[rich67]

Hi everyone.I have a 2011 325i and a while ago i started getting warnings telling me my rear reversing light on the right had an issue and then another saying rear fog light on the opposite side also had an issue.Not being very hands on and a bit of a frank spencer(for those who remember him) i knew i would probably break something if i started fiddling .The car was due an MOT and i presumed that the bulbs were just faulty and could be replaced then.
The car had its MOT and the tester said there was an electrical fault and he thinks he can fix it for about 100 pounds plus VAT.
I just wondered if anyone else has had this and how you managed to solve it and if the price sounds ok.
The main issue is that all this is affecting the rear lights as when the lights are on the back right is fine but the back left only lights up on the bit actually attached to the car body and the bit that is on the boot does not and so i have a full light one side and half a back light on the other.
Sorry for the long post and thanks for taking the time to read it.All the best Rich

EDIT .. i searched for a broken wire as kindly suggested below and found 2 broken brown wires both from the top but did not find/look hard for the bottom of them...i then went indoors quickly and came back out to look for the bottom end of the brown wires and the boot is now locked shut and will not open at all which has really escalated the problem!!..as i type this my wife is looking at me across the room with a mixture of anger and distain so any ideas or help would be much appreciated!! thanks again Rich

[N5GKP]

If it's not a case of replacing the bulb will fix it then chances are it's a broken wire.
You didn't state whether it was E90/1/2/3 (unless I'm being blind), but as you open the tailgate there will be a bit of black flexible looking tubing that the wires will run through (on the E91 it may run through the hinge I can't remember 100%). Pop the black tubing out to expose the wires, gently pull on the wires individually, chances are you'll pull one right through and that's what needs repairing - relatively simple if you're handy with a soldering iron

[rich67]

Originally Posted by N5GKP

If it's not a case of replacing the bulb will fix it then chances are it's a broken wire.
You didn't state whether it was E90/1/2/3 (unless I'm being blind), but as you open the tailgate there will be a bit of black flexible looking tubing that the wires will run through (on the E91 it may run through the hinge I can't remember 100%). Pop the black tubing out to expose the wires, gently pull on the wires individually, chances are you'll pull one right through and that's what needs repairing - relatively simple if you're handy with a soldering iron

Thanks for your quick reply N5GKP. My car is an E90 i believe.I had a look and found a broken wire.Shut the boot and came in and now the boot is locked shut and will not open after 15 mins trying!! any ideas lol...ive managed to make things worse already.

[N5GKP]

Originally Posted by rich67

Thanks for your quick reply N5GKP. My car is an E90 i believe.I had a look and found a broken wire.Shut the boot and came in and now the boot is locked shut and will not open after 15 mins trying!! any ideas lol...ive managed to make things worse already.

Apologies for the late reply. I assume by now you'll have sorted the issue or had the issue sorted? Either way, I'll reply just incase. I'm going on the assumption that it was a broken brown wire as is usually the case. That supplies the earth for the tailgate latch. The only way to get it open I can think of would be to remove the rear bench (or fold if you're lucky enough to have this option). Remove the fabric trim on the tailgate and see if you can apply a voltage and earth to the catch, if you can it'll open. If not then you'll need to force the catch open manually (may have an emergency release if you're lucky!)