1997 Mercedes-Benz SL500 (R129)
Discussion
tobinen said:
I have collected another dash light, this time for the seat belt. I tried plugging in the buckles but to no avail. Hopefully this is something simple and not the early signs of a degrading harness.
I have an early R129 and that light pops on every now and again. I understand it’s also for the seat back being fully locked as well as the seatbelts. It could be that you just need to ensure your seat back is properly locked in place, or the switch in the seat itself may need adjusting or simply cleaning. 
Some minor prep for my Spain trip at the end of the month.
New wiper blade and two bootlid struts ordered with Autodoc, which are original judging by the year code of 1997.
I have found the lever in the headlamps which cuts the left beam pattern from annoying other drivers of RH traffic. A bit fiddly to find but now I know where they are it's a really quick job.
New wiper blade and two bootlid struts ordered with Autodoc, which are original judging by the year code of 1997.
I have found the lever in the headlamps which cuts the left beam pattern from annoying other drivers of RH traffic. A bit fiddly to find but now I know where they are it's a really quick job.
The new boot lid struts are in. A bit better but not the improvement I expected.
The centre brake light does not work and the Internet suggests it could be the wires near the hinge. I may have to bring out the multimeter but in any case the wires appear original. I'll still go to Spain with it not working but would prefer not to attract the Guardia Civil.
The centre brake light does not work and the Internet suggests it could be the wires near the hinge. I may have to bring out the multimeter but in any case the wires appear original. I'll still go to Spain with it not working but would prefer not to attract the Guardia Civil.
No more progress with the brake light. Electrical stuff is not my strong suit. What I can say is that there is continuity from the manky wires above to the connectors in the unit.
There is mention of a soldering job in the history file from 2016 but no more details.
The back plate of the lamp unit cannot be removed without removing the whole unit. That looks risky as the lens is brittle.
There is mention of a soldering job in the history file from 2016 but no more details.
The back plate of the lamp unit cannot be removed without removing the whole unit. That looks risky as the lens is brittle.
I think I'd be disconnecting that somewhere upstream to stop any shorting, unlikely to be on a separate fuse but its worth a look.
Oh and as far as any rozzers are concerned it's a reflector (as per pre face lift) not a brake light.
Oh and as far as any rozzers are concerned it's a reflector (as per pre face lift) not a brake light.
Edited by PositronicRay on Saturday 14th October 16:27
I repaired broken wiring to the 3rd brake light on my car just a few months ago. It also looked like previous repairs had been made already. In the boot closed position the wires are bent at a tight angle and over the years the repeated opening and closing of the boot eventually breaks the wiring.
When I purchased the car I had the brake light unit itself replaced since not all the bulbs were illuminating.
Happy to be corrected but I think you can pass an MOT if none of the 3rd brake light elements illuminate but fail if some but not all of the elements work.
When I purchased the car I had the brake light unit itself replaced since not all the bulbs were illuminating.
Happy to be corrected but I think you can pass an MOT if none of the 3rd brake light elements illuminate but fail if some but not all of the elements work.
It's not the one in the ad but it's OK and it works. I had to use a cotton bud to remove some cobwebs
Of course no simple job on a 26 year old car goes smoothly. The previous gorilla has rounded the outer two screws so I can't remove it. I think it's too small to drill so maybe cut a straight line and use a screwdriver.
Of course no simple job on a 26 year old car goes smoothly. The previous gorilla has rounded the outer two screws so I can't remove it. I think it's too small to drill so maybe cut a straight line and use a screwdriver.
It fought me all the way but it's mostly done. The hinge wiring is taped for now and that can wait until after the road trip.
New Dremel thing had to grind off the screw head.
Check that the used one works.
Brake pedal assistant
Click in the red lens and hooray
A few leftover clips
It's booked in Tuesday for a check-over at the garage
New Dremel thing had to grind off the screw head.
Check that the used one works.
Brake pedal assistant
Click in the red lens and hooray
A few leftover clips
It's booked in Tuesday for a check-over at the garage
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