Adaptive Headlight AHL Failure, Stock and Bulb Questions

user2688 · 07-24-2015, 06:37 PM

Hey all,

I recently made the acquisition of an '08 135i that we got off as a trade-in at work. The AHL failure indicator is on, and only the angel eyes are working with DRL. IIRC, on DRL you should have angel eyes plus the middle AHL/cornering/high beam lights on. (Correct me if I'm wrong, may be different between US/CAN models).
AHL failure is CC-ID code 295

Also, when trying to flash the high beams, pulling the stalk towards me, nothing seems to happen. Again, I thought the center lights (the non-HID lights closest to the grille) should come on for the high beam flash. However, when activating the high beams (pushing the stalk), it will activate the HID high beams if low beams are active.

Anyway, so I tried playing with coding today using the Carly app however the descriptions aren't very clear as to which bulb is which, but I was mainly trying to play with the DRL and Corner lamp settings to try to get those middle lamps to turn on. I have managed to turn them on but they are very weak, barely visible. At the same time, new errors popped up: CC-ID 378 and 379 which are for Sidelight/Daytime Running Light defective (left and right). Weirder still, when trying to flash high beams now, the light will actually turn off.

What gives? From the looks of things there should only be one bulb inside the inner lights, correct?
Could it be *both* H3 bulbs have failed and causing this issue and also causing the AHL code? I'll try to swap out the bulbs and report back either tonight or tomorrow.

Meanwhile, does anyone have any ideas?

Is there more than that one H3 bulb in the inner lights?
How come the issue is symmetrical on both lamps?
What is the probability of BOTH AHL modules failing? The car may be an '08 but it has less than 40,000 km's and from the looks of it has never seen winter... no condensation in the headlights either.

maniac33 · 07-27-2015, 04:38 PM

Just did a quick skim through your post, so my answer may not be as detailed as I would like right now (will try to follow up later). Assuming your CAN spec car is like the US spec (i believe they are but could be wrong). the inner circle lights are not your high beams, US Spec cars have one bulb the HID one on the outer side that are the low and high beams. The inner bulbs are the h3's that usually just come one when you put your blinker on or you turn the steering wheel to either direction and the lights correspond with that. At least that is what I've found.

Your AHL error is most likely caused by condensation/water getting into your headlights and frying the Adaptive module and the ballasts for both headlights. I would suggest replacing both modules and ballasts and making sure everything is sealed properly while the headlights are out.

the cornering lights (Ones closest to the grills) are H3 bulbs
the low beam and high beam bulbs are D1S
Angel eye bulbs are h8.

Hope this helps out some in the mean time until I can get back and read through your post a little more detailed.

MightyMouseTech · 07-27-2015, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maniac33

Just did a quick skim through your post, so my answer may not be as detailed as I would like right now (will try to follow up later). Assuming your CAN spec car is like the US spec (i believe they are but could be wrong). the inner circle lights are not your high beams, US Spec cars have one bulb the HID one on the outer side that are the low and high beams. The inner bulbs are the h3's that usually just come one when you put your blinker on or you turn the steering wheel to either direction and the lights correspond with that. At least that is what I've found.

Your AHL error is most likely caused by condensation/water getting into your headlights and frying the Adaptive module and the ballasts for both headlights. I would suggest replacing both modules and ballasts and making sure everything is sealed properly while the headlights are out.

the cornering lights (Ones closest to the grills) are H3 bulbs
the low beam and high beam bulbs are D1S
Angel eye bulbs are h8.

Hope this helps out some in the mean time until I can get back and read through your post a little more detailed.

Canadian cars work like the U.S. The angel eyes are the DRL's.

user2688 · 07-28-2015, 02:59 PM

Hey, thanks for the input!

I've been doing some more reading in the last few days and some more playing around with the car.

All the bulbs *are* functionnal (D1S, H8, H3) however whenever the H3 bulbs come on they are very weak (think of a flashlight with low battery).
Also, when trying to flash the high beams (pulling the stalk towards me) nothing happens.

If the bulbs light up they are definitely working so the problem must be elsewhere. From the looks of it, they aren't getting enough power.

How could I be sure that it is in fact the AHL module(s) that are causing the issue?

