Fog Light Switch Problems of BMW 330

Over the last several years, the light intensity has steadily declined in both headlights of my car, to the point where they no longer function. My mechanic has looked inside the headlights and found that the projector bowl reflector has prematurely worn out -- it has lost its reflective ability. According to the mechanic and based on multiple reports in online group discussions, this is a known issue with these zkw xenon headlights. This defect in the headlights compromises safe operability and increases the risk of a night-time accident. This is a part of the headlight that should not wear out or need replacement under normal operating conditions, as has been the case with my vehicle. I have resorted to using my fog lights or high beams for driving at night. BMW and zkw are deflecting the issue. I would like to request an investigation regarding a potential widespread defect in these xenon zkw headlights. We should not have to wait for an accident to correct the problem.

See all problems of the 2005 BMW 330 🔎.

There is a manufacturing defect in zkw xenon projector bowls used in e46 BMW cars. My headlights have become so dim that I constantly run fog lights at night to be able to see. Driving at night, especially in the rain, is very dangerous for me and other drivers. Zkw projector bowls are made of plastic, which are unable to stand up to the heat of xenon bulbs. Over time, they have become brown and cracked and do not reflect light on to the road. Al xenon projector bowls, also used in e46 Bmws, do not have this issue. Zkw seems to have realized that their plastic bowls are not sufficient. The zkw projector bowls for e90 Bmws are made of metal and do not have this issue. There is no affordable and sufficient oem repair for this issue. BMW only sells whole headlight assemblies, not just the projector bowls, which run hundreds of dollars each. Even then, replacing with zkw lights would eventually cause the same issue because of the insufficient design of the plastic bowls. The community is well aware of this issue. The only remedies are replace entire assemblies or retrofiting the headlights with aftermarket parts. Headlights are critical to driver safety and should not be this costly to keep working. These have failed prior to the life of the vehicle (mine is at 138k). . Read more...

See all problems of the 2004 BMW 330 🔎.

Low beam hid headlight projector made by zkw for BMW are poorly designed/made, unable to handle the heat output from the oem xenon bulbs, the part becomes severely scorched and degraded, reducing light output to unsafe levels. To compensate, fog lights have to be used to safely see the pavement. This is a very well documented issue with this manufacturer's product (zkw). BMW had another manufacturer, al (automotive lighting), which didn't suffer from this problem.

I recently purchased the vehicle and immediately noticed the poor light output from the factory xenons. I went online and found out that many people with the e46 sedan with xenon headlights manufactured by zkw have an issue of the projector bowls burning slowly over time due to poor material choice that cannot withstand the heat generated by the factory bulbs. Upon inspection of my headlights, I noticed that the bowls in my headlights were indeed both burnt and cracked and as a result of this, it is extremely difficult to see at night due to poor light output. I have resulted to using my fog lights as a supplementary light source just to see in the evenings and I find this unacceptable and negligent of BMW considering complaints have been made for years.

The headlight reflectors on this car (and other of this year model) are manufactured by zkw and they have failed causing very low, unsafe levels of light output. The reflectors are burnt and cracked. The only way to get any reasonable or safe light output for night driving is to use the fog lights and this is an unsafe condition and I am surprised there hasn't been a recall. This is a well known problem. Unsafe lighting and proceed while unknowingly endangering themselves and others. Do not pass state inspection light out put in some states, this problem should be address, if you look on the inter net people are modifing them to give more light witch makes it more unsafe.

I purchased the car, I noticed the headlights where dim. I went out and got new bulbs for my car. I didn't help at all! I can barely see at night and I have to use to fog lights just to be able to drive at night. It is also unlawful to drive with my fog lights on. After much research, it seems that the root case of my headlight being as dim as they are, are do to the reflective bowl being burnt out in the headlight it unit. The cost to replace the lights is insane $1000. 00 for a set, just to be able to see at night. It is unsafe to drive at night. It is so bad, that I often don't drive at night because I don't want to put my safe in a bad situation.

The headlight reflectors on this car (and other of this year model) are manufactured by zkw and they have failed causing very low, unsafe levels of light output. The reflectors are burnt and cracked. The only way to get any reasonable or safe light output for night driving is to use the fog lights and/or to hold on the pass to flash lights. This is an unsafe condition and I am surprised there hasn't been a recall. This is a well known problem among some but most users will never realize what it casing poor, unsafe lighting and proceed while unknowingly endangering themselves and others.

Over the last couple of years I have noticed that the headlights ability to provide good visibility at night has reduced dramatically, especially when raining or wet roads. I made sure the lenses were clear and new bulbs did not help. After doing some research on the internet I found thru several forums that this is a common issue with Bmws' equipped with the zkw brand of bi-xenon headlights. The reason is the projector bowels are made of plastic and over time burn due to the excessive heat generated by the xenon bulb. So much so that the reflector bowls turn black instead of silver and therefore cannot reflect the light produced by the bulb. The fog lights provide more light or if there is someone following me the car behind me provides far more light than my own car. This is a serious safety issue and should be subject to recall. The only way to remedy that I have found so far is to replace the projector bowls withe after market ones which requires some modifications at a cost of about $800. Us.

