THe Headlamps are not fit for purpose
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Aug 2021
Posts: 109
Likes: 13
2015 SL63 AMG (R231)
THe Headlamps are not fit for purpose
Is the main purpose of the headlamps to keep decorative illuminated goldfish swimming about in it OR to actually light the road for a couple of decades as was the case with my other cars
I bought my 2015 SL63AMG with 20,500miles from a main dealership on the clock in July 2021 with numerous problems detailed here in Diary of a Lemon. One problem that started after it had been back to the dealership some months later was OTT condensation in the in the nearside (UK) headlamps. Well they quickly agreed to take the car back to put in a whole new unit. Great result then a phone call to say it could be 2-3 months as they are on backorder and yes it was 3 months It never should take so long!
Since then both headlamps have been fine BUT this is only my the sunny-day car the only time it gets wet is when its washed and that’s with a bucket and sponge Then on holiday in Spain last June there was a OTT rainstorm with water covered roads. This was only say 1 to 2 inches of standing water and only off and on for 3 miles and I raised the suspension. The car now raised, more than other cars. seemed to happily my car easily cope with it not a situation of say bow-waves etc of water and everyone slowed to 5mph and I turned off up hill to where we were staying and on to dry roads. THAT’S the only time the cars been out in any real rain and miles before any problems
The headlamps had no problem from last June until I left the car out overnight in August say some 2000 miles later and the next day it says intelligent light system not working and the MOT was due. The only problem I had was it would not change from the English RHD to LHD with according to Xentry the off-side older headlamp being the problem but it passed the yearly MOT check and I drove it that hot Autumn put it away for the winter at the end of November until all the salted roads frosty etc days were over
April its still only had the came problem but a trip out it gained more problem the indicator warning flashed rapidly but the real ones were fine and I decided to take the front off and check for loose connections. However, even before taking it out again the car the indicator failed as stayed on not flashing and parking lamp that Xenrty says dead shorts. I had a very small operation on my back so all was delayed and then another and I asked a main dealership if they were in stock and was told yes RESULT and in the UK GREAT and asked for a price and told £1300 and would ring back with a price but nobody did so.............
A week later being last Thursday it went to my preferred independent who now find they are NOT IN SToCK in UK and phone calls by me also say none in the EU being Germany
So when the car was In I asked they had a look at the connectors to see if it was just loose or rusty.........Yes its OTT corroded on the Loom plug and computer connections and they saw water in the one fitted in late 2021 as well and as I wrote this is sunny day ONLY off the road all winter months and THAT NEW HEADLAMPS only been in the rain 4 times driving in Europe
WHY is this what should be when built top of the range build so OTT rubbish and was this why there was a facelift headlamp
As I said to my Independent why do they not simply drill a drain hole or holes in as there is so much water in both the headlamps, that’s normal, and why not use waterproof connections as I used when I made a new wiring loom for my 35 year old Caterham 7 or issue a technical note on using electrical grease on the connections
SO life time of a headlamps just 4 years as long as you don’t use it daily or in the rain and as in another thread Condenser coils only last 6months past warranty and AMG as in Master Gavin Beswick will not make a goodwill offer on that coil......... so little point on asking for one on the goldfish tank headlamp
Fed up..........Yep you bet I am.......... no top down holiday car or or even one for the summer unless my independent can find one BUT one mechanic said one the owners wifie is in the same problem with her R230 P30 version and told 3 months wait !!!!!!!!!!
Sorry about the rant but what’s gone wrong at Mercedes and who else is in the err same boat
I bought my 2015 SL63AMG with 20,500miles from a main dealership on the clock in July 2021 with numerous problems detailed here in Diary of a Lemon. One problem that started after it had been back to the dealership some months later was OTT condensation in the in the nearside (UK) headlamps. Well they quickly agreed to take the car back to put in a whole new unit. Great result then a phone call to say it could be 2-3 months as they are on backorder and yes it was 3 months It never should take so long!