Everything else works perfectly: low beams and high beams with the xenons and angel eyes are all OK.

All other posts I've seen the OP had a xenon go completely out, however this is not the case for me...

maniac33 · 07-29-2015, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by user2688

Hey, thanks for the input!

I've been doing some more reading in the last few days and some more playing around with the car.

All the bulbs *are* functionnal (D1S, H8, H3) however whenever the H3 bulbs come on they are very weak (think of a flashlight with low battery).
Also, when trying to flash the high beams (pulling the stalk towards me) nothing happens.

If the bulbs light up they are definitely working so the problem must be elsewhere. From the looks of it, they aren't getting enough power.

How could I be sure that it is in fact the AHL module(s) that are causing the issue?

Everything else works perfectly: low beams and high beams with the xenons and angel eyes are all OK.

All other posts I've seen the OP had a xenon go completely out, however this is not the case for me...

Ahh, well the lights in the Center area the H3 bulbs aren't meant to put out light onto the road or anything by those means so they really aren't going to look very bright (however if they are on there way out you could try replacing them?) They are called cornering lights I believe or at least thats what I've come to call them. They really only come on if the car is in reverse or the steering wheel is pointed to either the left or right hand side and the corresponding bulb (left or right) will come on as well. However, both should come on when in reverse.

When you are pulling on the headlight stalk to flash your highbeams, first question would be is your car turned on and started? I know it sounds like a dumb question but, many times I've been trying to trouble shoot something and overlooked something simple like that.

And just to confirm say its dark out your lowbeams work as intended and are putting light out on the road for you to see, but if you pull the stalk to flash your high beams nothing happens as in additional light output is not there? And you are looking at the lowbeam bulb to see if your highbeams are working, correct? Again, not trying to imply anything just want to make sure you don't think the inner bulb is supposed to be the highbeam as it would be like with older cars where one section of the headlight housing is the lowbeam and another section is a dedicated high beam.

If you are getting an error warning when you turn on/start your car with what appears to be an icon of a headlight with arrows going left and right that is the adaptive module for the headlights that put light on the road (D1S bulbs) those bulbs also move in the headlight housing with the steering wheel as you drive on the road to allow better lighting around corners while driving for better visibility.

user2688 · 07-31-2015, 01:41 PM

To clarify:
The AHL light is on, however both low-beams are working properly (D1S) Also, from memory, on the other 135i I had before, the cornering lights were much brighter: they would actually illuminate the road. Right now they're duller than the angel eyes! The only way to know they come on is by looking directly at the bulb.

Maybe someone could chime in on this - turn the car on and then try flashing your high beams, what happens?
As I said, the low beams work fine and when putting the high beams on (permanently, not for flashing) the shutter opens and the low beams become high beams just fine.

Are you sure the headlights move from left to right on the e82? I thought the adaptive headlight was only the cornering lights that came on and that the left-right motion was reserved to 3 series and up?

I'll probably just bring it in to the dealership for a diagnostic and then take it from there...

***UPDATE***

The bulb error codes (not AHL) were caused by me fiddling with coding and I must have accidentally activated voltage monitoring for something that didn't exist.
Also, got the high-beam flashing to work with some more coding, but it uses the xenons. I find that to be kind of stupid especially since xenon bulbs are not meant to be flashed...

Is there any way that I can figure out what is causing the AHL failure warning? OBD and JB4 show no codes at all...

maniac33 · 08-04-2015, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by user2688

To clarify:
The AHL light is on, however both low-beams are working properly (D1S) Also, from memory, on the other 135i I had before, the cornering lights were much brighter: they would actually illuminate the road. Right now they're duller than the angel eyes! The only way to know they come on is by looking directly at the bulb.

Maybe someone could chime in on this - turn the car on and then try flashing your high beams, what happens?
As I said, the low beams work fine and when putting the high beams on (permanently, not for flashing) the shutter opens and the low beams become high beams just fine.

Are you sure the headlights move from left to right on the e82? I thought the adaptive headlight was only the cornering lights that came on and that the left-right motion was reserved to 3 series and up?

I'll probably just bring it in to the dealership for a diagnostic and then take it from there...

