03 SL500 Headlight Issue - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

wunder · #1 02-26-2009, 01:41 PM

03 SL500 Headlight Issue
Hello All,

This is my first post and thank you in advance for looking.

I'm having a strange headlight issue. Once in a while my passenger headlight will not work. It'll not light up. It has been acting like this for a while and is acting up more lately. All the other lights work fine and stay on. I took it to the dealer and they said they can't find what wrong with it and they are suggesting that I replace the ENTIRE headlight assembly. I don't agree with that. I think they are trying to rip me off. Shouldn't they try just replacing the igniter rather than the enitre assembly? We replaced the bulb and it's still acts up.
Does anyone have any experience in this or suggestions that might help me out?

Thank you.

mbdoc · #2 02-27-2009, 08:14 AM

Yes, either the ignitor or the control unit is at fault.

Both should be available.

Have you tried switching bulbs side to side?
Some MB's seem to have issues with some brands of bulbs & other brands of bulbs do better.

ILUVMILS · #3 02-27-2009, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wunder

[B]Shouldn't they try just replacing the igniter rather than the enitre assembly? We replaced the bulb and it's still acts up.
Does anyone have any experience in this or suggestions that might help me out?

On MB's equipped with Xenon headlamps with intermittent issues, the first thing to do is swap the bulbs, right-to-left, as Doc says'. If the problem moves to the other side the bulb is at fault. If the problem remains the same, further diagnosis is necessary.

Since the parts for Xenon systems are expensive, taking a guess at the problem isn't a very good idea.