Trunk light panel - what's the deal with those things?

[SaltyNC]

Is there some trick for getting the trunk light panels to stay on the taillight? I don't know if they are different in a coupe VS sedan, but I have a facelift coupe with the LED taillights, and the driver side trunk light panel doesn't want to stay on. The passenger side panel stays on, but I have to press it every now and then to get the lights to come on. Any ideas on how to get a better fit? I feel like I'm doing something wrong, but nothing obvious is jumping out at me.

Thanks!

Salty

[Dual]

I have not encountered these issues with my 2006 coupe- wondering where you mileage is at. Maybe they're faulty or worn out.

Are you using aftermarket LED's or bulbs?

[BMWCurves]

My passenger side does the same thing. I haven't futzed with it yet, but I'm thinking about stuffing some foam or something in there.

[SaltyNC]

I have not encountered these issues with my 2006 coupe- wondering where you mileage is at. Maybe they're faulty or worn out.

Are you using aftermarket LED's or bulbs?

The panels look brand new, and everything is stock. Here is the front and back of the panel. Nothing is broken. The only other thing I can think of is that maybe the carpet isn't quite in the right place, and it's preventing the cover from fully seating. The grey latch that goes through the opening in the panel to hold it on appears to be in perfect shape on the back of the taillight assembly. I somehow managed to take the photo almost directly over the support posts, so they look almost like they are broken off on the photo, but from a different angle they look perfectly fine.

31986

Salty

[SaltyNC]

I swear, that has to be the worst photo trying to show the panel is good. LOL OK, here is the same panel from the side. It's amazing how that first photo makes it look like the posts are broken off the base.

31987

[SaltyNC]

I wonder if the metal contacts are out too far...too much spring for the latch. I could try bending those down a little.

[ZHPizza]

Mine do the same thing. I thought I had futzed with the contacts at some point, but at least one of mine is still tripping out.

[BMWCurves]

One thing that did work for a while was pushing the carpeting on the side into just the right place. It'll put pressure on the panel and keep the contacts in place...for a while.

[san]

This happens on my coupe as well. At first I thought maybe hey were aftermarket lights. I just learned to live it with now.


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[SaltyNC]

Thanks, gentlemen. I may see if there is some way to add a screw and keep it looking like a clean factory install.

Salty

[san]

Let us know when you figure out a solution


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[Newjack]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySre32uLFOc

[johnrando]

I need to do this, thx for posting.

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[WOLFN8TR]

Thanks, gentlemen. I may see if there is some way to add a screw and keep it looking like a clean factory install.

Salty

That's what I did and works great. Bending that tab only worked for awhile on mine.

[SaltyNC]

Cool. Where did you put the screw or screws?

There is a guy on the Z4 forum that makes very nice LED trunk light strips. He works in the lighting industry and has access to high quality LEDs. I had him make a set for my Z4M, and I love them. I may see if he could do something similar for the ZHP, but I still need the trunk light panels mounted, so they aren't bouncing around in the trunk.

Salty

[sillieidiot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySre32uLFOc

i clicked on this video thinking that it's some new method. Then I realized it's my own video I made forever ago :facepalm That worked really well for me though. What I learned later on though was that you should press it down as far as you will go so that it doesn't turn on at all when you put it in. Then pry it up little by little so that it does. Since most of the time when you barely bend it, it's still too much pressure and eventually pops off again.


Cool. Where did you put the screw or screws?

There is a guy on the Z4 forum that makes very nice LED trunk light strips. He works in the lighting industry and has access to high quality LEDs. I had him make a set for my Z4M, and I love them. I may see if he could do something similar for the ZHP, but I still need the trunk light panels mounted, so they aren't bouncing around in the trunk.

Salty

Couldn't you just buy a set yourself and do it? The best place I've found is to stick like a light bar right where the HK subs are mounted. It'll light up the whole entire trunk and you don't even need the stock ones anymore. That's what I've always done for customer installs and route the wire back to the one of the stock trunk panel sockets.

[WOLFN8TR]

Cool. Where did you put the screw or screws?

Salty

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180217/dbee91a4f9b07c3c03e10ad1c2b2de22.jpg

[SaltyNC]

Thanks for the pic!

[WOLFN8TR]

Thanks for the pic!
[emoji106]