BMW E36 Forum

Hi everyone if your like me at all you hate the little niggardly bit that dont work or make little noises etc etc. Well I hate it when a light bulb doesn't work, so today I tried to buy a e36 ash tray bulb tried all the spare shops and motor factors, no luck at any of these places , so had to resort to main dealer, after I regained conciousness, and picked myself up off the floor I very reluctantly had to pay £7.40 for this tiny bulb that is fixed into its own holder. how can they justify that price !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eurocarparts are relatively cheap and i shop around on ebay too. Yeah main dealers are v.expensive.

Actually they don't have to justify it. What to me is the main problem is it is engineered with a specialty bulb that isn't worth making a stock item outside the dealerships. The headlight swithch bulb is the same way...but I found one at a salvage yard and bought it for $0.75. Looked at about 6 with same configuration to find one that wasn't already 'scarfed'!

Tried euro parts and many other motor factors including GSF and all have said its a main dealer part only. I have changed the head light switch bulb twice now, also a couple of the dash light bulbs and even the small bulbs in the boot spoiler brake light, all these bulbs are ready available at motor factors and spares shops at reasonable cost it just seems the two ash tray and cig lighter bulbs are the same bulb and holders and are main dealer only with main dealer price to match.

After reading your last post, I checked the junkyards for cig. ltr. and ashtray lamps. Found they had not been consumed as with the headlight switch lamp. Thanks...jim