Headlights Problems of BMW 3 Series - part 1

I was receiving a imagine on the on board computer saying that my headlights were not working. Upon inspection inside the headlight's casing, I saw that all of the wiring's protection had completely fell off (probably due to the humid southern climate of north texas) leaving almost all of the wiring on both sides of my headlights (driver and passenger side) completely exposed. The copper wiring inside is almost all exposed. Obviously this is causing the headlights to short and leaving me with no visibility while driving at night. This is a model without angel eyes, so my drl do not work what so ever. These headlights are completely stock, so this is a factory fault. Very unhappy with this. Thanks BMW for the "fantastic" engineering! should be covered under a recall.

See all problems of the 2006 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

Headlights project almost no light. Just paid $130 to have lenses cleaned, no improvment. I thought it was my eyes and complained to opthamologist twice but my eyes are ok. I've read tht the reflector bowls in this model melt from the heat of the bulb. I need to remedy this situation ASAP so I will not be able to wait for an investigation.

See all problems of the 2004 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

Wiring insulation cracking degrading leaving exposed bare wiring causing shorts and possible fire in headlight wiring harnesses, wires are stationary do not move. Insulation is craked and falling off wires. Noticed failure during bulb replacement. Made this complaint after reading about numerous other BMW owners noticing same fault.

See all problems of the 2007 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

Xenon adaptive headlights - the wire inside my xenon adaptive headlights is brittle and the insulation is flaking off. I discovered the problem when I opened one of my headlight assemblies to replace a bulb. Significant amounts of wire insulation have flaked off and exposed copper wiring. I have lots of pictures. I am fortunate that I did not have a short or a fire. This is a safety issue and completely unacceptable. BMW must already know that they have a wiring defect in their cars. BMW replacement headlight assemblies are $2600 plus labor. I am the second owner of this 2007 BMW 328i e92 with 48,000 miles. BMW would not stand behind their product and replace the headlight assemblies.

There is limited light output from the xenon/hid headlight assemblies due to "melted" projector bowls from BMW. This is a serious safety defect that prevents end users from being able to see the road and objects ahead of them.

See all problems of the 2003 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

Headlights very dim when compared to original brightness.

Shielding on daytime running lights has frayed and is peeling. Addressed this matter with dealership who in turn referred me to regional brand manager. Brand manager indicated that the wire just doesn't fray and I must have modified my vehicle to cause the problem. My vehicle is completely stock except for a k&n filter has had all services performed at the dealer until about a 10 months when the factory extended warranty expired. I still take it to the dealership for major services but perform oil changes and spark plug changes on my own. Brand manager offered to discount a new set of headlights by 20% to resolve the problem but at over $1k for each headlight assembly it seems unreasonable for a manufacturing defect. I'm addressing this problem now as my drl bulbs (h8's) have blown on each side twice over the past four months and the shielding drl harness has completely peeled away. A potential fired hazard as both negative and positive leads are exposed. Having the hid adaptive headlights in such close proximity to the exposed harness seems like a potential for a short which may result in a fire.

Passenger headlight low beam reflector is burnt out due to faulty material being used. Reflector is made out of plastic and normal heat from bulb melts the plastic. This makes it very unsafe and difficult to see at night. This seems to be extremely common on the internet. The solution is very expensive and due to this cost,most people will not fix and drive under this unsafe situation. Please look into this and hold BMW responsible.

See all problems of the 2005 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

My zkw headlights do not reflect light anymore. BMW offer no replacement reflector bowls for the headlight, so no fix is available except replacing the headlight assembly with the same faulty assembly from the same manufacturer. Headlights produce too much heat and melt the reflectors deeming them useless and an extreme danger. Recall needed for extreme safety reasons. I can't drive my car at night anymore.

My bi-xenon headlights have been slowly fading resulting in extremely poor visibility during normal nightime driving. This degradation has been occurring without my knowledge until it became obvious after driving another vehicle. As it turns out, my mechanic has advised there is a common issue with certain BMW assemblies that the projector lenses literally burn due to heat resulting in the need to replace the entire assembly. This loss of headlight intensity resulting in poor visibility is a significant safety situation and request someone look into why no recall has occurred as this is obviously a safety concern. I have entered today's date as incident date as I am not sure when degradation of the projectors began.

