Replacing rear driver's side bulb holder

V

Varixto

Member
I got a warning on my iDrive and dash regarding a rear right brake light failure. The bulb is fine but I noticed that human beings had been there before and caused some damage to the bulb holder so it's not making a good contact, which sporadically makes the bulb not work and triggers the warning on the dash.
The holder I am mentioning is number 3 in the diagram. It has two wires.
A pic of the main damage...
20250503_184119.jpg
The other side is ok. But the bit to hold and pull the holder is also damaged and partially broken.
20250503_184128.jpg
I am getting tomorrow the holder from BMW (£20 approx.) and try to fix it. I hope it's not too fiddly...
Can I replace the holder without disconnecting the battery or os it better to disconnect, just in case?
Many thanks beforehand for any advice.
 
Well, so it's not part 3 in the diagram. Part 3 is a bulb holder without wiring and that's not the type I need. I got a refund and order part 2 but I am not too hopeful it will be the correct part... Are there any alternatives? (Perhaps from another car).
 
Varixto said:
Well, so it's not part 3 in the diagram. Part 3 is a bulb holder without wiring and that's not the type I need. I got a refund and order part 2 but I am not too hopeful it will be the correct part... Are there any alternatives? (Perhaps from another car).
Click to expand...

I cannibalised an old light unit to get some parts..picked a duff one up for £15
 
B21 said:
Varixto said:
Well, so it's not part 3 in the diagram. Part 3 is a bulb holder without wiring and that's not the type I need. I got a refund and order part 2 but I am not too hopeful it will be the correct part... Are there any alternatives? (Perhaps from another car).
Click to expand...
I cannibalised an old light unit to get some parts..picked a duff one up for £15
Click to expand...
While I was trying to see how the whole thing worked, one of the wires (the red one) broke with the clamp still in the holder.
I was thinking I was going to have to do the same...
In the end, my neighbour gave me a hand. Got a similar wire and soldered it to the contact metal clip/clamp. Then joined it to the broken wire and tidied all up with heatshrink.
A nice cold beer ensued...
My neighbour was surprised at how fiddly to do and how thin the wires in the cluster were.
But well, my brake light works again and I have no pesky warnings in the dash any more. Result!
It seems to me that someone tried to replace lightbulbs there at some point, didn't now how to remove the holders and butchered some of them...
 
So basically this is the clamp/clip that makes contact. There
are two: one each side of the bulb holder, connected to the corresponding wires. We soldered (well, my neighbour did) a piece of similar wire to it and then joined it to the wire in the cluster.
As it's so tiny, it's a bit fiddly to work with it.
20250510_123559.jpg
Unfortunately, it looks like it won't be long until I have to do the same with the other wire...
 
Yes most times folks have fucked it up changing bulbs or messing around with the light clusters..
 
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