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Thread: The Flickering Xenon Headlights....

  1. #26
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    manitoba,canada
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    1
    My Cars
    2001 bmw 325i
    Quote Originally Posted by VintageJPD View Post
    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
    if this helps you, i had found in many instances that if you inspect the circuit board there may be a solder crack on curcuit tracks to components within if find one resolder the pin and all should be ok

    also in part to my previous reply i am looking for a electronics schematic on the igniters for the 325i model headlights [hella] if anyone can help in this request it be greatfully appreciated
    Last edited by twobloods; 11-12-2011 at 04:25 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Virginia
    Posts
    7
    My Cars
    328Ci

    Flickering xenons

    Did anyone ever figure this out? Mine has gotten to the point I can't drive it. Xenon headlights, both flickering nearly continuously now, randomly last week had a signal that the rear light was out but that went away when I got back in... Was going to replace the dash switch, but it's 400 bucks and I'd rather identify that is the issue. Help please?
    thanks in advance, Erika


    Quote Originally Posted by Chad2011 View Post
    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.

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Philadelphia, PA
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    5,660
    My Cars
    2005 M3 & 2004 330i
    Quote Originally Posted by 328Erika View Post
    Did anyone ever figure this out? Mine has gotten to the point I can't drive it. Xenon headlights, both flickering nearly continuously now, randomly last week had a signal that the rear light was out but that went away when I got back in... Was going to replace the dash switch, but it's 400 bucks and I'd rather identify that is the issue. Help please?
    thanks in advance, Erika
    if you haven't done so, try regrounding the taillights. Otherwise it might be the LCM; seems the older (pre-2002) units are less reliable than the newer ones. If you're interested, I can code and sell an LCM to you for a lot less than the brand new price. Since I'd code it for your VIN, there wouldn't be a tamper dot
    Last edited by TerraPhantm; 01-13-2012 at 12:05 PM.

  4. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Summerville, SC
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    1
    My Cars
    1999 323i, 2012 135i
    My left headlight flickers on and off and finally quits until after the lights are cut off for awhile. I've swapped side with the bulbs and it stays with the lefts side which probably means it's an igniter or ballast. Since mine is a pre-2001 car, a replacement igniter is almost $500. Has anyone tried an aftermarket replacement such as these? http://www.xtralights.com/xetronicba...ompatible.aspx

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario
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    Quote Originally Posted by BuddhaPilot
    My left headlight flickers on and off and finally quits until after the lights are cut off for awhile. I've swapped side with the bulbs and it stays with the lefts side which probably means it's an igniter or ballast. Since mine is a pre-2001 car, a replacement igniter is almost $500. Has anyone tried an aftermarket replacement such as these? http://www.xtralights.com/xetronicba...ompatible.aspx
    You could buy a hid kit from ddm and get a ds2 adapter. It'll be a lot cheaper than $500

    Sent from my SGH-I727R using BF.com

  6. #31
    Join Date
    May 2002
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    NWA
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    5,802
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    2006 330i
    Quote Originally Posted by Junaid View Post
    You could buy a hid kit from ddm and get a ds2 adapter. It'll be a lot cheaper than $500

    Sent from my SGH-I727R using BF.com
    No. Just no.

    Transfer ballast from one side to the other to see if the problem follows. Used bmw ballasts on eBay go for cheap.
    Last edited by WoLF; 02-18-2012 at 09:37 PM.

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    Toronto, Ontario
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    Quote Originally Posted by WoLF

    No. Just no.

    Transfer ballast from one side to the other to see if the problem follows. Used bmw ballasts on eBay go for cheap.
    Orrrr not

    Sent from my SGH-I727R using BF.com

  8. #33
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    montreal, quebec, canada
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    1
    My Cars
    2001 BMW 330I

    Smile Did you fix the problem? how?

    Have u fixed the problem and how?

    Quote Originally Posted by 328Erika View Post
    Did anyone ever figure this out? Mine has gotten to the point I can't drive it. Xenon headlights, both flickering nearly continuously now, randomly last week had a signal that the rear light was out but that went away when I got back in... Was going to replace the dash switch, but it's 400 bucks and I'd rather identify that is the issue. Help please?
    thanks in advance, Erika

  9. #34
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Sneads Ferry
    Posts
    3
    My Cars
    2005 BMW 330ci

    One Xenon Headlight still out!?

    Took my car to the dealership and watched them troubleshoot my driver side Xenon headlight being out. They checked bulb, ignitor, & ballast..all were good. Then somehow the light started working again. After putting everything back the light went out again. They then swapped the LCM switch and the headlight went on again! He told me to buy a LCM, bring it back and he will reprogram it. So I went on Ebay, bought a used LCM (same part number/year), put it in and the light went on again (with Tamper Dot). I shut off my car went inside only to come out the next day and my headlight not work again. Waited a couple days, took out LCM switch, put it back in and headlight was back on. I shut off car went inside, couple hours later came out started my car and my headlight is out yet again! Every time the headlights out the red indicator light on the dash shows.

    Any advice/suggestions, I'd appreciate it.