The vehicle came equipped from the factory with bi-xenon auto leveling headlights manufactured by zkw. The past couple months, the light output has steadily decreased. Brown scorch marks are visible in the projector when the headlight is on. On the driver's side, the xenon bulb burned off all the reflective material in the projector bowl. The light output from the projectors has been reduced to a thin beam of light. It is becoming very difficult to see while driving at night. This problem is getting progressively worse.

The projector bowls on the zkw headlights were burnt out due to a design flaw. I see lot of complaints online with the same issue. Driving in night is really difficult and dangerous.

My 2004 BMW 330 equipped with bi-xenon headlights is experiencing greatly reduced light output. Upon research on BMW forums, the problem is due to plastic reflectors in the light housing manufactured by zkw. This is a safety issue as the light output decreases slowly over time as the heat from the xenon bulb burns the coating off the reflector and leaves a burnt amber color as the plastic degrades. BMW refuses to replace the defective part under goodwill or cpo warranty, and classifies it as a wear item, which is incorrect. Bulbs are wear items, not any non-moving part in the housing. This is a serious safety issue, especially for owners who are not aware due to the gradual degradation of lighting quality.

Front optional hid (xenon) headlamps were noticed a being extremely dim. The headlight has a replaceable plastic lens. Lens was first polished and then when no light improvement was observed, both lenses were replaced. Light output remain very poor. Bulb were ordered to replace original however when beginning to replace the bulbs it was noticed that the bowl had an observed scorch or burned spot on the projector bowl and I ceased changing the bowl. After reading forums it appears this is a common manufacturing defect involving a safety items that reduces viability and may possibly burn through on this model year with this option. A photo is available if necessary.

The bi-xenon projector headlights on my car do not produce the focused light that they did when the car was purchased. Investigation has produced evidence that the plastic xenon reflector bowls have lost their reflective material and that the plastic reflector bowl is now deteriorated and brown. The pattern of where the reflective material has disappeared indicates that the vapor deposited reflective material has failed due to the heat generated by the headlight bulb. Other headlights in the BMW 3 Series line have metal bowls and do not display the same problem. I've spoken to my BMW dealer and BMW of America and registered a complaint but received no assistance. If the projector bowls were available as replacement items I wouldn't be as un-happy unfortunately that's not the case and to rectify the problem it requires the customer to purchase headlight assemblies at around $1200. 00 per side. As I am an engineer by profession I would consider this a design defect due to a poor choice of material capabilities and/or material compatibilities. I consider this to be a safety issue due to the fact that this occurs over time leaving the owner operator with slow deterioration of light quality. I would appreciate your assistance in holding BMW responsible for the safety of their customers and others on the our highways. I had notice the reduced light quality but was blaming it on the condition of my headlight lenses. But after having my headlight lenses reconditioned the lighting condition continued. Leaving me to investigate and find that this is a common issue with other BMW 3 Series automobiles.

After being service by dealer for 4 days which included the replacement of right headlight and abs and brake system the car caught fire which seem to be related to electrical system. While driving the car heavy toxic smoke started coming out of ventilator of ac system. I immediately step out of the car and in a few minutes smoke and flames located in the engine in front of passenger seat burn the car. Flames and black plastic were coming also under the glove compartment right in front of passenger seat. Dealer quoted $25000 for repair and insurance company declared it total loss. Car was delivered to dealer who has kept it for a month, engineer from BMW north America came and inspected but no report has been issued by them or dealer. This company has no concern for safety of consumers and should be penalize. After having owned six BMW's I feel these autos are not safe.

Headlights have gradually lowered light output to the point that the vehicle is unsafe to operate in dark conditions. This condition has apparently happened to many other vehicles of the same make and model, and may have something to do with the low beam reflectors on 2003-2004 zkw hid headlights were made of some material that degraded when subjected to the heat produced by oem xenon bulbs.

The zkw projector bowls are burned out on the headlight fixtures, reducing light output and visiblity. After some research, it is evident that this is not an isolated incident. BMW needs to address this safety issue.

Oem projector headlights burnt behind projector causing very dim lights.

Zkw xenon headlight reflector bowl is burned resulting in very dim light output. I am often afraid of driving at night because I feel it is a danger to my safety.

Headlights fail randomly. Headlights flicker, turn off, turn back on. Independent of speed or weather conditions. Bulb testing after this failure indicate that the bulbs are not failing (they are not burned out).

