The Flickering Xenon Headlights....

[Chad2011]

Ok, i have been dealing with this for quite some time now. Randomly whether the car is moving or not my Xenon headlights ( both of them at the same time ) in my E46 keep flickering. Its not constant though and the headlights will remain on for a long period of time and all of a sudden flicker. The flicker is so fast sometimes you can't even notice. I am leaning towards this problem being a short somewhere in the car. I regrounded the taillights ( which i read somewhere ). It seemed as if it had worked but a day afterwards the flickering begun again. I have read and am sure if i go to the stealer they will tell me it is the Light Control Module which is a huge chunk of change. I'm not for sure what the next path i should take is towards fixing this preferably by myself.


Sorry about the long post....Thanks in Advance.....

[Edison@Jlevi SW]

This sounds like a ballast or bulb problem. Try swapping the bulb from one side to the other to see if the problem switches sides. If so, you need a new bulb. If not, it is most likely the ballast that is going out.

[timmay!]

Hey,

Ever get a fix for this?

It's probably not your bulbs or ballasts because we're having the same problem and have already tried an entire new light assembly (bulbs, ballast, ignitor).

We're thinking it's something on the car...probably a short...anybody know where the headlight fuses are located?

Also, was your car originally halogen or was it always xenon (just asking because we're converting but not sure if it's related or not).

Thanks,
Tim

[GreenBMW325is]

i was gonna say which ever bulb is flickering swap sides and see if problem follows. if it does it the bulb. but sence its both, kinda hard to tell. how old is the car, did it original have xenons. loose grounds can cause this issue. But does the light flicker and then after a while of driving the light is fine no flickering?

[timmay!]

Hey guys,

We got ours working properly...new LKM from a car that originally had Xenon.

$150 from these guys 916-631-4269

[Chad2011]

Hey, i still havent resolved mine....there was a period of time that lasted about 2 months where i had no flickering at all. So i assumed it had magically fixed itself. However, within the last week the flickering has returned and worse. Once again trying to find the solution....

The car is a 2000, Has xenons from factory, and bolth bulbs flicker at the same time ... not just one. Maybe a short? or bad ground?

Ugh.

[genuity]

Hey guys,

We got ours working properly...new LKM from a car that originally had Xenon.

$150 from these guys 916-631-4269

When you replaced the LCM did it give you any problems with tripping the odometer tamper? I see in the Bentley that it says that the LCM stores the miles and goes hand in hand with the cluster.

I notice the flickering at idle (in park), but it is on both lights so bulb changing won't help. One can barely see it because it happens too fast but for someone very detailed oriented like myself, I notice it. As soon as I put it in gear, it goes away. Could it be the voltage regulator or alternator? I know it is not the grounding for the tails--the connectors were not burnt and the flicker was there before I replaced the tails with Eagle Eyes.

@Chad: Sorry to hear you have not resolved it. The flicker is barely noticable, right? Did you notice if it disappears when you put it in gear?

[timmay!]

Yeah, the mileage light did come on when we fixed ours.

[300CCC]

Flickering xenon problem is ballast or ignitor. you need check which part bad.

90% xenon not work problem is ballast ,so first need check the ballast.

ballast and ignitor like this.

[VintageJPD]

Ok I have the same damn problem and it's driving me insane. I'm willing to try the LCM fix if there is someone out there that can give me an instance when an LCM replacement fixed this problem for sure. So far, there is no consensus on this problem and I KNOW lots of people have it. I saw another E46 tonight with the same problem.

Any new updates? Thanks

[nzdave]

I have the rapid flicker that come and go, it is both lights. I have checked the tail lights and connectors look fine with no crud on the metal contacts.