Since then both headlamps have been fine BUT this is only my the sunny-day car the only time it gets wet is when its washed and that’s with a bucket and sponge Then on holiday in Spain last June there was a OTT rainstorm with water covered roads. This was only say 1 to 2 inches of standing water and only off and on for 3 miles and I raised the suspension. The car now raised, more than other cars. seemed to happily my car easily cope with it not a situation of say bow-waves etc of water and everyone slowed to 5mph and I turned off up hill to where we were staying and on to dry roads. THAT’S the only time the cars been out in any real rain and miles before any problems
The headlamps had no problem from last June until I left the car out overnight in August say some 2000 miles later and the next day it says intelligent light system not working and the MOT was due. The only problem I had was it would not change from the English RHD to LHD with according to Xentry the off-side older headlamp being the problem but it passed the yearly MOT check and I drove it that hot Autumn put it away for the winter at the end of November until all the salted roads frosty etc days were over
April its still only had the came problem but a trip out it gained more problem the indicator warning flashed rapidly but the real ones were fine and I decided to take the front off and check for loose connections. However, even before taking it out again the car the indicator failed as stayed on not flashing and parking lamp that Xenrty says dead shorts. I had a very small operation on my back so all was delayed and then another and I asked a main dealership if they were in stock and was told yes RESULT and in the UK GREAT and asked for a price and told £1300 and would ring back with a price but nobody did so.............
A week later being last Thursday it went to my preferred independent who now find they are NOT IN SToCK in UK and phone calls by me also say none in the EU being Germany
So when the car was In I asked they had a look at the connectors to see if it was just loose or rusty.........Yes its OTT corroded on the Loom plug and computer connections and they saw water in the one fitted in late 2021 as well and as I wrote this is sunny day ONLY off the road all winter months and THAT NEW HEADLAMPS only been in the rain 4 times driving in Europe
WHY is this what should be when built top of the range build so OTT rubbish and was this why there was a facelift headlamp
As I said to my Independent why do they not simply drill a drain hole or holes in as there is so much water in both the headlamps, that’s normal, and why not use waterproof connections as I used when I made a new wiring loom for my 35 year old Caterham 7 or issue a technical note on using electrical grease on the connections
SO life time of a headlamps just 4 years as long as you don’t use it daily or in the rain and as in another thread Condenser coils only last 6months past warranty and AMG as in Master Gavin Beswick will not make a goodwill offer on that coil......... so little point on asking for one on the goldfish tank headlamp
Fed up..........Yep you bet I am.......... no top down holiday car or or even one for the summer unless my independent can find one BUT one mechanic said one the owners wifie is in the same problem with her R230 P30 version and told 3 months wait !!!!!!!!!!
Sorry about the rant but what’s gone wrong at Mercedes and who else is in the err same boat
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Aug 2021
Posts: 109
Likes: 13
2015 SL63 AMG (R231)
I am surprised to have no responses on yes my headlamps failed as there are other threads
Also I think most manufacturers would regard such a massive fault in the brands reputation as a must have recall in fact it is dangerous in losing indicators etc whilst driving as I have
Talking to my independent they said later ones have waterproof bag so Mercedes know its a problem across all the R231 cars. I should have asked what later ones means?
It will cost £3990 to replace both headlamps, most of that is the headlamp cost with ballast, and there is no updated version of the headlamp so these will still leak over a few years and rust having this problem of rusted connectors and water ingress!
Chatting with friends nobody has ever heard of headlamps on any car failing due to water ingress or the terminals OTT rusting so badly let alone in just over 3 years
Why are they not a recall ? I guess many of you are in sunny states in the USA and it never rains and your yet to have what will be not maybe a problem so no USA Class action irritatingly we have nothing like it in the UK
I think its sad as this was their top of the range car in its day and maybe its why our cars are not becoming a collectable car as I could be replacing them again in a few years and whilst failure after a decade is err reality one after under 4 years should not be so.
