Rear Indicator Failure

I’d be worried I’d make more of a mess of it at this point without anywhere to properly work on it or the tools/knowledge of what I’d be playing around with.

As long as it’s working I’ll get away with it as long as I can it may just have been a fluke it happened in the first place when I opened the boot up during rain.

If I’m off and the weather is right I’ll maybe rewatch the YouTube videos and take a look :fuelfire:
 
Well here we are, October and the MOT has expired. Still no light units available anywhere, so the car is now an ornament. I get that there are bigger problems in the world, and this is a very specific problem for those of us affected, by my God what an absolute shambles. I can’t drive my car because an indicator has failed? What a joke. Car will be sold as soon as I can source a new unit - I won’t be held to ransom for a spare part which is unavailable, and for a light unit that can’t be repaired.
BMW? Bloody rubbish.
 
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005809585517.html?src=google&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=494-037-6276&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&albagn=888888&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&albcp=17866112291&albag=&trgt=&crea=en1005005809585517&netw=x&device=c&albpg=&albpd=en1005005809585517&gad=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIupu_hLPsgQMVCYBQBh2-_QbrEAQYAyABEgIRX_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&aff_fcid=0ce73384b6b344ffa1544cda713941be-1696972466904-05236-UneMJZVf&aff_fsk=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=aaf&sk=UneMJZVf&aff_trace_key=0ce73384b6b344ffa1544cda713941be-1696972466904-05236-UneMJZVf&terminal_id=4a40ccb605284d839b2f08f621a8b555&afSmartRedirect=y

Doesn't solve your problem quick, but see if there are some after market alternates.
 
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005985303264.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000014.2.57f08Thz8ThzC0&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.40000.326746.0&scm_id=1007.40000.326746.0&scm-url=1007.40000.326746.0&pvid=03617c8a-e3be-44f8-b093-a3d4dfed7fdd&_t=gps-id:pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller,scm-url:1007.40000.326746.0,pvid:03617c8a-e3be-44f8-b093-a3d4dfed7fdd,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238109%23276&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21GBP%21479.74%21345.41%21%21%214150.00%21%21%40211b801816969731003776965ec015%2112000035184956824%21rec%21GB%21%21AB

https://www.dhgate.com/product/car-styling-taillight-for-bmw-z4-2009-20/891004679.html?f=bm%7cGMC%7cpla%7c755398248%7c39890016695%7c891004679%7cpla-293946777986%7c112030008%7cGB%7cmaxdo%7cc%7c2%7cEAIaIQobChMIupu_hLPsgQMVCYBQBh2-_QbrEAQYBiABEgJENfD_BwE%7c&utm_source=pla&utm_medium=GMC&utm_campaign=maxdo&utm_term=891004679&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIupu_hLPsgQMVCYBQBh2-_QbrEAQYBiABEgJENfD_BwE
tail.jpg

Bit ugly but might get you back on the road.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTxSHH0JtPc&ab_channel=EncoreAuto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQTgGj749dU&ab_channel=DjBrambo
Just might be better quality than Magnetti's offering. :P

I now know why i saw a Zed in scrap yard on web with smoked tail lights, perhaps these.
 
I’m still being very cautious about saying my indicator is fine now but since it seems to have dried out naturally in the sun I’ve had no issues with it.

I don’t even have visible condensation inside the strip any more. I’m just avoiding opening the boot while it’s raining which is when I think water first got inside and ran down the side etc.

The weather isn’t going to be on your side anymore but as a possible solution if you could remove the tail light and dry it out in a similar fashion you may also get the same benefit?

Can’t guarantee that we have had the same exact damage/issue and in my case I literally just left it outside did nothing and it’s ‘fixed’ so how you would dry it out internally at home I couldn’t say beyond just a warm room and see how it goes as it’s probably not wise to take it apart if you can help it, though there are videos of how to do so online.

I’m really sorry to see a fellow owner in a similar no way forward situation as I was and may still be in if things go wrong again. It’s not good that such an integral part doesn’t exist anywhere, especially with it being a known item to fail. Even with possible manufacturing and supply issues caused by world events. I would have thought this part would have to have at least some stock lying around somewhere.
 
flybobbie said:
100k cars, you think they made 200k sets of tail lights?
Click to expand...

No. I’m not going to pretend it’s a manufacturing priority or smart business model but I’d like to think that the part was at least available somewhere for those of us needing it. Even if it’s only because it’s an issue that effects me :rofl:
 
I assume the design, wrap around red part to conform to US side marker.
I wonder if the field of view of indicators is better than original, that seem very directional.
 
Hi, I had the exact same problem with my car recently (Oct 2023). Nearside rear cluster had four LEDs dropping off intermittently, causing a warning light and indicator relay going into overdrive. Web research here and elsewhere showed a replacement cluster was the only answer. Look as hard as I could, I could find no stock in the UK, not even at breakers or main dealers. I was resigned to having to wait for new stock to arrive goodness knows when and pay goodness knows how much for it.

Two weeks ago I ran a search on eBay to see whether there was anything doing and amongst the usual dubious postings for US spec and parts from Lithuania, a post appeared under the banner Blinkin Marvellous, advertising reconditioning services for Z4 E89 rear light clusters. Cautiously I made contact, asked the seller a few questions, the replies to which were fast and confident. I got enough confidence myself to wrap my precious light up and post it Royal Mail Special to Clive, the owner of this enterprise, who is located close to Frome in Somerset.

