E36 Brake light problem

Getting the 1 brake light failure message on my 97 328IS. The right brake light is indeed not working. I checked the bulb and it was fine.
I replaced it anyhow with a Sylvania with no luck. I tried cleaning the connectors, same problem. I tried putting the working reverse bulb in, negative. Any suggestions? From what i've researched, the brake light switch is a fairly common problem but I'm not recieving the brake light circuit error.
thanks
jason
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Jason wrote:

Socket or wiring is bad if the known good bulb didn't work. Start at the socket with a voltmeter and start following the circuit backwards - sooner or later you'll find where the smoke got out.
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I recently had the same problem with a 97 328ic. Discovered that there had been some arcing that had burned a small hole in one of the tail light housing contacts so that even with a new bulb holder, full contact wasn't being made. So i dropped in a bit of conductive solder to fill the hole and problem gone. Saved the cost of a new tail light housing unit.
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wrote:

This is a VERY common problem on BMW - especially whit the "galvanized" or zinc coated steel contact strips. BMW replaced the tail lamps on E38 series (7) until they were redesigned. Don't know about the other cars but I have repaired mine by scraping away the burnt area and using a decent soldering iron 30W + solder a small piece of brass over the hole or scrape off the coating and put a dollop of solder in the hole and carefully spread it out smooth. Almost a permanent job.
Sir Hugh of Bognor
The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Intelligence is not knowing the answer but knowing where and how to find it!
Hugh Gundersen snipped-for-privacy@h-gee.co.uk Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK
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