I haven't owned this car for several years but am sooo happy to see that this video has helped so many people. Just shows that a little effort can affect a lot of people in a positive way. Thank you all so much!
Do you by any chance have a red ground wire I have one but it's cut and my singals and break lights work when head lights are off been when there on they won't work
I know this video is old but I just wanted to say thank you for the simple and straight forward information. My car was missing almost every bulb except one reverse light and one brake light
You fixed my problem (wrong bulbs wrong spots) that I've been dealing with since I got the car. Books in the auto parts stores are wrong, so I know which bulbs to get now!
Thank you 10X! I replaced a valve cover gasket with info from online contributors, but this simple taillight has been somewhat of a mystery in all the years I have had my e36. Thanks for the straight-forward, easy to understand info.
@@seigma5340 is it the normal size holder or that small one? Edit: i wish there was a way to send pics here, i have the small one and it says 13.5v on it.
@@garethcollocott6310 The single gray one in the center. Anyway it might just be the country of production of the car that changes. I have a german 318is '97 model and even looking up on the catalog it says 12V 5W, here it is: www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BE71-EUR-03-1997-E36-BMW-318is&diagId=63_0271
Four 8mm nuts connect the tail light assembly to the body Four 10mm securing screws on the tail light assembly All bulbs are the same Sedan or Coupes 92-99
This point gets argued quite a bit online. The two bulbs are nearly identical, with the 7225 being being 5W, and the 7528 being 6W. The manual does call for a 5W bulb, however, at the Sylvania website, as well as other auto parts supply websites, state that 7528 is correct for the vehicle. Also note that the 7528 is rated at a higher lumen output than the 7225. In either case, the bulb differences are negligible, so either appears to be an acceptable choice.
Baby Missions Not necessarily, you are right, parts stores do call for a 7528, but I have no idea why. I have looked at 3 different pairs of E36 coupe tail lights, and all three of them had 7225 bulbs, I tried to install 7528 bulbs but they are more different than you think. The notches are not the same and actually do not line up with the plastic bulb socket grooves preventing you from inserting the bulb, sure maybe you could force it, but why do that? I also think it is funny that they call for a dual filament bulb. In NA the second filament is never used because the DOT said no to rear fog lights, just like they said no to superior glass headlight housings. So one would think they would have substituted a single filament bulb, and if there is no such bulb to fit that plastic socket, I'm sure they could have just made it work with perhaps another 5007. You say this gets argued quite a bit online, but I fail to see any argument on this, every list I find confirms 7225 is the correct bulb. While 7528 is used for front turn signals.
The fuse may be the issue, but I believe that the left and right turn signals are on the same fuse. Do you have key-less entry? If so, do all four corners illuminate when you lock/unlock the car? If no key-less, turn on your hazards. If all four corners blink, then it may be an issue with the "blinker" relay, or in the turn signal stem itself. Often corrosion or dirt can interrupt the turn signal mechanism.
+Baby Missions keyless entry. when i tried hazards everything worked fine just when i hit the right turn signal nothing happened. Today when i was driving everything seem to be working fine again. It's weird, i just don't want it to happened again, it my be dirt, where should I look.
The bulbs for a 1997 328i tail light bulbs are 7225. Not 7528. Save yourself going back to the store by getting 7225. Bring in the plastic piece the bulb goes in and double check it. ✌️
I have a 1999 323is why is their a double filament in the white spot it’s not a turn signal nor is it a break light when does the second filling that activated
Hello sir, I have some questions specifically regarding the dual filament bulb that you mentioned in the video. My car is a 323i e36 1997 sedan available in indonesia and we drive on the right side like britanians. 1. Is there a dual filament socket also on the passenger side? because mine is not dual filament. Do I have to find a replacement? The driver side is p21 12v/4w (offset pin) but the passenger side lamp is not dual filament, does not have 3 connectors (only 2), and the lamp is 12v/21W watts (the pin is also straight). 2. Obc state tail light failure, what obc means is the dual filament one right? What should I do? Kindly advise, with thanks
i have a 99 323i e36 chassis and i seem to be having trouble with the tail operating. are the dual filament bulbs (outer tail lights ) supposed to illuminate when brake pedal is pressed? i would think so because dual filament = dual purpose. when i press brake pedal i’m only getting the inner brake lights and upper (third ) brake light. i’ve spent hours testing grounds and continuity tests, i even replaced the CCM. Again all of my lights are lighting up however when i pedal the brake only the inners and upper brake light illuminates. oh i also replaced the brake light switch.
I get my stuff from pelican parts. They ship fast, and offer oem parts when available. They also have sales persons in each vehicle division, so when you have a parts question, you get to speak to someone who actually knows about your vehicle.
i have a 1996 328i bmw, one of my brake lights isn't working . My lightbulbs are new but only the left brake light side works. Would you mind helping out
hey ive got a 328i e36 and one of the tail light bulbs is blown. i bought a replacment and checked it was the right one, however the bulb doesnt work. also my radio also started turning off. do you think its a fuse issue
this was extremely helpful thank you so much :) I can't seem to get the black plastic holding my 7506 bulb to come out, I might have to replace it, do you know what that part is called? or where I should purchase it?
