F15 Ambient lighting issue - help!

[Karatekids]

Hi All, today I’ve purchased an F15 X5 30d M Sport 2016. Tonight when I got in the car there is a massive difference in the brightness of the large section of the dashboard ambient lighting (behind the centre screen) and the rest of the car.

I was wondering if this is normal or not? I’ve done some searching of this forum and not really managed to come to a conclusion if it can be fixed easily or if it’s normal. The far side of the dashboard ambient lighting (where the dashboard ambient light meets the passenger door ambient light) almost looks like it’s not illuminated at all.

I have a few days to refuse the car and get my money back. If it’s not an easy fix I think that may be the best thing to do, it will annoy me seeing different brightness LED strips at night.

I’ve attached 2 photos, the first is the passenger side where the front door meets the dashboard to try and show what I mean? The second is the drivers side small led strip where it meets the drivers door, this side is much brighter. I’m in the U.K. so it’s a RHD model.

Any help/advice (or just to know if other cars of the same age are the same would really help). I’ve bought an Apple CarPlay retrofit kit so I do have to take the centre screen out which may give me enough access to get to the LED’s, possibly not though.

Thanks in advance.

[Jarhed1964]

Wow, that actually is a marked difference. I just got my first F15 a couple weeks ago. I couldn't begin to diagnose that. Have you called the dealer or an indie to ask if they have experience with that?

[Karatekids]

Originally Posted by Jarhed1964

Wow, that actually is a marked difference. I just got my first F15 a couple weeks ago. I couldn't begin to diagnose that. Have you called the dealer or an indie to ask if they have experience with that?

No, not yet. I only discovered it a few hours ago when it went dark. I bought it from a large dealer group in the U.K., but they specialise in Ford’s, they have no idea when it comes to BMW’s, but I do have the option to cancel the sale in the first seven days. I just wanted to see if anybody else’s was the same, and if so what they had done about it. My wife wants me to keep the car as everything else is right but I know it will drive me mad looking at it. I wouldn’t mind if all the ambient light was dim but it’s just this section that’s dim and the opposite side of the instrument cluster that is super bright! Very annoying.

[RED_Y_]

Don't know if this is just me, but search works great:
https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1711280
Up to you if you want to deal with this or you want to return the car.

[MH20jy]

Originally Posted by Karatekids

No, not yet. I only discovered it a few hours ago when it went dark. I bought it from a large dealer group in the U.K., but they specialise in Ford’s, they have no idea when it comes to BMW’s, but I do have the option to cancel the sale in the first seven days. I just wanted to see if anybody else’s was the same, and if so what they had done about it. My wife wants me to keep the car as everything else is right but I know it will drive me mad looking at it. I wouldn’t mind if all the ambient light was dim but it’s just this section that’s dim and the opposite side of the instrument cluster that is super bright! Very annoying.

Did you try to adjust the brightness in idrive menu?

[turboawd]

See this thread.
The light you see is just a fiber optic with a bulb at the end to light it up.
https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1474839

[Karatekids]

Originally Posted by RED_Y_

Don't know if this is just me, but search works great:
https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1711280
Up to you if you want to deal with this or you want to return the car.

Yes, I found this post too which seems to indicate the original poster replaced the LED’s on the dash and it made no difference? I think I found the fibre optic part number to go with the module but I can’t find anything that give you an indication if this is replaceable at home? It’s easy enough to get the centre display out, but the top part of the dash that the centre display sits in (and maybe even the full dash) would need to be removed to replace this.

[Karatekids]

Originally Posted by MH20jy

Did you try to adjust the brightness in idrive menu?

Yeah, it’s on max on the both the photos I added!

[turboawd]

Originally Posted by Karatekids

Yes, I found this post too which seems to indicate the original poster replaced the LED’s on the dash and it made no difference? I think I found the fibre optic part number to go with the module but I can’t find anything that give you an indication if this is replaceable at home? It’s easy enough to get the centre display out, but the top part of the dash that the centre display sits in (and maybe even the full dash) would need to be removed to replace this.

