[Mr Black]

Folks, here's my situation:

Car (2009 335i) has displayed CC-136 code (left rear brake light failure) for a while now. Initially, no actual brake light failure/issues were visible. Dealer told me that the FRM connected to this brake light had registered some kind of a fault and would need to be reprogrammed, which they admitted ran the risk that the whole thing could be fried and result in me needing a $1000+ new FRM. They suggested I just leave it alone, which I did.

However...today a passer-by mentioned that I had a brake light out, and sure enough the left rear brake light is out.

Any thoughts on:

- is this an intermittent fault in the tail-lamp itself that has just finally manifested, and has nothing to do with the FRM?

- whether the tail light does or doesn't need to be replaced, the FRM will need to be re-programmed?

If the latter is true, is there any particular shop in Ottawa that anyone would trust with this? I'm leery of the dealer because they have a vested interest in selling me a brand-new FRM.

Thanks!

[Joe@TopGearSolutions]

It's possible the FRM registered enough faults that exceeded the maximum faults allowed, which would shut power off to that socket. If this is the case, it's easy enough to reset without replacing the FRM.

I recommend replacing bulb to see if it works. If not, then you will need the counter reset. If it does work, then monitor it for a few days to see if the error returns.

If you need assistance, we're able to help remotely.

[Mr Black]

Thanks for the feedback! Turned out it was in fact just a burnt bulb.....dealer got me all worked up for nothing. Bulb was replaced, code was cleared and life is back to normal.