IDIOT PROOF guide to fixing your headlight switch

[M13]

This might be a repost. But too many DIYs leave out the "little details" which are important. Most DIYs just tell you to pull it out and put it back in... (that came out wrong) ahem.. Don't want this to be off topic..
Enjoy this easy fix.

TOOLS REQUIRED:

Philips screwdriver (right) and any skinny screwdriver at least 8 inches long (left)


Needlenose pliers. Replacement bulbs.. #2721. You can buy them at Kragens or Autozone for $2.99


THE PROCESS:

There's a screw under the headlight switch, unscrew it.


Unplug the two connectors. The one on the left, you will need to twist it off, the one on the right, hold the top and bottom down before you pull it.


Do you see the bulb? I didn't, and I didn't want to randomly yank on things. But I guessed, and it worked out.


Take your pliers and pull out the bulb. Doesn't require much force.


TADA. Burnt lightbulb discoverred. Sometimes this piece is white.


Pic of the unit, without the bulb.

PULL OUT THE BULB, REPLACE IT AND STICK IT BACK IN THE HOLE.

Usually, this is where DIYs tell you, "reverse for reinstall" Unfortunately, this is where it gets annoying.

HOW TO PUT IT BACK WITHOUT RIPPING YOUR HAIR OUT:

Start with the upper right corner.


Why isn't it going in?!?! O, this bottom piece. Luckily, I didn't try to force it, or it would of snapped.


Damn it, it won't sit flush.......ARGH!!... Let me shove it, still isn't working. WTF!!


The stupid air vent is in the way, take your long screwdriver and insert.


Here's what you're trying to do, press the airvent down and to the left. Only a little force is required. It helps if you shine your keychain LED flashlight in it to guide you.


It should go in without any problems now, put the screw back when you're done.

So why did you just waste 15 minutes of your life?


Good luck

[shim]

very easy DIY. good post!


also, if you headlight switch is screwed up like mine was (i turned it on/off too fast & broke some internal plastic bits; it was basically loose as hell turn the lights on, then it gave a lot of resistance trying to turn off the lights):

-get another headlight switch assembly
-pull the headlight switch straight out
-get the right sized socket & undo the black plastic nut
-then the back assembly should fall right out the back
-replace with a newer/better one
-redo the black plastic nut
-put on the headlight switch
-put everything back into where it belongs
-voila! now a correctly working headlight switch again

[stylzs]

o shit that lights up??? lol mine never lite up and i thought that it just didn't.....lol guess i learn something new about my car everyday

[NASAg03]

getting that vent back on was a PITA! after enough attempts at pushing it in, I finally got it. Not easy though.

I'm guessing I got the wrong wattage of bulb because mine is superbright. meh, it works.

[M13]

getting that vent back on was a PITA! after enough attempts at pushing it in, I finally got it. Not easy though.

I'm guessing I got the wrong wattage of bulb because mine is superbright. meh, it works.

Lol. that's what I had read, and what made me create the DIY.

The most annoying part was the reinstall.

Once I knew what I was trying to do, the process only took 30 seconds.

[hksimpson]

This might be a repost. But too many DIYs leave out the "little details" which are important. Most DIYs just tell you to pull it out and put it back in... (that came out wrong) ahem.. Don't want this to be off topic..
Enjoy this easy fix.

THE PROCESS:

There's a screw under the headlight switch, unscrew it.

Unplug the two connectors. The one on the left, you will need to twist it off, the one on the right, hold the top and bottom down before you pull it.

This is a helpful DIY, but after going on about how most DIY's tell you to pull it out and put it back and leave out details, you go from taking out a screw to un-plugging two connectors and skip the step of removing the actual switch. Just thought it was sort of funny.

All I can say is that this forum and folks like you rock because it is possible to find out how to do just about anything -- even things we should probably not even be doing! I bought my wife a Lexus RX300 and the forums I found for that car only seem to give advice on how to talk to a dealer when asking them to do the work. Sort of lame to say the least.

[Daved]

I merged your two threads but left a redirect in the non-M forum.

[M13]

This is a helpful DIY, but after going on about how most DIY's tell you to pull it out and put it back and leave out details, you go from taking out a screw to un-plugging two connectors and skip the step of removing the actual switch.

Let me revise it..

"Hold the switch, pull it out"





I'll make sure to include other additions as well...

"While taking out the bulb from the new package, pull the plastic away from the paper backing, with your thumb and index finger. Be sure to use both hands. If you do not have two hands, use a foot and a hand..........................."




Give me a break...

[Jkim]

ok so, is this supposed to be always lighted? as in...as long as i have my keys in the car, it is lighted. ( same with radio, milage, hvac ). Not that my headlights are on or anything else, just the bulb that i replaced.

If its supposed to be on 24/7 then that explains why it burned out so fast in the first place, if not...then did i fugdge the install :

[M13]

You replaced it correctly, it's supposed to be on all the time, that's why it burns out so fast.

[Jkim]

ahh ic.

I guess that would make sense, since that is the switch that controls the lights inside your cabin, otherwise you wouldn't know its there or how to use it without it being visable from its own constant lightsource.

