3rd Brake Light Bulb Replacement on a 2012 BMW 550i xDrive 4.4L V8 Turbo

BMW 550i xDrive Model Years - 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

Steps to remove a middle brake bulb on a 2012 BMW 550i xDrive

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What would you like your bulbs to do? See Clearer Upgrade To LED HID Style

Consider a premium bulb like the Silverstar Ultra with a specially designed filament, proprietary gas mixture and lamp coating for the best downroad lighting. Learn more about Silverstar Ultra.
Upgrade your fog lights to LED with a direct install option that will connect easily to your car’s existing bulb housing. Sylvania has an option with aviation grade aluminum body and a turbo cooled fan. Check out Sylvania LEDs.
Consider a bulb like the zXe with a proprietary Xenon gas mixture to match the white light of HID lights for the brightest headlight and added clarity. More information on zXe bulbs.

Author

Hans Angermeier is an ASE certified Maintenance and Light Repair Technician and has produced over 100,000 videos showing drivers how to fix things on their cars. He has broad expertise on basic repair procedures covering the majority of cars on the road. Over the past 10 years, Hans has been focused on building CarCareKiosk, which is visited by millions of drivers each month.

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Video Description

The center brake light on your 2012 BMW 550i xDrive, which is sometimes referred to as the third brake light or stoplight is also known as the center high mount stop lamp (CHMSL). The 3rd brake lights up when you hit the brake pedal and helps prevent you from being rear ended by the cars behind you. See how to change the center brake light (CBL) on your BMW 550i xDrive in this how-to video. Be careful not to touch the bulb directly with your fingers when you replace the center brake light bulb on your 550i xDrive, touching the bulb causes the it to burn out quicker.

A burnt out center brake light bulb in your 550i xDrive is an excuse for a police officer to pull you over. Check your bulbs frequently and change burnt bulbs promptly. Sometimes the stoplight has multiple bulbs in the housing whereas in other vehicles, the 3rd brake light is an LED brake light strip that must be replaced all at once.

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