On 2003-2004 BMW 3 Series e46 sedans with oem zkw manufactured xenon (hid) headlights, the reflective bowl for the headlights will become discolored and non-reflective after normal use with oem bulbs. Over time, the heat from the oem bulb will scorch the reflective bowl and dramatically reduce light output to unsafe levels for night time driving. BMW has not notified owners of the design flaw, and no replacement parts are available other than the entire expensive, new headlight assemblies that will suffer from the same problem in time. Though BMW refuses to acknowledge that an issue exists, BMW changed the xenon headlight reflector design for later model years to a metal reflector assembly that does not degrade when exposed to the normal operating temperatures of the oem xenon bulbs. These newer designed headlight assemblies to not suffer from any reduction in light output with use. Updated ivoq 07/26/11.

I own a 2004 BMW 3 Series sedan with optional bi-xenon headlights. About 10,000 miles into my purchase (or 57,000) I began to notice my headlight output deteriorating significantly. My girlfriend owns a 2004 BMW 3 Series coupe/convertible also with the optional bi-zenon and 60,000 miles. I compared our vehicles headlights side by side. My bi-xenon headlights in both low and high beam form were significantly dimmer and had a yellow tint when compared to her bi-xenon headlights. This is a common issue on BMW 3 Series sedans with the optional bi-xenon headlamps. The problem is that the bi-xenon reflector housing bowl in BMW e46 3 Series sedans is made from a different manufacturer than the coupes and convertibles. The headlights in my vehicle are made and classified under the title (zkw). The coupes and convertibles are made and classified under the name (al). The difference is that oem zkw headlights reflector housing bowls are made from a type of plastic. While the oem al headlights are made out of metal. The metal housing in al style headlights in coupes and convertibles are able to stand up to the heat of the xenon bulb, the plastic housings in my sedan are not. Due to this it literally gets too hot and burns the plastic reflective housing to a brown crisp, which is not a reflective surface and deteriorated my headlight output to an extremely unsafe level. The output level has dimmed so that when there is any oncoming traffic my lights get drowned out and I must put on my fog lamps to maintain any type of visibility. The output level is below any halogen lamp I have seen. This is extremely unsafe at any speed and is a known issue on all bi-xenon equipped BMW e46 3 Series sedans. BMW is aware of this issue and has done nothing to address this design flaw, which compromises the safety of myself and others. Pictures of the issue are available upon request. Thank you.

2004 BMW 325i with the factory bi-xenon headlights manufactured by zkw. The lights have extensive damage to the reflective bowls such that the light output is quite dim. This is apparently a weel documented problem with these lights by this manufacturer. No replacement is available other than complete replacement at $1000 per light or retrofitting another type of projector in its place. BMW refuses to recognize this very common problem.

BMW e46 3 Series - zkw headlights- very low light output the zkw headlights have a design flaw in which after 2-3 years of use, they dim to around 20% of the original light output. This is very dangerous when it comes to night driving. Someone driving with this issue is nearly completely blind driving around at night. This is due to the projector reflector bowl being made out of plastic, and melting from the heat. This causes the light to bleed out from the backside of the light into the housing, instead of forward onto the road. BMW noted this flaw by replaced the zkw headlamps with al branded headlamps in all the newer Bmws in 2005 and on. The al branded headlights replaced the plastic bowl with metal bowls. However, all e46 3 Series sedans from 2003-2004 still have these faulty zkw headlamps. There is no easy fix to this problem, as BMW does not sell the bowls separately. The only solution is to completely replace the headlamps, which costs around $2000. This is a very serious safety concern. I can guarantee that nearly every 2003-2004 3 Series sedan with oem xenon headlamps faces this issue. Owners do not fix the issue due to the heavy costs.

Headlight output began to dim. Replaced bulb and had clear lens cover cleaned. This did not help. Car is now unsafe to drive at night. Dealership discovered that the heat from the bulb has melted and discolored the reflector for the headlight. Online internet search indicates this is a chronic safety problem with this model of BMW.

The contact owns a 2004 BMW 330. The contact stated that the plastic reflector bowl used for the headlights were burned and scorched by the heat of the bulbs used on the vehicle. The contact replaced the covering before and within a year, it burned through again. The contact stated that the brand covering that was failing was the zkw brand. The vehicle was not inspected by the dealer or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 71,000.

