After experiencing the usual flickerring issue when I plugged the first set of 6418 LED bulbs I bought to the license plate of my Mini Cooper R50 2005, I decided to go for a second purchase: the "High Powered 9 LED SMT Festoon 10mm diameter / Fully Regulated - Non-Polar Proprietary Circuitry. Protected Under (USPatent # 7,345,433)" offered for sale by Autolumination (Web). The price for 2 of those was $23+ with shipping.
Despite the fact that those guys claim their bulbs been a "Direct drop-in replacement for all OEM bulbs" and resistor issue free, I still experienced the flickerring issue!
After I've raised the issue to them, I got this prompt answer: "Some automotive circuits send a trickle of current thru the circuit even when the circuit is "off". This trickle of current is not enough power to light a filament bulb so it is just drained off as heat. It will light an led though. The current is not enough to drain the battery. It can be corrected by installing one 100 ohm load equalizer across the circuit at each bulb that is lit. This will drain off the power before it reached the leds just like the filament bulbs do". Then they offered the link to purchase the Load Equalizer on their Website ...
My comment: those bulbs cost more, are not better than the other (despite the special mention they post on their WebSite & are definitely not "Direct drop-in replacement for all OEM bulbs" as they claim
I do not get the fact that no Manufacturer has been able to offer a product "well resistance balanced" on the market ...

 

Did you still get a bulb out warning? How do you see the flicker in the daytime? You have me wondering now. I just installed a set of plate LED's and I got no bulbout warning so I thought I was done. I know the system can detect a bulbout without turning the lights on so I believe you about this small idling current issue. I am going to check mine for flickering now. If they work I will reveal my source.

 

My bulbs check out. I started the car tonight and ran around to the back. I saw 1 flicker. I stared at it for about 2 minutes and nothing else, no flicker. The single blink was so short I really can't see how you would see that in the daytime and it only does it once. no bulb outs on the way home. As far as I am concerned that is acceptable performance but to each his own.

My source to anyone interested: $17.98 shipped is the cheapeast I have seen for something that works. www.ledautomotive.com and they are the 6 LED version "car specific for BMW E46". They fit snug without tweaking the tabs unlike some popular incandescent LED lookalike bulbs on the market, and do not give the bulbout warning. They do have a 9 LED version for more but I have to say this 6 is plenty bright enough. In my garage I can just make them out in the rearview mirror so it is way brighter than incandescent. it is shining down so there simply is no other issue to be concerned about.

 

Appreciate the advice. I may consider your source if I decide to go for LED again in the future. Actually, I got bored and got back to incandescent quartz blue bulbs, which are not as great as LED, I must confess!
Thanks again

 

Is this the part # you used?
http://www.ledautomotive.com/product.php?id_product=32

 

i just installed the leds from ledautomotive and so far there is no flickering or bulb warning sign yet.

http://ledautomotive.com/product.php?id_product=129

 

Sorry I have been away guys, No that's not the one. Go under "car specific" and use the BMW E46 plate light.

http://www.ledautomotive.com/product.php?id_product=129

Holly #@$# they are on sale for 13.98 right now guys. Go for it!

It sounds like the originator of this thread used the 9 LED version instead of the 6 LED version. I have more info on the flickering issue. At least on my 09 JCW when you first start the car a small idling current is indeed sent to all your exterior lights. I have LED turnsignals right now so I can see the reflection of what is going on. The current stays on for about 10 seconds. The LED's will flicker during this time, no getting around it. But it is 10 seconds only then it turns off. Any LED would stop flickering at that point so if the originator is still around, get rid of that loose fitting Hoen incandescent light and put your LEDs back in!!! You got the top of the line, should be super bright.

 

Ordered mine today on sale.
Will post any pertinant info if any issues arrise.

 

Replaced the lights with the LED's and here is what I find.
The lights blink only when the interior courtesy lamps are on, then turn off when the interiors automatically go off, apprx. 15 seconds.
They will also go off (stop blinking)as soon as the ignition is on.

Also noticed they will blink when the "unlock" botton is pressed from the remote and will go off if the "lock" botton is pressed on the remote. (this follows the interior lighting cues).

They do not blink at all, if the lights are turned on(in any position).

There is no bulb out warnings, I cant see them flash during the day and at night, they are bright and light up the ground behind.

I would say Im pleased with the outcome and the product.

 

Thank you Guys!
Then they blink only temporarely and, according to you, this is not an issue.
I appreciate your feed back and will put them back on my Mini straight away! Thanks again

 

Well,when they blink, my wife kind of thinks they look like some of the mods the "young kids" bling their cars up with.
The blinking wattage does not appear to be as bright as when they are on steady....again, I can live with it.

 

I have been away again. Sorry about that guys. What you describe is exactly what my 05 MCS does. The LED plate light flickers full time as long as the ignition is on (but still I really cant see it in the daytime unless I am within an arms length of the bumper).

That same plate light bulb works in the trunk. It is very bright in there (the 09 has this light pointing down so it is much dimmer). But it is beyond flickering in the trunk on the 05. The LED actually stays on if the igntion is on at a low level full time (until you lock the door). Despite it being on it is still pulling less power than an incandescent even though it is off (anything over .707 volts will turn the LED on resistors are typically used to pull the voltage down below .707 so they turn off but this adds heat and can shorten the life of the bulb). As long as you use the rear cargo cover it probably wont bother you much.

The 09 has a different monitoring system so the trunk and plate lights do not have that idling current unless the ignition is on without the engine running (and then the plate light is in parking mode and is on even if it is incandescent) and just the first 10 seconds after the engine is started.

 

Can someone post their finished product at night? I've been wanting to do this ever since the new Lexus's put the bright lights on their plates, but I don't want it to look juvenile. Thanks!

 

Sorry ChandlerAdaway, I was away again. I have several pics of the plate light in my gallery at night and other recent posts of this subject matter. Remember, you only need the high end bulb if you have an R56. You can get by with a cheaper bulb like $2.00 each shipped on ebay if you have an R53. The fancy and cheap ones will both give the light show as described above in an R53. It is just the R56 that reports a bulbout condition when the less expensive LED is used. They are about the same brightness.