MERCEDES-BENZ C300 4MATIC 2008 W204 Owner's Manual

430 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Safe vehicle operation depends on proper
exterior lighting and signaling. It is there-
fore essential that all bulbs and lamp
assemblies are in good working order at all
times.Correct headlamp adjustment is extremely
important. Have headlamps checked and
readjusted at regular intervals and when a
bulb has been replaced. See an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for headlamp
adjustment.iIf the headlamps or front fog lamps are
fogged up on the inside as a result of high
humidity, driving the vehicle a distance with the
lights on should clear up the fogging.
iBackup bulbs will be brought into use when
lamps malfunction. Read and observe the mes-
sages in the multifunction display (
page 413).

431 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Bulbs Front lamps Rear lamps
LampType
1Additional turn signal
lampLED
2Turn signal lampPY 21 W
3Halogen headlamp:
Low beam
Bi-Xenon* headlamp:
Low and high beam
1
1Regarding vehicles with Bi-Xenon headlamps*, do
not replace the Bi-Xenon bulbs yourself.
H7 (55 W)
D1S-35 W
4Halogen headlamp:
High beam/high beam
flasher
Bi-Xenon* headlamp:
High beam flasher
H7 (55 W)
H7 (55 W)
5Front fog lamp
Corner-illuminating
front fog lamp*H11 (55 W)
H11 (55 W)
6Side marker lampW 5 W
7Parking and standing
lamp2 x
W5W-BV
LampType
8High mounted brake
lampLED
9Side markerW 5 W
aTurn signal lampPY 21 W
bBrake lamp, parking
and standing lamp, tail
lamp2 x P 21 W
cBackup lampP 21 W
dLicense plate lampsW 5 W
eRear fog lamp
(driver’s side only),
Side markerP 21 W
W 5 W

432 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Notes on bulb replacement

Only use 12 volt bulbs of the same type
and with the specified watt rating.

Switch lights off before changing a bulb
to prevent short circuits.

Always use a clean lint-free cloth when
handling bulbs.

Your hands should be dry and free of oil
and grease.

If the newly installed bulb does not
come on, visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.Have the LEDs and bulbs for the following
lamps replaced at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

Additional turn signal lamps in the exte-
rior rear view mirrors

High mounted brake lamp

Bi-Xenon* lamps

Front fog lamps

Front side marker lamps

License plate lamps
Replacing bulbs for front lamps
Before you start to replace a bulb for a
front lamp, do the following first:
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM (
page 108).
Open the hood (page 325).
Warning!G
Keep bulbs out of reach of children.
Bulbs and bulb sockets can be very hot. Al-
low the lamp to cool down before changing
a bulb.
Halogen lamps contain pressurized gas. A
bulb can explode if you:

touch or move it when hot

drop the bulb

scratch the bulb
Wear eye and hand protection.
Because of high voltage in Xenon lamps, it is
dangerous to replace the bulb or repair the
lamp and its components. We recommend
that you have such work done by a qualified
technician.!Do not replace the LEDs yourself. You could
otherwise damage the LEDs or parts of the
vehicle. Only have the LEDs replaced at an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

433 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Front lamps halogen-type
1Bulb socket for turn signal lamp bulb
2Housing cover for parking and standing
lamp
3Housing cover for parking and standing
lamp
4Housing cover for high beam headlamp
5Housing cover for low beam headlamp6Bulb socket for parking and standing
lamp bulb
7Bulb holder of high beam bulb
8Bulb holder of low beam bulb
Low beam bulb
Turn housing cover5 counterclock-
wise and remove it.
Pull electric plug off the bulb.
Remove wire clip from bulb holder8
by pushing down and release from ar-
restor hook.
Pull the bulb at its socket out of bulb
holder8.
Insert the new bulb so that its socket
locates in the recess of bulb holder8
and is level to it.
Fold wire clip back and press it down
on bulb holder8 to engage it in the ar-
restor hook.
Connect electric plug on the bulb.
Align housing cover5 and turn it
clockwise.
High beam bulb
Turn housing cover4 counterclock-
wise and remove it.
Turn bulb holder7 with the bulb coun-
terclockwise and remove it.
Pull the bulb at its socket out of bulb
holder7.
Insert the new bulb so that its socket
locates in the recess of bulb holder7
and is level to it.
Reinsert bulb holder7 with the bulb in
the lamp and turn clockwise.


434 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Align housing cover4 and turn it
clockwise.
Front turn signal lamp bulb
1Mark
2Handle
3Bulb socket
Turn bulb socket3 with handle2
counterclockwise and remove it.
Press gently onto the bulb and turn
counterclockwise out of bulb
socket3.
Press the new bulb gently into bulb
socket3 and turn clockwise until it
engages.
Place bulb socket3 back into the
lamp. Handle2 must be in a horizon-
tal line and mark1 is on the upper
part.
Turn bulb socket3 clockwise until it
engage.
Parking and standing lamp bulb
Turn housing cover2 or3 counter-
clockwise and remove it.
Pull out bulb socket6 with the bulb.
Pull the bulb out of the bulb socket6.
Press the new bulb into bulb socket6.
Press bulb socket6 back into the
lamp.
Align housing cover2 or3 and turn
it clockwise.Front lamps Bi-Xenon*-type
Warning!G
Do not remove the cover5 for the Bi-Xe-
non* headlamp. Because of high voltage in
Xenon lamps, it is dangerous to replace the
bulb or repair the lamp and its components.
We recommend that you have such work
done by a qualified technician.


