notekfdbulldog

what's the best way to clean up the condensation in the headlights?any write ups or advice is highly appreciated.found out also that the orange color of the amber turn signal light bulbs were flaking, is it normal? my 03 ml is just out of warranty.
thanks,
Dan

Porschenut

Yup, I had the same problems. The orange on the bulbs was flaking off and falling into the lamp. In fact, there's still a little bit in there. I just replaced the still operational bulbs with new ones and try to ignore the little bits of orange that I see.

As for the condensation, I removed the back covers, took the bulbs out of my headlights, drove around to get everything nice and warm under the hood. After the condensation had evaporated, I simply put the bulbs back in and it hasn't come back. However, my condensation originated because I had taken the bulbs out in the first place while driving around trying to find the best deal on replacements. When I left my truck overnight with the back plates off, the condensation formed inside the lamps. If your problem stems from a bad seal somewhere I'd suggest using a scuba diving trick whereby you can apply a silicone moisturizer to the rubber seals (or neoprene in the case of my diving suit). Hopefully that can rejeuvenate them a little to the point that they begin sealing properly again.

notekfdbulldog

Porschenut,
thanks, I'll try it this weekend.
Dan

Porschenut

There's a thread on another MB forum where someone suggested a more fool-proof method of making sure this problem doesn't come back. He said to run a bead of silicone along the sealed portion of the housing. That sounds like a good idea. Even better, try using automotive eurathane. It's the black stuff that glass shops use to glue in front windshields. Some bodyshops even use it to semi-permanently bond bodykits to cars. That stuff should also be able to withstand any heat that the lights give off.