SL/R230: Front Side Marker Light UGH!
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Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 449
Likes: 129
From: Melbourne Florida
SL500
Front Side Marker Light UGH!
Ok so let me entertain the you, The Experts may have something to add. I hope. So I am a newbie to the Sl500 and I am going through the pages on the dash and see I have an error with this right marker light. Of so big deal we need to change the lamp. So let me try to be proactive and watch a youtube video and this guy is pushing on the fender liner BOOM it pops and he can get his arm up to the bumper and remove the light housing. Good! Now at 73 I crawl under the car quipped with my new incandescent 168 bulbs after reading the Error Nightmares converting to Leds. Like who needs another problem. Well only to find out that I am looking a 4 bolts in the fender liner to remove. Nothing like the video.
So I remove the bolts laying on my back with my arm up to find the light and knowing the video showed me the release catch. The Light comes out. Yippee. I remove the socket and the bulb is corroded. Now the worry is could the socket be corroded? I get my electrical cleaner and lube and it looks ok. So I place the now bulb in the socket and reassemble the entire affair. I turn on the lights. oops no light. Ok start from step one. This time I check the lamp, I check voltage at the interior terminals no power. So is the socket really bad? I peel back the insulation on the wires to the socket and check , no voltage. Ok
I tape up the exposed wires and put the entire affair back in the bumper along with the 4 bolts on my back where at 73 and Stenosis of the neck and arthritis in general has beat me. As I am trying to return to an up right position I tell the Son to turn off the lights. WHOA in the corner of my eye I think I see a flash of light from the marker. Then I say naw it was a reflection from my flashlight head set. I try aiming it at the orange reflector Hmmmm not sure, Then I say to the Son turn on the lights again VIOLA! the light is ON. DiD the car shut off power to the light when the fault occurred? This car is that smart to know to turn on power the lamp at the side maker bulb was corrected lamp was replaced to a working one? Who is living in my Garage?
So I remove the bolts laying on my back with my arm up to find the light and knowing the video showed me the release catch. The Light comes out. Yippee. I remove the socket and the bulb is corroded. Now the worry is could the socket be corroded? I get my electrical cleaner and lube and it looks ok. So I place the now bulb in the socket and reassemble the entire affair. I turn on the lights. oops no light. Ok start from step one. This time I check the lamp, I check voltage at the interior terminals no power. So is the socket really bad? I peel back the insulation on the wires to the socket and check , no voltage. Ok
I tape up the exposed wires and put the entire affair back in the bumper along with the 4 bolts on my back where at 73 and Stenosis of the neck and arthritis in general has beat me. As I am trying to return to an up right position I tell the Son to turn off the lights. WHOA in the corner of my eye I think I see a flash of light from the marker. Then I say naw it was a reflection from my flashlight head set. I try aiming it at the orange reflector Hmmmm not sure, Then I say to the Son turn on the lights again VIOLA! the light is ON. DiD the car shut off power to the light when the fault occurred? This car is that smart to know to turn on power the lamp at the side maker bulb was corrected lamp was replaced to a working one? Who is living in my Garage?
