[bizzleb109]

Hi guys hoping i can get some help with a issue im having. I have a 2007 e93 335i about a month ago my passenger side rear night driving lights dont work. I took it appart to check bulbs but had to puchase complete board which has bulbs with it. Any how I swapp3d it over and still does not work so i thought might be a faulty board so tried new board 9n drivers side and it works. Anyone have any ideas what i can check, 8ve checked for fuses but dont think thw rear tail lights have a fuse, so please any ideas would be great.

Thanks

[N52bigblock]

Originally Posted by bizzleb109

Hi guys hoping i can get some help with a issue im having. I have a 2007 e93 335i about a month ago my passenger side rear night driving lights dont work. I took it appart to check bulbs but had to puchase complete board which has bulbs with it. Any how I swapp3d it over and still does not work so i thought might be a faulty board so tried new board 9n drivers side and it works. Anyone have any ideas what i can check, 8ve checked for fuses but dont think thw rear tail lights have a fuse, so please any ideas would be great.

Thanks

Is it the light in the boot lid or the main light on the body?

[bizzleb109]

Its the one on the body

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by bizzleb109

Its the one on the body

Do you have BMW tools & the bimmer geeks cable ?

[6ixSpd]

Common failure on pre-LCI tails. You'll likely need the taillight housing.

[6Inarowmakesitgo!]

Check the bulb holder. They melt slightly. Also, after a certain number of errors that are noticed by the FRM, it will completely disable that circuit even after the problem has been rectified.

[bizzleb109]

Ive replaced thr circuut that carries the bulbs already but still does not work

[bizzleb109]

Ok a little more info but even more confused. Today i thought i would try the passenger rear tail light fixed to body on the drivers side to see if it works and it does. So i tried the drivera side light on the passenger side and it works but when i pl8g the passenger light back in to passenger side it does not work. Any ideas as to what could cause this please

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by bizzleb109

Ive replaced thr circuut that carries the bulbs already but still does not work

Bulb carrier is not the issue.

Internal LED circuit board which houses 3 LEDs that power the light bars (which is not serviceable by traditional means) is know to fail. It is believed that the corrosion has an impact on the soldering.

Your options:

1. Get a new tail light assembly.
2. Cut open the light from the back to gain access to the LED circuit board and re-solder the LEDs.

[bizzleb109]

Ok thanks for that but would like to mention that the exact same bulb holder works in drivers side but not on the passenger side

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by bizzleb109

Ok thanks for that but would like to mention that the exact same bulb holder works in drivers side but not on the passenger side

Could it be the pin orientation in the harness is side specific. There is a left and right bulb holder, they are not interchangeable.

By the way none of the bulbs listed on this diagram power your night lights, those are LEDs.

[riczon.335i]

I have been down this road before I also have an 07 e92 335i.. I replaced the whole housing and the tail light worked again. Common problem I was told about this tail light issue.

[bizzleb109]

Ok its seems to be the led thats the cause, im planning to open the light and carry out the repair, i dont have a dremel how easy will it be to remove the lense using a knife or so?

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by bizzleb109

Ok its seems to be the led thats the cause, im planning to open the light and carry out the repair, i dont have a dremel how easy will it be to remove the lense using a knife or so?

To remove the lens you will need to heat the light first in order to loosen the glue. Chance of you cracking the lens is there, so keep that in mind. Once you remove the lens, there are other parts on the inside that will need to be removed in order to gain access to the LEDs.

There is a write up a guy did on here, you'll have to search and dig through a few threads.

Also, there is another write up where someone has replaced the LED all together with a similar one, however the light intensity was not the same as OEM. These are not your typical LEDs.

Personally, I would just cut the light from the back to gain access. Re-melt the soldering points, or if you can remove old solder and replace with new. If that doesn't solve it, you will need a new tail light.

[Wolf 335]

I have taken a few X-ray images of the circuitry inside to give you a better understanding of where everything is located. This particular light is from an E92 (Coupe) 2007 355i.

Hope this helps.

Looking at the light from outside


Looking at the light from inside the trunk


Looking at the light from the driver door towards the back.

[UK_Nomad]

Originally Posted by bizzleb109

Ok its seems to be the led thats the cause, im planning to open the light and carry out the repair, i dont have a dremel how easy will it be to remove the lense using a knife or so?

From my experience ('07 E93 325i), you can disconnect the harness from the light cluster then test the leds using a 9 volt (type: pp3) battery.
I use a dremel, have been told you can warm the cluster in an oven to soften the glue but poster gave no more details.
I suspect the outer lens will crack if you try to pry it off cold using a knife - but let us know what you try & the results. Good luck !

My problem was caused by failed LEDs, others have said their problem was caused by dry solder joints.

DIY fix is possible https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1441049

[Liquid_Arthur]

This is interesting, I have the same exact issue on my wife's E93. I wonder if it tends to happen on convertibles more. Well the light not working issue is intermittent, some days yes, some days no. I wasn't aware there were LED's there, but I guess i need to look a little deeper. Like the OP, the board works just fine when plugged in on the other side. That is what is so odd. Everything fully functional there. Well, I am glad to see some steps to fix, as it has been driving us crazy.