2004 E53 X5 4.4i Rear Fog light Install...COMPLETE!

[mrtm2008]

As based on this origional DIY:

http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/...s-2005-x5.html

There are 2 parts to this install:
1. Front Section Wiring
2. Rear Section Wiring

I ordered my OEM parts from www.unitedBMW.com


63-21-6-943-036 - bulb holder - 2 needed

63-21-6-926-920 - 21w bulbs - 2 needed

61-13-0-006-663 - bushing contact - 2 supposedly needed ... I have found that ONLY 1 is needed! It connects into the back of the Light Control Switch


61-13-0-005-201 - bushing contact - 1 needed ... It is a solid Brown wire & This connects into the LCM


61-13-0-006-626 - bushing contact - 2 needed


61-13-1-376-202 - contact for TCM connector - 1 needed


71-60-0-009-698 - Trailer Hitch electric kit - 1 needed (The TCM is part of this kit) ... I already have the OEM Trailer Hitch installed, so I didn't have to order this!

61-31-6-909-775 - Light Control Switch - 1 needed ....This is the OEM Euro switch


From here I was able to get started...

Part 1: FRONT SECTION WIRING

To remove the stock US Light Control Switch, the Air vent right above it has to be removed. This is done by unlocking the 2 bottom tabs of the Air Vent and pull it out:






With the Air Vent out, the Light Control Switch can be removed. After examining the way it locks into place by looking on the back side of the OEM Euro Light Control Switch, there is an area you are able to squeeze your hand down into to pull the one clip of the Light Control Switch to the side & allows you to loosen that side:






Then I used a small screw driver to unclip the other side & pulled the Light Control Switch out and disconnected the wiring connector on the back of the Light Control Switch:




With a very small screw driver, I unclipped the locks & pulled the plastic contact part out of the Connector:




From the other directions, Pin #8 is where the first bushing contact (61-13-0-006-663) is installed:






Well, here I decided to look into where I wanted to run the wire over to the LCM, which is located right under the passanger side dashboard and behind the carpet & plastic lower door molding. So I unclipped & removed the plastic lower door molding & pulled back the carpet.




Seeing that when both center console carpeted molding is removed right under the dash board, there is a complete open area & access for the wire to run through. So I removed all the lower plastic covers under the driver's side foot well and removed both center console carpeted molding. From here I ran wire from the wire spool through the passanger side to the driver's side footwell:

[mrtm2008]

Then I ran the wire up through the dash board & right behind the Light Control Unit. Then I connected the 18 gauge wire to the wire from the bushing contact and tucked the wire behind the leg well carpeting and pushed the carpet back into place and reinstalled all the under dash parts:









From here, I disconnedted the middle of 3 connectors going into the LCM:


Again with athe small screw driver, I unclipped the locks & slid out the contacts. This one has 3 rows & actually the row that has the #45 contact location can be slid off the other 2:




OK, here is where I found that the origonal directions of using the second bushing contact actually wouldn't work! I then went & used RealOEM.com Online BMW Parts Catalog to try to figure out which one I really needed. I pulled one of the existing bushing contact out of the blue contact strip & inspected it. It had a rectangular patch (where it is pressed down to unlock it from the contact strip) instead of a triangular one that the bushing contact used behind the Light Control Switch had. I took a guess & ordered the bushing contact 61-13-0-005-201. I got that in today & found that it is the correct one!!! It has a solid brown wire and the bushing contact is completely rectangular with an end that is also a hollow rectangular opening. The other bushing contact has an end that is solid, but cut in the shape of an "X" to it.

Then I connected the bushing conntact (61-13-0-005-201) into the blue contact strip at ping location #45:


Then I reinserted the blue contact strip into the black connector & connected it back into the LCM.

So with everything back together...here is where I got the smile on my face!

I started the X5, turned the new OEM Euro Light Control Switch to the headlight position & pressed the front & rear fog light buttons & Walla...It works! Power is being sent to the rear of the vehicle & the indicator light tells me so!




