Brake light strip bulb replacement
SL/R129: Brake light strip bulb replacement
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Joined: Oct 2008
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BMW F02 (750Li) F10 (550i)
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 91
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From: southern new jersey
2003 SL500
Third Brake light
Woth the help of some fellow members of this forum I was able to fix the problem. It ws a broken wire that was exactly as they predicted. Yea MBWorld.
Rocco
Rocco
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 34
Likes: 2
From: Heidelberg, Germany
A woman needs her toys!:98 SL500 for now
1. The whole strip is wedged in behind metal....that does not move
2. You can try to slide it out by loosening the clips from the bottom and then sliding the strip out.....but the strip gets stuck....on the un-movable metal
3. You can push the little pegs that hold the red lens in...pop it out then unscrew the 3 little screws...if you can get them out...and even if you could get them out....the strip still gets stuck...on the un-movable metal.
Or you can just slather some clear sealent around the outside of the lens to fix the 3 cups of water that is always draining into your trunk when it rains.
Hopefully is worked......after 3 weeks fo straight rain in this country....it has not ranied since I (hopefully) fixed the problem.
Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 88
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From: Toronto
1998 E320, 1994 320 SL,2000 Ford F 150.1997 Gixxer 1100
And if you try to do it yourself....holy cow what a pain in the ***. The carpeting on the inside of the trunk is the easiest part. After that it is hell.
1. The whole strip is wedged in behind metal....that does not move
2. You can try to slide it out by loosening the clips from the bottom and then sliding the strip out.....but the strip gets stuck....on the un-movable metal
3. You can push the little pegs that hold the red lens in...pop it out then unscrew the 3 little screws...if you can get them out...and even if you could get them out....the strip still gets stuck...on the un-movable metal.
Or you can just slather some clear sealent around the outside of the lens to fix the 3 cups of water that is always draining into your trunk when it rains. Hopefully is worked......after 3 weeks fo straight rain in this country....it has not ranied since I (hopefully) fixed the problem.
1. The whole strip is wedged in behind metal....that does not move
2. You can try to slide it out by loosening the clips from the bottom and then sliding the strip out.....but the strip gets stuck....on the un-movable metal
3. You can push the little pegs that hold the red lens in...pop it out then unscrew the 3 little screws...if you can get them out...and even if you could get them out....the strip still gets stuck...on the un-movable metal.
Or you can just slather some clear sealent around the outside of the lens to fix the 3 cups of water that is always draining into your trunk when it rains.
Hopefully is worked......after 3 weeks fo straight rain in this country....it has not ranied since I (hopefully) fixed the problem.Can be done. Need patience.Simply pull the clips and slide. Guys with body job experience seems to be pretty good at doing this stuff.However, first check the wire on the hinge which attaches to the deck. Mine was broken right there. The constant up and down motion.
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Newbie
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 8
Likes: 1
From: Nottinghamshire England
R129 SL320
SL high level brake light
These rarely fail. The problem is usually a break in the cables in the rubber tube on the hinge. If you cut through the cables to resolder remember to maintain the polarity - diodes only work in one direction. If you need to get to the diode block, the easy way is to remove the lens from the trunk lid. Be very careful - it's easy to break. Unscrew the 3 screws now revealed and the unit will just drop out.
Phil
Phil
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Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 78
Likes: 2
From: Alabama gulf coast, formerly Charlottesville, Virginia
2004 W220 (S430), 2001 R129 (SL500 Sport)
The red lens on mine has a chip out of the bottom edge. From what I read, the lens cannot be replaced without problems all out of proportion to the piece being replaced.
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 8
Likes: 1
From: Nottinghamshire England
R129 SL320
The only problem is you'll probably have to buy the complete unit as I'm not certain you can buy just the lens. As your lens is chipped it won't matter if you break it during removal. Lever it out with a thin screwdriver next to the plastic holding clips which you can see through the lens and place a piece of cloth under the blade to avoid chipping the paint. You'll have to remove the top part of the trunk lining to pull the unit out after unscrewing. Get a trim removing tool to extract the trim clips as this makes the job very easy. A very simple half hour job! Hope this helps.
Phil
Phil
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 7
Likes: 1
From: San Francisco
1992 300SL Manual 5-Sp, 1993 300TE 4-Matic, 1995 Mazda Miata, 2006 Land Rover LR3, 1994 Saab 9000 Ae
In regards to bulb replacement...
- The bulbs can be replaced by removing the bulb holder strip from the inside of the trunk. Open the trunk and remove a plastic cap and a plastic panel from the inside trunk lid liner. Two holes will be revealed so you can un-clip the bulb holder at both sides of the light assembly. After un-clipped, patiently remove and wiggle the bulb holder out of the larger hole. If I remember, you need to unplug the wire from the wire supply.
- You can purchase the lens separately, and it clips into the trunk lid. To remove the old one, you can access it from the inside of the trunk after removing the bulb holder. There are numerous clips holding the lens in. Just work your way around the lens and un-clip it to remove the lens toward the outside of the trunk.