***UPDATE***

The bulb error codes (not AHL) were caused by me fiddling with coding and I must have accidentally activated voltage monitoring for something that didn't exist.
Also, got the high-beam flashing to work with some more coding, but it uses the xenons. I find that to be kind of stupid especially since xenon bulbs are not meant to be flashed...

Is there any way that I can figure out what is causing the AHL failure warning? OBD and JB4 show no codes at all...

Hey again! I am sure that the e82 headlights move left and right with the steering wheel as well as up and down with the leveling of the car. Bi-Xenon headlamps are designed to be used as a high beam and low beam, although I know what you mean when you say they aren't meant to be flashed. But I am sure a lot of testing and design went into that as more and more cars are using similar features.

As far as the AHL failure, most likely moisture got into the headlamp and caused the module to fail. Have you noticed any moisture build up in any headlamps? If both headlamp modules are failiing you won't notice the lowbeams/highbeams move with the steering wheel, which could be the answer to the first question.

MightyMouseTech · 08-04-2015, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by user2688

Also, got the high-beam flashing to work with some more coding, but it uses the xenons. I find that to be kind of stupid especially since xenon bulbs are not meant to be flashed...

That is how they are supposed to work. The high beam and low beam are the SAME bulb. There is a metal flapper that raises and lowers to cut off the beam, the bulbs themselves do not change.

The inner bulbs (cornering lights) might as well be a candle they are so dim. Again, normal.

user2688 · 08-04-2015, 11:42 AM

Again, thanks for the input!

Do you think there could be a way to fiddle with the cornering lights to make them a lot brighter? is it because they are 55W bulbs they are so dim or is it the car that is giving them a lower voltage?

Would it be possible (and safe?) to increase voltage through coding as with the angel eyes?

Would it be safe to replace them with a higher wattage bulb?

Last but not least, would it be possible to code the car to use the cornering lights as high beam flasher?

I'm pretty sure flashing the high beams (while on DRL) is bad for the xenons as those bulbs are not meant to be repeatedly turned on and off.

As for the AHL error, I'll try moving the steering wheel to see if the lights move at night. I think I may have noticed the right light cycling slower when turning the engine on. As for moisture, no, absolutely nothing.

Then again, the module is already 7 years old, could have failed by itself...

MightyMouseTech · 08-04-2015, 11:50 AM

Not sure. They don't really do anything.

user2688 · 08-26-2015, 10:10 AM

Bump!

Some news on the issue:
I got my hands on a BT cable and the error message said SMC right defective.
Now, is this something that can easily be replaced or is it a dealership case?

I've seen a few threads floating around but it is not clear which part is at fault...

On RealOEM I see two parts that could be the issue:
1) Electronics box ALC uncoded 3117180829
2) CONTROL UNIT XENON LIGHT 63117180050

Which one could be responsible?

As I said, both headlights work fine, there is NO trace of moisture in the headlights, the only apparent issue is that the right side light cycles slower on startup than the left one and then levels off a bit lower.

maniac33 · 08-27-2015, 12:35 AM

To be honest with you I haven't heard of a SMC failure before so I have no clue what direction to point you toward. Might just take some searching on the forums or to just buy one part and replace and see if that fixes it.. if not try the other part? I know it's not the best option nor the cheapest.

comtrang · 09-09-2015, 10:48 PM

Little late to add to this -

SMC stands for something like stepper motor control. It's the large-ish black box that attaches to the bottom of the headlight that you have to remove the bumper to replace. When water gets into the headlight, it will generally run down thru the bottom into the SMC and then down further into the xenon unit.

So having said that, I initially replaced my xenon unit ($40 on ebay, part isn't specific to BMW) and this at least brought my light back to light. However, my light would still not move. Replacing the SMC (lucked out, brand new one on ebay for $50) is what got rid of the warning light for that but I still have not had it coded to work correctly; my light moves but it doesn't quite move in the right direction and it currently sits facing down because I unplugged it from the inside, to prevent any potential damage.

Hopefully that answers your questions though. In total, lucking out with the SMC and then just finding a xenon unit (common) I spent a whopping 100 bucks. Now I just need to have it coded and I'm good to go.

