Headlamp vibration

[painter]

After dark, I am noticing a slight shaking of the low beam headlamps over rough stretches of highway and in town. Anyone else?

Does this have anything to do with the turning feature of the headlamps?

I have never experienced this in another vehicle before.

Opinions?:iono:

[atr_hugo]

If it's a 135i, the Xenon lights will self level (don't know what the frequency of the system is though). Another thing to check is does it happen when the headlights are in the 'A' or just 'On' settings (again if it's a 135i).

[painter]

Originally Posted by atr_hugo

If it's a 135i, the Xenon lights will self level (don't know what the frequency of the system is though). Another thing to check is does it happen when the headlights are in the 'A' or just 'On' settings (again if it's a 135i).

I keep the setting on "A". Should "ON" make a difference?

[larryn]

I know what you mean. Xenons have such a sharp cutoff of effective range, coupled with the tight suspension.. and you get this sometimes jittery feeling headlights..

[painter]

Originally Posted by larryn

I know what you mean. Xenons have such a sharp cutoff of effective range, coupled with the tight suspension.. and you get this sometimes jittery feeling headlights..

I'm relieved it's not just me. This is the first car I've had with Xenons, so maybe it's normal.

[larryn]

It's definitely normal. My last 3 BMWs have had Xenons, I remember noticing the same thing on the first one, and don't think twice about it now.

[painter]

Originally Posted by larryn

It's definitely normal. My last 3 BMWs have had Xenons, I remember noticing the same thing on the first one, and don't think twice about it now.

Thanks.

[Swift135]

I noticed that as well, you would think that they are loose but I suspect that with the self leveling capacity that there will be some movement (shake) when you hit a rough patch.

[mistermojorizin]

i've seen this discussed on e90post. basically there was 20 pages of people saying its normal. then someone complained to the dealer and got it fixed and 0 vibration became the norm.

also, if you keep them in auto mode, they will shake more than in manual mode.

[r11saf]

i have the same problem. i was going to go see my dealer but i just asumed all xenons do this since our range rover sport does it also.... quite annoying however...especially wen onther people notice it 2!!!

[larryn]

Originally Posted by r11saf

i have the same problem. i was going to go see my dealer but i just asumed all xenons do this since our range rover sport does it also.... quite annoying however...especially wen onther people notice it 2!!!

Just because 1 person got pacified at a dealership somewhere doesn't mean that it's a problem. Things like that are one of the problems with the internet. The placebo effect is insane.. "I never noticed that before until you mentioned it, and I'm now POSITIVE I have that same problem".

My large panel HDTV went thru that same thing, and had so many people returning the thing, even though it was one of the highest rated panels at the time by many, many sources. All it took was one person to convince somebody else on AVSForums (who didn't think they had a problem), and those two people went on a crusade. That panel is still regarded as one of the best HDTVs out there, almost two years later.

These types of things make everything cost more.

[OrientBlauZHP]

It's normal with the new Xenons that BMW is using now; the lights that adjust when you're going up or down a hill and when you're turning. My ZHP had Xenons and I didn't have this issue with them - and yes they were autoleveling which isn't the same thing as adaptive xenons like the 1, and 3 series have.

[TagMan]

I've never considered this to be "a problem". It is a perfectly normal inherent characteristic (attribute) of the Xenon lights.

That all said, they are fantastic!