E93 headlight issue

askjeeves · 12-14-2014, 02:45 PM

The passenger side xenon low beam headlight went out on our 2008 e93. I started by replacing the bulb, which didn't help. After reading into it I figured it was a bad xenon control unit.

So I have pulled the headlight off and upon removing the Xenon control unit, it looks like the cables going into the unit are both damaged. I purchased the steel braided cable before hand just in case there was an issue. But I can't seem to find a replacement for the normal wires with plastic harness connector. Am I shit out of luck and going to have to buy a new headlight? Or is there a way for me to replace that cabling also?

I believe the issue was caused by condensation in the headlight after a car wash where I believe a pressure washer must have been used to clean the engine bay and wheel wells.

askjeeves · 12-15-2014, 01:21 PM

Images to show what I'm talking about..

askjeeves · 12-17-2014, 10:46 PM

Bueller...
Am I the only one with bad enough luck to have this issue? I know plenty of people have had issues with the xenon control unit itself.

iDriveanXi · 12-18-2014, 06:31 PM

Are you handy with a soldering gun? If so maybe you can go to a scrap yard and get that piece or you can just cut it and splice into your wires. Or another option is to repin your connector with some fresh wire, splice and solder then heat shrink it.

askjeeves · 12-19-2014, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iDriveanXi

Are you handy with a soldering gun? If so maybe you can go to a scrap yard and get that piece or you can just cut it and splice into your wires. Or another option is to repin your connector with some fresh wire, splice and solder then heat shrink it.

I was hoping I could just repair the wires, but the harness connector is badly damaged. It is burnt/melted and I'm not able to disconnect it from the other side of the connection.

Junkyard diving seems like the best option right now.

askjeeves · 12-19-2014, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by askjeeves

Quote:

Originally Posted by iDriveanXi

Are you handy with a soldering gun? If so maybe you can go to a scrap yard and get that piece or you can just cut it and splice into your wires. Or another option is to repin your connector with some fresh wire, splice and solder then heat shrink it.

I was hoping I could just repair the wires, but the harness connector is badly damaged. It is burnt/melted and I'm not able to disconnect it from the other side of the connection.

Junkyard diving seems like the best option right now.

Pic of damaged connector. The black part is the end of the wiring harness I need to replace. The white (charred) part was the opposite end of the connection from the xenon control unit.

iDriveanXi · 12-20-2014, 06:33 AM

If you know any body shops maybe you could ask if you could have or buy a smashed light if it comes with the connector. Aside from that I'd just go to the junkyard and see what you could find.

askjeeves · 12-30-2014, 03:04 PM

so i replaced the xenon control unit, and the wires that were damaged + the metal braided cable. Also, I am using a new bulb. But the light still isn't working.

Any other ideas? I had seen something about the circuit electronically being closed there was a short circuit as a safety measure, but I'm not sure what I did with that link and don't know how that would be reset.

askjeeves · 01-04-2015, 11:09 PM

just to conclude this, this light is now working. After replacing the xenon control unit and repairing the damaged wires, I needed to have the short circuit counter reset. This was done by a local BMW coder (Jimmy - thanks!).

iDriveanXi · 01-05-2015, 06:39 AM

Oh nice, glad to hear you got it working. That must've sucked doing that work to find the light still not working! Good to know that the short needs to be reset.

12-14-2014, 02:45 PM	#1
askjeeves Captain 147 Rep 957 Posts Drives: e92 m3/spece30 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Miami, FL iTrader: (1)	E93 headlight issue - damaged cable to xenon control unit The passenger side xenon low beam headlight went out on our 2008 e93. I started by replacing the bulb, which didn't help. After reading into it I figured it was a bad xenon control unit. So I have pulled the headlight off and upon removing the Xenon control unit, it looks like the cables going into the unit are both damaged. I purchased the steel braided cable before hand just in case there was an issue. But I can't seem to find a replacement for the normal wires with plastic harness connector. Am I shit out of luck and going to have to buy a new headlight? Or is there a way for me to replace that cabling also? I believe the issue was caused by condensation in the headlight after a car wash where I believe a pressure washer must have been used to clean the engine bay and wheel wells. __________________ 2011 e92 ///m3 zcp - jzb/fr ED 6/29/10
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12-15-2014, 01:21 PM	#2
askjeeves Captain 147 Rep 957 Posts Drives: e92 m3/spece30 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Miami, FL iTrader: (1)	Images to show what I'm talking about.. Attached Images __________________ 2011 e92 ///m3 zcp - jzb/fr ED 6/29/10
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12-17-2014, 10:46 PM	#3
askjeeves Captain 147 Rep 957 Posts Drives: e92 m3/spece30 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Miami, FL iTrader: (1)	Bueller... Am I the only one with bad enough luck to have this issue? I know plenty of people have had issues with the xenon control unit itself. __________________ 2011 e92 ///m3 zcp - jzb/fr ED 6/29/10
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12-18-2014, 06:31 PM	#4
iDriveanXi Second Lieutenant 12 Rep 231 Posts Drives: 2007 328xi Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	Are you handy with a soldering gun? If so maybe you can go to a scrap yard and get that piece or you can just cut it and splice into your wires. Or another option is to repin your connector with some fresh wire, splice and solder then heat shrink it.
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12-20-2014, 06:33 AM	#7
iDriveanXi Second Lieutenant 12 Rep 231 Posts Drives: 2007 328xi Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	If you know any body shops maybe you could ask if you could have or buy a smashed light if it comes with the connector. Aside from that I'd just go to the junkyard and see what you could find.
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12-30-2014, 03:04 PM	#8
askjeeves Captain 147 Rep 957 Posts Drives: e92 m3/spece30 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Miami, FL iTrader: (1)	so i replaced the xenon control unit, and the wires that were damaged + the metal braided cable. Also, I am using a new bulb. But the light still isn't working. Any other ideas? I had seen something about the circuit electronically being closed there was a short circuit as a safety measure, but I'm not sure what I did with that link and don't know how that would be reset. __________________ 2011 e92 ///m3 zcp - jzb/fr ED 6/29/10
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01-04-2015, 11:09 PM	#9
askjeeves Captain 147 Rep 957 Posts Drives: e92 m3/spece30 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Miami, FL iTrader: (1)	just to conclude this, this light is now working. After replacing the xenon control unit and repairing the damaged wires, I needed to have the short circuit counter reset. This was done by a local BMW coder (Jimmy - thanks!). __________________ 2011 e92 ///m3 zcp - jzb/fr ED 6/29/10
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-05-2015, 06:39 AM	#10
iDriveanXi Second Lieutenant 12 Rep 231 Posts Drives: 2007 328xi Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	Oh nice, glad to hear you got it working. That must've sucked doing that work to find the light still not working! Good to know that the short needs to be reset.
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