How many people does it take to change a light bulb?

I'm still trying to figure that number out, but apparently it isn't one-ME. So my "smart" car tells me that my tail light L is out and the substitute light is on, I had been riding around with those 2 error messages for longer than I care to admit so after I cleaned the Benzo I mosied on over to Autozone told them what I needed based on what my car told me "it" needed got home, popped the "old" bulb out and put the new one, cranked the car and had the same 2 error messages..L tail light out/subsitute light on... hmmm, I go and retrieve the manual just to be sure I'm changing the correct bulb, according to the picture (ya'll know I don't actually read the instructions right???) I had the correct one..and in my geniousosity (zip it I can make up words) I opened the cover of the R lights to make sure I am doing the right thing, one thing leads to another and somehow the R lights get into the mix of bulbs now in the trunk of my car. After inserting all bulbs except the one that was changed and the "bad" one I crank the car back and now have 7 error messages and only one brake light coming on...lol..

At that point I call my dad in Texas.

Me: Daddy, I'm having a car problem, more specifically a light bulb problem.
Him: *giggles* so are the light bulbs different in a Mercedez than any other car?
Me: No, but all I did was take the old one out, put the new one in, crank the car and was getting the same message. Oh yea, I also (insert story of messing up the right side too)
Him: why did you mess with the right side?
Me: sounded like a good idea in my head

He thought maybe it was a fuse but all of the other lights (headlights, inside lights etc) were working so that cancelled that. He instructed me to put the new bulb back in and low and behold it lights up BUT smokes in the process! Da hell?? I tell him its smoking, he says remove it..I had beat him to the punch, I at least had the smarts to do that. He started talking in "man" talk about the little prong thingy's inside the bulb and I'd hold it up and tilt my head like a lost puppy..Long story short, we go through a few processes of switching bulbs and eventually I get back to where I started 2 error messages and both brake lights working. I told him that I was going to just go back to Autozone and let one of the guys figure it out. My ego was a little bruised I'm not going to lie, I mean, its a freaking light bulb and I'm a self proclaimed nerd! When I leave Autozone today I'll tell you how many people it takes to change the light bulb!

Brown...out!