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E36 M3 (1992-1999) {Euro - S50 B32 321hp @ 7400 rpm} {U.S. - S52 B32 240 hp @ 6000 rpm}
Total Produced: 71,212 - Years Produced: 1992 to 1999

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Old Fri, Jul-30-2010, 12:39:18 AM   #5
Supered ///M
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Originally Posted by Sirius View Post
It was my understanding that the light checks done by the OBC registered high resistance or infinite resistance (which is what would happen to a burned out bulb as the inert gas inside the bulb will offer a much larger resistance than an intact filament) as the error. The same is with the case of HIDs as they don't have an actual filament which results in a 'high / infinite' resistance reading.

So, how does adding a resistor fix this?

Also, OP... the last I checked LED's do not have resistors built into them directly. Maybe small ones for the circuit board, but not on the actual lamp.

-----

Oh, and my 'fix' for my headlamp code (or any other error) is the TEMP button.
IIRC, our cars work by measuring a range of resistances to determine whether or not to throw a code. Too little resistance, in the case of an LED bulb, will measure too high outside the range of resistance. Similarly, bulb out will not measure a current, and throw a code.

OP, the best thing I think you could do is measure the resistance of the bulb using an ohmeter and then work backwards. Wire a resistor in series with the bulb (as previously suggested) that will give you a current reading similar to what you would get with a normal bulb.

One thing I did for my ZKWs (because I use a PnP switch with a relay to activate the lights) was wire a resistor between both + and - wires to resemble the draw on a regular headlight. A relay will draw on the order of milliamps and you need something on the amps to stop the OBC from tripping.

Obviously your taillights might draw a different resistance than headlights, so I can't say for sure what resistance you should use, but probably no bigger than 12 ohms.
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Discussing LED bulbs trip light out code? in the E36 M3 (1992-1999) Forum - {Euro - S50 B32 321hp @ 7400 rpm} {U.S. - S52 B32 240 hp @ 6000 rpm}
Total Produced: 71,212 - Years Produced: 1992 to 1999 at BMW M3 Forum.com (E30 M3 | E36 M3 | E46 M3 | E92 M3 | F80/X)