Headlights problems of the 2004 BMW 330 - part 1

Right front low beam headlamp cuts out intermittently and eventually stops working due to cracked wiring inside the adjustable headlamp unit. For awhile, my headlight would stop working while making a right turn but then turn back on when straightened out. After two right turns, the headlight would cease to turn back on. Now (after several weeks of this happening) the headlight does not function at all, and I can see broken wiring if I look inside the headlight unit causing the issue.

The interior wires of the BMW e46 headlight assemblies have insulation material that readily breaks off of the wire, causing the bear wire conductor to be visible. This results in a failure of the headlights as the wires conductors are allowed to touch. This is also a possible source of a vehicle fire.

Cheap plastic used in headlight projectors melt due to heat from oem xenon bulbs. This poses a fire safety hazard as well as low and eventually no light onto the road.

Passenger side headlight assembly wires break and cause the headlight to stop emitting light or otherwise working. Repeated attempts to repair the wiring harness eventually fail. This occurs with mere normal use of the car and passage of time. The headlight assembly and bulb are still intact, but simply receive no power due to the broken wires. The assembly can fail at any time, whether stationary, in motion, or on back roads or highways. When this issue is googled on this particular car, a 2004�2006 BMW 3 series e46 coupe with bi-xenon adaptive headlights, many many users report the same issue. No matter the condition, location, and service history of the car, the headlight assembly on the passenger side will always stop working simply because of the wiring. See: https://forum. E46fanatics. Com/showthread. Php?t=1073501 if repaired enough times, the assembly becomes unrepairable, at which point the user is stuck driving without a headlight, a dangerous situation to be in. Ordering an incredibly costly $1500 part to replace it is not only costly, but will eventually result in the same critical issue re-appearing because the design is inherently defective. This is a serious safety issue. Other costs include mechanics who insist to customers that the issue is both wiring and the bulb too, causing unsuspecting users to be charged extra for replacement bulbs and the associated labor as well. First occurrence on my car was April 2019, second was October 2019, and third was February 2020 at which point the part was deemed unrepairable. 2004�2006 BMW 325ci and BMW 330ci with adaptive bi-xenon hid headlights.

The stock zkw projectors have burnt out and significantly reduce the quality of light emanating from the headlights. In order to have any true visibility, I have to hold the "flash-to-pass" lights on while I'm driving (a manual transmission). This is obviously a dangerous situation. The replacement assemblies are over $3,000 for the pair. That cost cannot be justified. I purchased the car a couple of months ago, but I, of course, did not test drive it at night (since it was summer). So I had no way of knowing about the deteriorated condition of the headlights. I cannot say for certain when this happened, but, based on internet searches, it appears to be a known issue that dates back to at least 2011.

The oem xenon zkw brand lights had completely burnt reflector bulbs that caused low light to be emitted. This defect is due to plastic bowls being used instead of metal or another material. The damage could have caused a fire hazard or worse. I was forced to replace the lights at my own expense. I have attached photos of the damage and light output to this complaint. This occurred simply by having the headlights on.

Cheap wiring was used in the headlight units for specific cars with adaptive bi-xenon headlights. The wiring for these cars now has fallen apart, and disconnects. BMW's only way of fixing it is to replace the entire headlight unit, which costs around $2000 to replace a few wires that should cost less than $10. There are many cars on the road that this affects, which is a serious safety concern. Car owners are soldering wires by hand in an attempt to fix it but there is no long term solution.

Headlight wiring on my 2004 BMW 330ci degraded prematurely accelerated by heat and high voltage until it caused my headlight to fail while driving on the interstate in the early evening. The symptom was caused by the supply wires to the igniter losing there insulation at stressed harness attachment point, arced over, and caused the copper conductors to become brittle. This symptom was seen on the projector assembly wiring as well as the daylight running light which did not exhibit the copper breakdown. Insulation of both assemblies crumbled to flakes when touched and rendered the headlight assembly unusable. This fault could just as easily cause a fire in the headlight assembly during which the specified headlight fuses may not provide protection to the associated vehicle systems. The only provided solution from the manufacturer is to buy a new assembly for a component which should only require periodic replacement of the lamps when they burn out. Fortunately my car also flood lights which helped to light the way when the headlamp failed.

