Headlight Adjustment Dilema

[Kompressor]

Hi Guys

I took my car for MOT at a local garage and it failed due to the headlights. They told me the beams are not aligned properly. I was shocked when they told me because I have been MOTing my car for over 3 years and never had this problem arise before.

Now my first thoughts however was that maybe it is damaged or a screw some where is loose because my car got hit on the side in question whilst it was parked on the street back in December 2008 and under my insurance it was fixed and thought maybe mercedes forgot to clamp or tighten something.

Long story as short as possible - mercedes said they replaced the headlamp unit with a brand new one and have the invoice/work sheet to prove it. They also asked me if I recently took my car for MOT, I replied yes. Then they told me that the ballast or whatever it is called is loose and shaking as they demonstrated to me. They said this cannot come loose by wear and tear so had to be tampered with deliberately. In other words someone over adjusted the dip beam and the screw or ball joint came loose and hence the ballast is shaking.

The brand new head light they replaced, they assured me comes as a full unit and hence there was no need to tamper with anything and furthermore mercedes would not have returned my car with the headlamp shaking the way it is now.

Is there a way to unscrew the headlamp and put this ball joint screw back together so the beam can once again be adjusted? If not mercedes will charge me £145 an hour for labor just to unscrew the headlamp to see if the damage if any and replacement is under warranty. If it is, then no charge for labor and replacement but if not then charge will be levied for the labor and the replacement headlamp unit. I am also thinking of approaching the MOT garage and let them know what mercedes has uncovered if I cannot fix this problem myself.

 

[Kompressor]

I was looking for topics on how to do the adjustment repairs here but found nothing

 

[television]

We need to know what the car is please, and by reading your post you have Xenons

 

[Kompressor]

C200 Kompressor
Year: 2003

Lights are Halogen

http://www.pistonheads.com/SALES/largepic.asp?i=1015247&noPics=6&make=MERCEDES&model=^C[IGIT:]*&imgsrv=1&current=1

 

[television]

I should have the info that you require,,I will look in the morning

 

[Kompressor]

Thank you Television. I'll check back tomorrow.

 

[Kompressor]

Just thought if anyone else can help until Television returns. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[television]

Just posting back on this, there are no instructions for setting the lamps as they are just done with the 2 screws provided, and headlamp adjusting is done with a standard beam tester or a flat surface X distance form the car

 

[bigasotonuk]

Hi,
I have read your post but I,m unsure exactly what your problem is as you mention a "Ballast" if your headlight has a ballast then its not a Halogen, and is Xenon, I think if you want avoid a possible bill from MB, you will have to remove the headlight yourself, and if the adjuster has been wound so far out of adjustment and come adrift it should be quite evident.
Where in the UK are you? As it might be worth contacting a local MB Independant, if you don,t feel confident in removing the light itself

 

[television]

Its a bumper off job Andy to remove the headlamp.

I can provide that info, but not the setting of them as its done on STAR if Xenon

 

[Xtractorfan]

If you have ordinary halogen bulbs then most probably what has happened is the someone has unscrewed the adjusting screw until it has popped out of the socket..ball n socket type adjustment, this can be easily put back into place by removing the bulb and holding the inner reflector against the ball socket until it pops into place again

 

[teddycatkin]

I think your dealer is being a bit mean here --it would take them 5/10 minutes to check if the unit had broken ? If it was for whatever reason they cover all costs and claim by returning the broken part and fitting you a new one ?
They should not need adjusting 4 months after fitting a new unit ?

 

[Kompressor]

Hi,
I have read your post but I,m unsure exactly what your problem is as you mention a "Ballast" if your headlight has a ballast then its not a Halogen, and is Xenon, I think if you want avoid a possible bill from MB, you will have to remove the headlight yourself, and if the adjuster has been wound so far out of adjustment and come adrift it should be quite evident.
Where in the UK are you? As it might be worth contacting a local MB Independant, if you don,t feel confident in removing the light itself

I was away for awhile. Thanks for responding. It's halogen bulbs not xenon. The ballast bit I think I got wrong. I don't know what's it's called but it's the silver reflective plastic thingy that sits behind the headlamp (glass) that is shaking. You are right, I have to remove the headlight myself and take a look.

 

[Kompressor]

Its a bumper off job Andy to remove the headlamp.

I can provide that info, but not the setting of them as its done on STAR if Xenon

yes the guy at MB dealer in Croydon told me the bumper has to be removed in the process. Thanks for responding.

 

[Kompressor]

If you have ordinary halogen bulbs then most probably what has happened is the someone has unscrewed the adjusting screw until it has popped out of the socket..ball n socket type adjustment, this can be easily put back into place by removing the bulb and holding the inner reflector against the ball socket until it pops into place again

This was explained to me by the people who initially replaced my headlight unit with a new one. However they did not mention how I could rectify the situation as you explained and they didn't offer to do it for me either. It is funny that they deduced what the problem was but offered no assistance or suggestions to solve it. I guess maybe they did not want to do the bumper off job??? I have a friend who is a mechanic so it will be a few bears and bbq on a sunny weekend while we get greasy lol. I will do as you suggest and let you guys know how we got on. Thanks for your suggestion.

 

[Kompressor]

I think your dealer is being a bit mean here --it would take them 5/10 minutes to check if the unit had broken ? If it was for whatever reason they cover all costs and claim by returning the broken part and fitting you a new one ?
They should not need adjusting 4 months after fitting a new unit ?

Well I booked an initial appointment with MB in croydon (london) to do just that but the guy I spoke with told me the bumper has to come off for them to do the initial check before replacing and at x amount per hour with no guarantees what they will conclude I decided to cancel boooking it in for them to take off the bumper to go the full 9 yards. I did feel as if they were just saying enough that would keep me mystified. They didn't exactly come across as helpful.

Now I know why few of my friends who own mercs do the service on their cars themselves and only book the car in for major jobs best left to professionals. They seem to avoid MB dealers as much and for as long as they possible can. I will be doing the same from now on and start getting greasy under the hood and learn about the inner working of the car I own.

 

[television]

You know that I can send you all of the info

 

[Kompressor]

Yes please... send me the info. I would appreciate that very much.

 

[television]

The bumper and wheel arch paper have been sent


You should get help on the last stage of the bumper to avoid damage

 

[Kompressor]

Thanks for the pdf files. I received them both. I will get my mechanic to help me with the procedures.

Thanks, much appreciated