Quick Door Front Panel Question
 

I took the driver's door panel off to change the front mid-bass drivers. There's an orange plug-in bulb, (connected to a pair of wires) that wasn't inserted anywhere. It lights up when the headlights are on. Where does that go?

I should mention that it looks like the window/mirror control panel was swapped at some point as it's got a mirror fold button, (an option I don't have one the car). The control panel is already illuminated. Was the orange bulb used with an older panel and no longer needed, or does it go elsewhere?

That is the bulb for the interior door handle illumination. If you don't have a clear plastic piece sticking out behind the door handle, it doesn't need to be plugged in. I still find it silly that BMW went as far as to put the bulb in there on all cars, but not have it functional.

I concur. It is on all the doors I believe. If you feel like gettin all DIY'ish, you can drill a hole in the handle recess and place the light in there. There is a DIY on how to do it floating around on here somewhere.

Found it. Thanks guys.

On a less positive note, I found each door panel was missing about eight or nine of those liitle round plastic clips. Who the hell does work like that? So I'll have to pick those up next week, and take the door panels off again.

8 or 9 each? Aren't their only 12 or so on each panel? I mean I've been known to loose one during installation, but 8 or 9? damn!

First e36 I had, I bought a pack of like 100 of them clips. That was like 10 years ago. Still have like 20-30. But all my friends know I have them so they always come and jack me up.