sourcing tail light assemblies W108
 

Trying to find NOS or very clean tail light assemblies for my 280 SE. Been through a couple of junk reclaim units that haven't been satisfactory.
Suggestions please.
Brad

Ebay is a good source. There are some NOS ones on there from time to time. Also, some reproductions as well. I would look for ones that are not cracked or chipped. If they are faded that is okay. Faded ones can be polished out and brought back to "new" like finish.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=w108+taillight&_sacat=0

I had used E-Prey before with mixed results. I will try again.
Thanks for the reply.
Brad

The problem is with faded taillights, they may be spider-cracked; I had that happen with a set I bought - and that was about 15 years ago. Even non-faded ones have that risk.

You'll pay through the nose but have you called the classic center to see what their pricing would be?

This is a seller with reasonable pricing, they are repro's. They have both driver and passenger side.

https://www.mbclassics.de/tail-light-lense-W108-109-red-orange-LH

I have good lenses. The problem is the bulb holder assembly. I have several and each has its own unique defect. Classic Center had none as of six months ago.
Something else to find is side marker lenses. I may when I paint the car remove them though.
Brad

I may be confusing these with 111 bulb holders but I think the biggest problem is they lose their ground connection. Just use an ohmmeter to find the ground pin, and, if you can't find one, there's your trouble.

I just twist a wire around the ground pin and drill a hole in the ground strip or the metal body. Then attache the ground wire with a screw. This gets the ground to all the bulb holders. Also check to see if you are getting a ground through the plug. The connection to the body may need to be cleaned.

You can look for spider cracks by looking at the inside of the lens. Unless it's a flood car there will be a minimum of wear on the inside of the lens. This is not an attempt at humor. Dirt can get in there and do a lot of damage.

Hold them up to the light. If there are spider cracks they will show up if the inside of the lens is clean. Or rather cleanish.

Thanks Idle! That's just what I was looking for. Everything is good to the plug. I will look at the ground.
Brad