Tons of updates back and forth gave me reassurance we were good and we were. Inside a week, Clive made the repair with new LEDs, a newly fashioned bracket to repair a crack in the casing I knew of, where somebody had obviously had a go at a previous attempt, he returned it, again by Royal Mail Special and I have it back on the car, working exactly as it should be. I won't tell you the price I paid for this service, I think Clive will deal with that on a case by case basis, but I paid less than I had been quoted for a new non-existent replacement!

If you want to look into this yourself then the best way to contact Clive is to search eBay for item ref 296058767160. Only the initial contact is through eBay, it's mobiles from there, giving further reassurance.

I am very pleased with the service and so based on my experience I would recommend Clive to any of you suffering the same annoyance with your rear lights.

Best regards

IanzZ4 - Chelmsford

ps Clive is a Z4 owner so he may even amongst us :D
 
Thanks for these details.

Do you have some photos of the refurbished one, espacially where it was cut open and closed again?
 
My 2010 Z4 had developed the fast clicking noise and warning about the lights. The passenger side rear cluster appeared to be the issue so I followed the YouTube tutorials to remove it, open it up and dry it out. It actually appears to be a replacement already. I also applied contact spray. Q Problem disappeared for a short while and then the drivers side has now started the same problem.
Could the issue also relate to a solenoid or similar component that needs replacing or is it more likely the poor design of the tail lights?
If the latter I think I will try the service on EBay to get them sorted.

Thanks
 
Yoghurt said:
My 2010 Z4 had developed the fast clicking noise and warning about the lights. The passenger side rear cluster appeared to be the issue so I followed the YouTube tutorials to remove it, open it up and dry it out. It actually appears to be a replacement already. I also applied contact spray. Q Problem disappeared for a short while and then the drivers side has now started the same problem.
Could the issue also relate to a solenoid or similar component that needs replacing or is it more likely the poor design of the tail lights?
If the latter I think I will try the service on EBay to get them sorted.

Thanks
Click to expand...


Both sides going within weeks of each other isn’t bad luck, it’s the tell: same age, same design, same weather — paired parts fail together, not independently. And your passenger unit already being a replacement rather supports the point; someone’s been here before you.

The design history tells you everything about whose fault this is: Magneti Marelli — sole manufacturer of these units worldwide — revised the design repeatedly through production, with the version index on the units running to at least -12. A dozen bites at the same cherry is the manufacturer telling you the original never got there. The big visible change came in 2012, when the third mounting stud was deleted — and if you fit a later light to an early car, that now-vacant third hole in the body needs a grommet and sealant, because it’s a straight water path into the boot. Which matters more than damp lenses: the boot floor is where the roof pump, its foam cradle, and a fair amount of electronics live. On a 2010 car with a leaking-cluster history, lift the boot liner and check the pump cradle for standing water — two minutes, and the foam holds water like a sponge.

So yes — the eBay refurb route is a sensible answer, and I’d do both sides while you’re at it, since the driver’s side has already declared. The alternative maths: new units run £300+ a side from BMW, and used ones carry the same aged strips as yours, so a proper refurbishment of your own known units is arguably the honest middle. One check before shipping: some rapid-flash cases are the bulb carrier contacts rather than the LED strip — a two-minute look at the twist-lock carriers while the clusters are out costs nothing and occasionally saves the postage.
 
B21 said:
Both sides going within weeks of each other isn’t bad luck, it’s the tell: same age, same design, same weather — paired parts fail together, not independently. And your passenger unit already being a replacement rather supports the point; someone’s been here before you.

The design history tells you everything about whose fault this is: Magneti Marelli — sole manufacturer of these units worldwide — revised the design repeatedly through production, with the version index on the units running to at least -12. A dozen bites at the same cherry is the manufacturer telling you the original never got there. The big visible change came in 2012, when the third mounting stud was deleted — and if you fit a later light to an early car, that now-vacant third hole in the body needs a grommet and sealant, because it’s a straight water path into the boot. Which matters more than damp lenses: the boot floor is where the roof pump, its foam cradle, and a fair amount of electronics live. On a 2010 car with a leaking-cluster history, lift the boot liner and check the pump cradle for standing water — two minutes, and the foam holds water like a sponge.

So yes — the eBay refurb route is a sensible answer, and I’d do both sides while you’re at it, since the driver’s side has already declared. The alternative maths: new units run £300+ a side from BMW, and used ones carry the same aged strips as yours, so a proper refurbishment of your own known units is arguably the honest middle. One check before shipping: some rapid-flash cases are the bulb carrier contacts rather than the LED strip — a two-minute look at the twist-lock carriers while the clusters are out costs nothing and occasionally saves the postage.
Click to expand...
Many thanks B21, very helpful. Will check the bulb carrier contacts next
 
B21 said:
One check before shipping: some rapid-flash cases are the bulb carrier contacts rather than the LED strip — a two-minute look at the twist-lock carriers while the clusters are out costs nothing and occasionally saves the postage.
Click to expand...

Good to know :)

I have also had the intermittent indicator fail light ( RLH), and I have posted this already, but last winter I removed both light units as they also had signs of water ingress on the bottom to just clean them out.

I also looked at the options, re repair /replace, and yes you can send your units off and have them repaired, cleaned , but I also found a company in germany that will sell you a new unit for the same money..once postage charges are factored in.

Checking Ali Express, the replacement units are too expensive ..(same price here UK ) unless you want to upgrade them...

Any way I still have the intermittent fault on the RLH indicator, and this year it has only happened once, so I think that I can live with that :)
 
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