Few questions about USA sidemarkers / blinker lights

[jnes]

I have currently clear blinker lights on my car but the driver side glass fell off yesterday. Probably stone hit the glass or something. No I will need new blinker and I've been thinking facelift US style blinkers with 75% clear and 25% orange. Which blinker has the best quality/price/fitting? What brand
do you recommend? Bosch? Originals costs a fortune but obiviously they fit perfectly and are good quality. My friend just left for trip to USA so I might get parts from there also without insane shipping costs.. :?:

 

[sheward]

I would recommend OEM only. Multiple owners including myself have had issues with fit and with aftermarket units coming out of the car at speed. They are more expensive but your friend may be able to source some used ones here as another option.

drew

 

[gerryvz]

What happens with the blinkers (sometimes with the OE units and much more frequently with the aftermarket units, which don't fit nearly as well) is the owner doesn't "snap" them firmly into place when installing them, so they are just sitting in the slot and eventually vibrate loose. The stock units are easier to snap into place but often times owners aren't aware that a good "snapping" is needed to secure them. And with the aftermarket units, it's a PITA to get them locked into place.

The pre-facelift US units are much lighter yellow/amber color than the European units, and I HIGHLY recommend the Euro units over the US-spec units.

The good thing is that whether Euro or US, the front blinker lights are shared with all W124s produced in any given model year. This means that units are plentiful in wrecking yards. I occasionally pull and sell nice sets that I find on US cars in the yards, but usually they tend to be cracked and/or faded to the point where they are not worth the bother. The rear lights seem to hold up better.

As Drew said, definitely go with the stock (OE) Bosch or Hella units that come from Mercedes or are supplied directly from one of those two vendors. Used units in good condition are the most cost-effective way to go, and I'm sure that several folks here on the forum can supply nice, used US-spec units if you want to go that way. As I said, I highly recommend keeping the darker amber Euro units if you have an early car, though.

Cheers,
Gerry