Right Rear Tail Light
 

Anybody have a stock tail light assembly laying around?

PM me is you do

Thanks

I don't sorry but if might help if you list the build month and year of car as there is a big difference between the pre-facelift and facelift tail assemblies (electrically speaking).

o yeah 2001 x5 3.0i

thanks

Do you really need one? I have a step by step for rebuilding the moronic self destructing lamp holder.


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I tried fixing it once and it didn't work but I'll take a look at your guide

Right Rear Tail Light
 

What's broken on your E53 today!
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sha...3&share_type=t


That post shows the basic before and after. It doesn't show how I supported the metal contact ring but you can see the self threading screw I used to reattach it.

The problem is a design flaw: steel is a TERRIBLE contact material yet they choose to use it it's moronic. The steel corrodes makes for high resistance that causes heat which melts the plastic.

Not sure what you tried to do to fix it but unless you removed the metal ring on the melted side, propped it up underneath to make it level and parallel and screwed it back down it was not even a band-aid much less a fix. I see many ignorant posts about cleaning the contacts or stretching out the spring contacts etc. The contact ring must be detached and reassembled properly. THEN clean the contacts and replace the bulb holder if it's contacts are shot.

It took an hour to fix both of my wife's. If you have one bad the other is surely about to go. When one of her lights blinked out the other was 95% shot as well they looked just the same amount of melted.

I got tired of all the fixing tail lights thing so I bought a new stock tail light assembly for the drivers side.
I believe it came complete bulbs and all. Had the indy install it. Took less than 30 Minutes and haven't had any trouble since then.

I just put a blob of solder (acid core) on each of mine where the contacts had burned/corroded through, contacts in rings place if I remember right, and never had a problem since.

Good day all!

I'm gonna see how this works for mine... I got rid of the zinc plating with my small disc sander and covered the area with solder...

Cheers!

As long as it hasn't melted the plastic that should work well