Picked up '98 E300D - Minor electrical issues help?

[rackley]

Hello all,

I just picked up my first Mercedes, a 98 E300D. Coming from a VW 1.6TD there is simply no comparison. However, there are a few electrical quirks I'm hoping I could get some help with.

First and most annoyingly, whenever I turn on the lights it says "Lamp Defective" in the message center. I went around and checked every external light and as far as I can tell they're all working just fine. What causes the computer to think a light is bad? Might it be so kind as to indicate WHICH light it thinks is bad? Are there any "hidden" or small lights around I should check for?

Next up is the driver's seat forward-and-back switch. You can hit forward and it goes forward. You can hit back and it goes forward. As I'm sure you can imagine, this gets rather uncomfortable for the legs very quickly. Luckily there was a preset that was set ALL the way back so I can move it back with the preset. Any helpful hints for this one?

Thanks,
Ray Ackley