Be Seen !! ...and put that rear fog light to use...as a brake light

[TXBDan]

in north america the fog light can only be on the driver's side. which actually makes sense so people don't think its the brake lights. I didnt know they actually used both sides anywhere.

i agree, they are very effective in the fog and rain.

[mfree]

i wish i could do this, but i have no soldering tool!

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=38593 $10
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=94903 $30

[Alexi21]

haha I was wondering what that other socket was for when I installed my Depos. Thanks for the info, I'll probably end up doing this.

[SleekBMW]

can you jumper it directly to the other brake light, id rather use it as a break light.

[defaz]

can you jumper it directly to the other brake light, id rather use it as a break light.

Yea i'm pretty sure that the first post is actually a write-up on how to do just that.

[rastayute]

lol, okay, i used a little electrical tape and a wire and taped it down and it worked! lol looks quite nice if you ask me, and quite useful and functional.

[defaz]

lol, okay, i used a little electrical tape and a wire and taped it down and it worked! lol looks quite nice if you ask me, and quite useful and functional.

haha sweet! just be careful of that wire coming loose and shorting on a ground.

You'll know this happened when you hit your brakes and your taillights launch through the windshield of the car behind you.

[Qsilver7]

Great write-up...and it is one of those mods that you, as the driver, can't actually see...but may prevent someone from rear ending you...which is a GOOD thing.

For those curious or nervous about finding or using the correct "runners" (positive)...when you remove the rear light assembly from the car...as stated previously...all the lights negative runners are in "parallel"...you will see that ALL of the bulb's negative contact points are connected together. Again, just look at (and follow) the metal runner's coming off the bulb's location...if that runner is connected to all the other runners (like a maze)...then that is the negative runners. You want to connect the POSITIVE runner of your BRAKE LIGHT and the (intended) REAR FOG LIGHT BULB.

Lots of E38 owners have been doing this QUAD BRAKE LIGHT mod for a few years now...especially when we ordered the Euro tail lights from BMW that came with the rear fog light bulbs already installed. Since they were there...why not put them to good use since the wiring for the rear fog lights isn't installed...but just like you did...a simple wire soldered between the positve leads connects the rear fog light to the BRAKE light.

And to answer a question someone asked a few posts ago...no, the additional bulb does NOT diminish the luminescence of the BRAKE lights.

Here's my e38 with the same mod I performed back in 2003:

(think they'll know my brakes are applied?)


Same type of wiring set up on my e38 (note brown wire) AND yes, you should solder it so that the wiring doesn't come loose and ground out. This area of the car is not hospitable to tape:

[Petes540i6]

I did this two nights ago, and I got a chance to follow my car (while it was dirven by my wife). I think it looks great, actually. Plus, its obviously brighter and thus safer. Best mod under 10 bucks except for CDV delete.

[NNY528I]

There are a couple of other neat things you can do with this to.

First if you install a diode in the line from the original brake light and the new brake light you can still connect it to the fog light system as well. Then if you turn on the fogs only the fog light will light but if you hit the brakes they will all light up.

Second when I used to play around with Fiero's more(i only have one now) they had a mod where you built a circuit that would turn on the brake bulbs in progression from left to right on the drivers side(in quick succession of course) and vise0versa for the left. SO essentially you could make the inner brake light come on a second after the first or say do a double flash upon application of the inner bulb.

[Bruce SEA 993]

Wow Deja Vu all over again!

I did this on my old '83 533i for exacly the same reason. There is a far greater chance of getting rear ended from somebody not paying attention than fog issues.

Thanks!

[e39dream]

Here's a before and after pic: (look at all that extra brightness from the left side)

Wow! I had never realized how little real estate was given to the brake lights. Are these oem lights? I had the 97-00 ambers for such a short time I never took pics, I don't recall what they look like while braking.

[udm95]

I did this awhile ago on my '95 318ic. I chose not to solder because of the plastic housing. I simply drilled a hole in the sheet metal that provides the circuit - very carefully so as not to pierce the plastic housing. I made a small jumper using 12 ga. wire with crimp-on ring terminals and used very short sheet metal screws with large heads - see the red wire in the photo.

There was no fog lamp switch or wire for that circuit and the necessary pins were removed from the connectors. I didn't even have to buy extra lamp holders or bulbs though - they were already in place, just no circuit to put them in use. The special white lamp holder in the picture is the one that would be the rear fog lamp. It holds a dual filament bulb. The low 5w filament is used for the running lights along with the gray lamp holder shown. The 21w filament, which is the same as the brake light is the one I activated. The lamp holder for the brake light isn't visible in the picture.

I'm happy with the results and I'm planning to try the same with my '03 530i using the same no-solder technique. I'll have to buy lamp holders and cut out the plastic housing since the holes are not there.

BTW I have a '94 Volvo 940 Turbo that came with a functioning rear fog lamp circuit - it lights both sides.

[MartinV]

Has anyone done this on the Celis Tailamps like in a 2001+. I took the light apart and the metal grid seems to be installed with plastic welds. Making the hole seems imposible. Plus it seems it can't be a perfect circlie since the bulb holder has to screw into the part that holds the lens.

[fragzem]

Second when I used to play around with Fiero's more(i only have one now) they had a mod where you built a circuit that would turn on the brake bulbs in progression from left to right on the drivers side(in quick succession of course)

care to enlighten us a bit more on how this is done?

[fragzem]

bumpage... still curious about above post...

[ViolinARC]

WOW...that looks really nice Dude. Thanks for sharing cause when I get mine, I'm gonna do the same!

[ryanc528]

thats a pretty cool idea i like it

[utgrad]

I'm gonna do this...always thought the rear brake lights were kinda weak on the E39...thanks!

[MartinV]

Has anyone done this on the Celis Tailamps like in a 2001+. I took the light apart and the metal grid seems to be installed with plastic welds. Making the hole seems imposible. Plus it seems it can't be a perfect circlie since the bulb holder has to screw into the part that holds the lens.

So no one has done this on the celis lights?

[fragzem]

Is NNY528I
still using these forums I'd really be interested in having the outter brake light come on and the inner a half a second later or so.. just to be different..

-Pete

[Alpina540i]

+1 I want to do this mod as well I have already successfully completed the quad brake light mod.

Great post.......... Good thinking

[GTP540]

Subscribing for a Friday night project..

[Alpina540i]

glad I could help by resurecting this thread....

[gurmukhbhogal]

Excellent idea of mod, I'll try it on my 528i