435 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
1Bulb socket for turn signal lamp bulb
2Housing cover for parking and standing
lamp
3Housing cover for parking and standing
lamp
4Housing cover for high beam flasher
5Housing cover for Bi-Xenon headlamp6Bulb socket for parking and standing
lamp bulb
7Bulb holder for high beam flasher bulb
7Bulb holder for high beam bulbHigh beam bulb for high beam flasher
Turn housing cover4 counterclock-
wise and remove it.
Pull electric plug off the bulb.
Pull out bulb holder7 with the bulb.
Pull the bulb at its socket out of bulb
holder7.
Insert the new bulb so that its socket
locates in the recess of bulb holder7
and is level to it.
Reinsert bulb holder7 with the bulb in
the lamp.
Connect electric plug on the bulb.
Align housing cover4 and turn it
clockwise.

436 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Front turn signal lamp bulb
1Mark
2Handle
3Bulb socket
Turn bulb socket3 with handle2
counterclockwise and remove it.
Press gently onto the bulb and turn
counterclockwise out of bulb
socket3.
Press the new bulb gently into bulb
socket3 and turn clockwise until it
engages.
Place bulb socket3 back into the
lamp. Handle2 must be in a horizon-
tal line and mark1 is on the upper
part.
Turn bulb socket3 clockwise until it
engage.
Parking and standing lamp bulb
Turn housing cover2 or3 counter-
clockwise and remove it.
Pull out bulb socket6 with the bulb.
Pull the bulb out of the bulb socket6.
Press the new bulb into bulb socket6.
Press bulb socket6 back into the
lamp.
Align housing cover2 or3 and turn
it clockwise.Additional turn signal lamps
The additional turn signal lamps in the ex-
terior rear view mirrors have LEDs.
If a malfunction occurs or LEDs fail to func-
tion, the entire turn signal unit must be re-
placed. Have the additional turn signal unit
replaced at an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Front side marker lamp
Since replacing the side marker lamp bulbs
is a technically highly demanding process,
we recommend you have the side marker
lamp bulbs replaced at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.Replacing bulbs for rear lamps
Before you start to replace a bulb for a rear
lamp, do the following first:
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM (
page 108).

437 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Tail lamp unit
Open trunk lid.
For driver side: Lift up the bottom and
pull out the trim panel covering the
driver side rear light.
For passenger side: Open the fuse box
in the trunk (
page 458).
1Tabs
2Connector
Disconnect electrical connector2.
Pull tabs1 in direction of arrows.
Remove the bulb carrier.1Side marker lamp
2Rear fog lamp (driver’s side)/Side
marker lamp
3Backup lamp
4Brake lamp/tail lamp
5Parking and standing lamp, brake
lamp/tail lamp
6Turn signal lamp
Press gently onto the respective bulb
and turn counterclockwise out of its
bulb socket.
Side marker lamp1: Turn the bulb
socket on backside of tail lamp unit
counterclockwise and removes side
marker lamp1 with bulb socket
Press the new bulb gently into its bulb
socket and turn clockwise until it
engages.
Side marker lamp1: Turn the new
bulb with socket on backside of tail
lamp unit clockwise until it engages.
Reinstall the bulb carrier.
Let tabs1 (
page 437) engage.
Connect the electrical connector2
(
page 437) until it engage.
Reinstall trim panel.
License plate lamp
Since replacing the license plate lamp
bulbs is a technically highly demanding
process, we recommend you have the li-
cense plate lamp bulbs replaced at an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

438 Practical hints
Replacing wiper blades
Warning!G
For safety reasons, switch off wipers and re-
move SmartKey from starter switch (vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO* (Canada only):
Make sure the vehicle’s on-board electron-
ics have status0) before replacing a wiper
blade. Otherwise, the wiper motor could
suddenly turn on and cause injury.
Warning!G
Wiper blades are components that are sub-
ject to wear and tear. Change the wiper
blades twice a year, preferably in the spring
and fall. Otherwise the windows will not be
properly wiped. As a result, you may not be
able to observe surrounding traffic condi-
tions and could cause an accident.
!To avoid damage to the hood, never open
the hood when the wiper arm is folded forward.
!Hold on to the wiper when folding the wiper
arm back. If released, the force of the impact
from the tensioning spring could crack the wind-
shield.
Do not allow the wiper arms to contact the wind-
shield glass without a wiper blade inserted.
For your convenience, we recommend that you
have this work carried out at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

439 Practical hints
Replacing wiper blades
Removing wiper blades
Make sure the vehicle’s on-board elec-
tronic have status 0 (
page 82).
Fold the wiper arm forward until it
snaps into place.
1Right angle
2Removing
Turn the wiper blade at a right angle to
wiper arm (arrow 1).
Slide the wiper blade sideways out of
the retainer in the direction of
arrow2.
Installing wiper blades
Slide the wiper blade onto wiper arm
until it locks in place.
Rotate the wiper blade into position
parallel to wiper arm.
Fold the wiper arm backward to rest on
the windshield. Make sure you hold
onto the wiper when folding the wiper
arm back.
!Do not pull on the wiper blade inserts. They
could tear.
!Make certain that the wiper blades are prop-
erly installed. Improperly installed wiper blades
may cause windshield damage.