Problematic HID

aresfiend · 01-22-2023, 05:48 PM

I recently picked up a 2008 135i, it's an absolute blast to drive which is great because I'm in it about 35 hours a week.

Here's my issue, the passenger HID is completely whacked out. It will always turn on when I first turn my headlights on and from that point it's a total crapshoot. It might shut off after a few seconds, it might shut off after a few minutes, it might not shut off the duration of the time it's switched on. If it shuts off it'll turn itself back on 95% of the time, it'll be off for a random duration of time, it turning back on will be a random duration of time, and it'll do that indefinitely. If it shuts off and stays off I can manually switch my lights off when it will then turn back on then shut off as asked, then start back up when I turn it back on.

It doesn't dim or do anything else funky, it's just off or on at random. Bumps don't affect it, engine bay heat doesn't affect it. It'll be random whether the engine is off, on, driving, sitting stationary.

Now, I'm going to swap headlights and ballasts side to side when I get a chance (the snow is a problem right now), but past that is there anything else I should look at before a footwell module?

jdt10768 · 01-23-2023, 10:20 AM

Probably ballast/controller in there going bad due to water leaking into the headlight
I bought the parts needed on Amazon, and replaced with no issues
Hardest part is getting the headlight enclosure out. You have to take bumper off and wheel splash guard, etc
While it's out, run a small bead of silicone along the top seam, and also be certain that the back cover where bulb goes is completely closed w that wire retainer

aresfiend · 02-05-2023, 05:42 PM

So update, the car got to the point where the passenger light would not turn on at all last night. Today being our first day over 0° F (we actually hit 24°, it's practically summer!) I figured I'd do troubleshooting.

As you suspected it was full of water. The ballast had completely filled with water then frozen, the housing was very full of water. I drained the housing, blasted it with dry compressed air (moisture separator on the compressor) and my better half's hair dryer, and installed the new ballast to no success. Removed the ballast, sprayed some WD40 in and tried again, same result. None of the wires or connectors are corroded.

I did swap bulbs side to side and both HIDs worked! I let it sit for about 20 minutes without either HID shutting off, it seemed my problem was fixed. I put the covers back on and the passenger light shut off again, this time not coming back on. I swapped bulbs back and the driver side worked but the passenger side still did not.

Any further suggestions? I ran out of daylight before I could swap lights side to side and I probably won't be home with daylight any time this next week.

jdt10768 · 02-06-2023, 02:57 PM

I recall replacing another piece in there in addition to the ballast, maybe the adaptive headlight module or something like that - if you have that model. You may need to replace that too
Maybe it's not completely dry, or you still have a bad connection there
Sounds like fun in the freezing cold (hard pass on that job in the cold)

aresfiend · 02-06-2023, 07:57 PM

Sometimes my brain rivals a cue ball in smoothness, this is one of those things. I didn't remember seeing anything about adaptive headlights so I just kinda assumed I didn't have them. I have them and I sure as hell did not check the module. I wish I had a couple more folds on the thinky bit when I had the front end apart.

And it's not too bad, it's on my own terms so I can make do. I've definitely sand blasted crane booms at 30° and I'd take this 10/10 times.

mkeiser · 02-07-2023, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aresfiend

Sometimes my brain rivals a cue ball in smoothness, this is one of those things. I didn't remember seeing anything about adaptive headlights so I just kinda assumed I didn't have them. I have them and I sure as hell did not check the module. I wish I had a couple more folds on the thinky bit when I had the front end apart.

And it's not too bad, it's on my own terms so I can make do. I've definitely sand blasted crane booms at 30° and I'd take this 10/10 times.

at least the weather is lookin' good 'nuff this week! godspeed.

jdt10768 · 02-09-2023, 02:00 PM

ugh, at least now you know the drill. While you're in there - put a small bag of dessicant in bottom of light housing, and be very sure the rear and top openings are closed tightly

Like I said, I ran a small bead of silicone along the top seam as neatly as possible - just to be safe.

nevetstoj · 02-09-2023, 02:26 PM

Had same thing happen last year. Was able to pull wheel liner back and reach up to the modules. No need to take off bumper.

aresfiend · 02-10-2023, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdt10768

ugh, at least now you know the drill. While you're in there - put a small bag of dessicant in bottom of light housing, and be very sure the rear and top openings are closed tightly

Like I said, I ran a small bead of silicone along the top seam as neatly as possible - just to be safe.

Yeah, I'm going to throw some silica gel in and I'm actually going to make a new gasket for the back cover. I've already bought plenty of stuff for making a gasket for a ghetto access hatch for the fuel pump in our other vehicle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nevetstoj

Had same thing happen last year. Was able to pull wheel liner back and reach up to the modules. No need to take off bumper.

I can get to the ballasts that way but I can't get the control module off. My hands are gigantic and even just getting to the ballast was a nightmare. I pulled the bumper when it was clear I had to pour water out of my headlight.

nevetstoj · 02-10-2023, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aresfiend

Yeah, I'm going to throw some silica gel in and I'm actually going to make a new gasket for the back cover. I've already bought plenty of stuff for making a gasket for a ghetto access hatch for the fuel pump in our other vehicle.

