E89 Brake Light Bulb
- Thread starter Tinker15
- Start date
The W16W bulb is pictured below. Both bulbs come on when braking.
The owner's manual does indicate that there are two bulbs per side: H21W is the inside one while W16W is the outer. However, the real reason for posting is the car indicates right brake light is out (verified) and I wanted to see if anyone has replaced these with LED bulbs. If so, did it have any issues. I've seen them on Scamazon and they say they are error-free. What say the crowd?
matsmith749
Active member
Error free just means it has a similar resistance to a traditional incandescent lamp.
Some led replacement lamps have tiny low resistance & throw an error.
Some led replacement lamps have tiny low resistance & throw an error.
Scottish Borders
DaytonZ4 said:
I have LEDs in for the brake lights and reversing bulbs..they don't throw any errors but..
First issue is that the FRM does a 'cold check' which results every 15 minutes with a brief pulse of light in sequence across the bulbs..keeps folks following on their toes..also in weak reception areas the DAB radio washes out for the period the brakes applied...I use Carplay now mostly so DAB is effectively redundant now..
Irritatingly my 20i and its LED bulbs the DAB didn't wash out...
Nice and bright!
If they do throw errors its easy to code out that using Protool or similar..
JACKAZZ2000
Member
I did that to my angel eyes on the front. The error free code is usually valid because they have an internal circuitry that prevents that issue. Long as you install them quickly and check you can always return em within 30 days no questions asked. 
Not sure why my car is different (2016 35i, USA). I have three bulbs per side - two brake lights and one reverse.
The H21W is used for both brake lights per side, so I need four in total.
The W16W is the lone reverse light, so I need two of those.
Now I know why I'm getting an intermittent warning lamp when braking. BOTH inner brake lamp bulb holders are cracked, so clearly someone ham-fisted these holders out of the car once. A-shopping I go (sheesh). Part# 156-240-01.
The H21W is used for both brake lights per side, so I need four in total.
The W16W is the lone reverse light, so I need two of those.
Now I know why I'm getting an intermittent warning lamp when braking. BOTH inner brake lamp bulb holders are cracked, so clearly someone ham-fisted these holders out of the car once. A-shopping I go (sheesh). Part# 156-240-01.
Attachments
日本
I'm lucky the bulbs didn't fall into the lamp housings, but I think the contacts being squeezed upon insertion prevented them from falling out.
Of course, with the metal socket no longer fixed in the plastic housing the bulb didn't properly compress the socket for a solid connection when twisted in.
I bought two sockets from ebay for a total of $12. I figured it's a simple bulb socket, so why not give it a shot, considering the BMW OEM sockets are $30 each.
Well, here's why not. A week later they arrive. Both bulbs are difficult to insert into the holders, and only one holder works. Jesus......
So now they go back, time is wasted, and I ordered the two I should have ordered straight away. Cheap crap simply isn't worth buying.
If you invest in a BMW, you need to be able to invest in the proper parts. If you can't, it's far easier to buy a simple, inexpensive car.
Lesson learned. Even simple plastic/metal items like a bulb socket need to be OEM.
Of course, with the metal socket no longer fixed in the plastic housing the bulb didn't properly compress the socket for a solid connection when twisted in.
I bought two sockets from ebay for a total of $12. I figured it's a simple bulb socket, so why not give it a shot, considering the BMW OEM sockets are $30 each.
Well, here's why not. A week later they arrive. Both bulbs are difficult to insert into the holders, and only one holder works. Jesus......
So now they go back, time is wasted, and I ordered the two I should have ordered straight away. Cheap crap simply isn't worth buying.
If you invest in a BMW, you need to be able to invest in the proper parts. If you can't, it's far easier to buy a simple, inexpensive car.
Lesson learned. Even simple plastic/metal items like a bulb socket need to be OEM.