Pelican parts has the bulbs and bulb sockets available for purchase. go here... www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/SuperCat/0279/BMW_0279_ELLITE_pg10.htm You will see bulb sockets about half way down the page. Note that this is for my specific vehicle. If you go to Pelican's home page, you can choose make, model, and year of your vehicle to ensure you order the correct part. If you still aren't sure, you can call their customer service, which I have always found to be super helpful. Disclaimer: I do not work for Pelican, I do not receive compensation or free items from Pelican... but of all the places I have dealt with in working on my BMW I have found them to be THE BEST. I buy replacement parts from them exclusively.
Unfortunately I do not. You could try spraying a bit of WD40 on the base of the bulb socket, which could help loosen up any rust, or help the plastic pull apart easier. On mine, I ended up breaking the assembly when removing the socket, simply because it had been installed incorrectly by force. I ended up replacing both tail lamp assemblies because they had both been damaged by the previous owner. Ideally, it will come apart without breaking something, and hopefully it will only break the bulb socket, not the tail lamp assembly.
Excellent video. What do you do when the turn signal bulb (back - driver's side) won't budge? I'm afraid i will break it. I pushed in and tried to turn it counterclockwise, won't move. There is a tiny bit of play on it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks mary
Pretty good info but why not tell us what the proper wattages are? What brand are your numbers? Every brand has different numbers and the confusion is endless.
I haven't owned this car for several years but am sooo happy to see that this video has helped so many people. Just shows that a little effort can affect a lot of people in a positive way. Thank you all so much!
Do you by any chance have a red ground wire I have one but it's cut and my singals and break lights work when head lights are off been when there on they won't work
I know this video is old but I just wanted to say thank you for the simple and straight forward information. My car was missing almost every bulb except one reverse light and one brake light
You fixed my problem (wrong bulbs wrong spots) that I've been dealing with since I got the car. Books in the auto parts stores are wrong, so I know which bulbs to get now!
That 7528 is actually a 7225 on my 99 E36 328i …
Thanks a million only straight forward on this I could find!
Thank you 10X! I replaced a valve cover gasket with info from online contributors, but this simple taillight has been somewhat of a mystery in all the years I have had my e36. Thanks for the straight-forward, easy to understand info.
Your a champ for uploading this !! Thank you!!!!
GREAT video, TY so much for taking the time to make this video. Really helped me a lot.
Easy straight forward explanation. Thanks!
For all non-Americas. Black ones are 12V 21W, Grey one is 13.5V 5w and the white dual is 12V 21w 4w Offset.( Note the 21W 5W offset does not fit).
How grey one is 13.5V? On mine it says R5W, which is regular 12V 5W
@@seigma5340 is it the normal size holder or that small one? Edit: i wish there was a way to send pics here, i have the small one and it says 13.5v on it.
@@garethcollocott6310 The single gray one in the center. Anyway it might just be the country of production of the car that changes. I have a german 318is '97 model and even looking up on the catalog it says 12V 5W, here it is: www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BE71-EUR-03-1997-E36-BMW-318is&diagId=63_0271
Four 8mm nuts connect the tail light assembly to the body
Four 10mm securing screws on the tail light assembly
All bulbs are the same Sedan or Coupes 92-99
Best explanation ever
Thank you for this video! Hadn't realized how easy it was to change the bulb and I was able too fix my broken brake light in a few minutes. 😀
Yes, well done, thank u for sharing!
This helped me a lot, thank you :)
Almost right, instead of 7528, it should be 7225.
This point gets argued quite a bit online. The two bulbs are nearly identical, with the 7225 being being 5W, and the 7528 being 6W. The manual does call for a 5W bulb, however, at the Sylvania website, as well as other auto parts supply websites, state that 7528 is correct for the vehicle. Also note that the 7528 is rated at a higher lumen output than the 7225. In either case, the bulb differences are negligible, so either appears to be an acceptable choice.
Baby Missions Not necessarily, you are right, parts stores do call for a 7528, but I have no idea why. I have looked at 3 different pairs of E36 coupe tail lights, and all three of them had 7225 bulbs, I tried to install 7528 bulbs but they are more different than you think. The notches are not the same and actually do not line up with the plastic bulb socket grooves preventing you from inserting the bulb, sure maybe you could force it, but why do that?
I also think it is funny that they call for a dual filament bulb. In NA the second filament is never used because the DOT said no to rear fog lights, just like they said no to superior glass headlight housings. So one would think they would have substituted a single filament bulb, and if there is no such bulb to fit that plastic socket, I'm sure they could have just made it work with perhaps another 5007.
You say this gets argued quite a bit online, but I fail to see any argument on this, every list I find confirms 7225 is the correct bulb. While 7528 is used for front turn signals.
Yes mine was 7225 as well.
thanks dude video help out alot
Kudos to your video, you just fixed my problem. However, my passenger side indicator won't work now (front and back). I'm thinking a fuse...any ideas?
