Rear turn signal error

[borisfool]

An intermittent issue with the drivers side rear turn signal (showing on instrument cluster as a bulb out) is now permanent although the bulb(s) are just fine. Rear turn signal does not work, but bulb and wiring all seem in tactAn. yone else with this issue and a fix.?

TIA

[refimail]

Here's a link to BMW Service Bulletin 63 03 06 which fixes it.

http://www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/bulletin_graphic_temp/B630306g.htm

Look at your tail light assemblies and only order the parts you will need. It was easy and it took me about an hour to do both sides. Good luck.

[dirtyjersey]

Originally Posted by refimail

Here's a link to BMW Service Bulletin 63 03 06 which fixes it.

http://www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/bulletin_graphic_temp/B630306g.htm

Look at your tail light assemblies and only order the parts you will need. It was easy and it took me about an hour to do both sides. Good luck.

I can't believe how spot on this topic is to a current problem I am having. My car has about two weeks left on the original warranty (2004 325xi). I have had the indicator light come on twice in the past two weeks and each time its been serviced.

Each time they only replaced the bulbs. The first time the warning came back was literally minutes after I picked it up. While it has yet to come back, obviously the clock is ticking (with respect to the warranty coverage).

My question is: is the Authorized Service Center justified in requiring a third failure before they replace additional parts (besides just changing the bulbs)? It would seem to me that the problem isn't bulbs failing it's the corrision.

Also, how were you able to locate this issue in the service bulletin? I am a bit new to this and would love to be able to poke around if I have technical questions like the one you so deftly conquered.

In all seriousness thank you, thank you, thank you for the source.

-Donald

[refimail]

They didn't fix the problem so you are justified in bringing your car back. Your Service Center technician probably did not know about TIS bulletin 63 03 06. Just tell them to look at the bulletin and ask if they can do it for your car. My car was just out of warranty and I didn't feel like paying $200 (per tail light) to fix a $20 problem.

This tail light problem is common with E46s. Replacing the bulbs probably jiggled the pins around it's connector which made the warning message (temporarily) go away. The actual problem is insufficient grounding in the tail light assemblies, which are causing the brown ground wire pins to melt their connectors. You can see for yourself by taking your tail light assembly out, disconnecting the black 8-pin connector from its mating connector and looking at the connector's pin holes. You will notice that one of the pin holes (pin 2 on the left and pin 3 on the right tail light assemblies) have melted and are bigger than the others. Replacing the damaged connectors and adding a splice for additional grounding will prevent this from occuring again.

I found the service bulletin through a BMW internet forum, www.bimmerfest.com. Another great resource is www.e46fanatics.com, that caters to a younger crowd. Just like Pelican Parts, both websites are great resources for BMW owners and are geared towards DIY'ers like ourselves. I subscribe to these forums using the same user name.