Member
New to BMW's and loving my 2008 328i. One of my neighbors mentioned I had tail light burned out so I decided to have a look myself. I looked it up in the driver's manual and it does say that if bulbs 2-6 fail, contact BMW. I thought well how tough can this be so I removed the access cover to the fender portion of the light, removed 2 Torx screws and wiggled the white plastic plate with bulbs backwards so I could see them. The main signal light is a regular bayonnet style bulb. However the the other two lights are these PH16W lights. I pulled the one out that I thought was the problem and headed off to the local BMW dealer. He said those lights are not sold separately but are part of a whole tail light assembly for $500. So I went home and put everything back together. Now the tail light and back up light do not work although the tail light worked briefly...I'm going backwards. Has anyone had any experience changing out these lights? Are they soldered right in? I see two little posts on the base of the one bulb that came out...did I break off some wires/solder?
Member
Mmmm....119 views and no replies...did I do something wrong with my post or did I post a subject that no one has got any tips for replacing the bulbs?Originally Posted by Jade East
Member
Some of the bulbs are in fact light bulbs that you can replace, but some are LED arrays that are molded into the tail lamp housing, the LED arrays are not intended to be replaceable as a service part.
Member
Thx JD. When I wiggled the plastic light holder out I could see two small lights (PH16W; 7K18IL). With a little tug, one of them came out but I don't think I put it back in safely. Was it supposed to come out? Is there a trick to re-inserting the bulb?
John
Member
All I know is that the Owner's Manual says that some of the bulbs are replaceable and some are not. I also know that there are at least two LED bulbs in the back of my car. I have not looked at the structure. I have loads of experience with the E36, E46, and E53 -- all of these models are similar in design but not shape -- but I have not looked into the tail lamps on my E93 yet.
When I operate the Unlock Button on the remote, I get some LED lights turn on at the back of the car. They are strips, but I do not know if there is a single or double LED and the strips are reflective, or if the entire strip is actually an array.
Member
This page from the BMW Parts List says two bulbs are available as service parts. One appears to be the turn indicator, and one is mounted in the trunk lid. I believe it's a Reverse light, but I am not certain. The Parts List makes a point of stating that 16W bulbs are not replaceable, PH16W is specifically indicated as not replaceable.
In previous years, BMW had you put the bulbs into a socket that was then mounted into the tail lamp housing.
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=63_0960
Last edited by JDStrickland; 09-21-2020 at 03:59 PM.
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