X5 Tail Light Alteration and fix.

[daveycrocket]

Interesting write-up and glad to see BMW finally resolving the issue. On my old 2004 3.0 I had it back three times and each time both tail light assemblies were replaced with the old units be added to land fill I'm sure.

David

[wedgeman]

is there a way to buy the parts (ie., is it a new stock BMW part?)??

I've had this three times. I went in with contact grease adn greased all my tail light connections.. hasn't fully resolved it, but mostly.. OCCASIONALLY one will act up.

[chilliwilli]

Originally Posted by dpgx5

Hi, our other X ran across this problem.

The drivers side bottom flickers slowly, and the passenger side is just not on.

I re & re the bulb sockets on the passenger side and still same problem.

Also my front DRL on the passenger is not lighting up.

Anyone care to chime in... Im thinking I should switch it with my rear light and see if it still happens, just wondering if anyone had the same issue prior to me removing and so on.

Here are the pics.

Your symptoms and answers are within this very same thread...

[chilliwilli]

Originally Posted by wedgeman

is there a way to buy the parts (ie., is it a new stock BMW part?)??

I've had this three times. I went in with contact grease adn greased all my tail light connections.. hasn't fully resolved it, but mostly.. OCCASIONALLY one will act up.

Did you actually read the DIY's? There's more than just contact grease required to remedy the problem. No "new" parts required aside from materials. If it's new parts you seek, your options are to either take your vehicle to the dealer or purchase the parts yourself. You can begin your search here:

RealOEM.com * Online BMW Parts Catalog

[dpgx5]

Originally Posted by chilliwilli

Your symptoms and answers are within this very same thread...

Ill read through again, Reason I asked is that there was a big bottle we had of water (cap wasnt crewed on tight ) and it leaked in the back. Dealer had fixed but Im not sure what they replaced, just wanted to know if its the "light" itself or something electrical.

I will swap it with mine and see if it works, if so then I know the light is fried.

Cheers,

[chilliwilli]

Originally Posted by dpgx5

Ill read through again, Reason I asked is that there was a big bottle we had of water (cap wasnt crewed on tight ) and it leaked in the back. Dealer had fixed but Im not sure what they replaced, just wanted to know if its the "light" itself or something electrical.

I will swap it with mine and see if it works, if so then I know the light is fried.

Cheers,

Well i guess it's possible that the water could be a culprit but i doubt it. If you had issues with the drain tubes being pinched or clogged, resulting in water damage in the rear, then i'd be inclined to chalk that up as a potential culprit. However, your symptoms and your pics provided lead me to believe that sparks are eating away at the metal contacts.

I suggest you take it apart and look for the symptoms. Your other option is to take it to the dealer and have them repair/replace what you can probably do yourself.

[dpgx5]

Originally Posted by chilliwilli

Your symptoms and answers are within this very same thread...

***I rechecked the light and there was a burnt mark (hole) I will clean it up and add some solder, my apologies for not paying more attention.

[Denis0331]

Just received "check brake lights" removed the bulb...bulb is good removed the whole light assembly moved the bulb around and it turned on so i knew the connection wasn't good so i took some sand paper and cleaned it and bent the little tabs on the bulb assembly and it worked perfect..5 min of work. Hopefully u can do the same without having to take it to the dealer

[JonK]

My dealer has replace rt TL under warranty year ago. They didn't put one screw that's hard to reach. Bastards.

I was getting this problem again, It is intermittent and bug the S%^& of me. No burnt out bulbs.

Obviously it is mostly to do with BMW electrical system doesn't regulate the voltage properly. It happened to my e46 as well.

NEAR PERMANENT SOLUTION: BUY LED TAIL LAMPS!!! Now if you shop around you could get it under $200 shipped. It used to be around $300. Only problem I have now is that I got the clear chrome ones like New Lexus RX, and it looks kinda gangster. Good luck.

[PersonaNonGrata]

Just bumping this thread and Page 5 in particular where a couple of great write-ups are posted. I just got around to dealing with my passenger side rear lamps that had this exact problem. So far so good....