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      07-25-2012, 03:04 PM   #1
dabestballer
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Lightbulb Replacing the interior lights

I just bought LED interior lights for my X3 but I can't seem to figure out how to replace the front dome light and the 2 rear lights with reading lights.

Any one knows how I can open the light casing so i can change the bulbs?
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      08-27-2012, 06:14 PM   #2
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+1
can anyone help? i'm stuck in between
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      08-28-2012, 12:27 PM   #3
chx437
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In the German X3 forum there's lot of info and pictures as well on changing interior light bulbs to leds:

http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/innen...?highlight=led

http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/eine-...-t3735148.html

...text is mostly in german but some English as well and also some good pictures are included
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      08-28-2012, 03:34 PM   #4
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help with front & back domelight removal

front:

looking from below up:

you will see a black trim piece witch surrounds the moonroof switchology and bmw-assist cover .. using a plastic trim removal tool or a credit card very gently pry the aforementioned trim piece out ... this will reveal 2 "L" shaped holes ... using a flashhlight and a flat-head screwdriver press the metal clip (one at the time) you towards the center of the overhead domelight enclosure while gently pulling down on the outside of the domelight enclosure (go gentle yet firm)

this will release the domelight enclosure and you will be able to access both maplights and the domelight


aft:

the aft domelights are removed by (looking aft) lightly pressing aft and pulling out (on the front of the domelight enclosure)

call if you need help

following led's are suggested for the f25:
canbus error free led's for the dome & maplights
regular led's for the door, foot-well and trunk lights

for more light in the trunk i found that a 9 sim led generates a nice lighted area versus using a 5 sim led

for people interested i can post links as of where to obtain led's from ebay

9194267730
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      12-13-2012, 11:55 PM   #5
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Hi Electricjet,
I'm interested in the ebay link. Please post. Thanks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by electricjet View Post
front:

looking from below up:

you will see a black trim piece witch surrounds the moonroof switchology and bmw-assist cover .. using a plastic trim removal tool or a credit card very gently pry the aforementioned trim piece out ... this will reveal 2 "L" shaped holes ... using a flashhlight and a flat-head screwdriver press the metal clip (one at the time) you towards the center of the overhead domelight enclosure while gently pulling down on the outside of the domelight enclosure (go gentle yet firm)

this will release the domelight enclosure and you will be able to access both maplights and the domelight


aft:

the aft domelights are removed by (looking aft) lightly pressing aft and pulling out (on the front of the domelight enclosure)

call if you need help

following led's are suggested for the f25:
canbus error free led's for the dome & maplights
regular led's for the door, foot-well and trunk lights

for more light in the trunk i found that a 9 sim led generates a nice lighted area versus using a 5 sim led

for people interested i can post links as of where to obtain led's from ebay

9194267730
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      12-15-2012, 01:13 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by electricjet
front:

looking from below up:

you will see a black trim piece witch surrounds the moonroof switchology and bmw-assist cover .. using a plastic trim removal tool or a credit card very gently pry the aforementioned trim piece out ... this will reveal 2 "L" shaped holes ... using a flashhlight and a flat-head screwdriver press the metal clip (one at the time) you towards the center of the overhead domelight enclosure while gently pulling down on the outside of the domelight enclosure (go gentle yet firm)

this will release the domelight enclosure and you will be able to access both maplights and the domelight


aft:

the aft domelights are removed by (looking aft) lightly pressing aft and pulling out (on the front of the domelight enclosure)

call if you need help

following led's are suggested for the f25:
canbus error free led's for the dome & maplights
regular led's for the door, foot-well and trunk lights

for more light in the trunk i found that a 9 sim led generates a nice lighted area versus using a 5 sim led

for people interested i can post links as of where to obtain led's from ebay

9194267730
How do you find the quality of the eBay LEDs and the brightness output from them?
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      11-17-2013, 10:29 PM   #7
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Hi electricjet,

Newbie in the forum. Trying to follow your instructions
And i'm having a hard time.what about the dome light in
The back? Is there a way you could post pics/videos on
How to do it properly?

Appreciate it.

Bladespeed



Quote:
Originally Posted by electricjet View Post
front:

looking from below up:

you will see a black trim piece witch surrounds the moonroof switchology and bmw-assist cover .. using a plastic trim removal tool or a credit card very gently pry the aforementioned trim piece out ... this will reveal 2 "L" shaped holes ... using a flashhlight and a flat-head screwdriver press the metal clip (one at the time) you towards the center of the overhead domelight enclosure while gently pulling down on the outside of the domelight enclosure (go gentle yet firm)

this will release the domelight enclosure and you will be able to access both maplights and the domelight


aft:

the aft domelights are removed by (looking aft) lightly pressing aft and pulling out (on the front of the domelight enclosure)

call if you need help

following led's are suggested for the f25:
canbus error free led's for the dome & maplights
regular led's for the door, foot-well and trunk lights

for more light in the trunk i found that a 9 sim led generates a nice lighted area versus using a 5 sim led

for people interested i can post links as of where to obtain led's from ebay

9194267730
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      11-18-2013, 07:57 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bladespeed View Post
Hi electricjet,

Newbie in the forum. Trying to follow your instructions
And i'm having a hard time.what about the dome light in
The back? Is there a way you could post pics/videos on
How to do it properly?

Appreciate it.