The fuse may be the issue, but I believe that the left and right turn signals are on the same fuse. Do you have key-less entry? If so, do all four corners illuminate when you lock/unlock the car? If no key-less, turn on your hazards. If all four corners blink, then it may be an issue with the "blinker" relay, or in the turn signal stem itself. Often corrosion or dirt can interrupt the turn signal mechanism.
+Baby Missions keyless entry. when i tried hazards everything worked fine just when i hit the right turn signal nothing happened. Today when i was driving everything seem to be working fine again. It's weird, i just don't want it to happened again, it my be dirt, where should I look.
awesome instructions! turns out my bulb was just loose
The bulbs for a 1997 328i tail light bulbs are 7225. Not 7528. Save yourself going back to the store by getting 7225. Bring in the plastic piece the bulb goes in and double check it. ✌️
Yeah, 3 trips to autozone and I finally find this comment 🙃
I have a 1999 323is why is their a double filament in the white spot it’s not a turn signal nor is it a break light when does the second filling that activated
Hello sir, I have some questions specifically regarding the dual filament bulb that you mentioned in the video. My car is a 323i e36 1997 sedan available in indonesia and we drive on the right side like britanians.
1. Is there a dual filament socket also on the passenger side? because mine is not dual filament. Do I have to find a replacement? The driver side is p21 12v/4w (offset pin) but the passenger side lamp is not dual filament, does not have 3 connectors (only 2), and the lamp is 12v/21W watts (the pin is also straight).
2. Obc state tail light failure, what obc means is the dual filament one right? What should I do?
Kindly advise, with thanks
Very informal video thank you!
I have a problem configuring my new m3 tailights into my 323is.. I connect everything correctly but won't correspond, my original ones work fine
i have a 99 323i e36 chassis and i seem to be having trouble with the tail operating. are the dual filament bulbs (outer tail lights ) supposed to illuminate when brake pedal is pressed? i would think so because dual filament = dual purpose. when i press brake pedal i’m only getting the inner brake lights and upper (third ) brake light. i’ve spent hours testing grounds and continuity tests, i even replaced the CCM. Again all of my lights are lighting up however when i pedal the brake only the inners and upper brake light illuminates. oh i also replaced the brake light switch.
one of those black connectors that you attach the bulb to is definitely the cause of my brakelight being out. where do I get a replacement?
I get my stuff from pelican parts. They ship fast, and offer oem parts when available. They also have sales persons in each vehicle division, so when you have a parts question, you get to speak to someone who actually knows about your vehicle.
i have a 1996 328i bmw, one of my brake lights isn't working . My lightbulbs are new but only the left brake light side works. Would you mind helping out
Are these the same bulbs for my '99 323ic? Great video!
hey ive got a 328i e36 and one of the tail light bulbs is blown. i bought a replacment and checked it was the right one, however the bulb doesnt work. also my radio also started turning off. do you think its a fuse issue
this was extremely helpful thank you so much :) I can't seem to get the black plastic holding my 7506 bulb to come out, I might have to replace it, do you know what that part is called? or where I should purchase it?
Pelican parts has the bulbs and bulb sockets available for purchase.
go here...
www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/SuperCat/0279/BMW_0279_ELLITE_pg10.htm
You will see bulb sockets about half way down the page.
Note that this is for my specific vehicle. If you go to Pelican's home page, you can choose make, model, and year of your vehicle to ensure you order the correct part. If you still aren't sure, you can call their customer service, which I have always found to be super helpful.
Disclaimer: I do not work for Pelican, I do not receive compensation or free items from Pelican... but of all the places I have dealt with in working on my BMW I have found them to be THE BEST. I buy replacement parts from them exclusively.
thank you! that's very helpful, do you have any tips on how to remove the plastic bulb socket that is jammed?
Unfortunately I do not. You could try spraying a bit of WD40 on the base of the bulb socket, which could help loosen up any rust, or help the plastic pull apart easier. On mine, I ended up breaking the assembly when removing the socket, simply because it had been installed incorrectly by force. I ended up replacing both tail lamp assemblies because they had both been damaged by the previous owner. Ideally, it will come apart without breaking something, and hopefully it will only break the bulb socket, not the tail lamp assembly.
Oh I'm sorry, but thank you so much for your advice and help ☺ that is a very good idea I hadn't thought of. thanks again
Will a 5008 work? 🤷
Are the bulbs same with a 96 328i?
Excellent video. What do you do when the turn signal bulb (back - driver's side) won't budge? I'm afraid i will break it. I pushed in and tried to turn it counterclockwise, won't move. There is a tiny bit of play on it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks mary
Mary Cooper WD40 did the trick.
can you give me the part numbers for each of the sockets? thanks
Pretty good info but why not tell us what the proper wattages are? What brand are your numbers?
Every brand has different numbers and the confusion is endless.
Which one is the reversing light?
Top left mate
For US and EU tail lights are the same bulbs?