One Eyed Mike
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Super Member
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 857
Likes: 501
From: Washington, DC
2007 S600, 2007 Chrysler 300 SRT8, 2000 C5 Corvette, 2017 Mustang GT, 2023 300C, and a 2019 Lincoln
One Eyed Mike
So last week while driving at dusk, I noticed an orange message light. "Left lower headlight beam". Sure enough, the computer was right and I was just a hair away from a ticket over the upcoming July 4th holiday and its additional enforcement. Asked my indy would you have that in stock, or do I need to go get ripped off at the dealer. He said drop by any day before 4 pm. I ran over there this morning, and while I waited, they put in a new bulb. That is what I call real service. $90. If I had gone to the dealer, I bet it would have been $699!!!!!
Looking forward to a nice weekend drive. Happiness is a well maintained S class.
Looking forward to a nice weekend drive. Happiness is a well maintained S class.
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Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 2,138
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04 E55 AMG (totaled), 07 S550 4Matic, 14 E63S
$90?? What, you can give it the old reach-around? That's kind of nuts for a "modern" car. My generalized take on cars was if it has HIDs, prepare to pull the front bumper (at least partially). This seemed to be fairly true over the past 20 years. Good to know.
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Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 39
Likes: 17
From: Los Angeles, Ca.
2007 S550 Facelift upgrade.
On my 07 w221, to change any of the light bulbs up front all you have to do is take off the wheels and pull off the inner wheel well liners. You can get the Phillips DS1 bulbs on eBay for around $20-30 for the pair, dealer in Cali wants $250 per!
Glad you only had to pay $90. Sounds like a good guy!
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Super Member
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 857
Likes: 501
From: Washington, DC
2007 S600, 2007 Chrysler 300 SRT8, 2000 C5 Corvette, 2017 Mustang GT, 2023 300C, and a 2019 Lincoln
No question my indy has the bulbs marked up and I understand everyone needs to make a profit. And I want to support him especially when he did it while I waited. Yes, I could have jacked the car, pulled the wheel, pulled the inner fender cover, and swapped the bulb out; but I am fairly devout loafer. Right now I felt flush enough to pay my indy. And I love driving at night now because I can actually see!!
Member
Joined: Apr 2022
Posts: 147
Likes: 47
From: Tewksbury, MA
2008 S550
I replaced that bulb not too long ago, took only 15 minutes. Just need remove one bolt for coolant overflow tank and set it aside. Then you have clear access to remove the cover (rotate it) and there are two clips that hold in the bulb. Easy peasy.
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Joined: Aug 2014
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S500
On my 07 w221, to change any of the light bulbs up front all you have to do is take off the wheels and pull off the inner wheel well liners. You can get the Phillips DS1 bulbs on eBay for around $20-30 for the pair, dealer in Cali wants $250 per!
Glad you only had to pay $90. Sounds like a good guy!
Glad you only had to pay $90. Sounds like a good guy!
Both companies confirmed the bulbs were fake - and that they were very convincing copies of the genuine products. Osram said the seizure adds to evidence that the counterfeiters are raising their game, particularly with regard to the quality of packaging.
With genuine bulbs costing up to £100 to replace, there is a temptation for consumers to try to save money by sourcing replacements from online sites.
Aside from being more likely to blow, fake bulbs can cause other electrical problems in the car - raising a risk of fire - and can prevent airbags from deploying in the event of a crash. They can also cause serious problems for other motorists, with testing showing that they are often incorrectly aligned and dazzle oncoming drivers.
Both Philips and Osram have taken measures to try to protect consumers from fakes. Both apply security labels to their products, for example, with holographic features as well as a unique code that purchasers can use to verify the authenticity of bulbs online.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 857
Likes: 501
From: Washington, DC
2007 S600, 2007 Chrysler 300 SRT8, 2000 C5 Corvette, 2017 Mustang GT, 2023 300C, and a 2019 Lincoln
And these are not Chinese parts, BOTUS!!!!!
The good news about my indy is he only stocks OEM products. It doesn't do him any good to sell me a dangerous part. He wants me to do the 100K service at his shop!! Enlightened self-interest.
The good news about my indy is he only stocks OEM products. It doesn't do him any good to sell me a dangerous part. He wants me to do the 100K service at his shop!! Enlightened self-interest.
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Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 1,194
Likes: 636
From: Iowa
2008 CL550, 2022 EQB 300, 2023 EQS 450 4Matic
The scary thing is the supply chain is so compromised that even manufactures who think they are supplying real products aren't necessarily doing so. I saw a DW Documentary a while back (I believe a German station) about all the fake crap in Europe that gets stolen/switched/whatever during transit. Only a tiny portion of shipping containers are monitored or checked by authorities. When I bought Phillips bulbs, I used their verification system, but it probably won't be long before that system is hacked by fraud. Anyway, all we can do is try to source as well as we can, and even then be guarded. My Bosch top of the line brake pads all failed within 6 months, on new rotors. They were cracked, and looked like a mess. Ordered off Amazon. I bet they were fake.
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Joined: Aug 2014
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S500
you can't - you get budget fakes that don't work well or last very long
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 39
Likes: 17
From: Los Angeles, Ca.
2007 S550 Facelift upgrade.
you can buy fake Phillips for that sort of price - there is no way genuine Philips should be available at that cost - in the UK its becoming common cars catch fire running fake xenons - 9 out of 10 are believed to be fakes...an episode of the BBC's Fake Britain television programme showed raids on two addresses in the UK uncovered thousands of boxes of fake Philips and Osram brand bulbs worth an estimated £100,000 ($133,000).
Both companies confirmed the bulbs were fake - and that they were very convincing copies of the genuine products. Osram said the seizure adds to evidence that the counterfeiters are raising their game, particularly with regard to the quality of packaging.
With genuine bulbs costing up to £100 to replace, there is a temptation for consumers to try to save money by sourcing replacements from online sites.
Aside from being more likely to blow, fake bulbs can cause other electrical problems in the car - raising a risk of fire - and can prevent airbags from deploying in the event of a crash. They can also cause serious problems for other motorists, with testing showing that they are often incorrectly aligned and dazzle oncoming drivers.
Both Philips and Osram have taken measures to try to protect consumers from fakes. Both apply security labels to their products, for example, with holographic features as well as a unique code that purchasers can use to verify the authenticity of bulbs online.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s3rFHTlK0E
Both companies confirmed the bulbs were fake - and that they were very convincing copies of the genuine products. Osram said the seizure adds to evidence that the counterfeiters are raising their game, particularly with regard to the quality of packaging.
With genuine bulbs costing up to £100 to replace, there is a temptation for consumers to try to save money by sourcing replacements from online sites.
Aside from being more likely to blow, fake bulbs can cause other electrical problems in the car - raising a risk of fire - and can prevent airbags from deploying in the event of a crash. They can also cause serious problems for other motorists, with testing showing that they are often incorrectly aligned and dazzle oncoming drivers.
Both Philips and Osram have taken measures to try to protect consumers from fakes. Both apply security labels to their products, for example, with holographic features as well as a unique code that purchasers can use to verify the authenticity of bulbs online.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s3rFHTlK0E
Thanks for the info. Fake or not, I’ve been using the same bulbs from the same seller in my 07 W221, since I bought the car brand new and changed out the 4000k for 6500k color 3 days after buying the car. The bulbs last 4-5 yrs and have never given me any problems or issues. Maybe I’m just lucky.
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Joined: Nov 2014
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From: Maryland
Depends on the weather
I get mine from amazon in 6000k for around $25.00 for the pair...they were in right after I bought the car and I've never had an issue after all these years, same with my other cars.
