William's 330Ci ZHP Maintenance and Project Thread

[330i Lover]

I had an issue with the switch in the past and I think I found the replacement switch for maybe $30. It was a simple swap in & out. These little buggers are delicate!

[BMWCurves]

Struck out twice on eBay purchases:

1. Replacement cap/button for the driver's side window switch wasn't quite right. The window image was darker, not quite the same shape, and lower in location compared to the original button (eBay link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E46-3-SE...item23557cad5b).



2. LED lights for the rear license plates don't seem to work. I replaced them but they don't turn on when the lights are switched to on and they get very hot (eBay link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/111281649565).

I am waiting to hear back from WOLFN8R who bought the same lights and they worked from him to see if he has any insight or if I just have a defective set. As for the button cap, I think I'll just purchase a whole new driver's side window switch assembly (part no. 61316902175) instead of trying out different seller's at $12 a pop hoping one of them is right.

[330i Lover]

For the switch, at eBay search for this: 251424898800 It looks like what you're needing. This one is for driver side but you can easily order the passenger side for same price on there as well. I had the buttons break in the past and replace them with these switches, 30 second fix.

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[BMWCurves]

For the switch, at eBay search for this: 251424898800 It looks like what you're needing. This one is for driver side but you can easily order the passenger side for same price on there as well. I had the buttons break in the past and replace them with these switches, 30 second fix.

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Thanks! I'm pretty sure that part number you listed is for the driver's side switch on a sedan though. I have a coupe so that won't fit. The part number for a coupe looks to be 61316902175. I have been watching eBay for one for the last two weeks and the cheapest one I have seen is $40. A brand new one can be had for about $48 which comes with a warranty, so I'm willing to eat the $8-10 for new with a warranty.

[330i Lover]

Duuuu-eeeeet! I didn't realize you had the coupe.

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[BMWCurves]

That's the plan, Stan!

[BMWCurves]

I contacted the eBay seller of the LED license plate lights and they were very quick to respond and were helpful. When I initially tried to install them the bulbs didn't work. I thought maybe the bulbs had polarity (positive and negative ends) but when I flipped them around, they still didn't work, or so I thought. According to the seller the bulbs do in fact have positive and negative terminals so orientation matters. So I went back out there and installed them. Still didn't work. This time though I decided to really pay attention and make sure I installed them in opposite orientation and lo and behold, they work! I'm a dolt. Anyways, good customer service and their product works so far. Below is the eBay seller's link and some pics of the packaging and the bulbs, as well as the before and after. It's hard to tell from the photos but I think the LEDs produce a much cleaner and more modern look. Definitely brighter.

eBay link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/111281649565

Pics:

[WOLFN8TR]

Glad to see you got them working, they look great!

[330i Lover]

Nicely done! I'll be installing mine in a month or do hopefully. Do you like it?

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[BMWCurves]

Glad to see you got them working, they look great!

Between your help and the eBay seller, got it all sorted. Thanks!

Nicely done! I'll be installing mine in a month or do hopefully. Do you like it?

I definitely like the way it looks! Coupes have LEDs for tail lights as well as the side markers, so I think the LED license plate lights help complete the look and update it to modern standards. Something about mixing LEDs with halogens looks...sloppy to me, or cost-cutting somehow. It's weird for me to see new VWs or Audis (and maybe even BMWs) have LED tail lights but the turn signal in the same cluster is a halogen bulb.

Anyways, I still need to find a decent set of front turn signal LEDs to replace the halogen bulbs and then figure out how to change the bulbs on a facelift coupe. It was so easy on my non-facelifted coupe, but doesn't look to be so easy for facelifted ones.