[MH94]

Hi all the last couple of times I have driven my car (435i auto) the little LED status light on the gear stick to show it's in park neutral drive etc isn't illuminated is there a fix to this or do I need a new gear selector and if I do can I simply unplug the old one and plug the new one in or does it need programming ?

Thanks Matt.

[SantaEugence]

Originally Posted by MH94

Hi all the last couple of times I have driven my car (435i auto) the little LED status light on the gear stick to show it's in park neutral drive etc isn't illuminated is there a fix to this or do I need a new gear selector and if I do can I simply unplug the old one and plug the new one in or does it need programming ?

Thanks Matt.

Well known problem, basically the leds on the circuit board just break. Only fix from BMW is a new selector (about a grand - I know as I had one under warranty), I don't believe you can buy one second hand as they're coded to the car. However if you do a search there is a guide somewhere for disassembling the stick and replacing the leds even changing the colours. Don't think it's in English but the pictures are fairly obvious and google translate does a decent enough job

[SantaEugence]

Here you go -

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1640563

Guide -

https://www.bmwfaq.org/threads/ilumi...ico-zf.932082/

[Hooded]

You can buy the whole gear selectors off eBay for around £100 if you don’t think you are up to the job of replacing the LED’s.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-3-F30....c100935.m2460

[SantaEugence]

Originally Posted by Hooded

You can buy the whole gear selectors off eBay for around £100 if you don’t think you are up to the job of replacing the LED’s.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-3-F30....c100935.m2460

Has anyone successfully fitted a second hand one? I was told they required coding by BMW and wouldn't work/had to be a blank new one

[Hooded]

Originally Posted by SantaEugence

Has anyone successfully fitted a second hand one? I was told they required coding by BMW and wouldn't work/had to be a blank new one

Who told you that?

Easy swap ..

[SantaEugence]

Originally Posted by Hooded

Who told you that?

Easy swap ..

Hm I remember it coming up before, and also the garage who tried many different ways to avoid paying £1000 to replace my selector but eventually by their own admission confirmed they can't be retrofitted without coding so had to shell out for a brand new one.
Sure I remember reading on this forum about it not communicating or working with the car when someone did it too?
Anyway looks good in that video so, perhaps worth a punt for £100 especially if there's free returns...

[MH94]

Thanks for the replies I will have a think about it as I still have approved used warranty on the car just could do without the hassle of being without the car for a day.

Matt.

[john lummis]

The guys name is Bryan Kiefer, hence Kies Motorsports, he makes everything look easy, from fitting different grilles to installing rear view cameras, he is clear and most importantly he shows how the different clips and fastenings work so you get get different components out to change them without breaking the clips and fastenings,

I've watched at least 50 of his video's , he's the 'go to' man if you want to know how anything works on an f30

Love the different colours on the gearshifter, it looks like the OEM should look