07-24-2015, 06:37 PM	#1
user2688 Enlisted Member 26 Rep 33 Posts Drives: 2008 135i Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Montreal, QC. iTrader: (0)	Adaptive Headlight AHL Failure, Stock and Bulb Questions Hey all, I recently made the acquisition of an '08 135i that we got off as a trade-in at work. The AHL failure indicator is on, and only the angel eyes are working with DRL. IIRC, on DRL you should have angel eyes plus the middle AHL/cornering/high beam lights on. (Correct me if I'm wrong, may be different between US/CAN models). AHL failure is CC-ID code 295 Also, when trying to flash the high beams, pulling the stalk towards me, nothing seems to happen. Again, I thought the center lights (the non-HID lights closest to the grille) should come on for the high beam flash. However, when activating the high beams (pushing the stalk), it will activate the HID high beams if low beams are active. Anyway, so I tried playing with coding today using the Carly app however the descriptions aren't very clear as to which bulb is which, but I was mainly trying to play with the DRL and Corner lamp settings to try to get those middle lamps to turn on. I have managed to turn them on but they are very weak, barely visible. At the same time, new errors popped up: CC-ID 378 and 379 which are for Sidelight/Daytime Running Light defective (left and right). Weirder still, when trying to flash high beams now, the light will actually turn off. What gives? From the looks of things there should only be one bulb inside the inner lights, correct? Could it be both H3 bulbs have failed and causing this issue and also causing the AHL code? I'll try to swap out the bulbs and report back either tonight or tomorrow. Meanwhile, does anyone have any ideas? Is there more than that one H3 bulb in the inner lights? How come the issue is symmetrical on both lamps? What is the probability of BOTH AHL modules failing? The car may be an '08 but it has less than 40,000 km's and from the looks of it has never seen winter... no condensation in the headlights either. Last edited by user2688; 07-25-2015 at 11:45 AM..
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07-27-2015, 04:38 PM	#2
maniac33 Private 9 Rep 69 Posts Drives: AW 08 135i Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Maryland iTrader: (0)	Just did a quick skim through your post, so my answer may not be as detailed as I would like right now (will try to follow up later). Assuming your CAN spec car is like the US spec (i believe they are but could be wrong). the inner circle lights are not your high beams, US Spec cars have one bulb the HID one on the outer side that are the low and high beams. The inner bulbs are the h3's that usually just come one when you put your blinker on or you turn the steering wheel to either direction and the lights correspond with that. At least that is what I've found. Your AHL error is most likely caused by condensation/water getting into your headlights and frying the Adaptive module and the ballasts for both headlights. I would suggest replacing both modules and ballasts and making sure everything is sealed properly while the headlights are out. the cornering lights (Ones closest to the grills) are H3 bulbs the low beam and high beam bulbs are D1S Angel eye bulbs are h8. Hope this helps out some in the mean time until I can get back and read through your post a little more detailed.
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07-28-2015, 02:59 PM	#4
user2688 Enlisted Member 26 Rep 33 Posts Drives: 2008 135i Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Montreal, QC. iTrader: (0)	Hey, thanks for the input! I've been doing some more reading in the last few days and some more playing around with the car. All the bulbs are functionnal (D1S, H8, H3) however whenever the H3 bulbs come on they are very weak (think of a flashlight with low battery). Also, when trying to flash the high beams (pulling the stalk towards me) nothing happens. If the bulbs light up they are definitely working so the problem must be elsewhere. From the looks of it, they aren't getting enough power. How could I be sure that it is in fact the AHL module(s) that are causing the issue? Everything else works perfectly: low beams and high beams with the xenons and angel eyes are all OK. All other posts I've seen the OP had a xenon go completely out, however this is not the case for me...
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07-31-2015, 01:41 PM	#6