BMW e46 models have been known for this issue regarding hid/bixenon projector headlights loosing their ability to effectively light the road. My vehicle was equipped with the zkw (BMW brand/manufacture) headlight that BMW used and the reflector bowl for the projector headlamp was partially melted and burned significantly reducing the reflective surface for the headlights to function properly. After some investigation online this is a typical problem with this platform of the BMW 3 series and there is no resolution except complete replacement of the headlamp assembly. The reduced illumination was so bad, that my headlamps would be on at night but my fog lights projected more light on the road and were brighter requiring me to use them on a daily basis for light until I replaced my headlamp assemblies. Given this is a known issue and thousands of BMW e46 owners have to replace their complete headlamp assemblies the NHTSA needs to investigate and help remedy this situation as BMW should be responsible. Please note that BMW had two different suppliers for headlamp assemblies for this series BMW (al bosch and zkw). The al bosch lamps are not affected as they utilized metal projector/reflective bowls where the zkw (the affected supplier) used chromed plastic that burns/melts over time.

I have owned this car for approximately 4 years now and have noticed a gradual decrease of the brightness of my headlights during that time period. I took the car to BMW and they said I have a model of car that the reflectors break down due to the heat of the xenon bulbs. It apparently occurs in my model car with zkw reflectors from years 2003 - 2004. I asked the mechanic if this was something that was going to be recalled and he literally laughed. This defect costs well over $2000 in parts alone and is a definite safety hazard. When I am on roads that are not well lit, it seems as though my fog lights actually provide better illumination of the road that my headlights do. In my opinion this is a serious safety hazard and warrants a recall. Please investigate this matter further.

Dear NHTSA, the headlight design of BMW's e46 bodies are just horrible. Light output is close to none creating a significant problem regarding visibility. The reason is due to BMW's reflector bowl that deteriorates through out time due to its plastic material and finally ends up burning. It is so bad that the fog lights produce much more light then its low beams. We definitely need your help NHTSA because BMW sure does not want to help, their solution is that you have to replace the whole headlight which is 1200 a piece. Millions of e46 owners have to deal with this problem and is a major safety concern. Nhtsa investigators must go and investigate the problem so they know how bad it really is. Yes that means BMW will loose millions of dollars but it is safety that matters, we don't want any person or child to be killed just because of a poor headlight design. Only solution to this problem is up to your guys, NHTSA. Thank you for taking time to read my message, I really appreciate it. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I recently purchase a 2003 BMW 330i with factory xenon lights that were manufactured by zkw. The light output of these headlamps is the worst by far I have ever seen from a modern vehicle. Xenon headlamps normally have superior brightness over halogen headlamps. My fog lights put off more light than the zkw headlamps. I know that this is not a bulb issue, because they bulbs have been replaced. The bowls that reflect the light turn brown because of the heat and light output goes way down over time, from what I have read on many forums. This is a major safety issue and BMW only sells the entire headlamp to fix the problem and not just the bowl that burns and discolors. The headlamps from BMW are over $1,000 each and I really can't justify spending that right now. Headlights are not a wearable item and I never expected to have to rep.

See all problems of the 2003 BMW 330 🔎.

The bi-xenon headlights no longer light up the road. It is a safety hazard and is a known issue with headlights manufactured by zkw on 2003-2005 BMW 330 models. The reflector bowls on these units burn out over time and reduce the headlight's ability to reflect light. Driving at night is literally no better with the headlights on or off. I have to rely on my fog lights just to see anything. Please look into this safety issue as it is wide-spread.

The bi-xenon headlights cast very little light on the raod, making it very difficult to see at night without using the fog lights to augment.

The zkw brand high intensity discharge (hid) / xenon headlights installed from the factory in to my 2003 BMW 330i degraded to a point where visibility at night was almost zero unless I drove with the high beams and/or fog lights on. Replacing the bulbs did not remedy the problem. The cause was burnt "reflector bowls" which are not replaceable. The whole headlight assembly must be replaced at $1000-1300 per side. I had the headlights repaired by a specialist (at a cost of nearly $700) as I was not ready to pay $2600 to replace the headlights with another set of zkw assemblies which would no doubt fail like every set of zkw headlamps installed in 2003-2004 330i sedans. I do not feel that headlights should be a 'wear and tear' item. They are obviously a critical safety component. The deterioration of light output is slow and takes time, so people may not realize anything is wrong with their headlights until they are driving with almost no output on the road.

The xenon headlights burn and discolor the reflective housing and the lens cover discolors. This makes the headlight virtually useless when driving at night. You would be better off mounting two fisher-price toy flashlights up front. This is a major safety hazard. In order to see I must turn on my fog lights or drive with my highbeams on.