend.

 

The 2 videos you showed is very important.

Let's start with a clean slate.

I need the car true history :

01. You bought the W207 in this condition or this condition/issue happened after some months/mileaga of ownership where for months all were good back then ?
I asked 01 because if previous owner/s have messed up this car, the investigation can not be done based on un-touched virgin wiring or virgin hardware.


There is potential of wrong component used/installed.

02A. First, this is the variations of the rear tail lights based on W207.359, meaning no VIN code.... just model number.
Previous owner/s could have made mistake buying the wrong tail lights.



.




.





----

02B. Based on your VIN, your tail lights #10 and #100 is to be these P/N only :






03. Your front fog lamp is NOT A FOG LAMP, it is Day Light Running light, thus the operartional strategy is different to a Fog Light. The P/N should be as below :



.




So let me know car history and confirm those 3 P/N for tails lights ( #10 and #100) and front Day Time Runing Lights #410 on the device itself.

 

04. Check your brake light switch. It is at the top side of brake pedal . Dumb Azz MB called it Stop Lamp Switch....
It may have issue. It is not a true mechanical switch hence there is a transistor symbol on it, it is an electronic switch and most likely two circuits in one for safety,like accelerator pedal double circuit.
My logic is like this, when you turned ON your Ignition, the rear tail lamp got to be brighter..... I think that is BRAKE LIGHT section got activated.
Try to find DTC on the brake pedal switch, if any.

This brake pedal switch is wired to ABS/ESP N30/4


.



.




.







----------


The usual messy screw up Rear SAM wiring diagram can be. This I seen often.
Go and verify this properly. I can't help you here as I do not have the car in front of me.

You need to ID properly and accurately, which LED array is called what ID.
Example below, E3/1e2 does not exist anywhere else for our reference.... other than in wiring diagram Sheet 1, rear SAM.





.
If we can't ID actual address or name of the LED array, how do we troubleshoot properly ?


Above : BRAKE light ( E3e11) and STOP lamp (E3/1e4 ) , can't they decide to simply use 1 term as in BRAKE light ?

.
.


E3e17 is shown above, but taillight only has E3e11 if based on TAILIGHT AND BRAKE LIGHT.



Have fun with the troubleshooting......... and a bit of migrain.
Do compare actual wire colors on the tail light connector vs diagram. I seen some screw up on my Front SAM already.


.

 

Your second video.
You asked why is there a relay clicking sound at the rear/trunk when Igition is ON and you did not even press anything/button ?

That is because : ( Based on using Key and not push button for easier mechanical positioning of the key )

INSERT KEY IN SLOT, Position A, Circuit 15C energized, the C is just a signal "code" use for N73 . It is not found anywhere else as far as I know. The same with Circuit 15X.
Key position 1 or Accesories, Circuit 15R energized, both for front and REAR SAM
Key Position 2 - Ignition ON, Circuit 15 energized, both for front and REAR SAM <----- you heard this one.





------





Visualization, from ECUboot.



---

If using Xentry at N73 module





Where are the Circuit 15 and 15R relays at Rear SAM ?



.

 

05. I notice supposedly your inner tail light trunk side , #100 still uses incandescent bulb of 16 watts, #130




Inspect that and make sure it is not a LED and is INCAN type oldie bulb of 16 watts in good condition. LED with too little load can create DTC.
Rear SAM monitors amperage for every light it powers, it has a table to refer to. Too much or too low, DTC will appear on your instrument cluster and via scanner.
The baby launch can actually see this "amperage-table " information under VARIAN CODING, but please do not mess with VARIAN CODING. It can create issues.




Can you verify if the inner tail light trunk side , #100 has connector like below link ? :
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186409597464

Seems the connector is 6 way but with only 5 pins and there is that 16watts incan bulb, but must be also other LED array in the light assy.
If 5 wires, it would be usually 4 separate lights ( 1 is ground ) or LED array and we know 1 is incan bulb.
If the othert 3 are incan bulb, surely EPC will show the replacement bulbs.

E3/1 is supposedly light #100 trunk side. INNER LIGHT. Trace the pin, the 16W incan bulb I would think is reverse/backup light E3/1e3 pin 3 at the connector for its positive.






Below, ur DTC : Tail and Brake Lamp. By description its would be E3e11 / E4e11 I reckon.





Below : I am confused . There is no actual REAR SIDE MARKER lamp on your car......but wiring diag said there is.





This shows E3 main rear left tail light. https://www.ebay.com/itm/265985520058

Shows a 6 pin/way connector.



Now the weird part. Your car is an Aug 2011 production, we can call it model year 2012, but is still not June 2013 and up...... where 6 pins is used, instead of 4 pins connector tail lamp.



Test E3e6 at pin 6, that is supposedly called SIDE MARKER LAMP.



.

 

Thanks S-Prihadi for the detailed msg.


Here is some history of the car.