Adding silicon gel bags in their technical is a joke they are only sponges that will never dry out and hold very limited amounts of water until removed from the headlamps and heated
So a decade on why is there no retro solution as a bag or water proof connectors or drill drain hole here etc etc ...........there is always a solution in engineering with a a tad of effort its called design and if inability to do so results in problems they become a retro design solution but Mercedes seem to be not bothered.....not that its unusual in car manufactures but is in what a limited top of the range car on a make that prides its self on good engineering
So this year will cost me £2 a mile in maintenance as it will be little used waiting for months for the new lamps and last year was £1. where as my wife’s BMW is a tiny fraction of a £ but does the same mileages
Also I think most manufacturers would regard such a massive fault in the brands reputation as a must have recall in fact it is dangerous in losing indicators etc whilst driving as I have
Talking to my independent they said later ones have waterproof bag so Mercedes know its a problem across all the R231 cars. I should have asked what later ones means?
It will cost £3990 to replace both headlamps, most of that is the headlamp cost with ballast, and there is no updated version of the headlamp so these will still leak over a few years and rust having this problem of rusted connectors and water ingress!
Chatting with friends nobody has ever heard of headlamps on any car failing due to water ingress or the terminals OTT rusting so badly let alone in just over 3 years
Why are they not a recall ? I guess many of you are in sunny states in the USA and it never rains and your yet to have what will be not maybe a problem so no USA Class action irritatingly we have nothing like it in the UK
I think its sad as this was their top of the range car in its day and maybe its why our cars are not becoming a collectable car as I could be replacing them again in a few years and whilst failure after a decade is err reality one after under 4 years should not be so.
Adding silicon gel bags in their technical is a joke they are only sponges that will never dry out and hold very limited amounts of water until removed from the headlamps and heated
So a decade on why is there no retro solution as a bag or water proof connectors or drill drain hole here etc etc ...........there is always a solution in engineering with a a tad of effort its called design and if inability to do so results in problems they become a retro design solution but Mercedes seem to be not bothered.....not that its unusual in car manufactures but is in what a limited top of the range car on a make that prides its self on good engineering
So this year will cost me £2 a mile in maintenance as it will be little used waiting for months for the new lamps and last year was £1. where as my wife’s BMW is a tiny fraction of a £ but does the same mileages
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Aug 2021
Posts: 109
Likes: 13
2015 SL63 AMG (R231)
Me again 
Must say I am surprised that this thread has attracted NO replies given the number of other posts here and other clubs over the internet on what is an early headlamp failures due to water ingress or corrosion
Still maybe near all of you live in those dry States of California, Texas etc whist I live in the ever getting warmer and drier UK and it is only a sunny day car. If you lived in wetter states would have err a Class action.have occured......is that the right term
When my cars going its great
but sadly I have never had so unreliable car over err 55 years of driving yes I am nearly a old fart at 75 years young in a few weeks but I remain the opposite of being curmudgeon so nothing I write is a rant on any web site more a record of not unreasonable disappointment; I still drive fast cars but I have chosen to pass on my track racer to my son but I still use my motorbike
After a lot of repairs on my SL63 that i believe are far sooner than they should be for such a low mileage car and also some fettling of the computer settings its nearly there........... but headlamps that fail after a few years are just beyond the pale and Mercedes in writing to them seem UTTERLY uninterested in us older car owners in finding a solution to offering updated headlamps for ones that really should be a recall.
I emailed Mercedes Customer Services and asked for a good will offer from Mercedes on just the cost of one headlamp that was replaced by a main dealership in December 2021 and the reply is basically no as its over 2 years old and my cars not been maintained by Mercedes
Odd as my mind it has as its been maintained by STAR Partner and the services recorded on Mercedes own system plus one of these STAR partners in Italy in 2023 carried out an approve by AMG warranty repair.
