Yep. I have 2 MB sedans from that time - 2006/2008. Both of them have had shorts in the Hella light assemblies. It shows itself as a message on the instrument cluster telling you that you have a failed parking/running light. You open the back cover and you have 2 sets of bare copper wires that are touching each other. It was shocking because, I thought that the "soy" wire covering experiment was relegated to the MB cars of the late 90's. But there it is -- 3 to 5 years after everyone knows that the soy wires are "not a great idea"...Hella is still using it. Anyway, I was able to shove a paper shop towel in there under the wiring and used something to space the bare wires apart from one another.. and then used this stuff called "liquid tape" to address the problem. Put three coats on the wires and put the bulb back in the bracket and I haven't had a problem since. But, as you point out - they are sealed units and there are plenty of places inside that this could happen again that are not reachable. It's amazing that there were not recalls on this stuff - or maybe there were?

just recently decided to change my low beam bulbs in 2008 ml350. found the same mess in both driver and passenger lights. i ran thin diameter auto wire conduit over the two wires seperately from the socket down the housing as far as it would go. replaced the bulbs and did my best to give space between the two wires in the housing and closed it up. unless a wire was rubbing on something i never came across this insulation degrading problem in any other brand auto i've owned.

Wow! That's exactly the same as the wiring in my 2006 Audi S4. Looks like all the German manufacturers of the early 2000's got their cables from the same place! What a disaster! 😅🤯

My cousin bought a used VW Cabrio and there was almost zero insulation on the headlight harness. Luckily the junk yard had the same model car so we had to buy the headlights

I can't believe this happened as late as 2007, but then again, it's a modern mercedes benz, nothing is surprising

Reminds me of the engine wiring harness on my 1995 W124, what a nightmare!

The headlight wiring was exactly the same on my 2001 W210 E270 CDI. I read somewhere that the insulation on these cables is some kind of eco-friendly plastic, made from vegetable oil? Not sure if this is true. I would have thought by 2007 they had changed to a better material. I took the wiring harnesses out of the headlights and replaced the cables. I cut the connectors off and soldered on new cables at the same lengths, and all is good since then. I just hope no other cables in the car are like this.

Reminds me of the W124 wiring harness problems. I heard it was something to with a change of EU regulations regarding plasticisers. I wonder something similar happened here or if they just cheaped-out on the wire?

Same happen to my 2005 W203 headlight wiring

have seen this commonly on the w210's

Hi,is there a chance I can ask you for an advice?How can I contact you?Thank you so so much

i have a 2011 gl450 with the same problem

to fix water in headlights, i just drill holes in the bottom of them.

Re: "nightmare:.. 90's era W124 engine wiring harness biodegradable wiring was a Catastrophe... accessible only by complete removal of intake manifold... the disease continues all the way to the ECU... either 700GBP for a new harness or, rewire, re-soldering the silver connectors... the Glow plug wiring harness was also equally evil. (key symptom is instrument cluster gauges going haywire, and/or glowplug indicator light randomly lighting, while driving) I have photos of the disastrous effects of the disease, should you be interested (1994 E300TD - S124 - OM606.910)... was less than overjoyed when wading into replacing oil pressure switch 👿👿👎🏼👎🏼 Have 2 BMW motorcycles twice that age - and have worked on hundreds; never, never, never saw wiring this horrifying.

whats the point of this waist of time

Another example of find German engineering