Interior "armrest" compartment light.

[ncnmra]

Is this light supposed to be on all the time while the car is running? I just noticed this, but I would have figured that there would be a switch. I was just driving at night and noticed light through the small crack at the top. Just curious.

[ncnmra]

Nevermind; found a similar post: http://www.zpost.com/forums/showpost...4&postcount=15

I found the switch, and it works; but the tab is broken off. Any ideas for a fix? I suspect crazy-gluing something in there likely won't work. Maybe a small set screw?

[DataStream18]

Superglue will work just find, all it is is a little toggle switch that it hits, really light pressure. That is if you still have the small tab.

[WestCDA]

I've never had much luck with adhesives for parts that are subject to repetitive contact like that. Should be able to fab up a replacement out of metal fairly easily, one would think?

[DataStream18]

Yup!

[renesis]

mine's ON all the time too, I thought it was weird..

[Chamberlin]

I just broke the tab on mine when removing the aluminum trim (to get CF wrapped)....the tab that holds the micro switch is a joke, and the switch is kinda of a joke too...could have been a nice plunger instead (like on a glove box)....hmmmm that gives me an idea...

[nwflbimmer]

Put a LED bulb inside then I will never get too hot or drain the battery. My wife said it would be excellent place to keep her Balut! (look that one up!)

[antennahead]

Originally Posted by nwflbimmer

Put a LED bulb inside then I will never get too hot or drain the battery. My wife said it would be excellent place to keep her Balut! (look that one up!)

LOL

[P-Man]

Mine too! I shoved a a small roll of duct tape in there (sticky side out) and its worked for a month now.

[Golfboy]

Today I noticed that the light in my console was on constantly even when closed which I'm sure will drain the battery eventually. Checking closer I found the small plastic tab on the bottom of the console door to be broken off. Since my car is out of warranty and I can't get a replacement door without paying BMW's crazy price for one, I thought of a simple solution to the problem. I cut a small piece of rubber tubing slightly larger that the gap at the bottom of the console door where the metal clip that needs to be depressed is located. Pressing the tubing into the slot until it pushes the metal clip down enough to turn off the console light. Problem solved. The storage space in the console is so small that a light is really unnecessary. Hope others might find this solution helpful.

[Finnegan]

^ Makes sense, and I totally agree that the light is unnecessary. Good and cleaver fix!

[Huz-Z]

That sounds like a very neat solution!

Aternatively, you could remove the bulb to avoid running down the battery.

[Roadie]

I also broke the plastic "fin" at the bottom of the door. I pushed a small ball of 3M "poster putty" down onto the switch and molded it to adhere to the plastic edge around the switch. (Colored it black with a sharpie). I wound up buying a new compartment door, but the putty worked in the interim.

[Petrosexual]

Why not just cut/ short the wires to the switch, and close the circuit permanently?

[bluecobra]

Or just remove the bulbs?? But be warned, they can be hot as hell if they have been on for months........

My car doesn't get driven often and usually 5-6 days would almost run down the battery with them on all the time.

[mike519]

I had this happen on my old 3.0i and all I did was cut a piece of plastic to the rough shape of the tab and epoxy it on. Worked perfectly.

[garto87]

I have repaired mine, the best method is to use rubber toughened super glue (Loctite Ultra Gel Control or something similar). Then put two pieces of plastic on either side to reinforce the joint, creating a lap joint, since a butt joint won't hold up with time.

Make sure to clean with alcohol before applying the glue to get a good bond.

General adhesive knowledge is that super glues (cyanoacrylates) are good for plastics but generally not "tough" (always get rubber toughened, it really helps but still isn't as good as epoxy). Epoxies are typically "tougher" but don't bond as well to plastics, and PU's are great for flexibility but typically less strength than Epoxy. All generalizations, that and more expensive adhesives usually are better than cheaper ones, there is a difference in the formulations.

"tough" is resistance to shock, aka vibration from golf club striking a ball.

[Chamberlin]

I ended up switching all my lights to LED, so I actually shoved the useless SOS switch into the hollows of the tunnel, replaced it with an automotive switch, and wired it to the light. Now I can turn on or off the compartment light myself manually.

[mr_z4mc1m_oz]

Mine broke when installing my Intravee. So I just disconnected the light. Its not like I can't see in the compartment at night with the main interior lights on. Plus I only carry a pen and a post it note pad in there (which I never use).