The dashboard display on my 2003 3.0D is constantly telling me to check tail lights and check brake lights and the passenger side indicators occasionally flash really fast. I have checked all of my lights and they are all working fine. I have done a search on this forum and I have removed the rear light units and cleaned the contacts and tracks for all of the bulbs but all to no avail.
I would appreciate it if someone could shed some light (sorry) on what the problem could be as it has got me stumped.
Happy new year everyone.
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Lighting Issues
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X5-D-Sport
- Snr Member
- Posts: 1324
- Joined: Sun May 25, 2014 11:13 pm
Re: Lighting Issues
Im getting spurious warning in the last 2 weeks also...
Incl suspension levelling warnings...
And the latest gem is my from fogs bailing out whwn main beam is illuminated...
I checked the battery voltages after a cold night... down to 11.2 volts... and im pretty sure that a dying battery will be giving me these issues....
Maybe check your pre start voltages in the morning...
As a member here suggested...
A good battery will hold just over 13 volts, charge at approx 14.2
And should deliver 12.5-13.5 volts after the lights have been on for 30 minutes without having starting the engine before or after this voltage test.
If you have a low voltage, it seems that the consensus of opinion & experience ... is weird warnings on things that are actually ok...
Check your battery voltages before you spend money on diagnostics & stuff..
Incl suspension levelling warnings...
And the latest gem is my from fogs bailing out whwn main beam is illuminated...
I checked the battery voltages after a cold night... down to 11.2 volts... and im pretty sure that a dying battery will be giving me these issues....
Maybe check your pre start voltages in the morning...
As a member here suggested...
A good battery will hold just over 13 volts, charge at approx 14.2
And should deliver 12.5-13.5 volts after the lights have been on for 30 minutes without having starting the engine before or after this voltage test.
If you have a low voltage, it seems that the consensus of opinion & experience ... is weird warnings on things that are actually ok...
Check your battery voltages before you spend money on diagnostics & stuff..
Re: Lighting Issues
[quote="7builder"]
The dashboard display on my 2003 3.0D is constantly telling me to check tail lights and check brake lights and the passenger side indicators occasionally flash really fast. I have checked all of my lights and they are all working fine. I have done a search on this forum and I have removed the rear light units and cleaned the contacts and tracks for all of the bulbs but all to no avail.
I would appreciate it if someone could shed some light (sorry) on what the problem could be as it has got me stumped.
Happy new year everyone.
[/quote]
I had a similar problem on my last car Peugeot 407 X's sport 2.2hdi the dash was saying there was a brake light fault and indicator fault but they worked fine , I went ahead and fitted new bulbs anyway and the fault was cleared , abit weird really but it worked , worth a try.
Tim
The dashboard display on my 2003 3.0D is constantly telling me to check tail lights and check brake lights and the passenger side indicators occasionally flash really fast. I have checked all of my lights and they are all working fine. I have done a search on this forum and I have removed the rear light units and cleaned the contacts and tracks for all of the bulbs but all to no avail.
I would appreciate it if someone could shed some light (sorry) on what the problem could be as it has got me stumped.
Happy new year everyone.
[/quote]
I had a similar problem on my last car Peugeot 407 X's sport 2.2hdi the dash was saying there was a brake light fault and indicator fault but they worked fine , I went ahead and fitted new bulbs anyway and the fault was cleared , abit weird really but it worked , worth a try.
Tim
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X5-D-Sport
- Snr Member
- Posts: 1324
- Joined: Sun May 25, 2014 11:13 pm
Re: Lighting Issues
Hi Tim, good point...
There is a possibility that the bulb connector has a little corrosion on it, or the bulb is on it's last legs causing the resistance metering to increase, hence giving the error report...
This is why a big resistor is often used with LED lights to increase the current flow and negate a failure reading at the dash computer...
There is a possibility that the bulb connector has a little corrosion on it, or the bulb is on it's last legs causing the resistance metering to increase, hence giving the error report...
This is why a big resistor is often used with LED lights to increase the current flow and negate a failure reading at the dash computer...
Last edited by X5-D-Sport on Thu Jan 01, 2015 10:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Lighting Issues
Thanks guys I will check the battery voltages first thing in the morning and failing that take a trip to Halfwits for a bucket load of bulbs and swap out the lot. I've recently managed to get hold of a Dimwhits trade card so will be interested to see what sort of discount I will get (if any).
Re: Lighting Issues
[quote="7builder"]
The dashboard display on my 2003 3.0D is constantly telling me to check tail lights and check brake lights and the passenger side indicators occasionally flash really fast. I have checked all of my lights and they are all working fine. I have done a search on this forum and I have removed the rear light units and cleaned the contacts and tracks for all of the bulbs but all to no avail.
I would appreciate it if someone could shed some light (sorry) on what the problem could be as it has got me stumped.
Happy new year everyone.
[/quote]
BMW's are prone to showing light failure problems if poor quality bulbs are fitted. I had this problem with a 5 series showing bulb failure for the rear light when there was no obvious problem. I fitted decent bulbs (Lucas I think) and the problem went away.
