Number Plate Fault

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Rosso1

Active Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2016
Messages
341
Location
Essex
Car
SL500
Can someone help?

My SL500 has two number plate lights one is not working its not the bulbas this has been replaced and checked.

Can anyone tell me if both lights work off the same fuse and if not where would i find the fuse for the number plate light?
 
Can someone help?

My SL500 has two number plate lights one is not working its not the bulbas this has been replaced and checked.

Can anyone tell me if both lights work off the same fuse and if not where would i find the fuse for the number plate light?

I have this issue on my E-class and now the other has gone - my (MB) mechanic says that it is almost certainly the wire that has corroded. He says not a big job, but a PITA job.
 
If it's not the bulb, I'd also suggest a corroded or frayed wire. - Check for voltage first?
 
Hi Ian
Any luck with this mate ?
Would be surprised if they were on separate fuses....? Anything else electrical not working at the rear that may be on the same circuit?
Lee
 
No i cant see anything else Lee so its must be a broken wire.

I do not want to do the job myself as the roof mechanism is around the area so i stick it into Mercedes to get sorted, they can renew both lamp while they do it plus i don't have a multi meter to check it with.

Hope your beast is running well?

As I am super fussy I just had a part respray on mine i had a few stone chips on the front plus when i was viewing a lot of the sl they had the same issues with the rear wheel arch with corrosion, so to prevent that happening to mine i had this done too. I am very impressed with how much better the car looks now from when i bought it.
It was always a nice car but its so much sharper now.

As we always have another job to find with our cars I am going to clean the head light lenses as they are not as clean and clear as they could be.
 
Hi Ian
Yes the car is running great, like yourself I'm just doing little bits at a time. Fit new interior chrome door levers as others had little scratches on, and third brake light had couple of led's out. Other people prob wouldn't even notice but it's them bits that make it a nicer car to me. Changed both battery's and a sensor that stuck me for £600 but it's never missed a beat. Got a boot full of upgrades that are getting fit as soon as some parts comeback from metal polishers
More power just in time for the winter:D
Your car must be mint now as it looked great before the paint....!

And on we go......:thumb:

Lee
 
Might not be the same fault as yours, but I recently (2015) had the same problem with my R230 SL55. The RHS number plate light failed and gave a dash warning. I had a spare bulb and fitted it - it still didn't work. After much messing around and reading articles on the internet it appears that the rear SAM shuts off the supply to these lamps if a fault is detected. I changed the bulb with the side lights on to make sure that the light came on when I changed the bulb. It didn't happen and I spent hours looking for wiring faults. I eventually gave up and decided that it was a 'weekend job'.
The next day I drove the car to work, the number plate light was on, no warning lamps, and it's been fine since then (a year ago). Various Internet forums all suggested that the SAM needs to reset itself before the light will come on again.

I know that these cars are susceptible to wiring problems in the boot loom, but it's isn't always the case!

Paul G
 
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Paul your comments seem to add up except mine still not come back on.
The right hand number plate bulb went first so i changed this and the very next time i drove the car the left one went.
What is the SAM?
Do i need to get the Star to reset this?
Or would it be a case to disconnect the battery ( boot or engine)?
 
The signal acquisition module (SAM) is under the driver side 'rear seat' (well, the cupboard where the seat would have been if there was one. I would try disconnecting the consumer battery (in the boot), wait for a period, reconnect and try again. I had convinced myself that I had a wiring fault but it didn't turn out that way for me.
I don't think that you will need Star - I have one but didn't need it.

Paul G
 

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