BMW 428i Burnt Out Taillight Wiring Repair
A client brought this BMW 428i in for repair because the left rear taillight was not working.
Our physical inspection revealed the wiring and wiring-connector were both burnt out due to excessive amps being drawn by the lights.
Common Reasons For Failure of Taillights
Taillights, globes, connectors and the wiring are all susceptible to failure for a variety of reasons as follows:
- Loose sockets where the bulbs are not seated securely
- Socket damage caused by moisture corrosion or poor connection from the wires attached to the rear of the socket
- Corroded contacts
- Fuse failure caused by excessive current flowing through
- Problems where a driver rests his/her foot on the brake pedal causing rapid on/off switching and excessive load
- Driving with the fog lights on all the time creating too much heat in the wiring and/or connectors
- The plastic connector gets melted due to excessive heat buildup. This was the case with this particular BMW 428i.
In this instance, we replaced the damaged wiring connector and all the lights worked.
Faulty taillights are a potentially hazardous issue particularly if you are driving on poorly lit roads or in bad weather. Poor visibility can often lead to serious collisions.