Tail light out - not really

Hi there,

I have a 2000 E39

Yesterday my dashboard indicator came on and said a right rear tailight is out.

I changed what I thought was a burn out bulb seeing it was all black. The indicator still says there is a light out.

I tested them all and none of them are out! I reseated them and still no luck.

What could be causing this?

Thanks, Jeff

Reply to
Jeff
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Replacing brake lights is a rite of passage for new BMW owners. I bought a used three year old 528i and have replaced the brake lights at least five times. I also got fooled by the third brake light once before. My suggestion: buy a pack of 3-4 bulbs and keep them in your glove box or trunk. You will need them!

HooKoo

Reply to
HooKooKaDoo

I've had a lot of problems with corrosion on the bulbholders on this model which will give the symptoms you describe, remove the holder unit and clean all the connections especially the contacts to the bottom of the bulbs. Hope this does the trick. Cheers Clive

Reply to
Clive Turnbull

There are two tail lights on each side. You fixed one.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

The light sensing circuit is know to be very finicky. Sometimes a worn bulb will be enough to cause the indicator to go on. The standard fix for this is to replace all the bulbs when one burns out. Doing this has stopped the problem you describe for me.

Good luck.

Reply to
tech27

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