Tail lights available (may 2016)

[2112]

What I ment is the red parking light = break light, not the indicator light. BMW installed the new lights but not the bumper before testing, that was the good part. I do not know how to test them in forhand. The switch is the main light switch on the left hand side of the dash.

Thank you for clarifying.

[PeterPortugal]

I am still waiting for the dealer to deliver the new EU spec lights for my car. This was the update today...

"I was told the delay was due to someone saying there was a fault with one and the remaining stock was taken off the shelf for investigation hence the reason for it being on back order, which it is now not."

[Z803]

Hi Peter,
which dealer was that? Interesting to know because we are sitting with 12 Z8 owners together to discuss that topic.
thanks

[PeterPortugal]

Hi Karsten,

Cooper Norwich
Dereham Road
Norwich
UK

Regards

Peter

[2112]

Peter, did they tell you what the "fault" was? Was that fault the reason the remaining units were taken off the shelf for investigation?

[PeterPortugal]

Hi,
I got the story from the company I am using to do the EU conversion, not directly from BMW. As I understand it, unsold units were removed from stock for a period of time whilst an investigation was ongoing. They are now available again which would indicate that BMW are satisfied they function correctly.

I am assuming that their is still more to this story yet as Karsten was discussing it with other owners, and wanted details of my supplying dealer. Hopefully he will share any further news / suggestions for testing with us too.

Peter

[2112]

Hi, Hopefully he will share any further news / suggestions for testing with us too.

Peter

I hope he does too.

Thank you
.

[Z803]

Hi folks,
unfortuntelly I have no further new. My lights are working fine now and Munich did not give anymore details about the first sets of lights which did not work. I asked about the dealer because I thought it might be a dealer near by in Germany but it was not.
therefore just be carefull with the new taillights and try and use them as soon as possible to check that they are working fine. It looks like a random error.
That is all I can say, sorry I could nit find out more.

[PeterPortugal]

Hi All,
When my lights are finally delivered I will give you some feedback.
Regards
Peter

[PeterPortugal]

I finally take delivery in 1 week. I will discuss the lights with the garage and get some details of the guy who reprogrammed the module. The garage said it went very smoothly without issues.

[Z803]

I am looking forward to an answer. I talked to BMW in Germany and the tail lights are available without any waiting time!

[PeterPortugal]

Hi Karsten,
To clarify...I take delivery of my newly converted to EU spec car in a week. The lights were delivered maybe 6 weeks ago.
Regards
Peter

[bclaude]

With the nice weather I finally had the opportunity to drive to my Alpina dealer in Lichtenstein to get the tail light reprogrammed. He did confirm that some of the new lights come out of the box with a defect. All of you who are installing new tail lights should work them quite a bit and check them regularly before the warranty on them expires. We can only hope that they will either fail early or last a long time. The good news is that so far my tail lights are finally working as intended.

FYI BMW refused to provide the codes to go into the deep programming and even though my car is not an Alpina, we had to go through the Alpina factory to get the right access...

The bummer is that I noticed on my way home that in the reprogramming process my daylight running lights (The smaller inner lamps inside the main headlights that are used as parking lights.) no longer come on automatically when the ignition is turned on. I can only assume that the automatic daylight running lights are a standard feature on US cars but not on EU cars. Can anyone shed some light, no pun intended; on this for me?

Daylight running lights are a legal requirement here in Switzerland and therefore I must remember to turn the light switch to the first click when I drive in daylight.

If some of you are yet to go through the process you learn from my misfortune and instruct the garage to program the tail light to EU without deactivating the daylight running light feature.

Anyways, I have looked at the configuration under the hood. The two lamp sockets and wiring are clearly visible on the inboard, forward side of the main headlights and very easy to remove. I will probably hard wire them at some point in the future as I am getting tired of these programming shenanigans.

[Z803]

Hi Bruno,

nice to hear that you car is running again on the road with the new tail lights.
I had a discussion the other day with BMW concerning the programming of the US lights in Europe. Due to the fact, that my car is a US car and running in Europe BMW does not want to mismathch the electronic items. So if you change the the light controller from US settings to ECE settings this controller is the only ECE controller running in the car with all other controllers still be in the US scheme. For this mismatch there is no allowance in Germany (if some one will ask for that and will find it). Therefore you need a special tool to just change the settings within the US controller which are neccessary to change to match the Germany Standard, but this is a tricky thing. It would be interesting to know wheather the dealer in Lichtenstein changed the settings to the ECE Standard or just changed the important bits (if he would tell you this).
Concerning the daylight runnings lights that will only be a new programming in the light controller but you need a computer and some software to do this, but BMW would not do the Job I guess.
I hope you will find some nice whether to enjoy your car, I am still waiting for the summer here in Dortmund.

