VIDEO: Give your pre-LCI tail lights new life! LED bulb swap

TrboMike · 03-27-2020, 02:11 PM

I found another post here showing how to remove the tailights.

Summary:
There are two 10 or 12mm bolts holding each tail unit in (under a cover, pop off with mini screwdriver).

Tough part: the tail unit is still held in with two poppers and you need to yank it straight backwards hard enough so they pop off and release but not hard enough you break something or fall backwards. Mine were in tight as fudge. Just dont use something to wedge between the tail unit and the paint. The paint is very fragile around a curved edge.

There were one or two electrical clips to remove, one the unit is loose. Then with it free I brought it into the house were I could sit down with it and be careful.

The back of the unit has a plastic cover covering all the bulbs. There are 5 to 7 black tabs all around the edge. Another tough part: trying to get all the clips out of the black tabs simultaneously without breaking one. I broke a corner one on one of my units, put it all back together without it and no problems. I used two three mini flat screwdrivers to do mine. Go to one corner and slide one screwdriver into a tab to push it against the clip to move it away from the tab edge its holding onto. Then I use the second screwdriver to pull of the tab edge until it lets go. Once it lets go, it will want to clip back together because all the other clips are keeping pressure to keep the back cover on. Leave the 1st screwdriver in there, move on to the next tab with screwdriver #2 sliding into the tab for the next one, screwdriver #3 on the edge to get it to pop off. Leave #2 in there to keep it from popping back on. Go to the next tab with screwdriver #3 and pop it off. I found on both my units once I had two screwdrivers stuck in two tabs keeping them from popping back together I could do the rest of the tabs with screwdriver #3 and they would stay unclipped until I got the whole thing off. I kept chasing my tail with the damn things clipping back together on their own until i got three screwdrivers.

Once that back cover is off, all your bulbs are exposed and can be changed. The back covers easily pops back on. The electrical connectors easily plug back in. IMO I highly recommend getting the keys and testing each bulb at this point. Assuming they all work, the unit easily pops back into the one or two poppers that hold it in. Then the two bolts and you're done.

Damn after typing all that I wish I just took pictures, it would have saved a lot of keystrokes.

TrboMike · 03-27-2020, 02:20 PM

I found this post on the board. You can see the tabs from hell around the edge:

03-27-2020, 02:11 PM	#23
TrboMike First Lieutenant 142 Rep 345 Posts Drives: BMW M240ix Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: 07508 iTrader: (0)	I found another post here showing how to remove the tailights. Summary: There are two 10 or 12mm bolts holding each tail unit in (under a cover, pop off with mini screwdriver). Tough part: the tail unit is still held in with two poppers and you need to yank it straight backwards hard enough so they pop off and release but not hard enough you break something or fall backwards. Mine were in tight as fudge. Just dont use something to wedge between the tail unit and the paint. The paint is very fragile around a curved edge. There were one or two electrical clips to remove, one the unit is loose. Then with it free I brought it into the house were I could sit down with it and be careful. The back of the unit has a plastic cover covering all the bulbs. There are 5 to 7 black tabs all around the edge. Another tough part: trying to get all the clips out of the black tabs simultaneously without breaking one. I broke a corner one on one of my units, put it all back together without it and no problems. I used two three mini flat screwdrivers to do mine. Go to one corner and slide one screwdriver into a tab to push it against the clip to move it away from the tab edge its holding onto. Then I use the second screwdriver to pull of the tab edge until it lets go. Once it lets go, it will want to clip back together because all the other clips are keeping pressure to keep the back cover on. Leave the 1st screwdriver in there, move on to the next tab with screwdriver #2 sliding into the tab for the next one, screwdriver #3 on the edge to get it to pop off. Leave #2 in there to keep it from popping back on. Go to the next tab with screwdriver #3 and pop it off. I found on both my units once I had two screwdrivers stuck in two tabs keeping them from popping back together I could do the rest of the tabs with screwdriver #3 and they would stay unclipped until I got the whole thing off. I kept chasing my tail with the damn things clipping back together on their own until i got three screwdrivers. Once that back cover is off, all your bulbs are exposed and can be changed. The back covers easily pops back on. The electrical connectors easily plug back in. IMO I highly recommend getting the keys and testing each bulb at this point. Assuming they all work, the unit easily pops back into the one or two poppers that hold it in. Then the two bolts and you're done. Damn after typing all that I wish I just took pictures, it would have saved a lot of keystrokes.
	Appreciate 1 bhbnuckle0.00 Quote

03-27-2020, 02:20 PM	#24
TrboMike First Lieutenant 142 Rep 345 Posts Drives: BMW M240ix Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: 07508 iTrader: (0)	I found this post on the board. You can see the tabs from hell around the edge:
	Appreciate 1 bhbnuckle0.00 Quote