Brake &Tail Lights Faulty?
 

I keep getting this message on the cluster and on checking both brake and tail lights are failing on the N/S corner (not the pull down tailgate).


I have fitted new OEM bulbs & Holders which worked for a couple of days but now it’s failed again.

Any suggestions please?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Common issue, with arcing damage to the tail light fitting itself. This is due to poor lamp holder connections.

There's a LOT of info on this forum (and on the net in general) on how to address this. One easy fix is to remove the tail fitting from the car, repair the damage to the fitting and then add solder tot eh fitting (where the arcing was) AND to the tabs on the lamp holders. This has worked for me.

You may need to address the mounting of the metal conductors in the tail fitting, as heat may have compromised the lamp holder tension - leading to further problems.

Fix both sides. :rolleyes:

*edit* good info here... https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...ion-fix-5.html

Common problem. Fixed mine with solder and by bending the tabs on the lamp holder. The problem is a poor connection that causes arcing which eats the tabs on the bulb holder. A lump of solder on the tail light assembly and bending the tabs fixed my problem. Good luck.

I did the same. Going on 2 years now with no further issues.

I had this same issue about a week ago, I added a lump of solder to the connections on the bulb holder which has fixed the issue. If you do a search on YouTube for "How To Fix Tail Lights On BMW X5" there is a walk-thru DIY.

I just bough $115 tail lights off Ebay and replaced the old ones, which were all old looking from being glazed over

Same for me. There was a 3mm section of the contact patch on the actual light cluster for one of the bulbs (where the bulb holder screws in and should make contact) which had burnt through. Blob of solder and then filed it flush. All fixed (after cleaning the rest of the bulb holders with wire wool as they were a bit crusty). I like oem stuff, but there are replacement bulb holders on ebay for a few quid too.