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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Cosmetic and Lighting Modifications (exterior/interior) > ONLY one Low Beam headlight out



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      11-19-2012, 12:49 PM   #1
Admir328xiCT
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ONLY one Low Beam headlight out

2007 BMW 328XI - Sedan - Halogan Lights (H7s)

Driver side low beam light is out. I changed the bulb its not the problem, I checked the fuses in the glove box and those seem ok. This weekend I removed the bumper and got the headlight out, I connected it to the passanger side and the headlight works fine. I then looked at the diagram where it shows which wire on the pigtail is for Low beams and i checked it with a tester, it's not getting any power in those lines.

Anyone with any suggestions? Are there any relays for headlight other then fuses?
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      11-19-2012, 06:05 PM   #2
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Head light Module, same thing happen to mine. Cost me 1500 at the dealer. The module alone was 600 then Diagnostic time, replacement time, reprogramming the ecu.
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      11-19-2012, 10:03 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1GhostRider
Head light Module, same thing happen to mine. Cost me 1500 at the dealer. The module alone was 600 then Diagnostic time, replacement time, reprogramming the ecu.
Do u know location of the module?
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      11-20-2012, 10:07 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1GhostRider
Head light Module, same thing happen to mine. Cost me 1500 at the dealer. The module alone was 600 then Diagnostic time, replacement time, reprogramming the ecu.
After looking at it more looks like xenon lights have modules on them...did you have halogen or xenon?
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      11-20-2012, 06:48 PM   #5
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wow they have modules for halogen headlights? my headlight went out the otehr day and it was just the bulb. maybe the plug isnt sitting right or something came loose?

in for more info on this "headlight module"
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      11-20-2012, 07:10 PM   #6
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1500 for the headlight module and labor? WTF!! Of course its the stealership I forgot
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      11-20-2012, 09:38 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by .fLip.
wow they have modules for halogen headlights? my headlight went out the otehr day and it was just the bulb. maybe the plug isnt sitting right or something came loose?

in for more info on this "headlight module"
I don't think halogen has modules. Only the actual switch can be in question...
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      01-08-2013, 02:17 AM   #8
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This is my first BMW; I bought an e90 2006 325i sedan with the low/high beams not working on the passenger side. I thought it would be a simple fix, as simple as replacing the bulb, but it is turning out to be a nightmare.

I have gone about fixing the problem by trial and error as the dealership recommended. I started by switching the OEM bulbs, and found that the D1S bulb with attached ballast was not the problem as it lit on the driver side.
I went ahead and replaced with two D1S 6000K Phillips bulbs at the time since I was going to do the upgrade anyways, and obviously, the passenger side did not light up. I replaced the 40amp fuses for the headlights and nothing happened. I took the car to my mechanic to have the ballast control module inspected and it turns out that switching the driver side control module fixed the problem. Therefore, I sent the passenger side control module to a reputable electronic shop to have it fixed and they could not find anything faulty with the unit. I proceeded to order another control module and my mechanic installed it and it fixed the problem. He showed me that both the low and high beams were working on the passenger side now and the headlamp error message on the display disappeared.

I got home and admired how the bulbs looked again, and decided to go through the different light control modules in the car (automatic, off, parking, and manual). Sometime between switching from automatic mode to the other 3 modes and testing the high beams, I noticed that the angel eyes on both sides flickered twice and the passenger side low beams turned off again, and the error headlamp display
appeared again.
I was so disappointed as I had been trying to fix this for the past month waiting for parts and reading forums on similar issues.

I am at the point where I will replace the bulb and ballast again, thankfully I kept the OEM bulbs and ballast, to hopefully find out that only the bulb burned out somehow.
I phoned the dealership and explained to them what had happened and they recommended having all connections rechecked to make sure nothing was lose. The only thing that was not replaced was the wiring harness connecting the ballast to the control module. Apparently, this harness is not sold independently and the parts department quoted me $5600 for the wiring harness for the whole car, which they recommend so that there was no splicing with the wiring.

I have also read some FRM module discussions and some computer reprogramming ones that have helped others in similar situations, but I am unfamiliar with the FRM module and skeptical about computer reprogramming since the error message disappeared with the new control module installed.

I know that headlamp malfunctions are a common topic in these forums, but I have done my research and have not found similar cases where a control module fixed the problem and the assembly stopped working within minutes after testing the lights. I would truly appreciate any input or guidance.

Thank you.
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      02-04-2013, 05:39 PM   #9
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For those of you with similar situation as mine; it turned out that the xenon control module was not defective. Parts of the wiring harness in the headlight assembly had stopped working which could explain why the replacement of the xenon control module only temporarily solved the low/high beam malfunction.

I sourced one used passenger headlight which has now been installed over a week. Low and high beams are still shinning bright without any error messages.

If I had requested that the original xenon control module on the passenger side (believed to be defective) also be swapped with the driver one, I could have saved $$$ by having another party do a diagnostic to isolate the problem to a defective headlight. Only the driver side module was tested on the passenger side as you can read above.
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      04-20-2013, 02:17 PM   #10
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Same thing happened to my 2007 BMW 335xi, it started flickering (low beam driver side) sourced out the pass. side module and worked fine, replaced the module and now it's all good. Module is located on side of lamp housing, aluminum square box. Good luck....BTW was able to buy from ebay for $220 and did not require any programming.
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      04-22-2013, 07:48 PM   #11
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This happened to me too. Went to a indy BMW shop and they reset my FRM. 3-4 months later the issue resurfaced. Not sure if i want to keep doing this or just replace the FRM.
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      04-23-2013, 11:30 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by db0mbase View Post
This happened to me too. Went to a indy BMW shop and they reset my FRM. 3-4 months later the issue resurfaced. Not sure if i want to keep doing this or just replace the FRM.
How much was that?
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      04-24-2013, 04:02 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DanielGonz View Post
How much was that?
They charged me for 2 bulbs which i know wernt the issue so i guess flashing was free. Bulbs cost me around $15 for the pair.
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      08-11-2013, 03:39 PM   #14
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Hey guys it seems like all these issues stem from the control module for xenon bulbs. However I'm having the same issue with halogens (kinda). I did however swap the halogen bulbs and housing for the UMNITZA Projector90 HID set. They've been running great for the past year, but the issue has come up just within the last month.