    ~ Matt

  10. #35
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    San Diego
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    2
    My Cars
    2005 330ci ZHP
    Quote Originally Posted by TotalPayApp View Post
    Took my car to the dealership and watched them troubleshoot my driver side Xenon headlight being out. They checked bulb, ignitor, & ballast..all were good. Then somehow the light started working again. After putting everything back the light went out again. They then swapped the LCM switch and the headlight went on again! He told me to buy a LCM, bring it back and he will reprogram it. So I went on Ebay, bought a used LCM (same part number/year), put it in and the light went on again (with Tamper Dot). I shut off my car went inside only to come out the next day and my headlight not work again. Waited a couple days, took out LCM switch, put it back in and headlight was back on. I shut off car went inside, couple hours later came out started my car and my headlight is out yet again! Every time the headlights out the red indicator light on the dash shows.

    Any advice/suggestions, I'd appreciate it.

    ~ Matt


    I'm in the same exact boat as you. The only that gets my passenger side headlight working is disconnecting the battery for a few. But, after I turn the car off for a little bit, it doesn't work again...



  11. #36
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
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    Philadelphia, PA
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    2005 M3 & 2004 330i
    Quote Originally Posted by BlaskosZHP View Post
    I'm in the same exact boat as you. The only that gets my passenger side headlight working is disconnecting the battery for a few. But, after I turn the car off for a little bit, it doesn't work again...


    Is it worse if you go over a hard bump or accelerate hard? I think I found a solution: Take the bulb out, and bend the pins of the igniter inward a little bit. Since doing that, my driver side has stopped flickering

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    ottawa
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    932
    My Cars
    97 328is 02 e46 330xi
    I known this may sound crazy but a bad ground in the the trunk corner lights will cause the flicker also. Some put in a ground wire directly to the trunk. Check it out http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=391682

  13. #38
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    United States
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    1
    My Cars
    2003 BMW 330 ci
    Hi, My 330 ci '03 just starting doing the flickering then went out but only on the drivers side. The next day the light comes back on and does the same thing again. I just dropped it off to my mechanic today, should I suggest the bending of the pins? I live in Los Angeles and drive very bumpy roads so does that usually have an affect on this issue? Any advise is welcome.
    Thanks

  14. #39
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Tulsa, OK
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    423
    My Cars
    2002 330Ci Conv.
    Quote Originally Posted by AlvarezA View Post
    Hi, My 330 ci '03 just starting doing the flickering then went out but only on the drivers side. The next day the light comes back on and does the same thing again. I just dropped it off to my mechanic today, should I suggest the bending of the pins? I live in Los Angeles and drive very bumpy roads so does that usually have an affect on this issue? Any advise is welcome.
    Thanks
    Have you swapped bulbs to see if the issue remains on the driver's side? Easy way to rule out the bulb first.



    DIYs help you save money with repairs; let www.bmwpnpc.com help you save money with the parts.

  15. #40
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    NWA
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    5,802
    My Cars
    2006 330i
    Quote Originally Posted by AlvarezA View Post
    Hi, My 330 ci '03 just starting doing the flickering then went out but only on the drivers side. The next day the light comes back on and does the same thing again. I just dropped it off to my mechanic today, should I suggest the bending of the pins? I live in Los Angeles and drive very bumpy roads so does that usually have an affect on this issue? Any advise is welcome.
    Thanks
    There's a lot of advice in this thread

  16. #41
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    77
    My Cars
    2001 330i 5-spd sprt pkg
    The infamous bad taillight ground was my issue with headlight flickering. If your turn signals ever "fast blink" that's usually a good sign it's the ground wire. Very cheap/easy to fix. And this thread reminds me I need to fix the left taillight now.

  17. #42
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    ottawa
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    932
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    97 328is 02 e46 330xi
    I made a thread for the proper fix for this month's ago.. Shoulda stickied it lop

  18. #43
    Join Date
    May 2002
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    NWA
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    2006 330i

  19. #44
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    hickory NC
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    330xi, 318ti, 325i

    I found an inexpensive cure for this problem

    I had the same problem that you all describe on here, and I fixed it. its corrosion on the turn signals and brake lights. if you pull the bulbs on the drivers side brake and turn lights, see if there are divots on the metal contacts on the bulbs. if so, its corrosion and needs to be fixed before the lights will work properly again.
    I replaced the bulbs, sanded/scraped off the excess metal on the car light assembly terminals and applied dielectric grease on the bulbs. I also had corrosion on the the male and female plug that connects the tail light assembly to the car. for this, I scraped off as much of the corrosion as I could get at and then I submersed the male end into a rust remover from rust911.com and let it sit for an hour. i used super hot water to dilute their product 8 oz. rust remover to 1 gallon of water ( i didnt use an entire gallon, but that was the ratio). the hot water accelerated the corrosion removal process.

    i also put dielectric grease on those connectors. when I started the car up, the light operated perfectly. I was told that BMW has a feedback loop on the lighting system and thats why the headlights flickered.