Bladespeed
The back domelight is easy:

If you have a vehicle trim tool (preferred) or a screwdriver, insert it between the headliner and the light assembly at the front of the light assembly. In the middle is a clip holding the light in, give a push with your tool and you will feel it disengage the clip and the light will freely pop out of the enclosure.
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      11-21-2013, 01:16 PM   #9
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Led

Quote:
Originally Posted by EvilGenius View Post
The back domelight is easy:

If you have a vehicle trim tool (preferred) or a screwdriver, insert it between the headliner and the light assembly at the front of the light assembly. In the middle is a clip holding the light in, give a push with your tool and you will feel it disengage the clip and the light will freely pop out of the enclosure.
Just left the car in dealership for rustproofing. Will try it once i get it.

I got the front,footwell,vanity and glove compartment. Just stuck with the back.

Appreciate the info. Will post if successful.

Bladespeed
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      11-21-2013, 05:28 PM   #10
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Led interior dome lights

Quote:
Originally Posted by EvilGenius View Post
The back domelight is easy:

If you have a vehicle trim tool (preferred) or a screwdriver, insert it between the headliner and the light assembly at the front of the light assembly. In the middle is a clip holding the light in, give a push with your tool and you will feel it disengage the clip and the light will freely pop out of the enclosure.
Which part is the front of the light assembly? Is it the top or bottom towards the door?

Thx.
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      11-22-2013, 06:49 AM   #11
EvilGenius
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bladespeed View Post
Which part is the front of the light assembly? Is it the top or bottom towards the door?

Thx.
Front = the side facing the front of the car.
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      11-27-2013, 07:53 AM   #12
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Led

Quote:
Originally Posted by EvilGenius View Post
Front = the side facing the front of the car.
Thanks evil genius..

My project was a success. Appreciate the help.

Bladespeed
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      12-27-2013, 12:25 AM   #13
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I replaced my trunk and foot well lights with the following

9 pin LED canbus error free

5 pin LED canbus error free

Is it wrong to use canbus error free throughout the interior?
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Last edited by Toast; 12-27-2013 at 05:34 AM..
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      02-17-2014, 03:14 PM   #14
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Change front interior light for LED's

Hi all, I have just joined the forum. I have previously owned an X5 and X1 but have just purchased a 2013 X3 X-Drive 2.0D Auto M Sport and want to change the front interior bulbs for LED's
I have seen the other posts but can't make any sense of the suggested German post.
Has anyone done a similar change and can advise me what the correct procedure is please as I don't want to do any damage to the trim or light fitting .
I have downloaded the various Tech manuals on the forum which look interesting but I can't find any mention of actually changing the lights.
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      02-17-2014, 08:06 PM   #15
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Did you try online translation?
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      02-18-2014, 04:04 AM   #16
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Thumbs up Overhead interior lamp replacement

Hi flavius,
thanks for that tip, as an oldie it didn't cross my mind but it worked well when I did the translation. Obviously needs some care and a bit of careful force
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      02-18-2014, 10:12 AM   #17
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2011 BMW X3 35i  [0.00]
So, why change to LEDs? Only if the originals burn out or? Are they brighter or a different color temp? In some uses I understand like rv's where battery life is important. Just curious.
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      02-18-2014, 02:01 PM   #18
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Overhead light replacement with LED's

I have already changed the boot lamps and the difference is very obvious.
I am expecting HID's for the main headlights this week. The existing headlights lack definition and distance .
Main reason for changing is that the LED's give a whiter/cleaner light. Will also change rear interior lamps to LED's.
UPDATE 13/03/2014
I have just changed all interior lights with CANBUS LED's and very pleased with the results and no error issues.
Once you work out how to remove the first rear dome light as described above it becomes easy to replace the other one, its getting the tool in the right position to press in the clip, which is situated in the middle of the front edge of the light fitting, that is the tricky bit.
Also another point I found is that when removing the footwell lights it is the white part that is released at one end and NOT the whole fitting. You just need to gently prise out the end nearest to the door and the white fitting just slides out. Hope this helps someone.
I purchased my 5 LED CANBUS LED's from E-bay (6 Error Free Canbus T10 194 168 W5W 501 5050 5 SMD LED White Car Side Light Bulb, 12 for £9.98) and they worked perfectly and of course they operate without the high temperature of normal bulbs !!!

Last edited by bowler_1; 03-13-2014 at 11:36 AM.. Reason: Update from previous post
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      09-06-2014, 10:08 PM   #19
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Some pictures to help illustrate the tabs and center overhead unit for future web crawlers
Pic 1 is of the rear dome/map lights. The tab is on the side with the circular light, right in the middle. Just give it a push with a flat screw driver and the unit will pop down.

Pic 2/3 is of the center overhead. There is a small decorative trim piece going around the SOS/Sunroof/Airbag warning light. I popped it off with a sharp pocket knife. Behind that trim there is the L pocket on each side, push that in (third pic) and the cluster can be pulled down.
Attached Images
   
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      11-08-2014, 12:11 PM   #20
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Has anyone tried to replace the three bulbs in the front dome of the new 2015 X3 LCI?

The front dome in new X3 LCI seems to be a bit different than in the pre-LCI models, e.g. it does not have any more a surrounding "easy to remove" trim. Any ideas how to remove this new dome and to get access to the traditional bulbs (3 x 5W5)?
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      02-06-2015, 11:31 AM   #21
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I am interested as well, did you manage to remove it? I was able to pull it a bit down, but then it got stuck.
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      02-07-2015, 11:54 AM   #22
chx437
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More about changing interior lights to LEDs:

http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1064169

I did manage to remove the front dome according to jonsc advice:
" It is really easy on the LCI. the entire unit is held in by those easy to open clips. Just start from one side and work your way around it should easily pop out"

However I must admit that some of the clips were quite hard/tricky to open!
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