How to change rear plate light?

[karbonkid]

Anyone had to change a rear number plate light. How do you get to it?:banghead::banghead:

[karbonkid]

Sorted. :thumbs:

[sailorbaz]

Good stuff mate, you have to quite brutal with it. There's instructions in the handbook for it too, just for anyone else.

I changed mine for wee LED jobs, pretty funky and cheap enough.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LED-REAR-NUMBER-PLATE-BULBS-BMW-E87-E36-E46-M3-XENON_W0QQitemZ300298582612QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_C arsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item30029858261 2&_trksid=p4634.m333.l1262
Straight swap.

Only thing was, I ordered resistors to go with them (couple of quid for 100) as apparently they can throw up an 'Bulb out' warning on the dash.

I changed mine without the resistors and no warning, so I didn't bother with them. However, as they need VERY, VERY little current to work they glow for a wee while after you've switched them off. Maybe 20 mins or so. Lighting up your rear plate just a tiny little bit for that time.

Freshens up the rear a wee bit, for a fiver what can you say? Then again, if you score the boot with the screwdriver you're using to removed the casings in the 1st place it could prove a costly little mod.

[karbonkid]

Good stuff mate, you have to quite brutal with it. There's instructions in the handbook for it too, just for anyone else.

I changed mine for wee LED jobs, pretty funky and cheap enough.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LED-REAR-NUMBER-PLATE-BULBS-BMW-E87-E36-E46-M3-XENON_W0QQitemZ300298582612QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_C arsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item30029858261 2&_trksid=p4634.m333.l1262
Straight swap.

Only thing was, I ordered resistors to go with them (couple of quid for 100) as apparently they can throw up an 'Bulb out' warning on the dash.

I changed mine without the resistors and no warning, so I didn't bother with them. However, as they need VERY, VERY little current to work they glow for a wee while after you've switched them off. Maybe 20 mins or so. Lighting up your rear plate just a tiny little bit for that time.

Freshens up the rear a wee bit, for a fiver what can you say? Then again, if you score the boot with the screwdriver you're using to removed the casings in the 1st place it could prove a costly little mod.

I had to check the bulb type as Ive just ordered some of those xenon LEDs after seeing my mates E92 M3 with bright white xenon as standard on an alpine white. Looks clean and crisp. Cheap mod, cant go wrong, unless like you say you screwdriver the boot. I did manage to screwdriver the thumb thou. :bigcry:

[sailorbaz]

Aye, my Dad has an E92 330d in White, and it has the wee LED's to light up the number plate. As you say, nice and crisp. I do worry about how much easier it is to read my number plate now though...not good in certain circumstances.

[karbonkid]

Aye, my Dad has an E92 330d in White, and it has the wee LED's to light up the number plate. As you say, nice and crisp. I do worry about how much easier it is to read my number plate now though...not good in certain circumstances.


Yeah it certainly isn't :banghead:

[Roland]

Why do you guys make it so compilcated?:banghead:
Just take the OEM from E92/93, a adapter-cable and its done.
Just did it a week ago.

[sailorbaz]

'cause that would have been too easy mate.

Seriously though, was it that easy! doh! I had posted the question up on a couple of other board but had nowhere near as simple an answer as that, never mind. People were talking about soldering resistors inline and hea shrink etc, there you go.

Cheers,
Baz

[karbonkid]

surely its easier to just change the bulb than to rewire the car.

[Roland]

surely its easier to just change the bulb than to rewire the car.

anyway, if you call it "rewire the car", i call it adapter-cable.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu58/m3csl1_2009/img2930oxq0.jpg

[Mark CSL]

Here's my DIY for replacing the regular CSL license plate lights used on the bootlids with the latest OEM LED license plate lighting that comes on the new e60/e90/e92 models.

Fortunately for us CSL owners, we are not subject to any bulb-out errors on the dash, so this is a true plug-n-play option.

Parts needed:

2 BMW LED registration lights (# 63 26 7 193 293) £7 /each
2 BMW Universal Socket aka plug connector (# 61 13 6 925 634) £1.00 each
4 BMW Bushing Contacts aka pin contacts (# 61 13 1 383 776) if you want to build your own wire.30.28 each. I bought 10 as you can see from the pic below.
some 20 or 22 guage wire
heat shrink
or
4 Bushing Contacs with wire (# 61 13 0 005 197) £1.00 each

Pic of parts needed.
file:///C:/Users/Mark/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpghttp://www.jmadventures.com/share/pics/cars/m3/diy/ledlicense/1.jpg
http://www.jmadventures.com/share/pics/cars/m3/diy/ledlicense/14.jpg

http://www.jmadventures.com/share/pics/cars/m3/diy/ledlicense/15.jpg
Finished pic. They look really clean:
I have them orderd for tomorrow i shall post pix tomorrow :thumbs:

[sailorbaz]

Aye, it does freshen the back end up a bit. I 'might' replace my ones with the ones above too, so that they actually go off when I switch the lights off. Instead, they glow very, very dimly. Then again, prob won't bother as it takes very little current anyway.

Nice post though Mark, a very cheap mod and not having the bulb warning light coming on is a bonus for us CSL owners! :-)

[karbonkid]

I fitted mine last week or so and glows the same after turning off. No bulbs sign thou on dash. They do look a little too blue so hoping to go E92 OEM set up too. Where can you order from, BMW stealers?

[Mark CSL]

Yip BMW

[bryce]

Might rob my e90 later...

[theodoros]

hey guys..
I just got a set of those LED replacement units for the rear number plate bulbs and I want to try them on the CSL.. Please note, that I am not talking about the complete LED Light module with the wiring from the latest 3 series model, I am refering to the LED replacement units that fit in the place of the old yellowish bulbs..

http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr119/easy-driving/whitefestoon.jpg?t=1268342654

I have seen the instructions in the handbook, regarding inserting a FLATHEAD screwdriver in the slot and then sliding the Light Module to the left, and I have tried it but without any luck.. Am I doing something wrong?.. or am I too gentle with it?..

I would appreciate any detailed instructions on how to do this..

Many thanks for your time,

theo :beer:

[sailorbaz]

No, that's the way to do it right enough. Slide it to the Right though and try to get something plastic but firm under the left side of it, and prise it out. I worry loads about the screwdriver slipping and scoring the bootlid but iirc, that was how I done it.

HTH

[mattCSLnut]

Did mine today using OEM parts... all for a reasonable price of £20 :thumbs:THANX to Mark CSL for making this an easy conversion :beer:
One word or caution though, the E90 LED light units have a thicker then the E46 weather seal which makes it near impossible :banghead: to clip the NEW light units into the plastic CSL boot lid cut outs. In the end I had to use a surgical blade to reduce the thickness of the weather seal by half, before it would fit... just.

[shane@mbtech]

hey guys..
I just got a set of those LED replacement units for the rear number plate bulbs and I want to try them on the CSL.. Please note, that I am not talking about the complete LED Light module with the wiring from the latest 3 series model, I am refering to the LED replacement units that fit in the place of the old yellowish bulbs..

http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr119/easy-driving/whitefestoon.jpg?t=1268342654

I have seen the instructions in the handbook, regarding inserting a FLATHEAD screwdriver in the slot and then sliding the Light Module to the left, and I have tried it but without any luck.. Am I doing something wrong?.. or am I too gentle with it?..

I would appreciate any detailed instructions on how to do this..

Many thanks for your time,

theo :beer:

They can take a little bit of persuasion;):gayfight: