Hi guys I have a 2005 55 plate 525d sport every now and then I keep getting brake light right failure get someone to check when I brake and it seems to be working, any ideas on what I need to look at.

Thanks

 

Could be that the brake light bulbs have worn out of spec that the BMW light checker is programmed for. Try a new set of bulbs and see if warning goes away.

 

make sure you are using the correct bulbs. european cars take a different bulb than american cars. if the bulb has a brass base, it is the wrong one due to different resistance values which will in turn set the brake light failure warning. try replacing it with one that has a silver base. most common problem...

 

I am afraid the problem might be worse than that. There is a SIB on the E46 to add a ground wire to the rear light cluster because many E46s are experiencing arcing at the GND wire due to the wire not being thick enough and as it ages the connector starts arcing damaging the connector and creating shorts to the adjacent pins. This is the link to the SIB: http://www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/bullet...mp/B630306g.htm

When I mentioned this on an earlier post, one of the member checked his wiring on his E60 and sure enough he saw the burnt wire and pin. I would suggest that you look at your connector and if you see any damage around the brown wire, talk to your dealer for tips on how to repair this myself. I repaired my harness on my E46 by following the SIB and it took me only a few minutes. G/L