how to remove brake light switch?

Hi,
My car has taken revenge for me driving down a nasty, rutted country road by refusing to operate the brake lights! They come on when the switch on the pedal is bridged, so it appears that the switch is broken. But I can't get the old one out.

How do you get it out? Are there tabs that need to be pushed in? Are they on the top/bottom or sides?

I really need my car in 3 days time, so any help on how I get the switch out to repair/replace it would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Simon

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nomis3613
My car has taken revenge for me driving down a nasty, rutted country road by refusing to operate the brake lights! They come on when the switch on the pedal is bridged, so it appears that the switch is broken. But I can't get the old one out.

How do you get it out? Are there tabs that need to be pushed in? Are they on the top/bottom or sides?

The same thing happened to mine -- the brake lights were on all the time. At night I could see the light from the center brake light reflected in the rear window, and I could turn it off by sticking my toe under the brake pedal and pulling up. But obviously that's a pain, and it stopped working after a while. Replacing the switch by the pedal fixed the problem.

I faced the same problem as you -- I could not get the $%^&* thing out. Eventually in a fit of anger I just ripped it out and broke whatever little plastic tabs were holding it in. Since it was broken already, I didn't really care. Just make sure you have a replacement switch in hand first! It's just a cheap, flimsy little plastic thing.

__________
Dave
'91 325iX

When you buy the new switch just ask the parts guy how it installs. Once you see this, you will know how to take it out.
It's still a hassle so just rip it out with a pair of pliers; it's already broken

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Archeo-peteriX
When you buy the new switch just ask the parts guy how it installs. Once you see this, you will know how to take it out.
It's still a hassle so just rip it out with a pair of pliers; it's already broken

Thats what I did!

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rkj

Quote
Archeo-peteriX
When you buy the new switch just ask the parts guy how it installs. Once you see this, you will know how to take it out.
It's still a hassle so just rip it out with a pair of pliers; it's already broken

Thats what I did!

Thanks for the tips! After inspecting the new one, I actually got the old one out without destroying it. Thought I'd share the secret in case anyone stumbles across this thread in the future.

The trick is that the switch must be extended so you can press tabs on the top and bottom, so you can pull the switch out.
- so get a good friend (cos you will get quite cosy together in the footwell...) to push the brake pedal in and hold a torch up at the switch
- then pull the red cylinder as far out as it goes (until it tapers at the end- this is the space you need to push tabs into)
- then push the tabs on the top and bottom in, curse a bit and eventually the switch will wiggle out towards the back of the car

Simon
PS Wanna hear a great joke? Cost of brake light switch on Pelican Parts: US$15. Cost from BMW Australia: AU$44 (~US$31). For a switch! BMW = Breaks My Wallet, indeed.