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Informational thread: OEM LED tail retrofit

44K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  stück/piece 
#1 · (Edited)
This information applies to coupes and convertibles that have a production date up to to 3/2003. E46 sedans were never fitted with factory LED tail lights, therefore they can not be retrofitted into a sedan (sedan, coupe, and convertible tail lights are all different and not interchangeable).

So, you want LED tails in your E46 coupe or convertible, and it did not come with LED tails from the factory? There are many options for aftermarket tails. We are ignoring those options in this thread. This information will be provided under the assumption that you have read all the other threads and have weighed the pros and cons of aftermarket tails. This information will give you the pros and cons of retrofitting OEM tails to your car, and give you *most of* the information you need in order to retrofit them into your car.

Question - How much is this going to cost me?
Answer - $200-600. I did this on the low end of the budget and payed the following:
-$160 for 2 used OEM LED tail lights off eBay
-$25 for retrofit cable harness kit, used from a forum member
-$10 for used bulb sockets from a forum member
-recoding was free (a forum member did this for me (thanks Chris!)
-I swapped my trim pieces (free)
TOTAL: $195

If you go the expensive route and buy everything new, and pay the dealer. This could cost you about $600. That's with all brand new OE parts from the dealer, and paying them to recode your LSZ.


Pros and Cons of OEM LED tail retrofit:
PROS: Proper brightness, OEM fitment, OEM reliability, zero chance of error codes when installed correctly, OEM quality plastics, LED's and other components. Also, the install is as clean as factory, because it is. No resistor packs dangling in your trunk.

CONS: Higher price to retrofit when compared with most aftermarket LED tails, higher degree of complexity when compared to aftermarket tails. OEM tails are not immune to LED's burning out over time (though the failure rate is much lower than aftermarket tails).


Background information:
Coupes and convertibles from 3/2003 on were fitted with LED tail lights. Earlier cars car be retrofitted with OE factory LED tails, though there are a few obstacles to overcome:
--1) The Light control module (commonly referred to as the LCM, properly referred to as the LSZ) needs to be the proper module for use with LED tail lights.

I have had a hard time coming up with a production date to pin down, or part numbers to give you so you can determine if you car has the proper LSZ. There are MANY different modules used in E46's due to the different lighting options. It's safe to say that if you have a 9/2002 or newer car, your module can be recoded to accept the LED tails. If your car is an early production E46 (before 10/2001) I can say definitively that it does NOT have the proper LSZ. You need to source an LSZ out of a newer car (9/2002 or newer to be safe) in order to do this. Cars from 11/2001 to 8/2002, I can't not say definitively what your LSZ is capable of. Unfortunately you need to do more research.

Question - What happens if I don't have the proper the LSZ?
Answer - The LED tails will flicker, and you will get constant bulb out errors on the OBC. You will not be able to recode the LSZ to make this go away.

--2) The LSZ needs to be recoded for use with LED tails.

Unfortunately, this is out of the scope of this writeup. There are a number of different options for recoding the LSZ, using programs like NCS expert or DIS. While this *is* something that you can do with a $40 cable on ebay, and a laptop, this software has a steep learning curve, and you would have to be very ambitious to learn it just for the purpose of retrofitting LED tails. Your best bet is to find a forum member in your area that knows how to recode. It's a 5 minute process and isn't difficult to perform. Some indie dealers will have software to do this and will oblige for a small fee. The BMW dealer can do it, and may charge a larger fee. Rest assured, there are ways to do this cheaply, but you need to do your research. For more info on coding, do a search, or check out the info on www.bmwcoding.com

Question - What happens if I don't recode the LSZ?
Answer - The LED tails will flicker, and you will get constant bulb out errors on the OBC.

--3) The LED tails have different connectors and bulb sockets than the halogen tail lights.

This is easily rectified. Even though the LED tails have different electrical connectors from the halogens, BMW makes wiring harness retrofit kits. You can also buy the bulb sockets for pretty cheap. Those are the only parts that you NEED to physically plug the LED tails in. Be advised that the reverse lights that are in the trunk lid are different aesthetically. It's purely an aesthetic difference, and their functionality has nothing to do with the LED tails.


Parts:
Below are the parts that you need in order to make this happen for your car. A few notes on parts:
-Coupe tails only fit coupes.
-Convertible tails only fit convertibles.
-Sedans were not fitted with LED tails.
-Face-lifted cars were fitted with updated reverse lights (located in the trunk), it is common to upgrade these to the newer style when you are retrofitting the newer style tails into the car, but it is not necessary. It's purely aesthetic.
-Inner weatherstripping covers are different on coupes and convertibles and not interchangeable.

