2007 BMW 3 Series Lighting Problems

HEADLIGHTS. FIRE HAZARD BECAUSE OF BRITTLE AND BARE WIRING INSIDE OF HEADLIGHT HOUSING. Confirmation is as simple as looking inside of headlight to change a bulb. The vehicle does not set any codes to make you aware of wiring issue.

Vehicles equipped with the Xenon Headlight option that have spent time in warmer climates have very poor quality wiring inside the headlight itself, whose insulation degrades and falls off, exposing bare copper that shorts, causes lighting faults, and disables headlights. This happened in my own car, the driver side headlight Daytime Running Light just stopped working one day, first with no fault codes, then eventually fault codes started appearing as more parts of the headlight stopped working, including the low-beam while driving at night. Obviously the headlights ceasing to work randomly is extremely unsafe on roadways at night, like what happened in my case, but beyond that, wiring shorting inside the headlight can causes electrical fires as well. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request, and has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, due to testimonials I have heard from many other owners of cars with the same headlights, that BMW dealers and BMWNA are refusing to help at all with this issue. As previously stated, warning lamps did not initially appear, but as more of the wiring insulation began to degrade headlight fault codes did eventually appear.

HEADLIGHTS ARE POINTING UP TO THE SKY INSTEAD OF STRAIGHT FORWARD AFTER HITTING A BUMP IN THE ROAD WHILE DRIVING. THIS HAPPENS OFTEN.

I KNOW IT IS A FAIRLY WELL KNOWN ISSUE AS LOOKING INTO A FEW FORUMS AND YOU CAN FIND FOR YOURSELF. I HAVE A 2007 335I COUPE E92 WITH A AROUND 104K MILES AND AS I KNOW IT IS FAR OUT OF WARRANTY THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING SHOULD NOT BE SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAPPEN. INSIDE OF THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING ALL OF THE WIRES START TO WITHER AWAY AND SHORT OUT AGAINST EACH OTHER CAUSING YOUR HEADLIGHTS NOT TO WORK. THIS IS ALL HAPPENING INSIDE OF A SEALED UNIT THAT ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE SERVICED ALMOST ALL OF THE WIRES COMING FROM THE HARNESS ARE COMPLEATLY BARE AND WITHERED AWAY AND I DO NOT HAVE ANY MOISTURE LEAKING ISSUES SO THAT COULDN'T CAUSE ANY OF THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE HAPPENING EITHER. I BELIEVE IT IS FROM FAULTY WIRING USED INSIDE OF THE HEADLIGHTS THEMSELVES THAT CAUSE THEM TO DETERIORATE MORE RAPIDLY.

BLINKERS CONTINUE TO GO OUT THE BULBS ARE FINE SO ARE THE SOCKETS. THEY SOMETIMES WORK BUT MOST OF THE TIME NOT AFTER READING ONLINE I FOUND THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHERS WITH SIMILAR IF NOT THE SAME EXACT ISSUES. THEY HAVE FOUND THERE TO BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE FRM MODULES. IF YOU PLAY WITH THE BULB LONG ENOUGH OR VERY SLOWLY TURN THE SOCKET IT MIGHT COME ON BUT DECIDES WETHER TO STAY ON OR NOT THERE IS NO PATTERN TO IT.

LEFT TURN BULB SOCKET BURNED OUT, DAMAGING THE HEADLIGHT

MY REAR LEFT TAIL LAMP WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. WE CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG AND ALL OF THE LIGHTS STILL WORK.

THE WIRING INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING IS DETERIORATING. THE PLASTIC SHEATHING HAS BECOME BRITTLE FROM THE HEAT, AND IS FALLING APART, EXPOSING THE CONDUCTOR. THIS IS CREATING THE RISK OF AN ELECTRICAL FIRE OR DAMAGE TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

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.