Might be worth while changing the bulbs for quality ones.
HTH
The dashboard display on my 2003 3.0D is constantly telling me to check tail lights and check brake lights and the passenger side indicators occasionally flash really fast. I have checked all of my lights and they are all working fine. I have done a search on this forum and I have removed the rear light units and cleaned the contacts and tracks for all of the bulbs but all to no avail.
I would appreciate it if someone could shed some light (sorry) on what the problem could be as it has got me stumped.
Happy new year everyone.
[/quote]
BMW's are prone to showing light failure problems if poor quality bulbs are fitted. I had this problem with a 5 series showing bulb failure for the rear light when there was no obvious problem. I fitted decent bulbs (Lucas I think) and the problem went away.
Might be worth while changing the bulbs for quality ones.
HTH
x6 M50d
Re: Lighting Issues
Halfords do their their own brand, GE(Original Spec) whatever that is and Bosch so I guess Bosch it is then.
Re: Lighting Issues
I went to Halfords today and decide to swap out all of the bulbs for Bosch. Headlights (H7 main beam not high beam), side lights, tail lights and brake lights. I used my trade card for the first time and was pleasantly surprised at the discount. The receipt showed £19.99, £3.99, £3.99, £2.99 for all the bulbs and £2.99 for screen wash. Total after discount was £18.99 - happy days.
So I swapped out all of the bulbs at the front and the rear offside without a hitch but have found a problem with the rear nearside cluster. I had to remove the multi plug connector so I could get my pork sausages any where near the stop/tail light bulb and when I reconnected it the entire light cluster was dead. I removed the multi plug and reconnected it and had 1 tail light and no brake light. If I wiggle the harness at the back of the plug the lights will come on and illuminate at different brightness depending on the position. So it looks like I have found the source of the warning messages but as it was getting dark and there is not a lot of slack on the cable I was not able to examine the plug and cables in any great detail. That will have to wait until another day.
So I swapped out all of the bulbs at the front and the rear offside without a hitch but have found a problem with the rear nearside cluster. I had to remove the multi plug connector so I could get my pork sausages any where near the stop/tail light bulb and when I reconnected it the entire light cluster was dead. I removed the multi plug and reconnected it and had 1 tail light and no brake light. If I wiggle the harness at the back of the plug the lights will come on and illuminate at different brightness depending on the position. So it looks like I have found the source of the warning messages but as it was getting dark and there is not a lot of slack on the cable I was not able to examine the plug and cables in any great detail. That will have to wait until another day.
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X5-D-Sport
- Snr Member
- Posts: 1324
- Joined: Sun May 25, 2014 11:13 pm
Re: Lighting Issues
7Builder...
Connector plug issues.... SNAP... had the same....
I cured that with a fine needle file pushed gently in the socket to get the corrosion off, and a very gentle tweak to the connection pins on the cluster, then a spray of contact cleaner - from Maplin for £2:99 a can...
That solved my problem there, so I sprayed some of this on the other side's connector for good measure..
I wasn't getting warnings, but was aware that one light cluster had dimmer illumination than the other. !
Connector plug issues.... SNAP... had the same....
I cured that with a fine needle file pushed gently in the socket to get the corrosion off, and a very gentle tweak to the connection pins on the cluster, then a spray of contact cleaner - from Maplin for £2:99 a can...
That solved my problem there, so I sprayed some of this on the other side's connector for good measure..
I wasn't getting warnings, but was aware that one light cluster had dimmer illumination than the other. !
Re: Lighting Issues
I'll give that a try but my problem seems to be more like a lose connector or wire as my tail lights will go off completely or illuminate very dimly when I move the wires going into the connector. I had a quick look yesterday and it also looks like someone has been at the wires with those evil scotch-locks at some point as 2 of them have cuts in the insulation. I might have to cut and re-join some of the wires but there isn't a lot of room to work or much slack in the harness to get good access.
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X5-D-Sport
- Snr Member
- Posts: 1324
- Joined: Sun May 25, 2014 11:13 pm
Re: Lighting Issues
Exactly my point..
Any interference with the connector, ie twiddling the wires, will change the connectivity...
You have answered the problem describing it... back to the needle files switch cleaner !
Any interference with the connector, ie twiddling the wires, will change the connectivity...
You have answered the problem describing it... back to the needle files switch cleaner !
Re: Lighting Issues
[quote="7builder"]
I went to Halfords today and decide to swap out all of the bulbs for Bosch.
[/quote]
Its a pity you didn't go for a premium lamp such as Phillips or Osram. The light output from these is vastly superior to OEM. I did this recently as the headlights seemed so dim and the improvement is massive.
I went to Halfords today and decide to swap out all of the bulbs for Bosch.
[/quote]
Its a pity you didn't go for a premium lamp such as Phillips or Osram. The light output from these is vastly superior to OEM. I did this recently as the headlights seemed so dim and the improvement is massive.