user2688 Enlisted Member 26 Rep 33 Posts Drives: 2008 135i Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Montreal, QC. iTrader: (0)	To clarify: The AHL light is on, however both low-beams are working properly (D1S) Also, from memory, on the other 135i I had before, the cornering lights were much brighter: they would actually illuminate the road. Right now they're duller than the angel eyes! The only way to know they come on is by looking directly at the bulb. Maybe someone could chime in on this - turn the car on and then try flashing your high beams, what happens? As I said, the low beams work fine and when putting the high beams on (permanently, not for flashing) the shutter opens and the low beams become high beams just fine. Are you sure the headlights move from left to right on the e82? I thought the adaptive headlight was only the cornering lights that came on and that the left-right motion was reserved to 3 series and up? I'll probably just bring it in to the dealership for a diagnostic and then take it from there... *UPDATE* The bulb error codes (not AHL) were caused by me fiddling with coding and I must have accidentally activated voltage monitoring for something that didn't exist. Also, got the high-beam flashing to work with some more coding, but it uses the xenons. I find that to be kind of stupid especially since xenon bulbs are not meant to be flashed... Is there any way that I can figure out what is causing the AHL failure warning? OBD and JB4 show no codes at all... Last edited by user2688; 08-01-2015 at 02:57 PM..
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08-04-2015, 11:42 AM	#9
user2688 Enlisted Member 26 Rep 33 Posts Drives: 2008 135i Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Montreal, QC. iTrader: (0)	Again, thanks for the input! Do you think there could be a way to fiddle with the cornering lights to make them a lot brighter? is it because they are 55W bulbs they are so dim or is it the car that is giving them a lower voltage? Would it be possible (and safe?) to increase voltage through coding as with the angel eyes? Would it be safe to replace them with a higher wattage bulb? Last but not least, would it be possible to code the car to use the cornering lights as high beam flasher? I'm pretty sure flashing the high beams (while on DRL) is bad for the xenons as those bulbs are not meant to be repeatedly turned on and off. As for the AHL error, I'll try moving the steering wheel to see if the lights move at night. I think I may have noticed the right light cycling slower when turning the engine on. As for moisture, no, absolutely nothing. Then again, the module is already 7 years old, could have failed by itself... Last edited by user2688; 08-04-2015 at 12:02 PM..
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08-04-2015, 11:50 AM	#10
MightyMouseTech Major General 4338 Rep 6,196 Posts Drives: 13 135i 6MT LeMans Blue MSport Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Ottawa, Canada iTrader: (0)	Not sure. They don't really do anything.
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08-26-2015, 10:10 AM	#11
user2688 Enlisted Member 26 Rep 33 Posts Drives: 2008 135i Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Montreal, QC. iTrader: (0)	Bump! Some news on the issue: I got my hands on a BT cable and the error message said SMC right defective. Now, is this something that can easily be replaced or is it a dealership case? I've seen a few threads floating around but it is not clear which part is at fault... On RealOEM I see two parts that could be the issue: 1) Electronics box ALC uncoded 3117180829 2) CONTROL UNIT XENON LIGHT 63117180050 Which one could be responsible? As I said, both headlights work fine, there is NO trace of moisture in the headlights, the only apparent issue is that the right side light cycles slower on startup than the left one and then levels off a bit lower.
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08-27-2015, 12:35 AM	#12
maniac33 Private 9 Rep 69 Posts Drives: AW 08 135i Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Maryland iTrader: (0)	To be honest with you I haven't heard of a SMC failure before so I have no clue what direction to point you toward. Might just take some searching on the forums or to just buy one part and replace and see if that fixes it.. if not try the other part? I know it's not the best option nor the cheapest.
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09-09-2015, 10:48 PM	#13
comtrang Workin' hard 17 Rep 162 Posts Drives: '08 135i in AW/Terracotta Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Kansas City, MO iTrader: (1)	Little late to add to this - SMC stands for something like stepper motor control. It's the large-ish black box that attaches to the bottom of the headlight that you have to remove the bumper to replace. When water gets into the headlight, it will generally run down thru the bottom into the SMC and then down further into the xenon unit. So having said that, I initially replaced my xenon unit ($40 on ebay, part isn't specific to BMW) and this at least brought my light back to light. However, my light would still not move. Replacing the SMC (lucked out, brand new one on ebay for $50) is what got rid of the warning light for that but I still have not had it coded to work correctly; my light moves but it doesn't quite move in the right direction and it currently sits facing down because I unplugged it from the inside, to prevent any potential damage. Hopefully that answers your questions though. In total, lucking out with the SMC and then just finding a xenon unit (common) I spent a whopping 100 bucks. Now I just need to have it coded and I'm good to go.
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