Sounds like the brake light, a lower or the high center mount.

to chime in... but there is a small bulb in the tail light... that one has caught me..

also license plate light....

it is not the obvious ones!

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1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

Don't forget to check the back up lights and left rear "fog (tail) light" too.

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

Aamge 55,

If you have not located the bad light yet, consider this:

Check which system the warning lights on either side of the "bulb out" warning light address (I think one is "low washer fluid", do not remember the other) and make sure those systems are working OK. If not ... for example, if your washer fluid is low, it may be because someone replaced a burnt out bulb in your instrument cluster and mistakenly put the "bulb out" bulb in the wrong hole - if so, next time you have the cluster out you will need to switch those two bulbs.

No need asking how I know this can happen.

to add to what others have noted - the bulb out indicator can only the lights that are currently suppose to be on. So - if you start the car (without pushing the brake pedal or turning on the headlights) the lamp shouldn't be lit, period.

If it is - I would guess that KermitF is on to your problem - the MIL is for some other system.

If it is not on - press the brake pedal - does it come on then? If so, you know it is in the brake lights...

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Daily Driver: 02 E430 4MATIC
In the family: '03 E500 // '04 ML500 // 64 220SE

Skiier3_9, I agree with you, it should not be on. When I start the car, without it in gear, without turning any lights on, that warning light is on. This warning light should indicate which light is in use that is currently burnt out. So rear brakes, fogs wouldn't have triggered it.

As for KermitF's suggestion, we've had this car since new, so I am 99.9% sure nobody's been inside the instrument cluster to swap bulbs yet. Lee, the license plate lights have caught me too, couple of times at the inspection station. So that's the first place I look now.

Also - to head off another cause: I've heard that changing to lower wattage LED bulbs will cause this, but I don't have any. All the bulbs have been on the car for at least a couple of years, so it's not from a recent change.

I'm going to take a comprehensive look tomorrow. Maybe swap out each bulb one by one to see if I can isolate it. Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

The mystery continues.....

As far as I know ( and that's not much ), it could be a suspect connection between bulb/socket.
May as well check all the sockets when you're pulling bulbs anyway.

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2007 C 230 Sport.