To add insult to injury my second email was deleted unread as reported by Mercedes own server report to my "tick read email" so naturally I asked why and have received no reply............. WHY its not that I have pestered them with many emails on this mater and also asked advice o using Dielectric Grease!
Maybe they just don’t want to answer why its failed in so many ways ........SIGH what going on with Mercedes in the UK they have sold all their Main Dealerships off to Franchises even their own one in London that were called Daimler Benz and I don’t think that was because we in the UK left the EU more its as I read a while ago Mercedes is owned by a multitude of share owners mostly BAIC Group that is the Beijing Automotive Group Co, the Kuwait Investment Authority, and Chinese investor Li Shufu.
Sad really maybe this explains all the latest attitude on failed parts rather that its old reputation of YES its a failed part and a solutions on its way as my decades old experience of Mercedes, Still the cars are mostly made in Germany BUT where was the newer headlamp made with the worse corroded terminal than the 2015 one China?
Makes you think that now Mercedes Technical is a Call Centre no reply as its not on the question list ?................
Moving on I also asked if to avoid a repeat of the utterly corroded headlamp pins would the new headlamp benefit from dialectic grease on the connectors when fitting the new headlamp and that’s was part of the deleted email with no reply.......... Seems to me a really simple fix as is to add one or more say 4mm drain pipes in the water collecting parts of any cars headlamps would drain water out you could even route them upward and use a syringe to remove any water every service
Anyone tried these 2 retro options
Must say I am surprised that this thread has attracted NO replies given the number of other posts here and other clubs over the internet on what is an early headlamp failures due to water ingress or corrosion
Still maybe near all of you live in those dry States of California, Texas etc whist I live in the ever getting warmer and drier UK and it is only a sunny day car. If you lived in wetter states would have err a Class action.have occured......is that the right term
When my cars going its great
but sadly I have never had so unreliable car over err 55 years of driving yes I am nearly a old fart at 75 years young in a few weeks but I remain the opposite of being curmudgeon so nothing I write is a rant on any web site more a record of not unreasonable disappointment; I still drive fast cars but I have chosen to pass on my track racer to my son but I still use my motorbikeAfter a lot of repairs on my SL63 that i believe are far sooner than they should be for such a low mileage car and also some fettling of the computer settings its nearly there........... but headlamps that fail after a few years are just beyond the pale and Mercedes in writing to them seem UTTERLY uninterested in us older car owners in finding a solution to offering updated headlamps for ones that really should be a recall.
I emailed Mercedes Customer Services and asked for a good will offer from Mercedes on just the cost of one headlamp that was replaced by a main dealership in December 2021 and the reply is basically no as its over 2 years old and my cars not been maintained by Mercedes
Odd as my mind it has as its been maintained by STAR Partner and the services recorded on Mercedes own system plus one of these STAR partners in Italy in 2023 carried out an approve by AMG warranty repair.
To add insult to injury my second email was deleted unread as reported by Mercedes own server report to my "tick read email" so naturally I asked why and have received no reply............. WHY its not that I have pestered them with many emails on this mater and also asked advice o using Dielectric Grease!
Maybe they just don’t want to answer why its failed in so many ways ........SIGH what going on with Mercedes in the UK they have sold all their Main Dealerships off to Franchises even their own one in London that were called Daimler Benz and I don’t think that was because we in the UK left the EU more its as I read a while ago Mercedes is owned by a multitude of share owners mostly BAIC Group that is the Beijing Automotive Group Co, the Kuwait Investment Authority, and Chinese investor Li Shufu.
Sad really maybe this explains all the latest attitude on failed parts rather that its old reputation of YES its a failed part and a solutions on its way as my decades old experience of Mercedes, Still the cars are mostly made in Germany BUT where was the newer headlamp made with the worse corroded terminal than the 2015 one China?
Makes you think that now Mercedes Technical is a Call Centre no reply as its not on the question list ?................