INSULATION FAILED ON WIRING INSIDE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY, CRUMBLING OFF AND CREATING MULTIPLE EXPOSED BARE COPPER WIRING. DISCOVERED DURING LAMP REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE NOV 21, 2015. I OVERLAID ALL ACCESSIBLE WIRES WITH ELECTRICAL TAPE IN HOPES TO PREVENT A SHORT AND FIRE. SINCE THEN I'VE READ OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS REPORTED BY SEVERAL BMW OWNERS ON BIMMERFORUMS.COM, WITH ATTACHED CORRESPONDENCES FROM BMW DENYING ANY PROBLEM. DEALERS AND REPUTABLE INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS ARE VERY AWARE OF THIS ISSUE.

FRONT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY'S, BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT, THE WIRING INSULATION IS FALLING OFF OF ALL THE HEADLIGHT WIRES THUS LEAVING AN ARRAY OF COMPLETELY EXPOSED COPPER WIRING. UPON READING IN THE BIMMER COMPUTER FORUM THIS IS A COMMON HAPPENING IN MOST ~ 2000 VINTAGE BMW'S. BMW'S RESPONSE IS THIS IS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND BLAMED ON FLORIDA WEATHER EVEN THOUGH THIS DOESN'T EXIST IN OTHER AUTO MODEL'S.

PASSENGER TURN SIGNAL BULB WAS THOUGHT TO BE OUT. BROUGHT TO LOCAL BMW DEALER AND HAD THEM TELL ME I NEED A WHOLE HEADLIGHT SINCE THE TURN SIGNAL BURNED INSIDE. *TR

PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION - WARNING ERROR IS ON AFTER MULTIPLES BATTERIES HAVE BEEN REPLACED. AIRBAG IS NO LONGER WORKING SINCE THIS WARNING IS ON. THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS MALFUNCTION WARMING ARE ON BUT STILL WORKING/ON. THE RIGHT REAR NIGHT LIGHT IS NOT WORKING BUT NO WARNING ERROR MESSAGE. WE CHANGED THE BULB BUT STILL NOT WORKING... PLEASE HELP!!! *TR

PASSENGER TURN SIGNAL BULB WAS THOUGHT TO BE OUT. BROUGHT TO LOCAL BMW DEALER AND HAD THEM TELL ME I NEED A WHOLE HEADLIGHT SINCE THE TURN SIGNAL BURNED INSIDE. *TR

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.

AUTO MANUFACTURES ARE BEGINNING TO INSTALL LED TAIL LIGHTS WITH REFRESH RATES THAT CAUSE ME TO SEE SIGNIFICANT FLICKER (STROBE EFFECT) AT NIGHT. IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE WHEN I AM BEHIND ONE OF THESE CARS. MY FEAR IS THAT THE ROADS WILL BE FILLED WITH THESE CARS IN A FEW YEARS, AND THE DISTRACTIONS WILL BE TOO INTENSE TO DRIVE. SPECIFICALLY, AT NIGHT, WHEN THE TAIL LIGHTS ARE DIMMED, (BRAKES NOT ON) AND I LOOK AT THEM AND BLINK OR TURN MY HEAD, THE AFTER IMAGE IS VERY STRANGE. I SEE DASHES OR TRAILS OF LIGHT. LAST NIGHT IN PARTICULAR, I HAD AN AFTER IMAGE FOR ABOUT TWO MINUTES AFTER THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME TURNED OFF THE ROAD. THE CARS THAT HAVE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EFFECT SEEM TO BE CADILLAC'S, INFINITIES, AND BMWS. I HAVE FOUND A THREAD ON A NEWSGROUP THAT MIGHT BE USEFUL EXPLAINING WHAT IS GOING ON: HTTP://WWW.AUTOMOTIVE-USENET.COM/REC-AUTOS-TECH/1414-RE-CAR-LED-TAIL-LIGHTS-STROBE-RATE-TOO-SLOW.HTML I WOULD APPRECIATE IF SOMEONE WOULD LOOK INTO IT. *TR