BMW X5 tail and brake light problems
 

My girlfriend has a 2004 BMW X5 SUV and the tail lights keep burning out. First, it was the right tail brake light (upper white portion) 8 months ago. We replaced the bulb, then it burnt out again on the left side (upper white portion again). My girlfriend took the 2nd burnt out light to the local garage who said something was probably wrong with the socket and then replaced it (verbal account given to me by her). Now only 1 month later, the right tail night lights (middle red portion) are out. First, it was the just part of the right tail light (middle red portion) and 1 week later the whole right tail light (middle and lower red portions) and the brake light (upper white portion) burnt out. Any ideas what to do or how to troubleshoot this problem? My girlfriend is thinking about taking it to the BMW dealership, but I thought I would post here first.

The same thing happened to me and ended up replacing the whole tail lights and problem solved. With time they loose the "connectivity" (for lack of a better term). On some old ones, you can even see "black" spots around the connectors in the back of the taillight. I am sure you'll get more replies, but just sharing my experience.

NebHurr8

Welcome to the site. :band:

You may want to have your girlfriend sign in to the site. We have quite a few
female drivers on board. However if your gonna hang around, the search
feature works great and can help you/her solve a lot of common problems associated with her SAV.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ation-fix.html

Here's a general listing of FAQ's ect. Xoutpost.com - Xoutpost.com x5tips.htm

:iagree: Also, check out post #14 of the following thread.. http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...t-working.html

Before, I had that problem, Bulb was ok, but Taillight socket itself got hot and melted. Indy did some work on it, corrected the contacts somehow. After a few it went out again. Then I took it off and cleaned it, Recently found out that bulb was dead. :) Happy now.

Read through the link that Quicksilver posted above. Don't be discouraged by the size of the thread. It is got the info you need.

Then pull the entire light assembly out: open the the side panels on both sides of the trunk to reveal the back of the lights. There are two hex nuts that need to be removed on either light and unplug the wire connector. The whole assembly should slide right out the back of the car.
Remove all the sockets/lightbulbs assemblies and pay attention to where the socket prongs touch the contact board (the metal plate that is attached to the back of light assembly). It seems that you may have some burning of the prong and/or contact board. Look for any holes, black spots or oxidation on the metal then sand or scrap off any oxidation on prongs and board. Fill any holes you find with solder, then file it down to be flush with contact board. Then gently pull/bend the prongs up a little to create firmer contact with
the board when you re-install the bulb/sockets.
It seems that light-bulb grease (99cents at any auto shop) will help with the contact points, so I used it where the bulbs connect to the sockets and where the prongs on the socket connect to the contact board.

If you take it to the dealership they will tell you to replace the whole assembly or charge you a ridiculous amount of money for the procedure mentioned above. If you already have a soldering iron you may be able to fix it without spending any money!:thumbup:

I hope this helps...

Rui

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice. I followed your links and found that my GF's X5 had a right lower taillight metal socket with a hole in the metal due to electrolysis at one of the contact points where one of the light bulb prongs touches the metal socket. The plastic underneath the affected metal socket was also moderately melted, such that is bowed backward.

Solution: I cleaned the corroded metal with acetone, sanded the corrosion away with 1500 grit sand paper, cleaned it again with acetone, and then soldered the hole in with solder metal and then put a healthy amount of solder on the side of socket that was bowed backward to fill in the gap caused by the bowed plastic. I then sanded the solder smooth with 60 grit sand paper and took needle nose pliers and lifted the prongs of the right lower light bulb to make sure a more secure metal-on-metal contact occurred. Finally, I coated the contact points of the repaired socket and the prongs of light bulb with dielectric grease from Advanced Auto to prevent future corrosion or possible open circuit electrolysis.

Total cost: $1.29 for the dielectric grease + borrowed a solder gun from a friend + 15 minutes total labor time

Result: Works like new!!!

Sweet!:D

I have a similar problem on '04 X5 3.0. Rear left taillight wiring harness connector has a bad ground brown wire, which when I twist it makes a good contact & lights come on, but hard to keep in that position & lights go out. Dealer's asking $550 to replace the entire rear left light assembly & repair the ground wire. I know this is highway robbery. Does anyone know how I can replace the wiring harness connector? Please help, much appreciated.

I'm guessing the dealer wants to replace the light after fixing the ground because of arcing or corrosion caused by the faulty ground connection? If you could take pictures of the harness and tail light it would help.