I can get to the ballasts that way but I can't get the control module off. My hands are gigantic and even just getting to the ballast was a nightmare. I pulled the bumper when it was clear I had to pour water out of my headlight.

Is there evidence of condensation on the inside of the lens? could you post pictures?

That will help determine which gasket is the one letting moisture in.

Ive found that flipping the xenon cover gasket and cleaning it and the hole it fits into with brake cleaner to stop condensation.

Soon after found that the indicator socket would let in moisture on rainy days from the gap in the wheel liner indicator cover. Using duck tape around wheel liner cover stopped this.

Fix to this was to replace indicator socket ($30 cad dealer), and apply some black duck tape around the gap in the cover on the wheel liner to limit water contact while driving to the back of the headlight assembly.

After fixing condensation would appear after driving for a couple days but then went away permanently.

Also, if you look around on ebay the module for the xenon is the same in other cars and cheaper, mine was replaced with one from an acura.

aresfiend · 02-10-2023, 10:03 PM

There was zero sign of condensation from the outside, still is, there was just water pooled in the bottom of the headlight out of view from the lens. The nice thing is that I got a nice white line of dried road salt showing where the water made it in through the xenon cover.

Is there another adaptive headlight control module? I have a ballast from a Jeep Cherokee in there but I can't find an adaptive headlight module with the same connector and board.

I'll get some pictures tomorrow.

jdt10768 · 02-11-2023, 07:39 AM

I bought mine on Amazon for 70$ but says unavailable now

Help me decide on this product: Adaptive AHL Headlight Module Control Unit 63117180829 Fits for BMW 1 Series / X1 Series (63117180829) https://a.co/d/5x4GTsi

jdt10768 · 03-13-2023, 12:33 PM

forgive the piggyback, but . . .

just noticed that my headlights are not running through the auto setup calibration phase when turned on. They used to move up and down together in a sort of startup calibration sequence. Does anyone know how to re-enable that startup dance? I'm not getting any errors, just interested if coding is needed after replacement of the control module . . . .

aresfiend · 05-29-2023, 08:51 PM

Mine actually completely disabled the adaptive headlight function recently and it behaved similarly to that, which leads to my next Necro...

So I finally replaced the adaptive headlight control unit last week. It didn't work, I checked the short circuit count and it had hit 50. I reset it and the light worked. Everything was fine and dandy for one night. A couple days later I had to drive at night again and the light was out. I got home tonight and busted out the laptop. INPA cannot activate the headlight, it now also says that my ALC is not available. I checked the short circuit counter and it's at 0. The only thing I have now is CC-ID 121 and INPA saying that the error is no signal or value.

If I swap any combination of the ballast, adaptive headlight control unit, or bulb into the left headlight it works. I can test every individual component in that and they all work. If I move the left headlight to the right it works fine, so it's not the body harness. When I had the headlight out and checked continuity and resistance all of the wires seemed fine, even moving and wiggling them.

Where do I even go from here? Is this a mandatory buy a new headlight situation and hope that one of the other random things in it is the fix?