[Jetblack2000Ci]

Late to the party. I was reading up on HIDs a while ago and happened upon this article on Wikipedia. Sounds like the problem you are encountering. Read the subsection titled "end of life":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-in...ischarge_lamps

[Asha]

I recently purchased a used 2001 330xi with a similar problem. I spoke with a BMW tech in a dealer's parts department and he told me that the bulb either lights or doesn't. (Yes, he knew they were Xenons I was asking about.) So, I had eliminated the possibility that it might be the bulb in my mind. However, after reading the wiki article above, it seems to describe exactly what I'm experiencing. I'm going to try switching the bulbs and keep my fingers crossed that the problem follows the bulb.

If not, I will then check (and clean with DeOxit, if necessary) all the lighting connections on the car. If that doesn't work, I'll probably have to take it somewhere to have it diagnosed. But, I really hope it's just the bulb!

Thanks for the link, Jetblack.

[Jetblack2000Ci]

No problem. Good luck on finding the source of the problem. Hopefully it's nothing complicated. If it isn't the bulbs, chances are it's the ballast. Keep us updated. I'm sure there are others out there who are having the same problem.

[bmw330iSF]

So I have a 2001 330i that exhibited the same problems described here. The dealership states they need to replace both control modules and ignitors which is mega-bucks. I'm suspicious of this, and not sure it's required since the problem was intermittent and started happening consistently recently.

One of the back lights (back panel) had a burnt fuse. According to the dealership the back lighting is completely on a different circuit from the front ones. On another blog, one guy mentioned that fixed the problem. Could these be inter-related?

What's your advice?

Thanks.

[Jetblack2000Ci]

It could be possible that what the dealer is saying is true. I'm not too knowledgeable about the electrical systems on these cars but I'm sure someone around here could answer your question or at least point you in the right direction. My advice is that if you're iffy on what the dealer said I would suggest getting a second opinion from a reputable indy shop in your area that's familiar with BMWs.

[timmay!]

Hey bmw330i...

I'm in Sacramento and can recommend a couple of shops. Hit me up if you're interested.

Later,
Tim

[bmwbob89]

Try new bulbs first as they are the least expensive items.

[ryanl81]

ever get this figured out?

[blinkster]

I had the same issue on my 03 330 on one side. Changing out that bulb solved the problem.

[ryanl81]

well both of mine are flickering. I have the warning light indicating I have a tail light out which I dont. I was told by some local guys that I need a new LCM and have it reflashed. I have heard from a few other people that they adressed the tail light issue (which ended up being a bad ground) and simply had their existing control module reflashed and that fixed it. Guess Im just gonna have to drop it off and see what they come up with.

[rampage2587]

i have been having the same problem actually. and mines worse sometimes randomley my left headlight will go out all together. then i'll turn the lights off and back on and it comes on again then in a minute goes out again. it does this many times in a row before it finally stays on. then it will be fine for weeks then start doing it again. i read about the ballast and ignitor? where in the car do i look for these so i can take them out and replace them.

[SexualChocolate]

i have been having the same problem actually. and mines worse sometimes randomley my left headlight will go out all together. then i'll turn the lights off and back on and it comes on again then in a minute goes out again. it does this many times in a row before it finally stays on. then it will be fine for weeks then start doing it again. i read about the ballast and ignitor? where in the car do i look for these so i can take them out and replace them.

The ballast is on the headlight housing, the ignitor is inside it. You will need to remove them and swap parts out.

I had the same problem with mine. Ended up relpacing the ballast which didn't solve the problem although I believe that the ballast was on its way out. I replaced the ignitor and at the same time replaced the headlight housing gasket as I belived that moisture is what caused them to become faulty (no visible condensation was inside my housings, but moisture is usually what kills these things).

This is the facelift sedan DIY, it should be very similar
http://www.bigpatsfans.com/hl/headlight.htm

Exploded diagram of your xenon headlight
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...50&hg=63&fg=05

[rampage2587]

SC...you are my new best friend. lol. niiice. thanks

[SexualChocolate]

SC...you are my new best friend. lol. niiice. thanks

LOL

You're welcome man.