Background: I'm planning to get a car this summer and I've been researching the Cooper. I noticed the blinkers where red on the R56 LCI facelifted models, and Mini is not offering different taillight options like the did in previous years.

I personally don't like red blinkers (Why am I buying a European car to get Americanized styling? But I digress...) and there is also the possibility of a move to Germany for me within the lifetime of my next car. I would have to convert the red blinkers to orange/amber blinkers in order to have a conforming car. (non-military)

I initially thought that there was simply a difference in the lens color of the circle between EU and US Minis, because the Mini that I test drove would flash the center of the red circle and that I would just need to swap the housing for a housing with a orange/white lens instead of the red lens.

However, I realized that the EU cars had the same red circle and that they did not use that as the blinkers. The yellow blinker for the EU cars is actually the white/chrome ring around the red circle. A function demo of the EU blinkers is between 1:47 and 1:50 here: http://youtu.be/bzcoeX5Y6ss

Part numbers for the housings have different part numbers between the EU and the US cars.
EU (left/right): 63217255909/63217255910 EU alternate: 63217255911/63217255912
US (left/right): 63217255913/63217255914

My questions are:
Do the US housings have a bulb holder for the orange blinkers or was that physically eliminated?
Would it be possible to reprogram the car to use the orange blinkers if I was able to get the European housing?
Are there wiring differences in the harness between the EU and US rear lights? (I think this one might be a bit difficult for you guys to answer since you don't have both Minis to compare)

Obviously, I don't have a car to look around in yet, but I'd like some input from guys who may have had experience modding their Minis and get an idea of how difficult of a retrofit/mod this may be. And if someone could investigate to see if a spot for an orange bulb is still in the housing or if it has been eliminated in the US cars, that would be awesome.

I ask because VW made the same sort of move with their newer models, switching to red blinkers. From what I've seen, VW would simply leave a blank in the light housing where the European blinker would be installed and use the same bulb as the brake lights for the blinkers. Which isn't difficult to overcome with some mods, rewiring, or a new housing. However VW made it difficult to retrofit the lights by making reprogramming the lights nearly impossible. Hopefully BMW isn't as evil.

Now, more about that red blinker fetish the German automakers seem to have developed lately...

 

I'm also with you on this one, but was thinking it could be simpler than what you are describing. I want to replace the turn signal bulb (which I assume is clear) with one that is amber. It will still shine through a red housing, but there are cars that do this and it still looks amber-ish.
For instance, the older MB E-Class


Does anybody know how difficult it is to change the turn signal bulb? I do not have good luck with changing bulbs, and if there's a little wire gate holding the bulb in then there's no way I'm touching that thing.

 

I can't really help you with how to change the bulbs, maybe an owner here can.
Are you sure this will work? Doesn't the center red circle also light up as a running light/brake light?

Is there simply no bulb that lights up the chrome/white ring around the red circle? If there is, that would be the one you'd want to convert to amber.

 

No, the center red circle is only turn signals. I'm not sure if there's a bulb for the ring (installed), but if there was it would have to be reprogrammed. Also, the Euro lights seem to be different because the lower half of the light is used for rear fog, while the top is brake-only.

 

I'm pretty sure the rear fog is acutally the red light in the lower bumper that is flanked by the reverse lights. If you look at the video I posted of the EU spec lights, you can see that both halves of main light light up as brake and as running lights.

My question is if it's at all possible to get the lights reprogrammed if you can somehow modify the existing lights to function like EU-spec or if you install new European lights.

 

Alright so getting to the bulbs is easier than I though. Just peel back the access panel in the trunk, locate the taillight unit, and it's the second bulb from the top. AKA the middle bulb. Hold the bulb carrier, twist, and pull out. That easy. On my way now to the auto parts store to pick up some amber bulbs.

 

Ok so not only did the amber bulbs I bought not fit (I had to file down one of the nubs), but even after they were in, it looked exactly the same.

 

Yeah, the filters are probably too thick for the orange light to shine though at all. I'll have to do some sleuthing of my own once I get my car unless someone jumps in and figures it out before then.

 

I haven't seen wiring diagrams for the R56 LCI, but in earlier years both 1st and 2nd gen, the wiring has been the same between EU/US. If you were to get Euro taillights, I think they would probably be a direct swap, plug and play.

 

Hopefully that would be the case and that the difference is just in the actual taillights, but I'm not counting on it since the blinker in the European version lights up a completely different part of the lights than the American version.

 

My guess is that the connector and wiring are the same, and the taillight itself has different internal wiring. But even if for EU the signals are on different pins at the connector, you can swap pins in the harness plug (no cutting required) to make them compatible. However I think it's more likely that US/EU use the same signals at the same connector pins.

 

What makes me doubt that it's this simple is the fact that it appears to me that the US configuration is essentially missing a light. The round red circle used as the turn signal in the US lights is actually an additional running light in the EU cars, and the clear ring lights up orange as the blinkers, this would be the extra light that the US config is missing. But I will just have to import a set of lights and see if they will work.

 

Using NCS Expert and coding of the FRM module, you should be able to reprogram the lighting to work as desired. I am very curious of the outcome of your project!

 

I just bought a 2013 and was exceedingly annoyed at the lack of amber rear indicators. Did you have any luck with this?

thanks,
jim

 

I got a 2011 Cooper S 10 days ago and am working on making it mine.

I’d like a yellow rear turn signal as European cars should have (darn you, Marketing!). I’ve been looking at the tail lights and see where the yellow turn signal ring would glow but I can’t see a bulb.

So has anyone tried this? Has anyone removed and looked at the assembly? Is there a bulb hiding or did Mini change the bulb holder and wiring? Or is the Euro lamp assembly plug and play and the way to go?

I did check and I have rear fog bulbs so I will add a switch and try some reprogramming (anyone know the best place to order the toggle and switch plate?). Others have reported success with this so I hope a change to yellow turn signals would be as simple.

 

The bulb is not there in N. America Spec cars. the whole assembly is different.

 

There's a woman in our building (we're in the USA. She's British, but I don't think her car is) with a 2011 non-S with amber rear lenses in the center of the tailight. The housings look to be the same size on the outside.

jim

 

I noticed yesterday on the front page that Way Motors now has the Mini Blackline kit with the lighting assemblies.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ck-at-wmw.html

I called him and he has these in stock. They are the American, not Euro version. The center light is the turn signal with a clear lens (so get the right bulb to avoid yolk). It's not the Euro with an LED yellow ring around a red center light.

He has a picture of these installed on his GP. And when UPS makes a delivery next week, I'll have an upgrade to do on my car.

 

Blacklines arrived today and partially installed.
Still have to install the fog/reverse to match...after the holiday.
Put pictures in the "What did you do thread..."
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...post10981.html