[Zochus]

Hello guys,

I have recently been posting in another thread regarding adaptive headlight inoperative fault to which no one seems to know the solution yet apart from going through the authorised service which out of warranty will be a costly repair as they do apparently require you to replace the whole headlight assembly.

Since i refuse to pay the authorised service a large sum out of my wallet and prefer to tackle the problem myself first if I can i have decided to take the front end apart.

First of all its easy as 123 for anyone with a little bit of DIY knowledge. Then comes the headlight. Again 3 bolts and it's off once you have the bumper taken care of.

Problem number one I've noticed is the service hole in the black plastic under the wheel arch. There's one on either side and quite frankly a cover that's supposed to be in place is missing in mine at passenger side (rhd UK car) that's the side with problematic headlight as I now not only have issues with adaptive headlight system but also no main beam, no high beam, no indicator or drl. In emergency kind of mode that comes right away headlight will have dipped beam on but nothing can be done about it.

Now the important part. Each headlight has 3 control modules or ballasts however you want to call it for led. As I found out the main one that controls LED headlight had corroded and oxidised. Because of the missing cover and over the past few winters while car had been used salt from the road had done its job quite badly. Don't take notice however of the top module as this is one i have aqquired with ebay used headlight that had been exposed to moisture for quite some time and is unusable.
My control module is however the bottom one which after cleaning doesn't look bad however its casing is very damaged and even inside there was oxidisation and water damage. This had caused something inside to burn out since a distinctive burned electrical smell can be noticed as well as upon closer inspection a couple of small chips of some sort being missing and having little burn marks around them.

This control module is made by mercedes and used in w212 and c207 models that is E-Class and E-Class coupe face-lift models made between 2013-2017.

These modules can be purchased direct from Mercedes service department for around £160 and non genuine ones from ebay at roughly £80.

Now i don't yet have the module although I am awaiting delivery and will keep you guys that have the same problem updated with the progress of finding inexpensive solution to get your light to work as they should.

 

[Zochus]

Hello again folks. A little update although my headlight is still not functional I'm still working on it.

So I had the non genuine ebay module for £80 delivered which appears to be matching with the Mercedes Axxxxxx numbers however its a no go. After connecting it half of the errors on dashboard are gone but still headlight isn't working apart from main beam that doesn't adjust, no indicator or drl.

I took things a little further and decided to risk my other headlight unit so here's what I've done.

First of all I took the eBay module and connected it to the driver side (fully working headlight) and it resulted in the same issues as the non working one faces. That means this module isn't worth wasting your time and taking everything off just to replace it.

Secomd thought was well since this module appears to be wrong and brings the same issues as on passenger side i decided to risk it all and transfer the fully working genuine module back from driver side to the nom working passenger side. Could have been costly decision however surprise surprise the headlight came back to life. All the left headlight errors were gone. Main beam back on as it should so we're the drl etc.

Means ive got both headlights still working, one module that works and one headlight that needs the correct module.

So to summarize it seems that this one control module appears to be the cause of all the issues and I am yet to find where's the best place to get the replacement. Trying Silverlink Hyundai in the North East (they used to be specialised cars and main infiniti service for my area) but trying to get in touch with parts department is nearly impossible for the past few days so I'm still trying.

Mercedes Benz of Sunderland I'm not really certain since a week ago on the phone they quoted me £160 for the control module to be supplied but when I went in to the dealers they suddenly got the price up to £227.

If I am unsuccessful with Hyundai I will most likely go for the Mercedes but I'll post an update once I know more.

 

[Zochus]

I am just wondering that you may have the correct module but it needs to be programmed.
I am thinking along the lines of the parameters for the left, right, up and down etc on the swivel headlight and other functions. I will consult the technical manual later and see if it says anything about this. 🖐

Upon opening up the new module it differs a lot, it would then explain why its not working. I have consulted several specialists with two of them being German cars specialists and both said these modules wouldn't need programming in.

 

[Zochus]

I've driven to the dealer to speak about them regarding parts since I couldn't get a call back on the phone. Turns out they're lazy gits sitting on their back sides that will get you sorted once youre there but wouldn't bother to call you back despite it taking the same amount of time. Their notes even didn't include callback I requested from what I've seen.

Anyway infiniti authorised service department wouldn't be able to source the module itself but the whole headlight as a unit which costs ~900.

The lady that appear to know very little of the cars was assuring me the Mercedes module won't fit because it will differ from the infiniti one despite the fact 3 of 3 part numbers match on both and the module that had been fitted to my car anyway brings up only mercedes E class results.

Anyway now j have 2 options since I know my headlight is working just needs a module.

1. Buy the matching module direct from Mercedes Benz £160-230
2. Source second hand headlight unit either side and just use the control module i require then sell the rest on. £250+

Not sure what I'd do yet I've got to look around for more information.

 

[Zochus]

I haven't been in touch with valeo although I have found out that autodoc appears to hold stock of led headlight units both driver and passenger side (lhd or rhd is irrelevant as they are software adjustable from dashboard) and price appears to be quite right at ~£500.

I've found a used unit within 30 miles from mine which I will go and inspect next week after my shifts end. If the modules appear to be intact I will likely buy that.

As per the popular model of another car they are being used or had been used in 2013-2017 E class mercedes that's the face-lift model. If by any chance the unit i am going to inspect will be faulty i will purchase the one from Mercedes.

It is very strange that infiniti can't supply just the module which is clearly a standalone part and can easily be sourced from elsewhere. Customer has to do their job finding out for themselves.

 

[Zochus]

Hi Zochus, any news on this fix? How have you got on? Cheers, Cornish 🙂

Hello, Cornish

I have no idea how I've missed your reply 4 months ago. I did managed to get it fixed recently.

I found a cheap headlight nearby with all modules included but cracked lens (£70). Replaced the main module that I have suspected had been causing all the issues and voila.

There's definitely no need to program a module and definitely modules from ebay won't work.

One thing I don't get is why can't infiniti supply just the modules rather than whole headlight unit. If Mercedes can do so, so should they.

I am only left with the adaptive headlight inoperative error which I believe is due to the auxiliary battery.

Do you know which battery is a direct replacement for the original auxiliary battery?

 

[Zochus]

Thanks for replying, I've just ordered exide one on amaozn for £46. I might not keep the car for as long so it causes any troubles.

I just found out webuyanycar would offer £12,600 for my Q30 that's just 1.9k less than I've paid 2 and a half years ago so I might go for it as long as some Kia ProCeed or peugeot 508 comes on the market that I really want.

 

[Zochus]

An

Have you fixed this issues? I tried everything it just doesn't go away.

Hi, if your module underneath the headlight is intact ie doesn't have water and salt damage which haooened to me it coukd be a low voltage on the auxiliary battery. However in my case its a fault with the headlight alone. Something is burned inside and I keep driving with this fault despite it annoying me but I do have broken second headlight which I will be taking apart soon to try and fix the issue.

The issue itself in my case seems to be either a burned chip on a pcb inside the headlight or one of the patches on the pcb either way most likely will need that part replaced from the broken headlight.

After connecting car to pretty advanced diagnostic tool we found it says that some circuit inside headlight itself is open and brings that fault up. We couldn't specify what exactly this is yet..