[PeterPortugal]

Bruno / Karsten,

I did start another thread about a fault with my new light. The turn signal blinked too rapidly on the right hand light. The person who installed the lights and reprogrammed the module told me it was probably a fault with the indicator switch but I doubt that. I have just ordered an ECE rear bumper and will have a BMW dealer install this. I will get the light checked by the dealer during this process and report back.

Bruno - my running lights don't come on with the ignition either.

Regards

Peter

[EDEZ8]

The bummer is that I noticed on my way home that in the reprogramming process my daylight running lights (The smaller inner lamps inside the main headlights that are used as parking lights.) no longer come on automatically when the ignition is turned on. I can only assume that the automatic daylight running lights are a standard feature on US cars but not on EU cars. Can anyone shed some light, no pun intended; on this for me?

Daylight running lights are a legal requirement here in Switzerland and therefore I must remember to turn the light switch to the first click when I drive in daylight.

On my US Z8 the previous owner had the headlights come on automatically on start up as part of the "vehicle memory" and I had that functionality removed while adding automatic door locking upon pulling away. I would consider asking your shop if they can update the vehicle memory to include the parking light or headlight functionality you are seeking. See page 49 of the owner's manual. I hope that helps!

[bclaude]

Thanks Ed,

You are right, the Daylight Running Lights are a configurable option. Chances are, it can be modified without messing up with the tail lights configuration.

Your post has led me to conduct some research on ways to program the car without going to the dealer.

I have stumbled on the CARLY adapter which is reported as compatible for the coding of all BMW's starting with the 1994 year models. For cars with and OBD2 connecter, the CARLY module plugs right into the OBD2. There is a cable adapter to allow connecting CARLY module straight into the 20 PIN Round diagnostic interface under the hood. I am not sure if the Z8 has an OBD2 connector but it does have the round diagnostic connector under the hood (Upper left Corner). This is the connector the dealer plugs into.

http://www.ivini-tech.de/en/adapter/...mw-ds2/a-1014/
CARLY offers iOS and Android Apps with allows the coding of all the car features.

This video shows an demo of the application:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJv2wDr9fZ4

Does anyone have any experience in using the CARLY or another similar tool on the Z8?

[bclaude]

Hi Carsten, as far as I know they kept the US settings for everything but went deeper into the ECU to change the tail lights settings. The dealer told me that the Z8 being an old car, it is not subject to regular software upgrades as new cars are and that therefore, there is no risk an unsuspecting dealer would over write the changes he has made in the future. This is all I can report unfortunately.

On another post, I report having found the following tool which could be used the memorized options
http://www.ivini-tech.de/en/adapter/...mw-ds2/a-1014/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH2lWITsBhw
https://www.amazon.com/Original-Carl...7e3830ac8d64a0

Would be interesting to know if anyone has experience using the CARLY on a Z8

I will reach out to their customer support to enquire about compatibility with the Z8

[Peter Koh]

Hi Carsten, as far as I know they kept the US settings for everything but went deeper into the ECU to change the tail lights settings. The dealer told me that the Z8 being an old car, it is not subject to regular software upgrades as new cars are and that therefore, there is no risk an unsuspecting dealer would over write the changes he has made in the future. This is all I can report unfortunately.

On another post, I report having found the following tool which could be used the memorized options
http://www.ivini-tech.de/en/adapter/...mw-ds2/a-1014/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH2lWITsBhw
https://www.amazon.com/Original-Carl...7e3830ac8d64a0

Would be interesting to know if anyone has experience using the CARLY on a Z8

I will reach out to their customer support to enquire about compatibility with the Z8

Hi Bruno,

It is my turn now. I have just replaced the US taillights with new EU taillights. The orange signal light works well (blinking as suppose to) when signal level is used but when the brake pedal is used, no brake light (red) comes on and orange light stayed on when brake pedal is held down.
Did you finally get your ECU re-program or you re-wired your taillight hardware? Please advise. Thank you. Peter Koh

[bclaude]

Hi Peter,

Unfortunately some of the tail lights segments are multi function and therefore a re wiring alone will not suffice. I received zero help from BMW in Switzerland, Munich would not assist my dealer either because they don't have the knowledge or because they don't want to help. I had to go to an Alpina dealer in Lichtenstein to get the job done. I have been told that he had to swap a couple of cables in a wire harness as well as go into the ECU to change the codes.

There are two layers of ECU coding. The first layer is accessible to all BMW dealers and is used to change convenience options such as alarm, windows or door lock settings. The second layer is deeper into the ECU and only accessible with the help of BMW Munich. It is in that deeper layer that the re coding of the tail lights must take place. Because BMW refused to help, even though my car is not an Alpina, my dealer got the access they needed with the help of Alpina to get into the deeper coding level and get the job done.

