Home Forums Articles How To's FAQ Register
Go Back   Xoutpost.com > BMW SAV Forums > X5 (E53) Forum
Arnott
User Name
Password
Member List Premier Membership Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Xoutpost server transfer and maintenance is occurring....
Xoutpost is currently undergoing a planned server migration.... stay tuned for new developments.... sincerely, the management


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #11  
Old 11-27-2007, 02:55 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: gotham city
Posts: 1,276
chefwong is on a distinguished road
Ha. Just read your thread from a search. Tired of replacing the bulb's in my left rear.....either the brake or lamp bulb keeps on going out. I was just checking Ebay for new tailamp assemblies...

The new LED tails was a option....but there is a pic of Ebay with th lamps lit. Not feeling it at all...
Reply With Quote

Sponsored Links

  #12  
Old 11-27-2007, 03:04 PM
Quicksilver's Avatar
Premier Member and retired relic
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: NORCAL
Posts: 17,204
Quicksilver will become famous soon enoughQuicksilver will become famous soon enough
If your under warranty let them hassle with it. But replacing the assembly won't help. It appears that the current draw is too much for the assembly and the additional ground wire decreases the load and prevents burnouts across contacts and bulbs. Although tempted I haven't looked to see If they really did this work in order to describe what was done. I may ask them for the information as a service to the members on this site.

To accomplish that i will have to go into the service bay (but not this week) and ask the foreman what he did.
__________________
"What you hear in a great jazz band is the sound of democracy. “The jazz band works best when participation is shaped by intelligent communication.”
Harmony happens whenever different parts get to form a whole by means of congruity, concord, symetry, consistency, conformity, correspondence, agreement, accord, unity, consonance…….

Last edited by Quicksilver; 11-27-2007 at 03:56 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 11-27-2007, 03:34 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: gotham city
Posts: 1,276
chefwong is on a distinguished road
I have to take it apart but this summer, I took off the tails and there was this white film on it....It was not rusty but some weird film. Totally went to town with electronic contact cleaner and removed the film. Did the same for the connectors and replaced all bulbs while I was at it.

Me wonders if the *film* came back. It only has been happening on my left tail lately.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 11-27-2007, 03:49 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Chicago
Posts: 528
BimmerDude is on a distinguished road
What I have done to stop this problem is I bought this Deatx stuff from Bavauto.com. It a red contact cleaner and allows the elec. current to move freely and move more effiecent. I did this last year and I've have not had a problem since. Something to look into. Its cheap and maybe fixes the problem. So far, so good.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 11-30-2007, 08:19 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: gotham city
Posts: 1,276
chefwong is on a distinguished road
I got a reply from my SA and was advised the extra ground was an issue with the E46 platform. On the X, I've been advised it was the assembly circuit board.

Who knows.....regardless, it is not OOP for me now. At least it's confirmed .fwiw.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 11-30-2007, 08:22 PM
Quicksilver's Avatar
Premier Member and retired relic
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: NORCAL
Posts: 17,204
Quicksilver will become famous soon enoughQuicksilver will become famous soon enough
The assembly circuit board is the problem..... that is corrected by adding a ground wire. But you know what? i never got to the dealer to ask the foreman about it but i will for sure.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chefwong
I got a reply from my SA and was advised the extra ground was an issue with the E46 platform. On the X, I've been advised it was the assembly circuit board.

Who knows.....regardless, it is not OOP for me now. At least it's confirmed .fwiw.
__________________
"What you hear in a great jazz band is the sound of democracy. “The jazz band works best when participation is shaped by intelligent communication.”
Harmony happens whenever different parts get to form a whole by means of congruity, concord, symetry, consistency, conformity, correspondence, agreement, accord, unity, consonance…….
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 11-30-2007, 11:51 PM
dkl's Avatar
dkl dkl is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Southern Cal
Posts: 2,949
dkl is on a distinguished road
I serious doubt that the extra ground wire would help. The problem, as I see it is that the contacts between the bulb socket and the light assembly circuit board are horrible to say the least. So, as the high current moves across from the circuit board to the bulb socket, then back to the circuit board, it will create electrical sparks if the connections aren't perfect and this is where the problem lies. Over time, the sparks will eat away the metal contacts on both the bulb socket as well as the circuit board. It's a design flaw that won't be fixed with a simple wire...unless of course, that wire is soldered directly from the circuit board to the bulb socket!
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 01-02-2008, 01:47 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Red Sox Nation
Posts: 141
PMPNX5 is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by dkl
I serious doubt that the extra ground wire would help. The problem, as I see it is that the contacts between the bulb socket and the light assembly circuit board are horrible to say the least. So, as the high current moves across from the circuit board to the bulb socket, then back to the circuit board, it will create electrical sparks if the connections aren't perfect and this is where the problem lies. Over time, the sparks will eat away the metal contacts on both the bulb socket as well as the circuit board. It's a design flaw that won't be fixed with a simple wire...unless of course, that wire is soldered directly from the circuit board to the bulb socket!
You just killed your own point. The lack of the extra ground wire is why it would be "sparking". The electricity flowing through it needs a ground capable of "returning" so to speak that load. If the ground can't return it, then it needs someplace to go which is when it would "spark" to release the "build-up" of electricity.

Quicksilver is it still holding up?

Does anyone know the site to go to for TSB's?
IMO This sounds like it should be a recall instead of a TSB since there are so many issues of this. Too bad noone at BMW would listen to a letter or email.
Thanks.
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 01-02-2008, 01:51 PM
gwc gwc is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 148
gwc is on a distinguished road
Should be a re-call...I've ordered LED tails as I'm sick off removing the tails every fortnight to clean the contacts.
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 01-10-2008, 07:53 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 46
Ivan22 is on a distinguished road
I am having the same problem on a 2001 X5. My rear right brake light keeps going out. The tail light housing seems brittle, and the old socket was slightly melted. I bought a new socket at the dealer ($27 rippoff) and a bulb, but the problem persists.

My question is, regardless of the fix proposed, grounding the circuit, would replacing the entire tail light with the newer version (04 and up) fix it?

Im sick and tired of beeps and messages...
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:59 AM.
vBulletin, Copyright 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
© 2017 Xoutpost.com. All rights reserved. Xoutpost.com is a private enthusiast site not associated with BMW AG.
The BMW name, marks, M stripe logo, and Roundel logo as well as X3, X5 and X6 designations used in the pages of this Web Site are the property of BMW AG.
This web site is not sponsored or affiliated in any way with BMW AG or any of its subsidiaries.