The Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG parking light utilizes bulb sizes 12961, 2357NA, and H6W depending on the specific version required for the lighting assembly. Data for the lighting components covers the period from 1999 through 2006.
The year-by-year compatibility chart below provides a quick reference to verify the correct bulb size for your vehicle.
The Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG uses two distinct bulb types across its model years for the front parking light: the 12961 and the H6W, with a single instance of the 2357NA recorded for one source in 2004.
The H6W is an ECE-standard single-filament signalling bulb rated at 12V and 6W, fitted with a BAX9s base. It was the specified front parking light bulb for the E55 AMG from 1999-2002.
The 12961 is a Philips part number designating a miniature wedge bulb in the T10 form factor, using a W2.1x9.5d base and rated at 12V and 5W. It is the specified front parking light bulb for 2003-2006.
The W2.1x9.5d base of the 12961 is a wedge-type connection, meaning the bulb is held in place by tension rather than a locking bayonet or screw mechanism, which is a physically different fitment from the BAX9s base used by the H6W.
The BAX9s base of the H6W is an offset single-contact bayonet, a design that prevents substitution with standard BAY15d or BA9s base bulbs despite superficial similarities in the bayonet family.
The 2357NA, recorded for one 2004 entry, is an ANSI-standard dual-filament bulb with a BAY15d bayonet base rated at 12V with a 26.9W high filament and an 8W low filament. Its BAY15d base is mechanically incompatible with the BAX9s base specified in surrounding model years, and its dual-filament, higher-wattage construction differs substantially from the single-filament 12961 and H6W types.
The wattage difference between the H6W at 6W and the 12961 at 5W is minor, though the two bulbs use entirely different base types and are not interchangeable despite their similar power ratings.
The shift from the H6W to the 12961 between the 1999-2002 and 2003-2006 model years reflects a change from an ECE-standard bayonet-base bulb to a Philips-designated wedge-base T10 unit, which are distinct product families with no shared fitment compatibility.