Gear Indicator Illumination

[jmartinezclark]

Hello,
The P-R-N-D-3-2-1 gear indicator in my 1991 325i Automatic Transmition BMW doesn't light up at night. It looks like the original phosphorescent paint has faded out, and as a consecuence, at night it's not possible to see in what gear the car is. After looking for the part number to replace it, I've found two items.

The part numbers and prices are:

Catalog # Description Price
51 16 1 948 047] GEAR INDICATOR 21.95 - non-illuminated
51 16 8 147 468] GEAR IND.ILLUM. 6.95 - illuminated.

My questions is, what's the difference between the two? I understand that illuminated means that it has some type of light. Why is that the non-illuminated is more expensive? (isn't it supposed to be the other way around?).

The original part that is installed in my car doesn't have any light underneath; it has some type of phosphorescent paint that is almost gone.

Thanks

Julio Martinez-Clark
julio@juliomartinezclark.com