texasmr2

Apology for starting another thread about headlights. Drivers side low/high beam headlight went out so I purchased a $99, wth, replacement bulb. I was then told the igniter was bad so spent another $120 for a new igniter from the stealership and the darn light still does not work. Called the dealer I purchased the igniter from (BMW of West Houston) and was told it could be the control module but they would not even give me the damn part number, company policy I was told, and then had the nerve to ask $500+ for a new module (part number...14222872-BM-63127189312) when I can purchase a new factory module for $200.


Last GD BMW I will ever let cloud my driveway or garage!!! I am furious and will be selling this vehicle within the next few weeks.

JDeezyNYC

Welcome to BMW. LoL. These cars (like many German cars) are a lil complex. Don'tlet it ruin your experience. The truth is that you didn't know what you were doing and really you should have testing the problem before trying to buy parts.

Look for a private owned certified BMW tech shop as am alternative to going to the stealership. You'll save thousands going forward. That's the key. I once had to replace my light module and got it from my guy for $150. Good luck.

frchdragon

Welcome. BMW are not that much more complex than other cars. What I found is that they are definitively better engineered and last much longer than other cars. I did sold all my other brand to keep only BMWs (and the mini) in my stable.

Anyway, you have 262 posts and you have been in the forum for more than 2 years... I would think that by now you would know the ropes to look for part numbers: realoem.com or searching ebay - amazon for parts you need instead of going to the dealer. I can't remember the last time I had to go to the dealer to get a part.

Whatever you decide, good luck.

BostonJon

just because of a headlight issue? would hate to see what happens if you actually had a serious problem...

texasmr2

You have 5 post and have less than 4 months of membership, good start. If you think my life revolves around my BMW you are sadly mistaken as it is just a mode of transportation and not a reflection of my personality or ego. I'm pretty certain I was driving a few decades before you were born and learning how to act in a social setting is something you and BostonJon are lacking, Google 'decorum'.


Want my address so we can discuss your issue face to face?

FormerE30Owner

Hey I don't see your problem. Your original post was essentially a rant and now you object to some of the comments about your rant. I guess that you didn't learn much about how to act in social settings in your few decades.

BostonJon

ok, here's some constructive advice about how i would address the issue if it were my car. no offense, but stop throwing parts at a problem until you know what is really happening. you really should know better with all those decades of car ownership behind you. additionally, I'm surprised you didnt know how to track down a part number for your car on realoem.com. i digress.

Symptom: driver side headlights (both low/high beam) non functional. I'm assuming you have the halogen(high)/xenon(low) set up based on the price you mentioned for bulbs.

First off, I would find it incredibly coincidental for both bulbs to blow at the same time so I would be hesitant to think the bulbs were the problem.

Step #1: I don't recall offhand if the driver side and passenger side lamps run off of separate fuses or if high/low have independent fuses, but I would check the fuses and any visible wiring. If you found a blown fuse or damaged wiring, I would investigate those items further If the fuses looked fine and I couldn't immediately identify any damage to the wiring, I'd move to step 2.

Step #2: Assuming fuses were OK, I would check the function of the bulbs by swapping the bulbs from the functional passenger side to the nonfunctional driver side. If the lights began working, the problem could be identified as bad bulbs. If this didn't solve the problem, I'd move to step 3.

Step #3: We have now eliminated the fuses and bulbs. I would then sequentially swap the igniter, ballast (if not integral to the bulb...not sure if you have D1S or D2S on an 04), and control model one at a time from the non-functional side to the functional side to determine if one of those elements were faulty. if the problem moves to the other side when you swap a module, that module is likely faulty. If this did not solve the problem, I'd go to step 4.

Step #4: Having now eliminated fuses, bulbs, igniters, ballasts, and control modules, I would then be concerned that there was a wiring/harness problem for the driver side headlamp assembly. To confirm this, I would plug in the entire functional headlamp assembly from the passenger side into the wiring harness for the driver side (assuming the connectors are the same). If none of these did not solve the problem, I would then dig a little deeper using ISTA and/or INPA software.

I may have missed some things here - i'm writing this off the cuff - but this is how I would start a diagnostic plan for an issue like this. when I bought my E61 a few months ago, the automatic roller cover for the cargo area didn't work. from the outset, i suspected a faulty LCPA module, which I could get for $15 on ebay. However, rather than start spending money on parts, I went through a step-by-step trouble shooting plan - checking the motors, sensors, wiring, voltage, etc. - for the entire system. after eliminating everything and working through the diagnostics in INPA and DIS, i spent the $15 on a used LCPA module, which solved the problem after being (re)coded in ncs expert. should I have just spent the $15 up front and save hours of my time. sure, that would have worked THIS time. but where does one draw the line? what if it was a $75 part or a $350 part?

anmaguco

Hi, i'm having problem with my lights, I havea 530i 2010 and a month ago the left bulb (D1s) went purple so I decided to change both, after 1 month of using the new ones the left one started to go off every now and then, I would turn off the lights and on a few times and the bulb would stay on. I changed the fuse but still having the problem. Is there something else i should look for to fix this? Can this be a quality of the bulbs? something major?

BostonJon

From what I recall, the D1S has a built in igniter so it sounds like perhaps you have a ballast that is going bad. They are mounted to the underside of the headlight. I would try switching them from one side to the other and see if your problem also moves to the other side.

edit: reading my thread above from a few years ago, I may have swapped the terms ballast and igniter.

anmaguco

Finally got the ballast here in Colombia, (cheaper from amazon than dealership), changed it and it's working perfect, thanks

14/7/22 It went off again!!!!, I'll try the harness tomorrow to verify that last option.