External lights are an important component of any vehicle’s design. They're not there only to help you see the road more clearly; they're there to alert other road users too. Using and maintaining your car lights is an assurance of being safe on the road making it easier for yourself and others to drive conveniently and safely on the road. There are brake lights, dipped beam headlights, full beam headlights, parking lights, sidelights, DRLS etc in any car all of which serve a different purpose but parking lamps would probably be the most confusing part in BMW which causes confusion as to what its purpose and function. Parking lights are usually the first bulbs that need replacing in the BMW 3 Series F30 F31 F34 GT headlight assembly and their failure is the source of showing warning message on iDrive and instrument cluster saying ”Parking lamp malfunction”. This blog will first describe the purpose of parking lamps and then the method of a quick fix to get rid of this issue.
What is the purpose of parking lamps?
When your BMW is parked in a poorly lit street or place; parking lamps work as visual markers to identify the rear and front of the vehicle. Front parking lamps provide clear visibility of your vehicle to the other drivers on the road. Using low or high beam bulbs when parking a car might be sometimes confusing, therefore it is always a good idea that you turn on the parking lamps when parking your BMW in a dark or poorly lit place.
However, sometimes you can use DRLs with the parking lamps to provide more visibility on the road. These lights are assumed to last long, but after reaching a certain point; you may feel that the light produced by these parking lamps is not as bright as it should be. You might also receive a warning message on your instrument cluster indicating parking lamps malfunction. This issue is common for 3 series BMW f30 f31 f34 gt (gran turismo) models with halogen headlights.
Usually, this error message calls for the replacement of the bulb of the parking lamp which like every other electronic component has a normal lifespan and completed its life. A simple replacement with a new BAX9S H6W 434 Bulb should fix this error.
Parking lamps on a BMW 3 2012-2019 series are located at the top inside corner of the high beam in the headlight assembly. Usually, these headlights in BMW houses parking lights, DRLs, low beam, high beam, and turn signal indicator bulbs all within a single assembly therefore it is crucial that when you attempt to diagnose and resolve the issue, you reach to the right bulb. It is really important that all these lights are in ideal working condition to remain law compliant while driving the car on the road. Parking lights in a BMW usually contain a small 6w bulb that is accessed from the top of the headlight assembly through a removable cover.
How to fix this issue?
Replacing a parking lamp bulb is not a tricky job unless you do not have any technical skills. You can attempt it as a DIY at your home and do it even cheaper with literally no tools required than taking it to the garage and pay for the replacement charges. Here is a step by step guide for replacing a bulb at home.
The parking lamps on your BMW F30 3 series are a standard 12v/6w bulb. You need to get a genuine replacement part to make it a success. You can buy genuine BMW parts and bulbs from xenons4u.
- Locate the parking light which is located behind the protective cover on the top of the headlight assembly.
- Turn the cover counterclockwise and remove it.
- The parking light is the first bulb underneath the cover. You need to grasp it carefully and pull it free from the headlight assembly.
- Remove the bulb by pushing it in gently and turn it until it releases from the plug.
- To install a new bulb, simply reverse the process, and here you go!
Congratulations on doing it yourself!
This replacement should take about 15 minutes and the warning message should be cleared from the iDrive display and instrument cluster but beware that touching the new bulb with your bare hands might transfer the oil from your skin and cause it to overheat.