COUPE part numbers:

Tail lights...
-Left side tail light (red/clear)- 63216920699
-Right side tail light (red/clear)- 63216920700
(or)
-Left side tail light (red/amber)- 63216937449
-Right side tail light (red/amber)- 63216937450

You *need* these parts...
-Left side bulb socket (in trunk)- 63217165973
-Right side bulb socket (in trunk)- 63217165974
-Retrofit wiring harness (both sides included)- 61120153650

These parts are optional...
-Left side weatherstrip cover (the one off your halogen light will work, but is difficult to remove without damaging it)- 63216933017
-Right side weatherstrip cover (the one off your halogen light will work, but is difficult to remove without damaging it)- 63216933018

-Face-lift left side inner tail light (reverse light)- 63216920705
-Face-lift right side inner tail light (reverse light)- 63216920706

CONVERTIBLE part numbers:

Tail lights...
-Left side tail light (red/clear)- 63216937453
-Right side tail light (red/clear)- 63216937454
(or)
-Left side tail light (red/amber)- 63216937451
-Right side tail light (red/amber)- 63216937452

You *need* these parts...
-Left side bulb socket (in trunk)- 63217165973
-Right side bulb socket (in trunk)- 63217165974
-Retrofit wiring harness (both sides included)- 61120153650

These parts are optional...
-Left side weatherstrip cover (the one off your halogen light will work, but is difficult to remove without damaging it)- 63216933019
-Right side weatherstrip cover (the one off your halogen light will work, but is difficult to remove without damaging it)- 63216933020

-Face-lift left side inner tail light (reverse light)- 63216920705
-Face-lift right side inner tail light (reverse light)- 63216920706

Question - Do I really need those retrofit harnesses for the wiring? I can't find them used, and they're like $50 at the dealer. Can't I just cut the wiring out of a part out?
Answer - The retrofit harnesses made this completely plug and play and IMO are totally worth the cost. The ONLY other way to do it would be to cut the wiring out of a car with factory LED's, cut your connector off, and splice the wiring together. I'm not an advocate of cutting wires in cars. It's irreversible, and can get messy.

Question - Do I really need the bulb sockets?
Answer - Yes you do, they're completely different, and if you want covers for the inside of your trunk, and want lighting in your trunk, you do need them.

Question - I found an OEM LED tail for real cheap on eBay, but it has some LED's that are burned out. Can I replace these?
Answer - I've done pretty extensive research into a way to replace burned out LED's in the lights and have not yet come up with a way. The light is sealed from the factory and difficult to open. It's even more difficult to seal properly after you open it. This requires you heating it up in an oven, which is likely to damage the PCB or other working LED's. Then once you get it open, good luck sourcing LED's that drop into the board. The short answer is, no...not unless you're very very ambitious. Tails go for $80-100 per side used. Broken ones sell for $40-50. It's totally not worth the effort at this point.

Conclusion:

Question - Holy ****, that's a lot of information. This sounds much too complex and totally not worth it. It looks like it can also be expensive. Should I just go with aftermarket tails?
Answer - Its your decision. In my case (a car that had the correct LSZ), I was able to procure all the parts for under $200 and get the LSZ coded for free from a forum member. This, IMO, is a no brainer, as it's right in the price range of aftermarket tails, with OEM being far better quality. If you do not like sourcing used parts, and do not want to search for different ways to have your LSZ coded, this may not be for you if you're on a budget.

Question - It is safe buying used lights, or a total crap shoot?
Answer - It depends on who you are buying from. eBay, in recent years, has changed their policies and made it extremely safe for buyers. Their policies are actually so biased towards buyers now, that the sellers are the ones getting taken advantage of. Communicate through the eBay messaging system (not your email), and ask the seller directly if all the LEDs are working on the light and make sure there are no cracks are scratches. If they say they are in good shape, they have to be. Sellers can not leave negative feedback anymore. This has made them quite honest. When buying from forum members..sad to say, buyer beware. Not everyone is honest, though most fanatics are stand up people and will not sell you junk.

Question - Are the LED tails really worth the effort? How much cooler can they possible look?
Answer - Again, a matter of opinion. I happen to think they completely update the look of the rear end, in a good way. Give me a day or so, and i'll get a video up so you can see them in action.


