Mine is a 2014 F56 S—it has halogen everything. It has the tail light wiring harness with the 5-pin configuration. I've swapped all the bulbs in the front out for LED (except for the DRLs; I just disabled those). Wanting to add the LED side scuttles and tail lights next. The side scuttles seem super easy, and the tails seemed easy enough at first glance. However, the more I dig into it, the more unsure I get.

My original plan was to get OEM tails and follow the instructions from the YouTube video below, but it appears that MINI may have upgraded the software and rendered these instructions obsolete? It also appears that Bimmercode is slightly different now from what was posted in the video.

 

They had Halogen and LED seen below (non Union Jack) options from 2014+ ...then in 3/2018 MINI mixed things up and changed the parts number on the oem parts and added the Union jack Version LED and the stock older style in LED and continued them in to 3/2018+

Halogen



LED


LED UJ




Some MINI had issues overall with the aftermarkets, it think it has to do with the change over period and coding, not many with the programming from the feedback we heard on the Ziza ones. On the others, dont know.

The factory ones are made by OLSA and they are the ones who with MINI design pioneered the factory Union Jack Taillights.

 

From what I understand, the halogen -> aftermarket LED swap is one of the easier swaps. Mostly because the halogen lights already have separate running, turn, and brake lights. Though, like the video you shared shows, coding is still needed to get the lights to function fully as intended (the video shows that the running light portion is lighting up with the brake lights before coding, which isn’t supposed to be the case). Note that the OE U.S. UJ lights will cause you a headache because they’re coded very different (due to the combined brake/turn lights). Stick to the aftermarket lights in that regard.

I can’t speak to the specific wiring and/or coding changes needed for the older cars, unfortunately. I’ve seen tons of aftermarket light retrofits, and to be totally blunt it seems many people take the plug-and-play thing to heart and don’t do the coding changes necessary to get the lights to function as designed. That is, I’ve seen the UJ running light part blinking for turn signals, same part lighting up as brake lights, the middle amber bar not functioning as the turn signal, and all sorts of combinations thereof (likely dependent on model year and factory options). For me, I wanted 100% functionality, to truly look OE.

Something else to keep in mind when doing your research: European and UK cars all have separate amber turn signals from the factory. US cars do not all have separate turn signals (e.g., later cars with factory UJ lights). So some retrofits will be more simple with Euro/UK cars than they are with US cars. Again, if you’re looking for 100% functionality.

 

Sadly, I think a lot of people just accept the (mal)functioning as just how they’re supposed to be. I’ve genuinely seen very few aftermarket tails on the 3rd gen cars that are functioning fully as they’re designed. I think a lot of people are just happy if they don’t get bulb error codes. To each their own!

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond in such detail. I think I’ll probably go with the aftermarket Ziza/VLAND option, and seek additional help as needed.

 

For us USA people, I personally did not like that with the aftermarket lights the horizontal portion of the brake lights didn't come on along with the vertical portion. I thought it wasn't visible enough. I installed Mini OEM lights (pretty sure made by Olsa) and coded them with Bimmercode. If coded correctly they work exactly as a car that came with them as stock. No flicker, no dash warnings and correct brake/turn function. Mine is a 2017 F56 MCS with halogen everything, and has the 5 wire connector requiring moving wire from pin #1 to pin #5

 

For the coding, did you follow one set of instructions that worked perfectly, or was it a trial-and-error-type situation using various sources?

If I felt confident that I had good instructions to follow, I’d order the unbranded Olsa ones.

 

I ordered the 63135A1FAB6 Facelift Kit from ECS, It had to be ordered in. These are genuine BMW / Mini branded, you can see the word MINI through the lens inside the light.
This is the Coding:
Union Jack Light Coding Using BIMMERCODE For:

F-56 USA Pre LCI Version with Halogen bulbed Tail Lights
Installing OEM BMW MINI LED Union Jack Tail Lights 63217435135 / 63217435136 or 63135A1FAB6 Facelift Kit
You must perform wire swap to tail light connector, move wire from Pin #1 to Empty Pin #5


Error Code & Flicker Removal
1.Go into the Body Domain Controller category
2. Stay in Basic Mode

Find: LED Conversion category
Find: LED conversion Brake Force Display Set to Active
Find: LED conversion brake light Set to Active
Find: LED conversion inner tail lights Set to Active
Find: LED conversion outer tail lights Set to Active
Find: LED conversion rear turn signals Set to Active

Change into expert mode

Find # 3061 Category: LcxOutputChannels2 module
Find: BL_L_IS_LED Set to aktiv
Find: BL_R_IS_LED Set to aktiv
Find: BL_L_KALTUEBERWACHUNG Set to nicht_aktiv
Find: BL_R_KALTUEBERWACHUNG Set to nicht_aktiv
Find: BL_L_WARMUEBER RWACHUNG Set to nicht_aktiv
Find: BL_R_WARMUEBERWACHUNG Set to nicht_aktiv


Blinker Priority Over Brake Light
1. Go into the Body Domain Controller category
2. Change to Expert Mode

Find: 3064 - Category:
Find: Mapping_brakeforced_1_L_Output Set to bl_l
Find: Mapping_brakeforced_1_R_Output Set to bl_r

Find: 3065- Category:
Find: Mapping_brakeforced_2_L_Output Set to bfd_l
Find: Mapping_brakeforced_2_R_Output Set to bfd_r
Find: Mapping_bremsl_2_L_output Set to fra_h_l
Find: Mapping_bremsl_2_R_output Set to fra_h_r
Find: Mapping_Blinken_2_L_output Set to bl_l
Find: Mapping_Blinken_2_R_output Set to bl_r

Find: 3068 - Category: LCEMASTER
Find: ESS_AKTIVERBARER_AUSGANG Set to bremslicht_blinkend

 

This only works with the OE U.S. lights, since all others have an amber turn signal. Funny, because I think most people (me, included) don’t like the combined brake/turn lights on the U.S. lights.

 

If you’re looking at the non-OE U.S. lights, then check out this thread about coding:

https://www.minif56.com/posts/889172/

 

NBCGLX, I made it abundantly clear what lights my coding was for, the stock OEM lights. As far as likes, to each their own. At first I had ordered some lights off Amazon and then returned them because of unlike what you said, only the vertical portion of the brake light lit.

 

I know, I was emphasizing that point because the lights being discussed in this thread are not the U.S. OE lights. I’m not knocking your choice, not at all. I just find it funny that most folks are seeking the opposite of what you are. Sometimes I do the same. To each their own ☺️

 

Received my OEM UJ Tail Lights, and got them installed on the MINI and coded per the instructions in Post # 33. However, I think I must've messed one of the coding steps up. Everything works great when the headlights/tail lights are off. Whenever the headlights/tail lights are ON, the blinker/brake light also illuminates the entire time (the combined horizontal/vertical bars). The blinker does work properly when engaged, however, it stays illuminated with the rest of the tail light when not in use.

Going to try the following coding instructions tonight to see if it fixes the problem. The instructions below were found on THIS POST.

In bimmercode go to, BDC_BODY, 3065 Lcdlampmapping4 , MAPPING_STANDL_H2_L_OUTPUT , change from “bl_l” to “off”. Repeat for right. This instructs the ECU to not light the brake light as the second tail light.

UPDATE:
That last bit of coding to MAPPING_STANDL_H2_L_OUTPUT worked! Tail lights are working as intended. Thanks again to PClay!