Zkw brand xenon headlamps have defective reflector bowls. The lights burn off all of the reflective surface causing the low/high beams to be so dim that driving at night is impossible. The part (reflector bowl) is not available as a replacement part, it can only be purchased as a whole headlight assembly for $1300 each light. This is a major safety issue, that I have just found out about. As we have been getting into winter and the daylight saving change cause earlier sunset times, I noticed my headlights were not very bright on the road. It hasn't been an issue that I noticed in past years due to my <1 mile commute, but this year I purchased a house 25mi from work and the amount of night driving has increased dramatically. I first adjusted the alignment of the lights to try to correct what I thought the issue was, and also have replaced one of the head light bulbs with no change. I found out about this issue on BMW forums all over the internet, and it seems to be extremely common. There needs to be a recall, or at least an oem replacement part available.

The contact owns a 2004 BMW 330i. The contact noticed that the head lamp bulbs were burned out and a burning odor was detected. The contact replaced the head lamps independently. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

Vehicle has very poor headlight visibility at night due to burnt out plastic reflector bowls from BMW's sub-supplier zkw. Replacement bowls are not available for purchase from BMW. Only fix from them is replacing the entire headlight assembly which costs thousands of dollars.

The adaptive bixenon headlights use biodegradable wiring. This wiring cannot withstand the headlights adaptive headlight movement. These wires can tear or worse the insulation can crumble off. This leads to a huge fire risk. Furthermore, BMW does not have any form of fixing the problem. They only sell new headlight units that have the same issue. To be clear, no incident occurred to cause this issue other than standard use of the car. It is a ticking time bomb on all cars using this wiring, which also includes the e60 m5 platform. The result is headlights that can turn off at any time or worse they can short and cause a fire.

Headlights no longer illuminate due to deteriorating headlight material considered a defect due to inferior plastic used when originally manufactured. Low illumination level creates a serious safety hazard to driver and public causing severe injuries and damage. The high cost of replacing these headlight assemblies cannot be burdened by the vehicle owners. Based on my research this vehicle condition has been reported asking the governing entities to take action by recalling the vehicle and having the manufacturer correct the defect.

Purchased car used. Upon driving it at night for the first time the headlights were noticed to be very dim. Bulbs were checked to be the correct wattage and color temperature. Plastic reflector dish was seen to be burned out (not reflecting light from the portion above the bulb.

The low beams on my 2004 BMW 330i are very dim. They barely light up the road at night, if at all. My only option is to turn on my high beams, but then I risk blinding incoming traffic. I consider this a significant safety risk. Through online research I have discovered that the problem is that the bowls BMW used to reflect the light from the bulbs are made of plastic and get burnt from the heat of the bulb. Due to this fact, I believe BMW should have a recall for the headlights of e46 cars. I do not think I should have to pay to fix something that is a factory defect.

The headlights are useless at night. The bulbs all function perfectly, but the reflector housings are "worn" according to my mechanic. I understand the need to replace bulbs over the lifetime of a vehicle, but $3,000 for a whole new headlight assembly is outrageous! this is a design defect that the NHTSA refuses to investigate. There are thousands of complaints regarding this design defect all over the internet. This is a serious safety issue!.

Bi-xenon projector headlights have very poor illumination output and are unsafe. Apparently, the unit uses a plastic reflective bowl that burns over time due to the heat of the light bulb therefore losing its reflectibility. The standard halogen fog lamps in the lower bumper must be used as headlights because of the almost non existant output of the actual heatlights. The only thing the bi-xenons are good for at this point is showing that a light is indeed on so that the police wont issue a citation. But as far as illuminating the road, they do not.

The bowl of the oem zkw headlight burns out. It is first and foremost a safety hazard. BMW has produced countless cars that are affected, specifically any 3 series with the upgraded xenon headlights. Not only was this an additional option but the cost to rectify light output to a safe level is high. Oem headlights cost $1200 each at the dealership. I feel as though that is the only way to approach this since headlights correlate directly with night driving and safety.

I purchased the vehicle used with 155xxx miles on it and noticed that the headlights cannot sufficiently light up the road. Upon further inspection, the xenon projector-bowl housing inside the headlights are burnt. Light output is significantly reduced. The lights are manufactured by "zkw".

On zkw-headlight equipped bi-xenon BMW 3-series, the low beam projector bowls are coated with faulty reflecting material that is burned off over time, dramatically reducing the output of the headlights.

The contact owns a 2004 BMW 330i. The contact stated that the illumination of the headlights was extremely dim. The reflector was discolored and burned, causing improper illumination. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

Projectors for the zkw headlights have deteriorated making night driving difficult and dangerous.

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 BMW 330xi. The contact stated that the headlights dimmed while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was found that the reflectors had deteriorated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 61,000. The VIN was not available. Mh.