LOL what a crock of bs, BMW could have just let it light up like the rest of the dash lights and this wouldn't be a problem, nor even an issue.

[shift.shape]

ahh ic.

I guess that would make sense, since that is the switch that controls the lights inside your cabin, otherwise you wouldn't know its there or how to use it without it being visable from its own constant lightsource.

LOL what a crock of bs, BMW could have just let it light up like the rest of the dash lights and this wouldn't be a problem, nor even an issue.

yeah but then when its dark out you would have to search around for the knob

[mookish]

I did mine in the Pep Boys parking lot also, WITH NO TOOLS! I looked under the switch and the screw wasn't even there! So I just pulled it out, popped the bulb out with a pocket knife, put the new one in and the whole assembly went back in with no problem. Then I thought I did something wrong because the switch comes on when you turn the car on, I thought it worked like the rest of the dash (one click) but I guess it's meant to come on first so you can see it to turn on the headlights and dash...I jus don't know why I was so happy after doing it????

[Marc]

I just put it my new lamp... but the switch is now ALWAYS illuminated, even when the headlights are off. Is this normal?

[mookish]

I just put it my new lamp... but the switch is now ALWAYS illuminated, even when the headlights are off. Is this normal?

That's normal. It's designed that way so when you start your car at night, the first thing you reach for is already lit up....the dash/headlights. So you don't have to feel around for the switch.

[Macht[030]]

When trying to disconnect the plug from the back of the fog light switch I pulled to hard and broke the switch assembly vertically in 2 (face broke away from the backing where the plug was). Anyway, I learned a valuable lesson about pulling too hard.

Problem: Now the fog light switch just flops out forward from the face of the headlight switch area. The top part of the switch face (front fog light button) is secure and flush. The bottom part of the switch face (rear fog light button) is loosely hanging out from the face of the whole vent assembly but a centimeter or 2. It is very loose. I can easily push it back in, but it won't stay flush at all, it just pushes back out again. I ordered a new fog light switch assembly ($23.00, ouch!). Hopefully that fix the looseness?

[bodiby]

I replaced my bulb with a #74 LED bulb from eb@y. The bulb was longer but it fit fine. The eb@y bulb is on the right in this pic.

miked.net-ebay-bulb1.jpg

There was a hotspot, so I tried drilling the top to make it concave (or is it convex?). That didn't help. I then tried using a metalic marker (basically a paint pen) to put a dot of silver on the top the LED. I ended up with silver all over the place. Still have a hotspot, but it works and it won't burn out in a month.

miked.net-ebay-bulb2.jpg

I can't post URLS or pics yet. I haven't made enough posts that say "me too" or "looks cool".

[CRYPTiC]

Just did this repair. I didn't think it was supposed to light up either!

Is it normal for the headlight switch backlight to be brighter than the other lights?

[johnf]

Yes, it is run at full brightness which further shortens its life.

You should have brought this up yesterday! I could have fixed that with the same controller I use to add an E39 dome light to the car. I would have only had to run another wire and write a little more code. Alas, I just finished putting the car back together again for the winter.

This will have to be a project for next summer.

[mookish]

It stays lit when you turn the car on so at night you don't have to fiddle around looking for the switch in the dark.

[CRYPTiC]

Oh, I figured it would have to stay light most of the time. It's just that, at full brightness, my instruments are like 1/3 to 1/2 as bright as the headlight switch. I don't know ... I'll have to wait until tonight to decide whether it's distracting.

[johnf]

I replaced my bulb with a #74 LED bulb from eb@y. The bulb was longer but it fit fine. The eb@y bulb is on the right in this pic.

miked.net-ebay-bulb1.jpg

There was a hotspot,...

Do you know what the dispersion angle of the LED was? There are several possibilities I could try after I get the car prepared for the winter.

My headlight switch pictograms are about as bright as the dimmed cluster and switches. That could mean the bulb has darkened and will soon fail.

[whitney]

Just did this repair. I didn't think it was supposed to light up either!

Is it normal for the headlight switch backlight to be brighter than the other lights?

No.

The Sylvania/Osram 2721 bulb is 1.2w and is a common replacement for other dash lights. The headlight switch is supposed to be a 0.36w (30ma) bulb in the same form factor.

I just pulled mine tonight, checked the ETK, and it's BMW pn 61 13 8 360 844 listed in the ETK as "BULB 0,36W".

Looks like I'll be taking a trip to the dealer for the low-power bulb unless anyone knows where I can source one from a retailer.

(Side note - the tiny ass filament in such a low wattage bulb probably has something to do with it's common early demise, as does the constant-on status of the bulb.)

[m3j0n]

is there any problem with using the 2721 1.2 watt bulb?

[whitney]

is there any problem with using the 2721 1.2 watt bulb?

Electrically, no problem at all. The only issue *could* possibly be more heat from the 3x brighter bulb in an area (presumably) not designed for it.

I did see one comment about "melting plastic" when using the high-watt bulb but I highly doubt it would happen.

Hope that helps.