AC and H/M Lights Not Working After Pulling C33 ('97 318ti)

[SNOWti]

Hello fellow ti Enthusiasts!

I have a small but significant interior light problem - specifically the AC and H/M lights not working suddenly.

I've tried searching and Googling and its taking too long to find a solution and this is bugging the heck out of me! Whats new right...!

Here's a quick explanation - I bought a second 318ti, it was basically garage kept, interior after cleaning is excellent, near new I'd say! The whole car turned out to be great and at a deal of a price!

Anyway, one of the things it needed was a CODE WAIT input into the BMW C33 Radio which the owner gave me - the code and serial number. But the radio wasnt accepting the code and I thought, maybe the person didnt get the right serial or code numbers mixed up a bit, I dont know.

So I decide to pull out the stereo since it seemed like an easy thing to do, very carefully, not to damage the plastics, trim, so on, to check the serial and get maybe the right code from a nearby dealer. Ive dealt with the other 318ti I own a little more so I know the radio dash area fairly well from that experience.

So I note the serial bumber verified as the one given to me, okay. I then put the radio BACK into the dash, very carefully, slowly so as not to jam the radio back in, and I had a bit of trouble with the thick wiring harness, antenna cable, etc. and how it was originally inside, after a bit of play with the radio and insertion methods it went in.

BUT NOW the lights for the AC controls AND only the lights for the H and M on the clock do not light up! All other dash and interior lights work fine and oddly enough the CLOCK lights up but not the H/M button lights below it! These sets of lights worked before I did this, I didnt unlplug anything and the car is in excellent condition with no indication of tampering with anything and even the inside of the dash is basically clean!

So did I push a cable off or unplug something? I removed the radio again, carefully, patiently, and just tried moving cables attached to those two areas lightly, just to see if they would flash as an indication of loose connections, but nothing.

Did I blow a fuse? But I checked the fuses and they look fine, no burnt fuses that I can tell, I checked them all visually.

Im just :loco: about this. Why would only those lights go out?

Anyone have this problem before? I'd really hate to tamper anymore with the dash radio section, I dont want to ruin anymore things, nor pull parts apart since its so factory like untampered with and that radio AC trim has some delicate parts.. Darn it!

Damn C33! Im just going to buy a tested working C33. Even the radio has little wear of use.

I can take photos if requested to get this resolved.

Thanks very much for any input, ideas, help, so on.