Tl-the contact owns a 2004 BMW 330i. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, both projector headlights failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the p projector headlight lenses needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 190,000. Djr.

Burnt bowl in the headlights causing the xenon light to have diminished light output. Night driving is very difficult due to the headlight not being bright enough anymore. Replacement of the assemblies will only fix this temporarily until the bowls but again and the problem returned.

BMW e46 equipped with zkw brand headlights suffer from a burnt, melted, and cracked reflector bowl dramatically reducing the bi-xenon light output, making it difficult and unsafe to drive at night. This is a very common issue and needs to be resolved for drivers and others safety during night.

Both bixenon headlamps assemblies have failed on the vehicle they emit little to no light due to the known bowl burn issues with the plastic reflectors (should have been fabricated from metal), inside these headlamp assemblies. In looking at the light assemblies, they seemed to have failed a long time ago. This is a very unsafe and hazardous situation that renders the vehicle basically inoperative at night to the owner, because fellow drivers, pedestrians, and/or bicyclist may be not able to see your headlights. This could cause or may have already lead to fatal vehicular accident(s) or the death of a pedestrian(s) and/or bicyclist(s) because of the low to no light emitted by these faulty headlamps. While performing in depth research on the internet discovered that this is a very common and known problem on this make and model at all mileages. The BMW forums are full of complaints about this problem and an open complaint seems to be open and in process with NHTSA since 2009 some three years ago. Neither BMW or its supplier of this faulty part make a reasonably priced service part that can be purchased to correct this known product and safety problem. Not even the aftermarket industry makes a service part to correct this product problem. To correct this issue, you must purchase two new complete head lamp assemblies at a cost of approximately $ 1,200. 00 each from BMW which is outrageous especially for such a know product and safety problem. I can't understand why a recall has not been initiated for such a known problem on so many vehicles that has been on going for so long. . I contacted BMW north America for relief with this know safety and product problem and they could not help me with this issue because there is no open recall for this known product and safety problem.

After purchasing my 330i in north salem, NY, I spent about 30 hours driving the car home to florida. I made it home late at night and pulled the car into my garage. Once inside, I noticed small wisps of smoke exiting the hood, just above each headlight. I opened the hood and smelled a faint burning plastic smell. Through online research and investigation on the vehicle, I found the projector headlight reflector bowls were severely 'burnt', something very common on these style headlights on this car. I researched more and found that these reflectors were made of plastic, and over time would overheat and burn, losing their reflective coating. This loss of reflective coating eventually leads to severely diminished light output. I researched how to replace or repair the lights, and eventually retrofitted newer metal projector bowls from a 2006+ BMW. This retrofit while not permanent, has helped. This is a very serious problem. In addition to the lack of headlight output, there is a serious fire hazard involved with this design flaw.

The headlights of the car get progressively dimmer over time. Changing headlight bulbs (xenon hid d2s 4300k) does nothing because the reflective coating on the headlight bowls has melted / burnt off. There is a scent of hot plastic with the headlights recently on and protective covers removed. The headlight bowls appear darkly charred just above the bulb area.

It appears that a design defect has caused housings for bi-xenon headlights to be subject to heat stress, resulting in discoloration and cracking. As a result visibility during nighttime driving is significantly impacted when using both low-and high-beams. Approximate cost for replacement parts is in excess of $2,000, not including labor.

Purchased a used 2004 BMW 330i. The headlight output is very dim, and upon research into the matter, have learned that the supplied zkw headlight assemblies contain plastic reflector bowls that are prone to melting and/or burning. I inspected my headlight assemblies and found this to be the case. The reflector bowls in my headlights are burnt, and consequently my headlights are not nearly as bright and effective as they should be. This is a safety hazard - nighttime visibility is something that should be taken seriously by a manufacturer.

Bi-xenon headlamp projector back-bowls are made out of plastic and have had their reflective coating burnt off of them from normal headlight usage. Due to the lack of reflectivity on the projector bowls my headlights have become significantly more dim over time as more of the reflective coating is burning off. It has become harder and more dangerous to drive at night due to the severe lack of light my headlights now produce.

The contact owns a 2004 BMW 330i. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and he noticed that the low beam headlights were illuminated with an inadequate amount of brightness. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis and the technician stated that the plastic reflector bowls were poorly designed. The technician also stated that these bowls melted over an extended period of time due to heat exposure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Reflective coating melted inside the headlights, rendering them useless. Extremely expensive to replace.

My headlights are not very bright and it looks like the reflective coating inside the light has been cooked off. I had a 2001 and the lights were much better they were the same hid xenon type . Thank you.