    This whole process took about 2 hours (includes the hour waiting time for the rust remover to work,

    If you dont have this problem now, it would be wise to put the dielectric grease on the bulbs now before you have this problem.

    Good luck

  20. #45
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    California
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    1
    My Cars
    2000 BMW 328i

    A Workaround with a 99.9% Success Rate

    *This is not a solution but more of a temp workaround.
    Hey there lots of great posts on here about this topic.....I tried to read them all but couldn't wait to share my findings on this issue.
    The issue I have is flickering left (right has only done it once or twice in 3 years) and occasionally the left that flickers will just shut off completely until I turn the lights off and on again. So..... I have tried replacing all pieces involved, as well as swapping parts from one side to the other with very little success which is to say that the issue is so inconsistent that it's hard to tell if your making progress or its just being random again. With that said I have been running his work around with a 99.9% success rate for about 2 years now (yes I know that's a long time but I'm on a budget and I love my car #WorthIt) here it is....There seems to be a power issue as in not enough draw to the head lights so when the low beem xenon lights kick on its almost as if they pull all the power out of the line and have to wait for the power to come back...this lead to the following discovery. I figured if I could pull some power to the front at a lesser draw then it wouldn't be shuch a shock to the system and it worked! I started turning on just the parking lights followed by the fog lights and let the two stay on for about 20 or 30 seconds then with the fog lights still on I turn on the headlights and leave the fog lights and headlights on together for another 20 or 30 seconds then I turn off the fog lights and the headlights never flicker or shut off. This process takes no more then 60 seconds of not less and I am able to drive while in doing it so no real time lost.

    Additional experimenting...
    With the power draw issue in mind I have tried other routes with similar success.
    - Putting the high beam lever in the "ON" position before turning on the headlights seems to have a similar result, no flicker or failur, but I have tested this only a limited number of times. Seems to help draw power to the front though.
    -Higher RPM's seems to help as well

    Again for my issue it seems to be a lack of power being pushed to the front but the fog light solution has been working great for about 2 years now.

    *Disclaimer - regardless of the workaround you choose to use here my dash light indicator that shows a headlight out/failur still comes on every time even with no apparent issues from the the headlights themselves. This leads me to think there is again a power issue that the car knows is there, I just haven't found it yet.

  21. #46
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    South Wales, UK
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    My Cars
    2001 E46 330d Sedan
    Hi,

    Yes, I realise this thread is ancient, but it is one of the best which comes up when you Google "E46 Xenon Flickering", and thought my experience might be useful to someone.

    I retrofitted OEM bi-xenons to my E46, with used parts from eBay. When I switched them on they looked like they were working, but later noticed they were flickering. The bulbs came with the lights, so I assumed they were old and defective (and they weren't even the same colour). I bought new Osram Nightbreaker from what appears to be a reputable source, bulbs and fitted these, but it made no difference. If you turn the ignition, then switch the lights on, they usually work, but with the engine running, usually don't work.

    I ordered 2 new ballasts, not from BMW, but from an online company who listed them as the correct item for my car, and loads of other cars. They look the same, and I fitted one of these to one of the headlights, but it has made no improvement.

    I read earthing on the rear lights can be an issue. I already have the extra-earth mod installed to the RHR light unit, because of previous bulb-failure issues, but I disconnected both rear light clusters to check if the made a difference too. It didn't.

    I ran new temporary supplies from a good earth and the main positive in the engine on croc clips, and these made the lights work fine. No flicker at all. Which says to me: bulbs OK; igniters OK; ballasts OK.

    I then tried using the original positive from the connector, with the temporary earth - flicker came back. Then tried connector earth with the temporary positive - lights stable with no flicker, engine on and off. So, somewhere the positive supply to the lights has an issue. It tests OK when they're on at 13V+, even while flickering, but I'm only using a multi-meter, so guess this wouldn't show me if there were really quick drop-outs of power. I've also cleaned the connectors to make sure this isn't the issue.

    Now I have ordered a used LCM (the proper one for xenon lights), to see if that makes a difference. If it doesn't, I'll probably just run new positive wires, then switch these on a relay, taking signal from the original positive signal.

    I have to do the mod to make the high-beam flaps work properly anyway. I've already made up the circuit board for this and got the connector plugs. For reference, I bought used reversing sensor plugs with tails from eBay because they are the same connection.

  22. #47
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
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    South Wales, UK
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    My Cars
    2001 E46 330d Sedan
    I got another LCM, which works the lights fine. I have now ordered PA Soft so I can code the LCM to the car (and get rid of the tamper-dot on the odometer).

  23. #48
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    United States
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    1
    My Cars
    BMW E92N 2010
    This problem seems pretty common in BMW E series. I have an E92N 2010, faced the same issue read, read different threads on various forums. I checked the tail lights and connectors, tried swapping the bulb from one side to the other but nothing worked. Having done all that I decide to replace that ballast. Searched on google and it at quite reasonable price. Even I should say very cheaper than the BMW dealers. I replaced the ballast, and everything is perfect now. Here is the ballast I bought, you guys should give it a try
    https://www.xenonplanet.com/al-1-307...n-ballast.html

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