Xenon headlights are terrible. Very low visibility and impossible to see at night.

On 2003-2004 BMW 3 Series e46 sedans with oem zkw manufactured xenon (hid) headlights, the reflective bowl for the headlights will become discolored and non-reflective after normal use with oem bulbs. Over time, the heat from the oem bulb will scorch the reflective bowl and dramatically reduce light output to unsafe levels for night time driving. BMW has not notified owners of the design flaw, and no replacement parts are available other than the entire expensive, new headlight assemblies that will suffer from the same problem in time. Though BMW refuses to acknowledge that an issue exists, BMW changed the xenon headlight reflector design for later model years to a metal reflector assembly that does not degrade when exposed to the normal operating temperatures of the oem xenon bulbs. These newer designed headlight assemblies to not suffer from any reduction in light output with use.

The BMW e46 (3 series BMW) that was made from 1999 to 2006. In some cases during these years they used a lighting manufacturer "zkw" for their xenon headlights. Unfortunately these lights have a common failure issue commonly referred to as a "burnt reflector" on the internet and on BMW forums. This is a non-consumer replaceable part. When this part fails it causes the vehicle to not have effective headlights. I personally have had times where my field of vision could not see items on the road due to the dim lights. The only remedy appears to be to replace the entire headlight assembly to the tune of hundreds of dollars (well over a thousand if you do both sides). In my opinion BMW should correct this issue for the consumer. Headlights are an important safety item. To have a part fail that is not consumer replaceable is unacceptable. Many people have this issue but have no way to remedy it. Just google it or check e46fanatics. Com. You will see that there are plenty of people that realize this is an issue.

Headlamp bulb out and upon replacement it was noted the coated wiring to the xenon system to right and left headlight is brittle (the wires plastic coating is falling off)and in some places exposed wiring was found. Electrical tape need to wrap the wiring to avoid potential fire. Late notice to this site I was unaware to file a report. Others also have complained about the same issues.

The low beam reflectors on 2003-2004 zkw branded high intensity discharge xenon oem hid headlights on the 3 Series BMW from that model year (sedan) were made of some painted material that degraded when subjected to the heat produced by the oem xenon bulbs. This results in a significantly decreased light output as the reflector became scorched. If it's bad enough, there is no light being projected on the road and it is very hard to see anything with the normal headlights. Either the high beams have to be used or the foglights have to be turned on. This is a safety issue. I would imagine that BMW and zkw were and are aware of the defect as the newer, redesigned headlights do not suffer from this problem. Replacement oem headlights cost $1200 for each side.

Bought my vehicle brand new from BMW dealership & after about 5 years of having my car, I noticed that my xenon headlights were not shining as bright as they usually did. Over time I eventually had to use the high beams at night in order to see while driving. I had the passenger side headlight replaced after an accident in Nov 2010 & recently went to have the driver side headlight checked to see why it wasn't illuminating as it should be. It was found that the protective sheath covering the wires in the headlight had dry rotted/desintegrated & there was hardly any sheath covering the wires, due to the heat generated by the xenon light. In addition, it was found that the projector bulb reflector had melted & burned out, also due to the heat generated by the xenon light & is why the light no longer illuminates as it should. I contacted BMW due to my findings & because many other BMW owners with the same year and model vehicle have experienced similar issues & BMW has been unwilling to address the issue. There is clearly a defect in the light design given the number of owners who have had this same issue and the fact that zkw & BMW has since changed the design of the xenon headlight in newer models & the newer design doesn't have this issue. BMW need to be accountable for this design defect & replace the headlight with the newer design because replacing the headlight costs over $1200 dollars each light & being that the replacement lights have the same design defect you will find yourself having to replace the headlights every 4 to 5 years because it to will burn out and the projector bulb reflector is not sold separately & the entire lights has to be replaced. I can visibly see areas on the replaced headlight where the projector bulb reflector has already started to melt & burn & I have only had that light a little over a year.

Head lights are very dim. Reflectors are burned. Headlights do not project on the road. Cannot see at night.

My 2004 BMW 330i, with zkw produced headlight components, suffers from what appears to be a known issue with the projector bulb reflectors burning after approximately 50,000 miles of driving time. This results in a diminished light output, and is a definite safety concern. Please address this issue as I believe BMW is aware of the issue, yet will do nothing to remedy the issue with it's owners.