I purchased it in 2017, with about 50k miles on it. Since then I have put more than 60k miles on it with no such issues.
It was under an extended warranty protection until 2022.
All the service records from the original owner showed that it was always taken to a Mercedes dealer for services etc..
Until 2022, I also always took it to the Mercedes dealer(s) .

Major events :
1) In 2021 driver side front lamp was replaced ( not by the dealer but I think this was an OEM part )
2) In late 2022 , a rat chewed up some wiring in the engine bay, which was repaired by the Mercedes dealer, expensive repair , damn rats.
3) In 2023 and early 2024 , the trunk lid used to pop open on it's own. Google searched showed that cables getting stuck or cut due to the trunk arm is a common issue. But i did not take any action.
4) Late 2024 / Early 2025 I started to have rear lights, rear blinkers etc.. give these error msgs randomly. Sometimes I would see no issues
for days and the other times it would be pretty bad.
5) That's when I decided to take it apart and noticed the wires crushed or cut and shorted out. Here i am since then.

If it helps , I can take pics of the right side Tail/brake lights and the side marker ( the Fog light). This should confirm.
Also, as for the "Side marker" naming convention, I assume that should be there is all of the US models.
I have no idea though.

I will take a look at the details you shared.

Thanks
regards

 

This is what I have.

Right Side Marker connector/cable ( This is on the trunk lid ) - connector and cable both have 5 pins/wires.


Right side marker connector / cable

Right side marker connector / cable

Right side marker connector / cable






Below are the pics for Right side Tail/Brake light connector / cable - There only 4 wires but the connector has 6 pins.

 

Good information on the car history.
At least we do not go in blind not knowing where the ambush are ....


---------

OK, home work for you

Trace the wire from Rear SAM connector to the tail light assy connector. Making sure none touched ground and the wire is correct end to end.




.





==========




.

So far wiring diagram OK compared to actual





If I were you , I will track each and every wire from Rear SAM to each lighs connector.
Thus I partial prepared an Excel file for you to make and use called WIRE TRACING TABLE.
You add your own data to the file, I done 25% only.


I have not wire logged my rear SAM, albeit I have done soldering their push-fit solder-less pins.
I have wire logged my front SAM and clear coat it with conformal coating to prevent corossion. 138 wires total and some uncertainty.


.




There are more uncertainty and un-dopcumented intermediate connectors...DAMN !!!!


OK, have fun.............troubleshooting ur light.


---------

Side note : I can't comment yet on why your blinker behave that way, until a 100% guaranteed that wiring is proper.
Usually if it blinking speed sped-up that fast, in oldie cars with INCAN bulb, it is one of the bulbs burnt out

 

Later please make a new light MAP for your own data keeping.
You can link the connector pin number to the light region using your 9V battery for test. But the 16watts incan bulb I think u can't power it with such a low amperage battery ..right ?
I usually use programable power supply and lock it to 0.2 amps at 12.7V to test this kind of task.

All light section/array ID is to follow Rear SAM sheet 1 wiring diagram. Which is already correct by wire colors.

 

So, before facelift USA W212 sedan also uses ur type of tail lamp... I thought urs is specific to coupe

 

Thanks S-Prihadi.

I have gone thru the wire connection a couple of times. The ones which got cut / crushed (and shorted) were going to the trunk lid. I have traced each one of them from the
soldering joint i made to the light fixture. I also matched the colors with the schematics you sent earlier ( 1 of 7 ).
Will go thru once more though.
Here is my assessment . Although it's possible that something went wrong ( i.e. bad LEDs) in all the rear light fixtures at the same time, but I feel it's very unlikely.
The repairs I made was for the Trunk lid wiring , i.e for E3/1 and E4/1 fixtures and the center brake lights. But it's not clear how E3 and E4 stopped working .
The cable for E3 and E4 is routed on the floor of the trunk , so no cuts etc.. there.

The common thing in all of this is the rear SAM. The Rear SAM is able to actuate every light individually with out any issues but when Brake lights come on , blinkers stop working.
At this time the highest priority for me is the blinkers. I want to get them working.
Although i see a bunch of error codes for E3, E4, E3/1, and E4/1 but they all work as expected, EXCEPT for the BLINKERS.
So i need to figure out how to make them work.

 

OK, so what is your next step ?
Since the car history is known, its looking like Rear SAM has gone a bit cukcoo

Its irritating when the issue is not a direct short circuit or dead, but of out of line or weird operational behaviour.

 

One of the issues which keeps coming in the way for me is that , the SAM shuts off ( and stops attempting ) the blinkers altogether as soon as it detects
a fault ( which we trying to diagnose what that fault is ) OR throws an error code. So any measurements, probing using multimeter is not helpful.
My plan was to probe the blinker wires for any voltage drop as soon as the Ignition is turned on. Any voltage drop may suggest a short OR an issue with the
line driver.
Interestingly, for brake/tail lights, even though it shows the error code , it does not shut them off i.e. the brake lights etc.. continue to work. The same is true
for the so called " side marker" lights.
Is there any safety rule involved in this ?

 

Read below : Me in Asia no side marker needed
https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitst...pdf?sequence=2