Now I just gotta get my wife away from her car enough to finish the second part & install the wiring & physical lights to complete the job

[mrtm2008]

PART 2 - REAR SECTION WIRING

Now with the front wiring complete, it's time to head to the rear of the X5 and remove the Spare Cargo cover:


After removing the spare tire and throwing the tire remover straps over the rear seat backs, I unbolted the 2 nuts & 2 bolts holding the air suspension compressor assembly and put it to the side, holding it in place with a bungy cord:




Now the plastic "BMW" cover that protects the stereo & TCM from the battery is removed by unscrewing 4 screws using a philips head screw driver:






Now with the stereo & TCM is exposed, I located the TCM & the #3 pin location that the TCM Connector will plug into:




As recommended by the DIY I was following, I started the car, turned on the lights, activated the rear fog light switch...then tested the #3 pin with a test light & wallah...there is 12v power!


Knowing that I got power, I started to dissasemble the bottom tailgate. Using a small flat head screw driver, I carefully pryed the top refectors off to expose the screws that needed to be removed.






Also 2 small plastic square tabs had to be removed from the top to expose 2 more screws


From here, the lower tailgate plastic top can be removed:


With the lower tail gate lowered, you pry up the top center plastic part & remove to expose all the screws that need to be taken out to remove the whole plastic backside of the lower tailgate.




With those screws removed, I still couldn't get the piece out because I realized there were still more screws to be removed, that were hidden under the lower plastic part that went between the X5 body & the rear tailgate. So I bungied it out of the way, so I could remove those screws & finally take off the lower tailgate plastic backing:




The middle metal piece had to then be removed by removing 3 torx screws. So a #20 Torx screw driver did the trick...I kept the 3 screws that need to be removed right next to where they for identification. Then I just put it up out of the way:






With the 2 tail light connectors exposed, I disconnected them both:




Starting on the driver's side, the rear tail lights are removed by unscrewing 3 bolts with a 8mm socket:

[mrtm2008]

With the tail light removed, I inspected it & it was obvious where the new rear fog light would be installed:




So with a knife, I cut out the red plastic filler. I used a needle nose pliers to make sure I could grab the filler part & not have it fall into the tail light:




I then inserted a new light bulb into a new bulb holder and then twist tightened it into the new open spot on the tail light:




Then I put the driver's side tail light back into the lower tailgate & did the whole procedure the same way for the passanger side tail light:




Again, starting on the driver's side, I unclipped the white cover off of the black wiring connector to expose the bushing contacts:


I grabbed one of the bigger bushing contacts (61-13-0-006-626) and inserted into the open spot:




And then did the whole procedure for the passanger side connector:


Then I tucked the wires from both of the new bushing contacts & combined then to be connected to a new 18 gauge wire:








Now I investigated how a new wire would run from that connection to the TCM. I found the rubber grommetting part & pulled it off of the lower tailgate. From here I used a straightened wire hanger & pushed it through the center of the rubber grommetting part, into the TCM area. I attached the 18 gauge wire to it from the inside of the X5 with electrical tape and pulled the wire through:






I then undid the 18 gauge wire from the wire hanger, ran it into the lower tailgate and reinserted the rubber grometting part back into the lower tailgate. I pulled enough wire so that I could connect the 18 gauge wire to the connector of the bushing contact wires:


Then I replaced the metal part to cover over the wiring:


And connected both wiring connectors back into each tail light assembly:




I then proceded to re-install the rear tailgate back together:

[mrtm2008]

I then estimated how much wire I needed to reach the TCM plus some and cut the 18 gauge wire off the spool. Here I felt it was appropriate to test the new rear fog lights, so I turned the car back on, hit the rear fog switch & placed the stripped end of the 18 gauge wire into the #3 pin spot & woohooo...it works!


Now feeling great that it all works, I routed the 18 gauge wire down to the TCM, cut it & attached the TCM connector to the wire:




Then I proceded to connect it into the #3 pin into the TCM slot:


I proceded to put everything back together & here it is...Rear Fog Lights Done:

[N S]

Where do the lights mount on the rear?

[China Man]

great post! A few questions for you ...
Do you have the adaptive xenons on your 4.4i, or do you have an early build 4.4 that came without xenons as standard equipment? I noticed on your light switch that you don't have the green light that lights up when the adaptive feature on the xenons is active ....
I spoke with my local stealer and they advised me they're not able to order european light switches .. do you know if united BMW is able to?

Thanks!

[killcrap]

early 2004 did not come with AHL.

[sethro]

Kudos I might try this myself

[Dking05]

This man deserves to be on the DIY section!
+1 Very informative write up.