I know its not the aftermarket ballast or headlight. They work fine on the passenger side. And when I install the OEM housing and bulb it still doesn't work.

Any ideas? I'm already driving my car uninspected and would like to get this resolved asap without paying tons of $$$ at the dealer.
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      11-25-2015, 07:04 AM   #15
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sorry for the thread bump, but I'm having the same issues.
Replacing the D1S bulb didn't help. Replacing the control unit did help either.

I wanted to replace the electric harnes that connects the headlight to the control unit , but after reading the price of a new harnes it does not sound like the greatest idea.

I'm lost!

What should I do?
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      05-25-2016, 07:51 PM   #16
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bumping this for answers. Passenger side High beam
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      05-28-2016, 12:55 PM   #17
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Same issue over here. Replaced ballast and bulb. Next step
Is to either recode or replace FRM. Anyone have experience and successfully got the light back working. Below are my references I will be using next. I had my buddy try and reset the unit as well as clear the circuit error codes. I am assuming I cycled the car 50+ times since the light went out. When he did the above, it did not work. We were told it is because the VO (vehicle order) from my vehicle needs to be coded into the cleared FRM. Does this make sense? Losing my mind over here. In better news, at least I fixed the leak that caused water to destroy my ballast. 😤😤😤

If anyone out there has successfully done this or could remotely do this - I would appreciate not being abused at the dealership:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=625111&page=2

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=866044

http://blog.obd2express.co.uk/2015/09/03/bmw-reset-short-circuit-counter-with-ediabas-tool32/
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      06-27-2016, 08:13 AM   #18
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bump, having same issue on drivers side, new ballast and new bulb, still not working. High/low beam wont work. I am gonna try see if the headlight works by plugging onto passenger side...but any updates pls and thanks
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      08-17-2016, 11:14 AM   #19
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Changing Lightbulb and Diagnosis for Non-bulb Problems

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for all of the posts. I was able to troubleshoot and fix my 2007 M6 passenger headlight not working issue with all of your posts, even though this is actually my first post.

In the end, it was my Ballast/Xenon Control Module - circuit board was fried. I have attached a link to a video I created which walks through the light bulb replacement, which can be tricky first time as the bulb, igniter and ring that secures the bulb have very specific positions they need to be in when you are closing it all up. This coupled with the poor visibility from the wheel-well make the task much harder than it should be for the first time.

After figuring out the bulb was not the issue. I removed the front fender (not every hard) and removed both light assemblies. I plugged the light assembly that was not functioning (passenger) into the driver side and it did not work. The driver assembly worked in the passenger side. This meant problem was in somewhere in the light assembly. I swapped headlight control modules (outer side of light assembly), no effect. I swapped Ballast/Xenon control module (under light assembly) and this was the culprit. Thus when I swapped the Ballast from the driver side to the passenger, the light worked and vice versa. I pulled the Xenon control module off, opened it up and it was fried due to water. Ordered a new one online for $89, 2 day delivery, worked like a charm.

I've posted a video on youtube showing process. Hope this helps someone down the line. Thanks again for your great posts on this topic (and I'm sure others)!

-Craniac


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      09-25-2016, 11:35 PM   #20
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2006 325i (E90) - driver's side low beam (halogen) and turn signal do not work. Headlight assembly works on the passenger side. Probed the two areas for the low beam and turn signal and no power. Fuses were good.

Ran a jumper wire from the side marker to the turn signal and I got it to work, although it flashes fast like the bulb is burned out. Currently, the driver side turn signal only functions as a turn signal and is not on all the time like the passenger side.

Suggestions on next steps?
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      09-26-2016, 11:29 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jcarlos View Post
For those of you with similar situation as mine; it turned out that the xenon control module was not defective. Parts of the wiring harness in the headlight assembly had stopped working which could explain why the replacement of the xenon control module only temporarily solved the low/high beam malfunction.

I sourced one used passenger headlight which has now been installed over a week. Low and high beams are still shinning bright without any error messages.

If I had requested that the original xenon control module on the passenger side (believed to be defective) also be swapped with the driver one, I could have saved $$$ by having another party do a diagnostic to isolate the problem to a defective headlight. Only the driver side module was tested on the passenger side as you can read above.
Were your daytime lights running or was the entire headlightunit not lighting up?

At the moment, my lowbeam and highbeam (same bulb) are not lighting on the passenger side. Im trying to get a part number so I can replace it myself, hopefully does not turn out to be as involved as your issue.


cheers
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      10-30-2016, 09:30 PM   #22
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Hey guys I know this thread is a few years old but I have to share my experience. I did all the trouble shooting everyone else did. Found no solution until the guy who sold me the 2-3 ballast I tried gave me a tip. He told me to inspect the ballast power plug for damage. Upon inspecting it I found it was melting on the inside and the metal prongs were not making contact. I used a small flat head screw driver to adjust the prongs inside the plug. Plugged it in and I had light for a year with just a little flickering. I've now lost light again and suspect the plug to be the problem again as it's the same light out again. Factoryxenon.com at some point sold the pigtail to replace the plug but had been out of stock for it seems like forever. At this point I have no other solution. Hope this info helps someone.
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