Are you tech savvy? Remove the door panel to see if the bulb moved away from the fiber optic at all, which would make it appear dimmer.

[Karatekids]

Originally Posted by turboawd

Are you tech savvy? Remove the door panel to see if the bulb moved away from the fiber optic at all, which would make it appear dimmer.

It’s not the doors that are the problem, although the lights fade a little from the start of the fibre optic to the end on the door I can live with them. The issue is the long strip on the dash that runs behind the central display unit. That is the part that is significantly dimmer than the rest of the car, where it meets the passenger side ambient light it’s almost non existent. If it was a door card I’d take it off and replace the led module.

These pictures may give a better idea of what’s going on. It actually looks worse on the camera than it does in real life. The small section next to the instrument cluster is how bright the larger section should be, both pictures taken with office at max brightness. Is anyone else’s ambient light the same, or am I being reasonable asking the dealer to rectify it?

[Qsilver7]

Does it appear the same way if another color is selected? Asking just in case the issue is color specific.

[turboawd]

Ah ok. So perhaps the bulb on the passenger side dash strip is not working. Not sure how to get to that one....

[turboawd]

You can search realoem.com to see the parts.
Looks like there's several bulbs.

[Karatekids]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Does it appear the same way if another color is selected? Asking just in case the issue is color specific.

Yes, same in all colours. Checked with a friend who has a 2014 and theirs is similar, just wondering if they all go like that after a while?

[Karatekids]

Originally Posted by turboawd

You can search realoem.com to see the parts.
Looks like there's several bulbs.

I found this too. I think I need part number 1 (led module) that fits into part 5 (fibre optic strip). Somebody else did the same and it made no difference to theirs. LED’s usually just fail, not get dimmer. When I take of the centre screen to fit Apple CarPlay I’ll take a look. I’ve been out again tonight and the camera makes it look worse than it is (it’s just a bit annoying!)

Has anyone else here got an f15 and is theirs the the same?

[Karatekids]

Originally Posted by turboawd

Ah ok. So perhaps the bulb on the passenger side dash strip is not working. Not sure how to get to that one....

Situation 2 in this shows how to get to it. The problem is I think you have to remove the soft touch material the centre display sits in to get to them (looks like 2 bulbs?). Not sure if that easy to remove!

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2014/MC-10147926-9999.pdf

[Carpe_BM]

Mine is going dim as well. BMW dealer quoted me $1100 to replace or wait until it's completely fused for extended warranty to cover...

Is the part really this cheap?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/35337795364...m=353377953642

[turboawd]

Originally Posted by Carpe_BM

Mine is going dim as well. BMW dealer quoted me $1100 to replace or wait until it's completely fused for extended warranty to cover...

Is the part really this cheap?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/35337795364...m=353377953642

There's not much to it. A led bulb that illuminates into the end of the plastic fiber optic rod. Not sure how the fiber optic can go bad, unless it cracks somehow at a point and light doesn't pass thru good.

[MH20jy]

Originally Posted by turboawd

There's not much to it. A led bulb that illuminates into the end of the plastic fiber optic rod. Not sure how the fiber optic can go bad, unless it cracks somehow at a point and light doesn't pass thru good.

LEDs are supposed to last forever.

[Karatekids]

Originally Posted by Carpe_BM

Mine is going dim as well. BMW dealer quoted me $1100 to replace or wait until it's completely fused for extended warranty to cover...

Is the part really this cheap?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/35337795364...m=353377953642

In the U.K. the led and the fibre optic are around £100 ($140) to buy. As the fibre optic is essentially a piece of plastic I can’t see how that fails, but then again I can’t see how an led fails. They will dim over time, but not to this extent I don’t think. Getting the centre screen out is easy enough, I’m just not convinced there’ll be enough access to change the led module. If you check the pdf I put up in an earlier post it looks like there’s two LED’s, not one!

[Carpe_BM]

Originally Posted by turboawd

There's not much to it. A led bulb that illuminates into the end of the plastic fiber optic rod. Not sure how the fiber optic can go bad, unless it cracks somehow at a point and light doesn't pass thru good.

Not much to it but dealership has to charge $1100?