Regarding my posting above, I did buy the CARLY and corresponding iOS app. There are no settings directly compatible with the Z8 but I used the 5/E39 setting and was able to code the various options of the car. Some options refer to front and rear doors for example and you should ignore the rear which obviously refers to the E39. I was able to change the way my door lock and unlock (both at the same time) as well as change the alarm settings to my liking. Unfortunately the CARLY stays in the superficial coding level BMW dealers have access to. It will not give access to the deeper level unfortunately.

Bottom line you will need to find a BMW or better an Alpina dealer who has experience in doing this specific modification. There are a few out there. I assume that Lichtenstein is a bit out there for you but based on where the car is you could ask forum members for suggestions as to where they got their Z8 tail lights coded.

- - - Updated - - -

Hi Peter,

Unfortunately some of the tail lights segments are multi function and therefore a re wiring alone will not suffice. I received zero help from BMW in Switzerland, Munich would not assist my dealer either because they don't have the knowledge or because they don't want to help. I had to go to an Alpina dealer in Lichtenstein to get the job done. I have been told that he had to swap a couple of cables in a wire harness as well as go into the ECU to change the codes.

There are two layers of ECU coding. The first layer is accessible to all BMW dealers and is used to change convenience options such as alarm, windows or door lock settings. The second layer is deeper into the ECU and only accessible with the help of BMW Munich. It is in that deeper layer that the re coding of the tail lights must take place. Because BMW refused to help, even though my car is not an Alpina, my dealer got the access they needed with the help of Alpina to get into the deeper coding level and get the job done.

Regarding my posting above, I did buy the CARLY and corresponding iOS app. There are no settings directly compatible with the Z8 but I used the 5/E39 setting and was able to code the various options of the car. Some options refer to front and rear doors for example and you should ignore the rear which obviously refers to the E39. I was able to change the way my door lock and unlock (both at the same time) as well as change the alarm settings to my liking. Unfortunately the CARLY stays in the superficial coding level BMW dealers have access to. It will not give access to the deeper level unfortunately.

Bottom line you will need to find a BMW or better an Alpina dealer who has experience in doing this specific modification. There are a few out there. I assume that Lichtenstein is a bit out there for you but based on where the car is you could ask forum members for suggestions as to where they got their Z8 tail lights coded.

[Peter Koh]

Hi Peter,

Unfortunately some of the tail lights segments are multi function and therefore a re wiring alone will not suffice. I received zero help from BMW in Switzerland, Munich would not assist my dealer either because they don't have the knowledge or because they don't want to help. I had to go to an Alpina dealer in Lichtenstein to get the job done. I have been told that he had to swap a couple of cables in a wire harness as well as go into the ECU to change the codes.

There are two layers of ECU coding. The first layer is accessible to all BMW dealers and is used to change convenience options such as alarm, windows or door lock settings. The second layer is deeper into the ECU and only accessible with the help of BMW Munich. It is in that deeper layer that the re coding of the tail lights must take place. Because BMW refused to help, even though my car is not an Alpina, my dealer got the access they needed with the help of Alpina to get into the deeper coding level and get the job done.

Regarding my posting above, I did buy the CARLY and corresponding iOS app. There are no settings directly compatible with the Z8 but I used the 5/E39 setting and was able to code the various options of the car. Some options refer to front and rear doors for example and you should ignore the rear which obviously refers to the E39. I was able to change the way my door lock and unlock (both at the same time) as well as change the alarm settings to my liking. Unfortunately the CARLY stays in the superficial coding level BMW dealers have access to. It will not give access to the deeper level unfortunately.

Bottom line you will need to find a BMW or better an Alpina dealer who has experience in doing this specific modification. There are a few out there. I assume that Lichtenstein is a bit out there for you but based on where the car is you could ask forum members for suggestions as to where they got their Z8 tail lights coded.

- - - Updated - - -

Hi Peter,

Unfortunately some of the tail lights segments are multi function and therefore a re wiring alone will not suffice. I received zero help from BMW in Switzerland, Munich would not assist my dealer either because they don't have the knowledge or because they don't want to help. I had to go to an Alpina dealer in Lichtenstein to get the job done. I have been told that he had to swap a couple of cables in a wire harness as well as go into the ECU to change the codes.

There are two layers of ECU coding. The first layer is accessible to all BMW dealers and is used to change convenience options such as alarm, windows or door lock settings. The second layer is deeper into the ECU and only accessible with the help of BMW Munich. It is in that deeper layer that the re coding of the tail lights must take place. Because BMW refused to help, even though my car is not an Alpina, my dealer got the access they needed with the help of Alpina to get into the deeper coding level and get the job done.

