Angel HeadLights
11-18-2004, 07:05 PM
#1
Contributors
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Los Angeles. CA
Posts: 2,008
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2004 545i 6 spd Sports Package | NAV | PDC | Logic 7 | BT retrofit | SW V13.3
I love this car so much that I am mostly just behind the wheel. Today I stepped out while the engine was running and I had my HI-Beams on.
The Outside lights were bright, the inside lights (next to the kidney grill) were off. Just the angel circle was on. So I went to normal lights and the the outside lights stayed on without flooding. No change on the inside. I see a halogen bulb in the center of the inside light. No combination of headlight and or fog light seems to turn on this bulb. Is this normal?
I always thought that the inside lights came on with the hi-beams. Well not with my car. What is that bulb for?? Is this a US spec thing or maybe another
software thing.
The Outside lights were bright, the inside lights (next to the kidney grill) were off. Just the angel circle was on. So I went to normal lights and the the outside lights stayed on without flooding. No change on the inside. I see a halogen bulb in the center of the inside light. No combination of headlight and or fog light seems to turn on this bulb. Is this normal?
I always thought that the inside lights came on with the hi-beams. Well not with my car. What is that bulb for?? Is this a US spec thing or maybe another
software thing.
11-18-2004, 07:12 PM
#2
Members
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Outside light is both high and low beam. The inside light is a bulb which comes on only when you do flash to pass. The reason is that the outside bulb cannot switch on fast enough to do flash to pass (when lights are otherwise off) because the xenons take a couple seconds to ignite and become bright.
11-18-2004, 07:16 PM
#3
Contributors
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Los Angeles. CA
Posts: 2,008
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2004 545i 6 spd Sports Package | NAV | PDC | Logic 7 | BT retrofit | SW V13.3
Originally Posted by price9195' date='Nov 18 2004, 09:12 PM
Outside light is both high and low beam.? The inside light is a bulb which comes on only when you do flash to pass.? The reason is that the outside bulb cannot switch on fast enough to do flash to pass (when lights are otherwise off) because the xenons take a couple seconds to ignite and become bright.
[snapback]57947[/snapback]
11-18-2004, 07:29 PM
#5
Senior Members
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Beautiful North Carolina
Posts: 358
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2011 F10 528i - Imperial Blue, Oyster/Black, Premium, Premium 2, Cold Weather, Xenons.
Yep, they both use the outboard set of lights, only the lense changes to different positions for low / high beams.
11-18-2004, 07:30 PM
#6
Contributors
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Central Massachusetts
Posts: 1,717
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: Now Driving a Freakin' Prius!
Was...
2004 545i | SMG | White/Black | Sport | NAV | Logic 7 | PDC | Fold-down Seats | Adaptive Headlights | Cold Weather Pkg | Clear-again Bra | Mud Flaps | Bluetooth | Coat Hangar | Aux Input | All Weather Mats | 18"X8.5" BBS RK w/ Michelin Pilot Alpin's (winter) | New steering rack @ 1.2K & 17K miles| Software V.19.1 | B&B Exhaust (vrrrroooooommm!) <---Click.
If you have the Bi-xenon option, Yes.
The inner light will also function as the daytime running light if one desires to have daytime running lights.
The inner light will also function as the daytime running light if one desires to have daytime running lights.
11-18-2004, 09:04 PM
#8
Contributors
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Central Massachusetts
Posts: 1,717
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: Now Driving a Freakin' Prius!
Was...
2004 545i | SMG | White/Black | Sport | NAV | Logic 7 | PDC | Fold-down Seats | Adaptive Headlights | Cold Weather Pkg | Clear-again Bra | Mud Flaps | Bluetooth | Coat Hangar | Aux Input | All Weather Mats | 18"X8.5" BBS RK w/ Michelin Pilot Alpin's (winter) | New steering rack @ 1.2K & 17K miles| Software V.19.1 | B&B Exhaust (vrrrroooooommm!) <---Click.
Occasionally I do have something to contribute... But most of the time it is just a wise-a$$ comment. 
11-18-2004, 09:16 PM
#9
Members
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
post hijack...you serious about the M5 realty man? If it were out by now I would have given serious consideration but not sure I was high enough up on my dealers priority list. I've only bought one other car from this dealer. Although he said a $100 deposit is all it takes to reserve a spot for any of BMW's "specialty vehicles"
11-18-2004, 09:19 PM
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally Posted by EBMCS03' date='Nov 18 2004, 11:24 PM
Both high beam and low beams are Xenons right?
[snapback]57950[/snapback]
You face FOUR "main" lights at your car:
The inner lights are HALOGEN, the outer are XENON.
BI-Xenon does mean that the outer lights are used for LOW beam and HIGH beam function as well. Their different positions are switched mechanically in the center of the concave mirror. You can hear that standing in front of the car when a friend will switch on /off HIGH beam (Engine should be off).
It does NOT mean, that the inner lights are XENON. That always means, the bright light is always generated by the outer XENON (high ignition bulbs), not by the inner.
The inner lights are switched on for HIGH beam and FLASH beam as well, nevertheless this is more or less a design feature and not comparable to XENON ....
(I am sure, you will not recognize having the inner bulbs out of order when XENON HIGH beam is switched ON 
).The inner Halogen bulbs in any case are always used for the FLASH signal (trying to beam off the car in front of you ...) Driving at night you will recognize, that HIGH beam is much brighter than FLASH beam (XENON HIGH beam beams a half circle in front of you).
In the darknes it is much more effcient to "flash signal" the car going ahead with HIGH beam than with FLASH beam, although it is forbidden (in Germany)
Regards
Jack-E61
