Parking “lamps” state inspection issue

[douglawrence42]

I failed my state inspection today. I failed because the amber corners on my headlights don’t light up on my crappy aftermarket headlights.



The tech claims there is supposed to be a bulb in there.



I can’t figure out:
1) how the heck to get in there
2) how this would be powered

Looking at my oem lights, the access is identical (oem left), and nothing seems to light up the corners:





I’ve read posts indicating that one fiber of the angel eyes is supposed to light this up. But I don’t understand how I could lose this functionality across 4 different headlights (crap pair, oem pair) without losing the angels.

Any ideas? Is the tech wrong, and if so any idea how to fight this?




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[StephenVA]

Special note: The E39 lenses are available in Amber Turn signal lens (NOT THE CORNER BUT THE LITTLE ROUND ONE) Clear lens and Clear lens with Clear Corners.

[douglawrence42]

Special note: The E39 lenses are available in Amber Turn signal lens (NOT THE CORNER BUT THE LITTLE ROUND ONE) Clear lens and Clear lens with Clear Corners.

I’m not clear on what your telling me. My original corners are different than my aftermarket. Are you saying that since my originals don’t have amber corners my angel eyes won’t light up the corners? If so, does that mean mounting the oem’s without amber corners gets me through inspection? Thanks for the reply, sorry I just don’t understand


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[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

He’s right, and wrong. Facelift lights from the factory did have a lit up area there towards the bottom, and you were right, it was an extra run of fiber optic cable coming from the angel eye bulb. Take the car to a different inspection place, I’m sure the guy just did another e39 recently and that’s why he remembers a light there. One more thing, when the bulb goes out in the angel eye socket, the dash will tell you that the side marker light is out. I’m betting my left nut, BMW used the same moron engineer that did the cup holders and the sound system.

[Yonkers320is]

They dont have a light there. That is just the housing. That is why there is a repeater on the fender.... the tech is dumb. What state?

I failed my state inspection today. I failed because the amber corners on my headlights don’t light up on my crappy aftermarket headlights.



The tech claims there is supposed to be a bulb in there.



I can’t figure out:
1) how the heck to get in there
2) how this would be powered

Looking at my oem lights, the access is identical (oem left), and nothing seems to light up the corners:





I’ve read posts indicating that one fiber of the angel eyes is supposed to light this up. But I don’t understand how I could lose this functionality across 4 different headlights (crap pair, oem pair) without losing the angels.

Any ideas? Is the tech wrong, and if so any idea how to fight this?




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[douglawrence42]

He’s right, and wrong. Facelift lights from the factory did have a lit up area there towards the bottom, and you were right, it was an extra run of fiber optic cable coming from the angel eye bulb. Take the car to a different inspection place, I’m sure the guy just did another e39 recently and that’s why he remembers a light there. One more thing, when the bulb goes out in the angel eye socket, the dash will tell you that the side marker light is out. I’m betting my left nut, BMW used the same moron engineer that did the cup holders and the sound system.

I do have the “check side lights” message, I’ve always had it. I blamed it on crap aftermarket Angels. Oops.


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[douglawrence42]

They dont have a light there. That is just the housing. That is why there is a repeater on the fender.... the tech is dumb. What state?

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Virginia, where speeding caries the death penalty and one of the greatest roads on earth has a 35 mph speed limit. Any known “hey tech, this isn’t actually supposed to light up” documentation out there?


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[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Yeah, they ruined Skyline Drive with the lame speed limit. It gets nicer out in North Carolina. We used to do speed runs through there on the motorcycles back in the day. That road should have 70 and up speed limits, o thanks to stupid tourists and non driving imbaciles, the road sucks.

[douglawrence42]

Just confirmed with the headlight manufacturer that the corner amber is a reflector. Now I just need to convince the mechanic. There is one good bmw mechanic anywhere near me, and he doesn’t do state inspections. What a pain. In this mechanics defense, I couldn’t definitively tell him those weren’t lights when I was there, and I installed the stupid things. Thanks for everyone’s help.


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[JaxPlanet]

Take a long, hard look at your front fenders and I bet you will find your side parking/signal lights

[douglawrence42]

Take a long, hard look at your front fenders and I bet you will find your side parking/signal lights

I don’t claim to be smart, but I’m not that dumb. I actually did try that argument on the tech, but no dice. I tried understanding the Virginia code on this, but I’m not a lawyer. My reading says the bmw passes 3 separate ways, but what do I know:
1) parking lamps are not required, but if you have them, don’t disable them
2) if there not on the front, side indicators like ours will work
3). The turn signals themselves are amber, go solid in parking mode, and are within a couple inches of the full width of the car.


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[douglawrence42]

So frustrated. I wasted all afternoon trying to talk calmly to the shop. They didn’t answer my questions, and tried to be rules lawyers on me. I am a very lucky guy. I have a high paying job, a great wife, and beautiful children. Apparently my karma is balanced out by this stuff. If I need an inspection of something, a permit, an insurance claim, or anything like that it seems to always turn into a cluster. Tomorrow I’ll offer them $500 to make my reflector light up without adding a circuit to the vehicle. We’ll see how that goes.