Regarding my posting above, I did buy the CARLY and corresponding iOS app. There are no settings directly compatible with the Z8 but I used the 5/E39 setting and was able to code the various options of the car. Some options refer to front and rear doors for example and you should ignore the rear which obviously refers to the E39. I was able to change the way my door lock and unlock (both at the same time) as well as change the alarm settings to my liking. Unfortunately the CARLY stays in the superficial coding level BMW dealers have access to. It will not give access to the deeper level unfortunately.

Bottom line you will need to find a BMW or better an Alpina dealer who has experience in doing this specific modification. There are a few out there. I assume that Lichtenstein is a bit out there for you but based on where the car is you could ask forum members for suggestions as to where they got their Z8 tail lights coded.

Thanks for your prompt reply. Hopefully, someone in our forum with such issue could assist me further. Cheers Peter Koh

[Z803]

Hi Peter,
thanks for your post but you have the same problem as Bruno and I had before. I spoke to BMW Dortmund and they told me the same story as Bruno told us. I was quite lucky that a mechanic of BMW was keen enough to help me with his own knowledge and private software even though BMW is a classic dealer in Dortmund they are not allowed to help with US cars or similar. The reason for that is, that it would be a mix of US and ECE settings in the ECU which is not allowed here in Germany. The ECU would be mixed with US and ECE information which might cause errors. By changing the ECU US into ECE is even worse, because than you will have some US and same ECE electronic in your car. There are some people out there who are able to do the job as the dealer in L did, but not many. In the end my mechanic just changed the light settings very deap in the ECU light modul, that was about it. You can not change anything directly on the tail lights. I know, that does not help much, sorry, you might have to come to visit us here in GER or L to get the job done, or ask Sytner?
That's it for the moment

[Peter Koh]

Hi Peter,
thanks for your post but you have the same problem as Bruno and I had before. I spoke to BMW Dortmund and they told me the same story as Bruno told us. I was quite lucky that a mechanic of BMW was keen enough to help me with his own knowledge and private software even though BMW is a classic dealer in Dortmund they are not allowed to help with US cars or similar. The reason for that is, that it would be a mix of US and ECE settings in the ECU which is not allowed here in Germany. The ECU would be mixed with US and ECE information which might cause errors. By changing the ECU US into ECE is even worse, because than you will have some US and same ECE electronic in your car. There are some people out there who are able to do the job as the dealer in L did, but not many. In the end my mechanic just changed the light settings very deap in the ECU light modul, that was about it. You can not change anything directly on the tail lights. I know, that does not help much, sorry, you might have to come to visit us here in GER or L to get the job done, or ask Sytner?
That's it for the moment

Hi Karsten
Thank you for your answer and looks like I have to find someone with good ECU programming knowledge to fix this. Do not think this is going to be a major drama and will keep you guys posted.
Cheers Peter

[PeterPortugal]

See relevant post (Oct 09th 17) on this topic

http://www.bmwz8.us/forum/showthread.php?t=4566&p=53544#post53544

[PeterPortugal]

Karsten / Peter / Bruno,
New problem !! What did your guys do with the now no longer required US side markers?? Are these what you call running lights??
Did you just fix these to the inside of the new ECE bumper??
Did you remove them completely??
The BMW dealer says he cannot remove the lights without the controller signalling a fault.
Regards
Peter

[Z803]

Hi Peter,
in Germany it is not allowed to have those red side markers in the rear bumber, therefore I just put black paper on them and disconnected the lights by cutting the cables.
I do not know weather there might be a fault in the Controller, it just works fine like it is.

[PeterPortugal]

Hi Karsten,
Thanks for the quick response. I hope that the problem with the fault light is probably not too difficult to fix, if you did nothing other than cut the wires with no reprogramming of the module.
Regards
Peter

[Z803]

Hi Peter,

that is true, we just cut the wires because you can not reprogramme that in the light modul, same as the daylight driving light in front of the car (yellow indicators)

[Peter Koh]

Hi Peter,

that is true, we just cut the wires because you can not reprogramme that in the light modul, same as the daylight driving light in front of the car (yellow indicators)

Hi Peter, I did the same here but simply cut the wires for both the side indicators and daylight lights. Work out well. The cut wires could easily be re-connected back to stock if required.
hope this helps. Cheers Peter Koh

[PeterPortugal]

Karsten / Peter,
I can't understand why cutting the wires doesn't cause the fault light to come on but removing the bulbs does? Anyone got an answer for this?
Regards
Peter