[///M Houbi]

Hello folks

It bugged me that the entire car is using LED lights but the reverse lights are not LED. So I ordered some T20 W21W LED bulbs. Installation is super easy and done in 10 to 15 minutes. I have not found any videos or fotos showing it (probably because it is so easy ) so i thought I make these here for you:

1. Open the plastic covers and unscrew the nuts.





2. Pull the tail light in the direction of the arrow.



3. Remove the plug and take note of the little thing on the bottom. Once you re-install the tail light this white little plugs belongs into a whole on the bottom of the tail light.



4. Remove the original light bulb and replace with the new LED one





5. Test if everything works and the reassemble tail lights in reverse order


For comparison, left is the new LED bulb and right is the original one. Unfortunately the mobile phone has no chance to capture how this looks in real life. It looks much clearer in real life (no glare) and its very nice white.






LED bulb




Original bulb



Rear view (it is not that intense in reality!)




I did not code anything and let them shine for around 10 minutes, i had no errors thrown and also no problems with flickering rear view camera or similar.

Since it only takes a few seconds to code i still did it, change the "Rückfahrscheinwerfer" from Glühbirne to LED to do so.




I used these bulbs:










You can get them here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2pcs...3-c8a69f446fa5

[M2COMP]

Originally Posted by ///M Houbi

Hello folks

It bugged me that the entire car is using LED lights but the reverse lights are not LED. So I ordered some T20 W21W LED bulbs. Installation is super easy and done in 10 to 15 minutes. I have not found any videos or fotos showing it so i thought I make these here for you:

1. Open the plastic covers and unscrew the nuts.





2. Pull the tail light in the direction of the arrow.



3. Remove the plug and take note of the little thing on the bottom. Once you re-install the tail light this white little plugs belongs into a whole on the bottom of the tail light.



4. Remove the original light bulb and replace with the new LED one





5. Test if everything works and the reassemble tail lights in reverse order


Comparions, left is the new LED bulb and right is the original one. Unfortunately the mobile phone has no chance to capture how this looks in real life. It looks much clearer in real life (no glare) and its very nice white.






New LED bulb




Original bulb




I did not code anything and let them shine for around 10 minutes, i had no errors thrown and also no problems with flickering rear view camera or similar.

Since it only takes a few seconds to code i still did it, change the "Rückfahrscheinwerfer" from Glühbirne to LED to do so.




I used these bulbs:










You can get them here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2pcs...3-c8a69f446fa5

Thanks for taking your time to write this all up.
The pictures from coding are before or after.

[///M Houbi]

the pictures from BimmerCode are "after"

[doughboy]

I never noticed they were not LED... That will bug me now!

[///M Houbi]

Originally Posted by doughboy

I never noticed they were not LED... That will bug me now!

Then you have something to do now

All the best for 2019!

[MPBK]

Originally Posted by ///M Houbi

Hello folks

It bugged me that the entire car is using LED lights but the reverse lights are not LED. So I ordered some T20 W21W LED bulbs. Installation is super easy and done in 10 to 15 minutes. I have not found any videos or fotos showing it (probably because it is so easy ) so i thought I make these here for you:

Thanks for the DIY.
Do you notice any improvement in brightness when looking through the camera when backing up at night?

[///M Houbi]

Originally Posted by MPBK

Thanks for the DIY.
Do you notice any improvement in brightness when looking through the camera when backing up at night?

You are welcome!

Yes indeed, it is a very noticeable difference in brightness and clarity. This alone is worth doing it.

[hwntime]

Do you happen to know the bulb socket size?

[doughboy]

T20 W21W is the socket type and original wattage.

[hwntime]

Originally Posted by doughboy

T20 W21W is the socket type and original wattage.

Thank you, Sir!

[///M Houbi]

I have written that in the first sentence of my initial posting. Do i miss something?

[hwntime]

Originally Posted by ///M Houbi

I have written that in the first sentence of my initial posting. Do i miss something?

Haha I guess I missed it. I went straight to the pics and descriptions.

[Rahstyles.Com]

Is the bulb size only for the competition model or also for the m235?

[///M Houbi]

Originally Posted by Rahstyles.Com

Is the bulb size only for the competition model or also for the m235?

It's for all the zweiers

[Rahstyles.Com]

Originally Posted by ///M Houbi

It's for all the zweiers

What in the world is "zweiers"? Im assuming you mean the size fits all series 2

[doughboy]

If my rusty German serves me, zwei = two, zweiers = twos...

I recall in a lot of EU the BMW models are not called "2 series" they are called 2er, 3er, 4er etc...

Thus 'zweier' (i think)

[///M Houbi]

Originally Posted by doughboy

If my rusty German serves me, zwei = two, zweiers = twos...

I recall in a lot of EU the BMW models are not called "2 series" they are called 2er, 3er, 4er etc...

Thus 'zweier' (i think)

exactly this!

[MPBK]

I did this upgrade.
It's a big improvement in the looks dept, but I will never see it from the back. And I don't care what others will see during my backups.
I was looking for a functional improvement (backup camera at night). It's a small improvement, but noticeable. This is because of the ridiculously small backup lens that BMW put there. The bulb is pretty bright.
It was easy to do and only $19 from Amazon.

[///M Houbi]

Originally Posted by MPBK

I did this upgrade.
It's a big improvement in the looks dept, but I will never see it from the back. And I don't care what others will see during my backups.
I was looking for a functional improvement (backup camera at night). It's a small improvement, but noticeable. This is because of the ridiculously small backup lens that BMW put there. The bulb is pretty bright.
It was easy to do and only $19 from Amazon.

Did you use exaclty the same bulb or another one?

I find it a pretty obvious and well worth difference when I back up.

[hwntime]

Quick question for those who have done this. I did a quick dry run and tried removing the tail light housing before ordering the bulbs. Both nuts came out and I started wedging it loose but just how hard do you have to tug it to get it out? I was pulling pretty hard from all different angles to no avail.

[MPBK]

Originally Posted by hwntime

Quick question for those who have done this. I did a quick dry run and tried removing the tail light housing before ordering the bulbs. Both nuts came out and I started wedging it loose but just how hard do you have to tug it to get it out? I was pulling pretty hard from all different angles to no avail.

Not a matter of brute force.
Need to pry it from the top corner of the light (see picture) with a plastic stick or a wrapped screwdriver (to not scratch the paint).

Crap - picture not uploading. You'll figure it out.

[hwntime]

Originally Posted by MPBK

Not a matter of brute force.
Need to pry it from the top corner of the light (the corner with the sharpest angle) with a plastic stick or a wrapped screwdriver (to not scratch the paint).

Ok thanks, I'll give it a try this weekend. So there's retaining clips like the interior trim pieces or just a single pry point?