Hope that helps some people. :thumbup:
 
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#7 ·
Do iiiiiiittt. Totally worthwhile mod. :thumbup:
I was one of the first to do this some 7 yrs ago. Did this twice now.
I'm not sure how you couldn't find the info, either you didn't search the DIY forum or you didn't search the Lighting Forum on this site. I must have posted 50 times info about this over the years.

Also yes you can replace the individual LEDs. Mite46 has a whole detailed thread on it as well.

not a bad write up, (just some stuff off)
Thanks for the info Alex. I was able to find info on this, but I didn't come across a thread where it was all explained in one place. I also didn't come across the writeup on replacing individual LED's. I'll definitely have a look for that. I did come across someone who had a whole new motherboard for a light, but he couldn't tell me where he got it or where to source one.

I'll look into threads under his username and update this accordingly. Thanks for the info.
I have done this, though my LCM is MY 06/99, I used the resistor packs and the male halogen plug from my EE tails to create the "retrofit" loom with bulb out error cancelling included ;)
What are the resistor values and wattages you used? I'll put up info on how to put a harness together.
My $0.02:

LED tail lights are not only cooler looking, they're safer. Reasoning: they instantaneously light up and have no warm-up time, and the probability of the entire array going out is essentially based upon a wiring fault. Thus, you'll always have some brake lights should they malfunction.

Because of zero warmup time and the fact that they're brighter, the driver behind you reacts faster. On average, at 60mph, drivers stop 17 ft. shorter behind you compared to traditional bulbs. In other words, you have a theoretical entire car length more stopping distance for the car behind you.
Interested statistic. I hadn't heard that. It's obvious that the LED's catch your eye more. I remember when they first started appearing on cars, it would catch my eye from literally half a mile away or more when someone hit their brakes or actuated a turn signal. The instant on/off it's indeed very attention grabbing.
 
#4 ·
I was one of the first to do this some 7 yrs ago. Did this twice now.
I'm not sure how you couldn't find the info, either you didn't search the DIY forum or you didn't search the Lighting Forum on this site. I must have posted 50 times info about this over the years.

Also yes you can replace the individual LEDs. Mite46 has a whole detailed thread on it as well.

not a bad write up, (just some stuff off)
 
#5 ·
My $0.02:

LED tail lights are not only cooler looking, they're safer. Reasoning: they instantaneously light up and have no warm-up time, and the probability of the entire array going out is essentially based upon a wiring fault. Thus, you'll always have some brake lights should they malfunction.

Because of zero warmup time and the fact that they're brighter, the driver behind you reacts faster. On average, at 60mph, drivers stop 17 ft. shorter behind you compared to traditional bulbs. In other words, you have a theoretical entire car length more stopping distance for the car behind you.
 
#15 ·
Hi - know you posted this a while ago, but hope you can help me. I've just fitted some OEM LED taillights to my pre-facelift 2001 E46 - and my LCM is too old to be recoded to sort out the flashing issues etc. I've made up the right adapter/harness/loom, but need to add in resistors to sort out the bulb out/flashing issues etc. It would really help if you could send me info on how to do what you did? Thanks!
 
#8 · (Edited)
Yeah, I remember it from a Infiniti commercial. They are big advocates of LED tail lights. That's why you see every single Inifniti with LED tails.

Why BMW swaps between LED tails and incandescent bulbs throughout facelifts and model changes is beyond me. The facelift coups seem to traditionally get LED tails. The E90 had LED turn signals, but incandescent brake lights, yet the E92 had LED turn signals and brake lights...which I thought was a really weird decision on their part. Now the F30 has incandescent bulbs. Again I don't understand the switch. LEDs are dirt cheap nowadays.

Truth: we get ripped off by those LED interior light kits. They are not nearly that expensive to make. It's just what people are willing to pay for.
 
#14 ·
Reprogram lcm in SoCal?

Anyone know where I can get my lcm reprogrammed in SoCal?

I put retrofit harness and oem tails on my 2002 m3 vert, just need to find someone in SoCal near Ventura to reprogram. Tried the Camarillo dealer. He had car for two days and then give up in a fit of incompetence.

They basically had never heard of the lcm.

Any help us hugely appreciated. And if a forum member can do this I'd be willing to pay for the help, or trade parts or tools if that's what your into.
 
#17 ·
response to what?
 
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