Original_Idris

Not to repeat my other thread, but....New to the forums....New to the Car....hand me down from my Father in Law.
Until a week ago, I only had one headlight assembly that worked. Then a week ago the other turned on, the turned off and hasn't worked since.
No low beam, no high beam, no parking lights, no blinkers......nothing its all broke.
I removed the assemblies to check the bulbs. When I did (of course) the tab catch on the plug broke. Also I noticed that the wiring inside the assembly has alot of exposed wire, the plastic is just falling off.
So should I attempt to de-pin all the connectors inside the assemblies and put new heat shrink on them and then start working on diagnosing a problem or is there an obvious problem that I'm missing.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

tusabes

Time to get a replacement

wallyp

It will be a fussy job, but you can insulate the bare wires using "Liquid Rubber", available at most auto parts stores, Harbor Freight, etc. Comes in a can with a brush on the cap.

You probably need to do some basic trouble-shooting, such as checking the ground/earth connections, etc.

Astro14

All those bare wires likely caused a short. If you’re lucky, insulating, and resetting the SAMs will bring them back. But if not, time to scour ebay for a used set. Depot used to make them, but they have been out of stock for a while.

Fried Chicken

I put some electrical tape around those frayed wires (how tf does mercedes screw this up?!). Can these completely come apart to solder new wires in?

wallyp

The material selected for the wire insulation was reportedly "greener" - that is, more ecologically and politically correct - which was VERY important to Mercedes Benz at the time, since the Greens had just taken over the German government.

Sure, you can disconnect and replace the wires, but it won't be easy. Liquid Rubber remains my choice of repair.

Astro14

First - AGM batteries work way better than LA for this car, so, I don’t think you’ll like what I have to say.

This isn’t so much an issue from Mercedes as it is from the EU, who mandated that all cars be recyclable, and have only recyclable materials, including, of course, the wiring on your headlights.

The EU mandate was only a couple of years old when your car was built. So, the insulation degradation in wiring hadn’t yet been observed.

Those lights are hot, much hotter than the rest of the engine compartment, increasing the degradation of the wiring.

It is a known issue now, everyone goes through it. The nature of cars when they age. I re-wrapped all of my headlight wiring, when I had them out for a polish. They’re holding up.