What are US parking lights?
US parking lights (sidemarkers) keep the front turn signal lamps lit permanently at reduced brightness, the way position lights work. On BMW F series this setting lives in the FEM body module and is called “US sidemarkers”. Instead of the turn signals you can also use separate marker lamps or the mirror indicators.
Which settings do I enable?
CarCoding → Coding → BMW → FEM (Body):
- US sidemarkers → Turn signals — the front turn signals stay lit like parking lights.
- US sidemarker light function → Standing lights (on with the parking lights) or Daytime running light.
- US sidemarker brightness → High / Very bright (factory steps sit around 9 V; raising it reduces LED shimmer).
- Mirrors light up with US sidemarkers → Active — the side mirror lights come on with the parking lights.
Order does not matter; each row is written separately, and the app takes a full backup before writing.
A lamp flickers or blinks briefly while off
There are two separate causes, and both have a setting:
- Brief flashes while the lamp should be off → the module is checking whether the bulb is alive (cold/warm check). With an LED lamp you can see this.
- Constant shimmer / flicker → brightness too low. An LED lamp flickers at low duty cycle.
1) TURN ON — LED conversion
Coding → BMW → FEM (Body) → LED conversion → set the row for the flickering lamp to Active. It switches that lamp's check off and tells the module the lamp is an LED.
| Which lamp flickers? | Row to enable |
|---|---|
| Parking / position light inside the headlight | LED conversion position lights |
| Angel Eyes / daytime running light ring | LED conversion daytime running lights |
| Low beam | LED conversion low beam |
| Front turn signal (the one used for US parking lights) | LED conversion front turn signal |
| Mirror indicator | LED conversion side turn signal |
| Separate marker lamp | LED conversion sidemarkers |
| Fog light | LED conversion fog lights |
2) RAISE — parking light brightness
Coding → BMW → FEM (Body) → Angel Eyes → Angel Eyes brightness parking lights → raise the percentage (50% → 100%). Low brightness makes an LED lamp shimmer visibly.
3) TURN OFF — only in this case
If the flicker started after the US parking light coding, set US sidemarkers back to Off. Headlight position lights, turn signals and mirrors share the same module outputs; then enable the rows one by one to find which one caused it. If the lamp flickered before any coding, leave this row alone.
Warning: do not enable LED conversion for incandescent (bulb) lamps. It is unnecessary and it disables the bulb failure warning. LED conversion is meant for LED lamps only.
Frequently asked questions
The mirrors do not light up with the US parking lights
Check that “Mirrors light up with US sidemarkers” is Active. If the mirror lamp is an LED, also enable “LED conversion side turn signal”, otherwise the lamp blinks with the module's check pulses.
The flicker is still there
First make sure the matching LED conversion row is on, then raise the parking light brightness. If both are set, the lamp or its driver is the next thing to look at.
How do I go back to stock?
The app takes a full backup before every write; restore it from the backup section of the coding screen.
Which cars have these settings?
They come from the BMW F series FEM body module. The app reads the module from the car and lists only the rows that car actually has.
Connect your car and see what is on or off
A full backup is taken before coding; you can go back any time.
Last updated: 12 October 2026 · This page describes the BMW FEM body module settings inside the CarCoding app.