01-22-2023, 05:48 PM	#1
aresfiend New Member 26 Rep 25 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 135i Join Date: Jan 2023 Location: Duluth, MN, USA iTrader: (0)	Problematic HID I recently picked up a 2008 135i, it's an absolute blast to drive which is great because I'm in it about 35 hours a week. Here's my issue, the passenger HID is completely whacked out. It will always turn on when I first turn my headlights on and from that point it's a total crapshoot. It might shut off after a few seconds, it might shut off after a few minutes, it might not shut off the duration of the time it's switched on. If it shuts off it'll turn itself back on 95% of the time, it'll be off for a random duration of time, it turning back on will be a random duration of time, and it'll do that indefinitely. If it shuts off and stays off I can manually switch my lights off when it will then turn back on then shut off as asked, then start back up when I turn it back on. It doesn't dim or do anything else funky, it's just off or on at random. Bumps don't affect it, engine bay heat doesn't affect it. It'll be random whether the engine is off, on, driving, sitting stationary. Now, I'm going to swap headlights and ballasts side to side when I get a chance (the snow is a problem right now), but past that is there anything else I should look at before a footwell module?
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01-23-2023, 10:20 AM	#2
jdt10768 Lieutenant 330 Rep 529 Posts Drives: 2013 128i MSport 6MT Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Columbia, SC iTrader: (0)	Probably ballast/controller in there going bad due to water leaking into the headlight I bought the parts needed on Amazon, and replaced with no issues Hardest part is getting the headlight enclosure out. You have to take bumper off and wheel splash guard, etc While it's out, run a small bead of silicone along the top seam, and also be certain that the back cover where bulb goes is completely closed w that wire retainer
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02-05-2023, 05:42 PM	#3
aresfiend New Member 26 Rep 25 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 135i Join Date: Jan 2023 Location: Duluth, MN, USA iTrader: (0)	So update, the car got to the point where the passenger light would not turn on at all last night. Today being our first day over 0° F (we actually hit 24°, it's practically summer!) I figured I'd do troubleshooting. As you suspected it was full of water. The ballast had completely filled with water then frozen, the housing was very full of water. I drained the housing, blasted it with dry compressed air (moisture separator on the compressor) and my better half's hair dryer, and installed the new ballast to no success. Removed the ballast, sprayed some WD40 in and tried again, same result. None of the wires or connectors are corroded. I did swap bulbs side to side and both HIDs worked! I let it sit for about 20 minutes without either HID shutting off, it seemed my problem was fixed. I put the covers back on and the passenger light shut off again, this time not coming back on. I swapped bulbs back and the driver side worked but the passenger side still did not. Any further suggestions? I ran out of daylight before I could swap lights side to side and I probably won't be home with daylight any time this next week.
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02-06-2023, 02:57 PM	#4
jdt10768 Lieutenant 330 Rep 529 Posts Drives: 2013 128i MSport 6MT Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Columbia, SC iTrader: (0)	I recall replacing another piece in there in addition to the ballast, maybe the adaptive headlight module or something like that - if you have that model. You may need to replace that too Maybe it's not completely dry, or you still have a bad connection there Sounds like fun in the freezing cold (hard pass on that job in the cold)
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02-06-2023, 07:57 PM	#5
aresfiend New Member 26 Rep 25 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 135i Join Date: Jan 2023 Location: Duluth, MN, USA iTrader: (0)	Sometimes my brain rivals a cue ball in smoothness, this is one of those things. I didn't remember seeing anything about adaptive headlights so I just kinda assumed I didn't have them. I have them and I sure as hell did not check the module. I wish I had a couple more folds on the thinky bit when I had the front end apart. And it's not too bad, it's on my own terms so I can make do. I've definitely sand blasted crane booms at 30° and I'd take this 10/10 times.
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02-09-2023, 02:00 PM	#7
jdt10768 Lieutenant 330 Rep 529 Posts Drives: 2013 128i MSport 6MT Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Columbia, SC iTrader: (0)	ugh, at least now you know the drill. While you're in there - put a small bag of dessicant in bottom of light housing, and be very sure the rear and top openings are closed tightly Like I said, I ran a small bead of silicone along the top seam as neatly as possible - just to be safe.
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02-09-2023, 02:26 PM	#8
nevetstoj Private First Class 143 Rep 113 Posts Drives: 2008 128i Join Date: May 2021 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	Had same thing happen last year. Was able to pull wheel liner back and reach up to the modules. No need to take off bumper.
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02-10-2023, 10:03 PM	#11
aresfiend New Member 26 Rep 25 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 135i Join Date: Jan 2023 Location: Duluth, MN, USA iTrader: (0)	There was zero sign of condensation from the outside, still is, there was just water pooled in the bottom of the headlight out of view from the lens. The nice thing is that I got a nice white line of dried road salt showing where the water made it in through the xenon cover. Is there another adaptive headlight control module? I have a ballast from a Jeep Cherokee in there but I can't find an adaptive headlight module with the same connector and board. I'll get some pictures tomorrow.
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02-11-2023, 07:39 AM	#12
jdt10768 Lieutenant 330 Rep 529 Posts Drives: 2013 128i MSport 6MT Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Columbia, SC iTrader: (0)	I bought mine on Amazon for 70$ but says unavailable now Help me decide on this product: Adaptive AHL Headlight Module Control Unit 63117180829 Fits for BMW 1 Series / X1 Series (63117180829) https://a.co/d/5x4GTsi
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-13-2023, 12:33 PM	#13
jdt10768 Lieutenant 330 Rep 529 Posts Drives: 2013 128i MSport 6MT Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Columbia, SC iTrader: (0)	forgive the piggyback, but . . . just noticed that my headlights are not running through the auto setup calibration phase when turned on. They used to move up and down together in a sort of startup calibration sequence. Does anyone know how to re-enable that startup dance? I'm not getting any errors, just interested if coding is needed after replacement of the control module . . . .
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05-29-2023, 08:51 PM	#14
aresfiend New Member 26 Rep 25 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 135i Join Date: Jan 2023 Location: Duluth, MN, USA iTrader: (0)	Mine actually completely disabled the adaptive headlight function recently and it behaved similarly to that, which leads to my next Necro... So I finally replaced the adaptive headlight control unit last week. It didn't work, I checked the short circuit count and it had hit 50. I reset it and the light worked. Everything was fine and dandy for one night. A couple days later I had to drive at night again and the light was out. I got home tonight and busted out the laptop. INPA cannot activate the headlight, it now also says that my ALC is not available. I checked the short circuit counter and it's at 0. The only thing I have now is CC-ID 121 and INPA saying that the error is no signal or value. If I swap any combination of the ballast, adaptive headlight control unit, or bulb into the left headlight it works. I can test every individual component in that and they all work. If I move the left headlight to the right it works fine, so it's not the body harness. When I had the headlight out and checked continuity and resistance all of the wires seemed fine, even moving and wiggling them. Where do I even go from here? Is this a mandatory buy a new headlight situation and hope that one of the other random things in it is the fix?
	Appreciate 0 Quote