Strange sidelight issue

[Amo]

Hi,

Hope someone can help me.

I have a 2006 CLS 55 and have had LED side light in which over time flickered and blow up. Since then, I have bought 4 different sets and all seem to be doing strange things. They are all error free but when i unlock car, the lights come on very dim and occasionally do a quick flicker. They are also staying on longer when locking car than Fog lights and occasional flicker still.

Any suggestions on which bulbs to try to match the xenons?

I have seen previous threads where Osram high intensity are suggested but they are non LED and wondering how they compare against main beam xenons?

anyone else had this dim lit LED lights with flicker?

Thanks
Amrit

 

[brucemillar]

Amrit

Buy a set of stock bulbs to test before trying anything. Be sure to install the both test bulbs before powering up.

This gives you a line in the sand. LEDS can be ver spurious in these cars dependent on many factors, not least being polarity, earthing, wiring, error detection etc. None of which concern the stock bulbs.

Once you have a working bulb set? Then get a set of the higher quality error free bulbs. Not the eBay cheapies. They are just a false economy and end up with units being mixed up as individual units fail.


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[Amo]

Thanks Bruce,

I will try standard bulbs to rule out any other issues.

Any reason why you suggested both to be in before powering on?

ta

 

[brucemillar]

The error detection in these is fairly basic but looks at the entire loop for voltage not being as it should. To give it the best possible chance of working as designed ;^) it is always best to get it installed as designed.

So with that configuration in place you know exactly where you are at. Also the stock bulbs are pennies to buy and never wasted ;^)

As an aside. On my W203 Wagon. I bought the car, with sidelights not working (very dim). New bulbs, thought I? The previous owner had been obviously experimenting with front LEDS.

WHOOPS. The front SAM was the culprit and at £300 + for a replacement unit I was none to happy. A two minute test with new stock bulbs showed the fault remained. I suspect you just need to sort out a good bulb config first and hopefully avoid any expense.


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[brucemillar]

Ah

Something else, I should have mentioned. The front SAM unit “can” control the lighting. Another reason to test with a known “good” config, (working stock bulbs) if just to rule the SAM out of your equation. The SAM unit is coded to certain functions and is very voltage dependant/sensitive.

My final point (honest) front LEDS can, and will work perfectly fine. But it can be trial and error to find a working set out the box. I do not recall where I got mine from (eventually) but it was eBay and they are the ‘error free white’ ones.


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[Alex225]

As said, LED bulbs can respond strangely in these cars. I have LED sidelights in my E Class and they work fine. But if I turn the ignition off before the lights, I get error. Yet when I switch the ignition on with the lights off, no error.

I did try a couple of sets of bulbs from eBay and these will do as they look fine and mostly don’t give an error. They said I know normal bulbs behave fine but swapped them as they look pants next to xenons haha

 

[wu56Shoozz]

Did you use a canbus resistor Alex in line with the LEDs - it maybe that you need this to cancel out the error..

 

[Gbrowncls55]

After messing about with LEDs and also getting flickering I simply bought a set of blue tinted standard bulbs (widely available) and they are a perfect match for the xenons. So much easier.

 

[MancMike]

I've tried every set of LED "error free" sidelights there is, literally dozens of different types from amazon and eBay. Every single set fails and flickers after either days or weeks. It's the heat from the nearby Xenon bulbs. Those with halogen lights don't seem to have the same issue.

I very much doubt you'll find a set that work long term, but good luck anyway.

 

[Stratman]

A common factor between all the failures is the socket...

 

[MancMike]

Mine has clean bright contacts still, and powers new LEDs just fine, until the heat eventually kills them. I don't think it's corroded contacts producing heat through resistance, as that's a process that normally degrades fast, and there's been no degradation, contacts still bright.

I've just given up and stuck regular (but dipped in blue paint) 501 bulbs in, still look as orange as a campfire though.

 

[Codger49]

Have you tried these Philips bulbs, seem a bit whiter than most others.

PHILIPS WHITE VISION W5W, 501 PAIR. 689738325410 | eBay

 

[KillerHERTZ]

If your having flickering etc, switch off the 'follow me home' lighting.

Replace with standard bulbs and switch on, this will reset all the errors etc.

Then replace once again.

I sold them for 4 years, I'm still on my original set.

 

[stephenmercedes]

A couple of months back, I replaced the sidelights in my W203 with LEDs. They have performed faultlessly since installation, and I use them all the time as pseudo DRLs.

2x BULBS T10 8 LED SIDELIGHTS WHITE FREE ERROR MERCEDES C CLASS W202 W203 W204/5 | eBay