LED Tail Lights installed but have some issues

PhilUK · Post by **PhilUK** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:08 pm

I recently took delivery of a set of red/smoked tail lights from carparts-online.de.

All fitted and looking great (pics to follow) apart from the following:

After I first installed the lights the red upper and lower sections (brake light and running lights) were both illuminated and very bright even without the brake pedal depressed so I figured that two pins on the connector needed swapping around. After a quick test with the multi meter and a quick switch of pins 2 and 4 on the (car side) connector the lights were operating as they should... I think! :-[

Now this is where I need a little help from someone else who has installed after-market LED tails on their E53.

My lights with only running lights switched on now shows just the lower section of the lights illuminated, then with the brake pedal depressed both the upper and lower sections are illuminated. The thing is the running lights seem particularly bright and the brake lights are no brighter than the running lights! Is this normal?

My other issue is that as soon as you take your foot off the brake pedal and the brake light goes out but I get a single flicker of the brake light about a second later, can this be fixed with a resistor? Anyone had the same problem? :blink:

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Sanj · Post by **Sanj** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:51 pm

I have em - a bit different but look at thisthread for more information on it and pay particular attention to BFD - brake force display comments X5sport has highlighted.

Mine won't behave like the OEM BFD function. That will explain why both sections light up but running should be dimmer and brakes should brighter. That's how mine behave - so not normal.

I get no flicker after lifting my foot off the brake pedal. I do have a resistor on them (installed by the previous owner).

PhilUK · Post by **PhilUK** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:44 am

Thanks for the info Sanj.

I pulled the lights off last night and it appears that there is no other way to wire them as there are only four wires going in from the lights connector. After tracing these wires back to the bulbs/LEDs this is what they are for:

Ground
Positive to Indicator
Positive to upper half of red panel
Positive to lower half of red section

:'(

I have connected them in the following way which will naturally give the results described in my original post.

Ground - Ground feed
Positive to Indicator - Indicator feed
Positive to upper half of red panel - Brake light feed
Positive to lower half of red section - Side light feed

I have emailed carperts-online.de and await their response. :noexpression:

PhilUK · Post by **PhilUK** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:30 am

*UPDATE.

Received a reply from carparts-online.de re my tail light issues. They agree that they can't be compatible with UK spec vehicles so they sent me a prepaid returns label and offered a full refund. Poor product to be sold to the UK but good customer service in resolving the issue.

So, I decided to buy a set from this US ebay seller. They arrived within a week and wasn't charged any import duty!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-X5-E53-RED-SMOKE-HOUSING-LED-TAIL-BRAKE-LIGHTS-LAMP-/160907395796

The lights work fine but I am getting bulb out warnings for both tail and brake lights. Can anyone advise on what resistors are required and is it as simple as soldering them inline on the positive feeds for the brake and tail lights? (Did a search but couldn't fine anything).

Here is a pic of the new lights installed...

And here is a comparison of the LED unit from Germany (left) and the LED unit from US (right). I prefer the look of the US unit.

kkodal78 · Post by **kkodal78** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:01 am

It can be any 6 ohm resistor

PhilUK · Post by **PhilUK** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:12 am

[quote="kkodal78"]
It can be any 6 ohm resistor
[/quote]

Thanks kkodal78.

Will these do the trick? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-X-LED-Turn-Signal-Load-Resistor-Blinker-Fix-50W-6ohm-/310420728924?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item4846846c5c

Do you not need different resistors for the side lights than you do for the brake lights considering the original bulbs were a different wattage (5/21w)?

kkodal78 · Post by **kkodal78** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:17 am

Those should do the trick.
The reason you have use these is to make canbus believe that there is a resistance on the loop to stop the error message. The 6 ohm is all needed than these resistors take care of that. Alternatively you could just hook ip a regular bulb in the loop to get rid of the error message but where you would hide the bulb- i am not sure. I've done that with HID kits on E34s which kept giving me errors so i went to scrap yard and took a pair of front position lights and put it in the loop which gave me some light in the engine bay in the dark as well and it took care of the error message. The watts are different between the position lamp and dipped beam as well but it worked like a charm
Hope this helps

PhilUK · Post by **PhilUK** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:34 am

Ok thanks, will give the 6ohm resistor method a try.

Just found a set of four pre-wired inc Scotchlocks for under 6 quid! Bargain!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120947957055

X5Sport · Post by **X5Sport** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:56 am

[quote="kkodal78"]
It can be any 6 ohm resistor
[/quote]
Almost.....the resistor should be power rated for the wattage of all the LEDs being lit together (if it's on a common 'power' rail). If not you can burn it out in short order. 10W of LEDs needs at least a 10W rated 6ohm resistor (preferably a 12-15W to allow some overloading)

Richard

PhilUK · Post by **PhilUK** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:38 am

Hi X5Sport.

The ones I have just ordered from the ebay link above state that they are 50w/6ohm, are these going to work?

Sanj · Post by **Sanj** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:21 pm

If I have time I can have a look at mine in the morning and see if there's anything on them?

PhilUK · Post by **PhilUK** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 9:08 am

Thanks Sanj

Sanj · Post by **Sanj** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 10:40 pm

Really sorry buddy, pi$$ed down all day here.

Apparently dry tomorrow and Sunday, so I'll get a pic for sure over the weekend for you.

Sanj · Post by **Sanj** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 5:16 pm

Pic as requested...

X5Sport · Post by **X5Sport** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 5:27 pm

[quote="PhilUK"]
Hi X5Sport.

The ones I have just ordered from the ebay link above state that they are 50w/6ohm, are these going to work?
[/quote]
I would think so. 50W is pretty adequate for that sort of use.

@Sanj, that's a pic of a capacitor.....not a resistor. Good suppressor though.

R

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