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[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Send me a bag of peanuts, I’ll send you an 11/18, no joke!

[douglawrence42]

I mean, I got failed because a light that doesn’t exist shockingly doesn’t light up. Why does this have to be a pain? And what’s an 11/18?


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[StephenVA]

Take a drive away from your area, get the car inspected anywhere else and no one will know.
va inspections are good all over the state.
your little side marker lights are either amber or clear, I assume yours are clear to match the headlamps. Just make sure they turn on with the flashers. Wash and detail the care especially under the hood and fuel flap. No one brings in cars to va state inspectors that are well cleaned. A clean car is a well maintained car.
If you still have an issue drive up to Northern Va one day and we will take care of the issue.

now I am going to go look at my cars to see if there is indeed a "light source" in the side corner lens anytime.
I will report back in a sec

[StephenVA]

Update
yep there is a light illuminating in the headlamp corner marker from the angel eyes. And yes the reflector does get some light from the turn signal when activated.

- - - Updated - - -

Get some updated Hellas and all will be good!

[douglawrence42]

Update
yep there is a light illuminating in the headlamp corner marker from the angel eyes. And yes the reflector does get some light from the turn signal when activated.

I understand how this “light” would be out if the angels were out. But mine aren’t. Across 4 headlights. So either I’ve had a rare failure of a single fiber across 4 headlights without losing any of the other 16 fibers, i don’t have the lights (and therefore they aren’t required?), or there is something else I’m missing. Thanks for checking on yours. I can try another pair of aftermarket lights, I’m just not confident they will be any different.


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[StephenVA]

Not a problem, just wrapped up a long work day on gov contracting issues so any break is a good break. If you look at the images I sent this morning before my brain was sucked out of my head, you will see the little illumination area in the reflector. It is as posted, a fiber optic end point. Mine are a little bright, as I am using Um-Nitza's ICE bulbs.
check the angel eye sockets to make sure they are clear. Never looked in there to see where the other end comes to the bulb.

[StephenVA]

Best price on Hella BMW Xenon Headlight Assembly Right (E39) - Hella 63126912440

is one of the site sponsors
https://www.rmeuropean.com/

[StephenVA]

I understand how this “light” would be out if the angels were out. But mine aren’t. Across 4 headlights. So either I’ve had a rare failure of a single fiber across 4 headlights without losing any of the other 16 fibers, i don’t have the lights (and therefore they aren’t required?), or there is something else I’m missing. Thanks for checking on yours. I can try another pair of aftermarket lights, I’m just not confident they will be any different.

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i believe the OE and Hellas have this fiber optic in the housing. I am pretty sure the aftermarket ones are NOT DOT compliant in the US. If you build them cheap there has to be a short cut somewhere.

this conversation just forced me to order the new assemblies from the vendor mentioned above. I will install them in my M5, move the M5 ones to the wagon, and the install the wagon ones in the 528 and add the little jumper wire to gain angel eyes on a preface lift halogen application.
anyone need Depo halogen lenses never installed? Make me an offer soon.as they are still in the boxes.....

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

What’s an 11/18? Think, man, THINK! It’s a sticker....

[douglawrence42]

What’s an 11/18? Think, man, THINK! It’s a sticker....

Got it. Thinking processes go down in direct proportion to my anger.

So if I’ve got this right, facelift, xenon e39’s light up their corners with the angel eyes. Pre facelift, and post facelift e39’s with halogen headlights have reflectors on the corners. This is the section of Virginia law the mechanic is referencing:


I see where it requires amber lights on front or the side of the vehicle. Here are mine (also got the sides):


However, that doesn’t matter. Paragraph one of this section makes clear that these rules only apply to vehicles over 7’ wise, and section 8 confirms that interpretation. Hopefully this morning goes well. I don’t want to drop $1k (optimistically 1/3 of the car value) on headlights to please an overzealous tech, and I don’t want to play inspection roulette every year.


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[crazy4trains]

Just go somewhere else. Is the shop holding any collateral on you? Do you have to go back there?

[douglawrence42]

Just go somewhere else. Is the shop holding any collateral on you? Do you have to go back there?

Your right. That is almost certainly easier, and that is probably where I end up. But, I want to try a little more with the first shop because:

1). I’m leaving for 3 weeks this weekend, I’m not going to get in anywhere else before I need to go.
2) I don’t want to play inspection roulette with another shop, especially now that I have a rejection sticker to explain
3) I don’t want to play this game next year either
4) And the real reason, I’ve got a bug up my butt about this for some reason. I don’t tailgate, I use turn signals, I park in a single space. Apparently I’ve saved up all my bmw driver a-hole-ery for this.


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[billh]

i believe the OE and Hellas have this fiber optic in the housing. I am pretty sure the aftermarket ones are NOT DOT compliant in the US. If you build them cheap there has to be a short cut somewhere.

this conversation just forced me to order the new assemblies from the vendor mentioned above. I will install them in my M5, move the M5 ones to the wagon, and the install the wagon ones in the 528 and add the little jumper wire to gain angel eyes on a preface lift halogen application.
anyone need Depo halogen lenses never installed? Make me an offer soon.as they are still in the boxes.....

Pics of the Depo lenses??