Moving on I also asked if to avoid a repeat of the utterly corroded headlamp pins would the new headlamp benefit from dialectic grease on the connectors when fitting the new headlamp and that’s was part of the deleted email with no reply.......... Seems to me a really simple fix as is to add one or more say 4mm drain pipes in the water collecting parts of any cars headlamps would drain water out you could even route them upward and use a syringe to remove any water every service
Anyone tried these 2 retro options
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 406
Likes: 147
From: Toronto
2025 AMG G 63 SUV /// 2025 AMG GT 63 S E Performance 4 Door Coupé
I don’t think you’ve received any responses because we all know in our hearts that headlights were designed from the beginning for illuminated goldfish, it’s just now we have the technology to do so. Amazing times we live in!
Jokes aside, when my friends and I were younger we could always tell a Mercedes was heading our way because a headlight would be out. As it stands now, malfunctioning headlights and excessive condensation should be a thing of the past. I’ve noticed condensation in my brand new ‘25 G63 headlights even. With what AMG are achieving in motor racing and road car technology these days, there really is no excuse is there?
Jokes aside, when my friends and I were younger we could always tell a Mercedes was heading our way because a headlight would be out. As it stands now, malfunctioning headlights and excessive condensation should be a thing of the past. I’ve noticed condensation in my brand new ‘25 G63 headlights even. With what AMG are achieving in motor racing and road car technology these days, there really is no excuse is there?
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Aug 2021
Posts: 109
Likes: 13
2015 SL63 AMG (R231)
Mercedes will not respond on the headlamps and just delete my emails so much for customer services respect for their customers and all I told them is they have misunderstand the info from selling main dealership and talk to their head of business who writes to me ask them to contact him and they delete it unread
Also asked on using dielectric grease on the connector block that’s so corroded its not a rude email or complaint gust asking for information!!!!!!!!
TEV are who replied to a customer services emailYour message
To: PID For Tev_customer_service, Pool-ID (122-PID)
Subject: RE: Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG SL 63 Roadster: 14025911
Sent: Tuesday, 13 May 2025 17:34:58 (UTC+00:00) Monrovia, Reykjavik
was deleted without being read on Wednesday, 14 May 2025 03:16:58 (UTC+00:00) Monrovia, Reykjavik.
ANDYour message
To: PID For Tev_customer_service, Pool-ID (122-PID)
Subject: RE: Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG SL 63 Roadster: 14025911
Sent: Wednesday, 14 May 2025 15:33:05 (UTC+00:00) Monrovia, Reykjavik
was deleted without being read on Saturday, 17 May 2025 09:19:06 (UTC+00:00) Monrovia, Reykjavik.
WHY it helps nobody
maybe its just
Craig Singer Mercedes-Benz Top End Vehicle (TEV+) Specialist
Who replied and it seems now will not do so
Also asked on using dielectric grease on the connector block that’s so corroded its not a rude email or complaint gust asking for information!!!!!!!!
TEV are who replied to a customer services emailYour message
To: PID For Tev_customer_service, Pool-ID (122-PID)
Subject: RE: Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG SL 63 Roadster: 14025911
Sent: Tuesday, 13 May 2025 17:34:58 (UTC+00:00) Monrovia, Reykjavik
was deleted without being read on Wednesday, 14 May 2025 03:16:58 (UTC+00:00) Monrovia, Reykjavik.
ANDYour message
To: PID For Tev_customer_service, Pool-ID (122-PID)
Subject: RE: Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG SL 63 Roadster: 14025911
Sent: Wednesday, 14 May 2025 15:33:05 (UTC+00:00) Monrovia, Reykjavik
was deleted without being read on Saturday, 17 May 2025 09:19:06 (UTC+00:00) Monrovia, Reykjavik.
WHY it helps nobody
maybe its just Craig Singer Mercedes-Benz Top End Vehicle (TEV+) Specialist
Who replied and it seems now will not do so
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