Swapping out rear reflectors

you mean the rear fog lights?

 

It's a few bolts (8/10 metric?) to remove before popping off the underbody panels. It's probably easiest to use a lift and torque wrench extensions for the hard to reach bolts. I think you can leave the center panel attached and remove the left and right ones (works for ICE version).

 

Yeah, no lift needed. You can remove 1 8mm bolt behind each fog light to get enough room to get your hand in there to squeeze the back of the fog light housing and it will pop out. Very easy.

 

Search on YouTube and you'll find videos of people doing this. The undertray is slightly different on an ICE F56 but essentially the same. You just need to squeeze the housing and it will pop out.

 

I’m not much of a car guy and was able to replace them pretty easily. Undid one screw and then reached behind to pop them out. It was a little harder to reconnect the new ones to the (non functional) power socket.

 

Why is the socket non-functional?

 

Because the US fog lights aren’t enabled — you just have gotten the euro switch and coding installed.

 

OK, but the bulbs are there, and the harness is active, if you don’t get the new switch for rear fog lights, you can still activate them as auxiliary brake lights.

 

Yup.

Edit: oops sorry I hit “send”.

There was an old thread about it that dropped off the front page a couple of months ago. If you go the rear fog route the switch is available on Amazon cheaper than just about anywhere else. For the auxiliary brake light there’s nothing to add, just coding.

 

Sorry, it took a while to dig it up via search. H/t to @JonR and all those who’ve helped with this. Enter expert mode in BimmerCode and then:

 

Yesssssss!!!

 

Now all you need to do is teach your son how to help you do rinseless washes in the winter, and he could be the perfect kid! Lol