Dash light for brake light
 

So im trying to figure out why the dash light for the rear brakes comes on sometimes randomly. it will go off after a second or two after the car is running so the lights arent blown obviously. I would think its the brake sensor on the brake pedal but it will toss the light for the driver or passenger but not both...any ideas?

I'm guessing the display light saying the brakes are out?

If you aren't already aware the E53 has a common problem across all years with the tail light circuit boards creating too much heat and losing contact intermittently.

Do a search you'll find tons of threads on the issue, you'll either need to repair the circuit board by adding more solder and some epoxy to the plastic support, or hardwiring the sockets using a MB part to fix it on each side.

yeah, its the light up display on the dash panel.

it only does it during a cold crank in the morning and only maybe once a week or so....not after I've been driving around when everything is warm.

I generally just tap the brake pedal and it goes away. if not, it goes away after about a minute. thats why I was thinking it may be the brake pedal switch and not some sort of circuit board.

but then that wouldnt explain why it will show the left brake light one week and the right brake light the next week. :dunno:

nevermind, searched and looked through all the threads.

god this looks just like the crap I dealt with on my old vw back in college. no clue why car companies try to over-engineer something as simple as a bulb socket...

before I pay $20 per side for a bulb socket I'll wander to the u-pull and see if I can match one up out there and just cut out a pigtail or three.

edit:

went out and pulled the bulb sockets on the driver side tail light which is the one that goes off most frequently, wow they are in there tight! the circuit itself is fine. the upper bulb socket itself was fine, the lower bulb socket had hard rust under one of the prongs which might be giving me the issue. I bent that tab out some more and will see what happens while I try to find one that isnt rusted.