buddy

As i was driveing today i got the left rear taillight malfunction, blown bulb so off to the auto parts store to get a new one 3 stores later i still have a blown bulb that neither Napa, Avance auto, or Pep boys stock and it was nearly impossible to read the numbers on it. Do any of yo guys know what the bulb is it seems to be a 21 watt bulb. I know the dealer replaces them for free but 25 miles fora 3.99 bulb and gas at 3.25 a gallon whats the numbers.

das

The front and rear turn signal is a PY 21 W, otherwise known as a normal single-filament 1056/1156 (amber).

The rear park/brake/tail lamps are P 21 W, otherwise known as a normal two-filament 1057/1157 (clear).

These are very common bulbs. Every single auto parts store will have them.

buddy

Thanks DAS man you have been missing in action, I did find the amber ones in the store however you say the rear park /brake/tail is 2 filament but imine only has one filament i did see these bulbs but did not seem the same as it was duals and also did not give the wattage rating on the bulb or base.

Rudy

I think das confused some numbers in his post.

I think the P 21 W translates to the more common 1156, (not the 1157) and I think the PY 21 W is the same bulb but the "Y" stands for "yellow"...

Maybe you can ask your dealer to send you some replacement bulbs instead?

das

Well, I'm basing it on this:



...and this GE Lighting cross reference:




And since the park/brake/tail lamps (in the red lens) were all dual brightness, I assumed they were dual filament based on this information (obviously, I don't have my E60 yet to check ). Is BMW doing dual brightness by having a lower and higher voltage go to each lamp depending on the brightness needed? (If so, WTF?)

The bottom line is even if it's a single filament lamp, you should just be able to get the 115* lamp that matches it, and it should work fine.

buddy

Well, I'm basing it on this:

Attachment 11010

...and this GE Lighting cross reference:

Attachment 11011
Attachment 11012

And since the park/brake/tail lamps (in the red lens) were all dual brightness, I assumed they were dual filament based on this information (obviously, I don't have my E60 yet to check ). Is BMW doing dual brightness by having a lower and higher voltage go to each lamp depending on the brightness needed? (If so, WTF?)

The bottom line is even if it's a single filament lamp, you should just be able to get the 115* lamp that matches it, and it should work fine.
[/quote]
Thanks Das i now see where you got that info from and i was also wondering how they accomplish the break force display with only single filaments i thought that the 1156 or 1157 would work but they just did not have the wattage labled so was a little taken back dont need any more computer glitches.

Rudy

BFD is done through another bulb altogether, the one in the red "circle" (that is used for the rear fogs in other countries.)

das, I see the chart you posted but I still contend that it's inaccurate. The "Y" is simply a flag for the yellow (amber) color, I think.

buddy, it's easy to tell if you need a dual-filament or single-filiament bulb -- just look at the burned out bulb. If it's a dual, it'll have two silver metal contacts on the base where a single will have only one...

das

..but the BFD bulb is the still same bulb type as the other two bulbs in the red lens area, and it's also on at lower brightness when the parking lights are on.

Everywhere I've seen P21W cross referenced so far, it's been as a 1057/1157 (two-filament/two-contact bulb), and it would be somewhat unorthodox, to say the least, to do dual brightness bulbs (which all of the bulbs in the brake/park/tail section are, including the Brake Force Display lamp) with a single filament, though I suppose BMW has done stranger things.

And I do believe that what you say makes sense, i.e., that the "Y" merely references the amber (yellow) bulb versus clear, and that it is otherwise the same bulb. I was basing my initial guess on 1. the GE Lighting cross reference, and 2. the fact that I've never personally seen an auto manufacturer do dual-brightness with a single filament bulb...but, as I said, you may be right. Further, this site seems to support your statements. Incidentally, that site seems to have no equivalent to the two-filament bulb...do German automakers do dual-brightness with lower voltages for lower brightnesses?

Perhaps this is just one of those funny things BMW decided to do...

Can someone just look at their E60 to see? Open one of the side compartments in the trunk by using a coin to turn the two plastic "screws" 90 degrees, then pulling them directly out, and then carefully removing the compartment cover. The lamp assembly has one clip holding the entire thing in, so it will all just come out as one piece. The lamps should all be the "push and turn counterclockwise to remove" type bayonet bulbs. In fact, it should be clear whether the brake/park/tail bulbs have two filaments by just looking at them.

In either case, as Rudy is hinting, it should be a pretty direct replacement. You don't need to read the bulb number. Just get a dual or single filament, clear or amber lens, and particular size of bulb as appropriate. All automotive bulbs tend to be fairly standard, and the physical size of the bulb is also an indication of wattage.

buddy

..but the BFD bulb is the still same bulb type as the other two bulbs in the red lens area, and it's also on at lower brightness when the parking lights are on.

Everywhere I've seen P21W cross referenced so far, it's been as a 1057/1157 (two-filament/two-contact bulb), and it would be somewhat unorthodox, to say the least, to do dual brightness bulbs (which all of the bulbs in the brake/park/tail section are, including the Brake Force Display lamp) with a single filament, though I suppose BMW has done stranger things.

And I do believe that what you say makes sense, i.e., that the "Y" merely references the amber (yellow) bulb versus clear, and that it is otherwise the same bulb. I was basing my initial guess on 1. the GE Lighting cross reference, and 2. the fact that I've never personally seen an auto manufacturer do dual-brightness with a single filament bulb...but, as I said, you may be right. Further, this site seems to support your statements. Incidentally, that site seems to have no equivalent to the two-filament bulb...do German automakers do dual-brightness with lower voltages for lower brightnesses?

Perhaps this is just one of those funny things BMW decided to do...

Can someone just look at their E60 to see? Open one of the side compartments in the trunk by using a coin to turn the two plastic "screws" 90 degrees, then pulling them directly out, and then carefully removing the compartment cover. The lamp assembly has one clip holding the entire thing in, so it will all just come out as one piece. The lamps should all be the "push and turn counterclockwise to remove" type bayonet bulbs. In fact, it should be clear whether the brake/park/tail bulbs have two filaments by just looking at them.

In either case, as Rudy is hinting, it should be a pretty direct replacement. You don't need to read the bulb number. Just get a dual or single filament, clear or amber lens, and particular size of bulb as appropriate. All automotive bulbs tend to be fairly standard, and the physical size of the bulb is also an indication of wattage.
[/quote]

Okay Das and Rudy i just went to the dealer and he gave me the bulbs for free so i would not have to make a trip around to the service deparment. there are five bulbs in the holder 1 yellow or amber p21y, 3 p21 all single filiments and one smaller plug in type. So they must be doing BFD with voltage variations so thanks for theinfo though

das

Ok, thanks buddy...but not only are they doing BFD with voltage variations, they're doing the normal park/brake lamps that way too (the two red sections that are toward the outside of the car from the circular BFD part), because those lights come on at low brightness for parking, and go high brightness for brake. Curious that they chose to do it with voltage variations rather than a two filament bulb...

Thanks for verifying this!

For what it's worth, you would have been able to use an 1156 bulb (clear or amber, as needed) for any of those bulbs (park/brake/tail/BFD, or turn signal), in that case...