[vintagevrs]

I have an f31 and today noticed one of the red strips in the rear lights was not lit. Thought it must be a blown bulb. But on inspection only the brake and indicator lights are normal bulbs. The light source for the two red strips that illluminate when the lights are on are from leds. Bmw told me I need new units and €280 for one side. Both sides are letting in water and I expect the board that runs the leds has failed due to the water, and the 2nd one will likely fail soon. Car is out of warranty and bmw don't want to know.

Is there a diy fix for this? I'm guessing not as the units look like they are sealed. Any other options?

Here is how it looks now



Cheers

[upsidedownfunnel]

Why not look for a used part on eBay or a local scrap yard? You can probably find this very cheap since it's a pre-LCI part. Someone here (albeit in the USA) is selling a whole set for $150 or something right now. Just look up the part number on eBay. On a scale from 1-10, replacing this is about a 1.5.

[Chubster]

Is it just the inner (on the trunk) light that does not work? I sourced one from ebay for 50EUR so that is a cheap option.
I later noticed that the drl led strip on the inner light for my other side was suddenly not working, but eventually noticed that the connector was bent. The part you take off which has the bulbs attached to it also has a "pin" which gives the electricity for the led strip. Mine was bent and didn't connect properly, thankfully I noticed this before I bougth a new one.

If you have never removed the the part with the bulbs then it is probably not the pin but wanted to share.

[vintagevrs]

So update on this, I bought a full new set of performance lights from local dealer. Good opportunity as my outer left and right had failed with water.

[cobaltdan]

Thanks for posting this. Your car looks nice with the new tail lights.

I have the same problem with the same tail light and same LED is intermittently failing; also was getting liquid condensation inside.

Only one tail light is having this issue, the passenger side is perfect.

Drying out the condensation did not fix the issue so took it apart again and investigated closer. I found that it looked like there was residue buildup on the circuitry of the bulb socket (that's what BMW calls the black plastic part where the light bulbs plug in, which also powers the LEDs) which made me think there was a short/fault.

I cleaned the bulb socket circuit with a wire brush, but definitely did not do a perfect job.

The two pictures I've attached are literally 1 minute apart, first it's off, then it flickers for a bit and then stays on for a while.

After cleaning it up I again reinstalled it and powered on ignition and this time the LED flickered on and off and then stayed on. So for the time being I've come to the conclusion that it's a connection/wiring issue. None of the pins are burned and there's no sign of damage to the connector/connector wire/receptacle, and the fuse is not blown since the LED works intermittently, and the top LED always works.

I so far have not been able to replicate the issue. After properly reinstalling the whole thing, the LED light is now off again.

Here in Canada the BMW dealership is selling the bulb socket and seal, both separately, for roughly $115CAD after tax. I found a BMW parts reseller who offered me the full light enclosure (to simply replace the entire tail light) for $145CAD.

I didn't want to jump the gun before doing a little more work, so I'm going to try to use electrical tape to secure the electrical connector to the receptacle, my guess is that the connection is somehow coming just a little loose and that's why the issue is intermittent.

I have so far ruled out: the LED light itself, condensation/corrosion of the circuitry on the bulb socket, the bulbs themselves.

Will report back if I am able to fix this myself and determine root cause.

[archerz]

Got to love the mperf lights! they look great

[cobaltdan]

Originally Posted by cobaltdan

Thanks for posting this. Your car looks nice with the new tail lights.

I have the same problem with the same tail light and same LED is intermittently failing; also was getting liquid condensation inside.

Only one tail light is having this issue, the passenger side is perfect.

Drying out the condensation did not fix the issue so took it apart again and investigated closer. I found that it looked like there was residue buildup on the circuitry of the bulb socket (that's what BMW calls the black plastic part where the light bulbs plug in, which also powers the LEDs) which made me think there was a short/fault.

I cleaned the bulb socket circuit with a wire brush, but definitely did not do a perfect job.

The two pictures I've attached are literally 1 minute apart, first it's off, then it flickers for a bit and then stays on for a while.

After cleaning it up I again reinstalled it and powered on ignition and this time the LED flickered on and off and then stayed on. So for the time being I've come to the conclusion that it's a connection/wiring issue. None of the pins are burned and there's no sign of damage to the connector/connector wire/receptacle, and the fuse is not blown since the LED works intermittently, and the top LED always works.

I so far have not been able to replicate the issue. After properly reinstalling the whole thing, the LED light is now off again.

Here in Canada the BMW dealership is selling the bulb socket and seal, both separately, for roughly $115CAD after tax. I found a BMW parts reseller who offered me the full light enclosure (to simply replace the entire tail light) for $145CAD.

I didn't want to jump the gun before doing a little more work, so I'm going to try to use electrical tape to secure the electrical connector to the receptacle, my guess is that the connection is somehow coming just a little loose and that's why the issue is intermittent.

I have so far ruled out: the LED light itself, condensation/corrosion of the circuitry on the bulb socket, the bulbs themselves.

Will report back if I am able to fix this myself and determine root cause.

as I mentioned above I tried to clean the bulb socket circuit with a wire brush and did a very poor job or it, and the issue never was fixed.

the dealership would have charged me $115 for a new bulb socket and seal. the parts reseller sold me a complete tail light replacement for $145CAD. my original idea was wrong and if I had only replaced the bulb socket I would still have the same problem - I tested to be sure.

so the issue was not the wiring to the light or just the bulb socket circuit, it was corrosion/residue buildup from condensating moisture inside the light enclosure and specifically corrosion or damage to the contact between the tail light LED section which is all a clip locked assembly, and the bulb socket connector which mates to the light enclosure with a seal (the seal is the root cause, it should be thicker to ensure a more snug fit, I had to fix the seal on the replacement unit as well it was twisted in one section).

so solution is to replace both components which is the full tail light. and hurray, personally I like the stock lights a lot and in general this is a very easy repair. hopefully this helps someone.

best wishes

[Billfitz]

When you have corrosion on contacts try this: https://www.amazon.com/DeOxit-Cleani...%2C217&sr=1-10

It's been in my electronics repair tool kit for 40 years.