211 light bulb error

[MD5]

2004 E500. When switching the headlights on (manually, not auto), I sometimes get a 'dipped headlight failure' message on the dash, when the lights are fine. If this happens at the start of a long journey, I'd have to start over to eliminate the warning. Yesterday, this happened on a short journey, and when I got back in the car, the message had gone after initially showing one malfunction, but the lights didn't come on in auto mode. All lights worked fine in manaul mode, with no error messages. I may be wrong, but I think this coincides with very wet weather.

Any ideas please?

 

[John]

Hmm, I did have issues blinding other road users. My inde reset them for me and they did blind other road users for a while and then sorted themselves out... Might be worth a punt?

 

[MD5]

Thanks, John, but there are no issues with the setting of the beams. It's purely the spurious message on the dash stating something incorrectly, and a one off non working of the auto setting.

 

[John]

I'm thinking that it could be like mine is so far as there is nothing actually wrong - it is just misbehaving and needs a kick up the rs!

 

[SL300-24]

Mike....you know that pre facelift 211's have these electrical gremlins. I used to get a few odd messages on my 2003 car. The post facelift cars had the electrical system totally changed because of this kind of thing happening.

Try and leave it for 24 hours and see if it goes. One problem is the front sam unit which controls the headlights is under the passenger floor.
I had to change mine because when the carpets were cleaned water managed to get into the unit. What happened to me was that the nearside headlamp used to come on of it's own accord...

 

[MD5]

Thanks Ray. It's only a niggle I wouldn't have mentioned, but for the lights not coming on at all when I switched it to auto. As you said, it'll probably be fine, but I won't know until tomorrow now, when I head north.