I have a 1993 W124 "E320", and I upgraded my tail lamps to the 1994-1995 type. I'm wondering if this is the same with the S class in terms of color.

The 1986-1993 W124 tail lamps are red, clear, and yellow. The lens is yellow, which allows a clear bulb to be used.

The 1994-1995 W124 tail lamps are red and clear, so a yellow bulb is used.

When I installed the newer tail lamps, I noticed this, and purchased a yellow bulb from the local auto parts store. When I tried to install it, the bulb wouldn't fit into the socket plate. The little pins on the side of the base of the bulb were indexed differently. No hardware store sells one.

After much research, I found two solutions:

1. The yellow bulb can be used, but one of the pins has to be filed down enough so that it can be inserted into the socket and twisted. This is what most people do.

2. I found a website that sells the yellow bulb with the same pin position as the clear bulb. I believe they took a clear bulb and dyed it yellow. It was about $2.50 / bulb, so I ordered four of them.

I suppose the 3rd option would be to replace the bulb plate, but then that would be more expensive and a bit of a hassle. In any event, it wasn't necessary.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".