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#1
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Brake light out - not the bulb
I replaced both bulbs anyways with no luck. Is this just a bad socket or is there another problem? I feel like I've read about a problem like this before, but I don't have corroded terminals, at least that I can see. Bonus question: I noticed the third brake light (LED strip) is also not working, so I probably need to get one or the other fixed. Anyone know a good place to get one that's cheaper than the $170 that Pelican wants? Thanks in advance...
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2003 3.0 5MT Topasblau Purchased in 2016 and surprisingly still running |
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#2
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Try replacing the bulb-holders first. They go bad, even if they don't look it. $12
Worked for me a few times…until I had to replace the whole tail light. Bulb Socket Part # 63216943036
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#3
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OP this issue plagued both my ‘03
and ‘06 E53. Bulb was never the issue. Socket had burned out to the point there was none or little contact. I realized it’s not your case but those sockets became unreliable with age. On my 06 I first tried to compensate gap with foil paper which worked for a little while but eventually stopped. The anxiety of getting pulled over got me to replace the entire socket+bulb . Had to purchase entire assembly with tail lights included on eBay but only used the new bulb/socket combo. Worked like a charm!
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"better the devil you know than the devil you don't" 2003-03-04 E53 X5 4.4i M62 [SOLD] 2006-03-16 E53 X5 4.8iS N62s 2006-03-28 E90 325i N52 [TOTALED] 2012-09-06 F30 328i N20 (CEO's) |
#4
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Thanks for the quick responses, I'll try the sockets. But this one (green) looks like the one I'm referring to. It's the top one in the red light fixture. Not the turn signal, but the upper of the two brake lights.
https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_In...0594&DID=16843 Here's a better picture: https://cdn4.pelicanparts.com/techar...mall/pic07.jpg Unfortunately they are up to $33 each which is just nutty.
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2003 3.0 5MT Topasblau Purchased in 2016 and surprisingly still running |
#5
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This is a very common issue - search "brake light" and you'll find a lot of posts. (fyi - I prefer searching through Google instead of this forum. Type "brake light xoutpost")
It might be the bulb holder, but it's most likely the light assembly. Even if it doesn't look corroded, what happens is that over time the plastic holding the metal contacts disintegrates (melts) resulting in the socket no longer making contact. This is where you'll find lots of posts where folks stack up a lot of solder in order to gap the space and recreate the contact. Your comment saying that the socket was loose would be a good indicator of this. Another option is the Mercedes brake light mod (search that). M-wagons from that era have the exact same stupid design, and MB offered a fix that bypassed the light board altogether. This is a very permanent fix (I just did it over the weekend after my solder job failed - again). And it's pretty cheap: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/mer...des-1648260007 Regarding the LED 3rd light - I took a chance and bought a used one off of Ebay for $20 or so. Tons of these cars are in scrapyards by now, so parts like these I'm pretty comfy getting used.
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Rusty, Beater 2001 X5 5spd Previous: 2017 VW GTI 2001 E46 Wagon (manual of course!) 2000 VW GTI (I see a pattern emerging) a Saab, and a couple Volvo's thrown in for fun steve at ogracing dot com |
#6
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Thanks for the additional info. I saw some 3rd brake lights on ebay for under $40 shipped with a 30-day warranty, so I think I will try one of those. And I think I'll pop out the taillight assembly tonight and see if I can get it to work off the car, where I can see it better and maybe even repair it. I'll report back!
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2003 3.0 5MT Topasblau Purchased in 2016 and surprisingly still running |
#7
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And of course, today is the day that my driver's door handle carrier gives up the ghost.
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2003 3.0 5MT Topasblau Purchased in 2016 and surprisingly still running |
#8
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this is a very possible fix, especially if your metal on the back of lamp has been worn away. Its used a Mercedes Benz part. I, like other have done this VERY EASY upgrade adn you neve rhave to worry about it again.
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...t-fix-diy.html read the other post too, linked in the first post.
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I swear, my cars are like a girlfriend. Sometimes its a rough ride, sometimes its smooth motorin'. Sometimes she doesnt like how i treat her and sometimes i dont like how she behaves. BUT at the end of the day, she loves it when I am inside her. _______________________ '91 850i '05 X5 4.4i '09 Clubman S |
#9
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Yeah, I popped out the light housing this evening, and the metal strips which are used as conductors have come loose. The little plastic rivets which hold the metal strips in place have broken off, so the metal is wiggling around and the bulb sockets are loose. However, the one which was loose was working and after fiddling around with the one which was tight but wasn't working, it started working again. Anyways, I'm working on getting a third brake light on the way, and then I'll see if the fix in that thread is something I want to do for the housings. I'm not sure how long my third brake light has been out, it may have been very recent but I never got a dash message until recently when the side light went out.
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2003 3.0 5MT Topasblau Purchased in 2016 and surprisingly still running |
#10
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Quote:
On the 3rd brake light, you may find some info on here about that. I have posted a few things on that, and have read others. Most people seem to always just buy a new BMW one, but for me that's usually the last resort. Here's a post from when I first had a problem with mine: https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...light-led.html I recall there are 6x clusters of 4x LEDs in the strip. As the circuit is designed, each cluster of 4 drops along with a resistor or two from +12V to ground, with ~2.xV drop across each LED bulb. When one LED fails, you lose the full cluster of 4, but remaining clusters will be OK. So if you've lost the whole strip, I'd be thinking the problem is not in the strip itself, but in the wiring to it. If you access the strip (remove the spoiler with about 5x Torx screws, as I recall; pretty easy) you'll find the 2P connector going to the strip. Brown wire is ground. I'll guess a blue wire for +12V power. So if you put power and ground through those, you may find it light up, meaning your strip is OK and you then need to figure out why it is not getting the +12V when it should.
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2001 X5 3.0i, 203k miles, AT, owned since 2014 |
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