Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2004 BMW 3 Series submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 42 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 42, in the owner's own words
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.
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.
MY HEADLIGHTS ARE SO DIM AT NIGHT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE WITHOUT HIGH BEAMS ON AT ALL TIMES. THE FOG LIGHTS ARE BRIGHTER THAN MY NEW HEADLIGHT BULBS. ONLY SOLUTION SEEMS TO REPLACE THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY BUT AFTER RESEARCHING THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH BMW SO WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO SPEND OVER 1500.00 WHEN THEY SHOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THEM WITH A RECALL.
HEAD LIGHTS ARE VERY DIM. REFLECTORS ARE BURNED. HEADLIGHTS DO NOT PROJECT ON THE ROAD. CANNOT SEE AT NIGHT. *TR
ZKW HID XENON LOW BEAM REFLECTORS BURNT OR CORRODED CAUSING A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN LIGHT OUTPUT THAT BMW WANTS ~$3000 TO FIX. LIGHTS WERE A PREMIUM OPTION AND CANNOT BE CORRECTED BY XENON BULB REPLACEMENT. THE OUTPUT HAS DIMMED AS TO BE UNSAFE. *TR
THE VERY FIRST TIME I TRIED TO DRIVE THE CAR AT NIGHTTIME TO GO BACK HOME, MY WIFE AND KIDS WERE ON BOARD, AND WE WERE MORE THAN 200 MILES FROM HOME. AFTER I TURNED ON THE LOW-BEAM HEAD LAMPS AND STARTED ROLLING, I COULD BARELY SEE THE ROAD BECAUSE THE HEADLAMPS WERE NOT PROPERLY ILLUMINATING. I FLIPPED THE SWITCH SEVERAL TIMES TO NO AVAIL.' PUTTING LIVES AND PROPERTIES AT RISK, I CONTINUED DRIVING UNTIL WE GOT HOME, ALL THE WHILE DRIVING WITH THE HIGH-BEAM LAMPS ON AND APPARENTLY GETTING THE OTHERS DRIVERS ON THE ROAD FUMING. I TOOK THE CAR TO BOTH A LAMP-ADJUSTING STATION AND A BMW DEALER WHERE I WAS TOLD THE LAMPS COULD NEITHER BE ADJUSTED NOR THEIR BULBS MERELY REPLACED BECAUSE THE PROBLEM WAS THE REFLECTOR BOWLS WERE DEFECTIVE AND HAD LOST THEIR ABILITY TO PROJECT LIGHT PROPERLY. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT BOTH THAT THE REFLECTOR BOWLS COULD NOT BE REPLACED INDIVIDUALLY, AND THAT BOTH (LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES) ASSEMBLIES MUST BE REPLACED AT A TOTAL COST OF MORE THAN $2000.00. MANY POSTERS IN THE BMW FORUMS HAVE VOICED OUT EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEMS, AND I WISH THAT ALL WOULD FILE A COMPLAINT TO NHTSA. I NEVER DROVE THIS CAR AGAIN AT NIGHT UNTIL I HAD ? IN AUGUST 2014 ? PURCHASED AND FINALLY RECEIVED AND INSTALLED THE HEAD LAMPS ASSEMBLIES IN OCTOBER 2014. I HAVE IN MY POSSESSION THE HEADLAMP ADJUSTING STATION'S INVOICE AND RECOMMENDATION PLUS THE RECEIPT AND INVOICE FOR THE NEW HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES THAT HAD TO BE SPECIALLY ORDERED FROM GERMANY. ON NOVEMBER 17, 2014, BY CERTIFIED MAIL, I SENT BMW OF NORTH AMERICA MY REQUEST FOR REIMBURSEMENT, BUT I HAVE YET TO RECEIVE A RESPONSE. DUE TO THIS DEFECT WHICH AFFECTS SAFETY, I STRONGLY AND RESPECTFULLY SUGGEST THAT A RECALL BE ISSUED ON THIS BMW MODEL, OR SOME SORT OF DIRECTIVE BE ISSUED FOR BMW TO REIMBURSE THOSE OWNERS 'SUCH AS I' WHO HAD ALREADY REPLACED THEIR LAMP ASSEMBLIES AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE. *TR
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. *TR
WIRE LOOSING COATING ON INSIDE OF ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHTS, CAUSING SHORTS OR BROKEN WIRES WHERE THE HEADLIGHTS AND OR TURN SIGNALS WILL FAIL TO WORK. WIRE IS VERY BRITTLE AS THIS IS ALSO ROUGHLY 20 GAUGE WIRE. THIS CAN BE AN EXTREME HAZARD ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. THIS SEEMS TO BE AFFECTING BMW'S 3/5/6/ SERIES FROM AT LEAST 2004 TO 2008 FROM MY INDEPENDENT RESEARCH. MANY PICTURES AND COMPLAINTS ON VARIOUS BMW FORUMS TO DOCUMENT THIS PROBLEM. MY PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN I LOST ONE HEADLIGHT ON MY WAY HOME IN THE DARK AND AN INDICATOR CAME ON TO IDENTIFY A FAULT IN THE HEADLIGHT. ORIGINALLY I THOUGH IT WAS A BULB, CHANGED BULB AND IT STILL DID NOT WORK. FURTHER INVESTIGATION LED TO A BROKEN WIRE INSIDE OF THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. I FIXED THE BROKEN WIRE AND THEN NOTICED TWO MORE WIRES WHERE THE COATING ON THE WIRE SEEM TO HAVE FLAKED OFF CAUSING BARE WIRE. I ALSO FIXED THOSE WIRES AND ALL WAS WELL. A DAY OR TWO LATER, THE INDICATOR CAME ON AGAIN POINTING TO THE SAME HEADLIGHT. THIS TIME THE TURN SIGNAL WAS OUT. I OPENED THE ACCESS PANEL TO CHECK THE WIRING AND NOW A FORTH WIRE HAS BEEN SEVERED, HOWEVER I CAN NOT FIX IT AS IT IS DOWN PRETTY FAR INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT AND TO REPAIR WOULD REQUIRE REMOVING THE HEADLIGHT AND TAKING IT APART. APPARENTLY BMW USED BIODEGRADABLE WIRE FOR THE HEADLIGHTS?? SOURCE OF THE HEADLIGHT IS BELIEVED TO BE HELLA. SUPPOSEDLY BMW KNOWS ABOUT THE ISSUE BUT UNWILLING TO FIX UNLESS YOU PURCHASE A $800-1500 NEW HEADLIGHT. THIS IS CRAZY FOR A CAR THAT IS 10 YEARS OLD AND WELL MAINTAINED. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS YOU WILL CAN LOOSE A HEADLIGHT IN THE DARK AND MAYBE BOTH HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT, PLUS THE FACT OF BARE WIRES THAT CAN SHORT AND CAUSE A FIRE. *TR
REFLECTOR BOWLS IN XENON HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY BURN AND DISCOLOR, MAKING LOW BEAM LIGHTING ALMOST NEGLIGIBLE. DOESN'T EVEN SEEM LIGHTS ARE ON. VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AT NIGHT WITHOUT HIGH BEAMS ON. *TR
AS REPORTED BY OTHER OWNERS, THE BI-XENON HEADLIGHTS NO LONGER LIGHT UP THE ROAD. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH HEADLIGHTS MANUFACTURED BY ZKW ON 2003-2005 BMW 330 MODELS. THE REFLECTOR BOWLS ON THESE UNITS BURN OUT OVER TIME AND REDUCE THE HEADLIGHTS ABILITY TO REFLECT LIGHT. DRIVING AT NIGHT IS LITERALLY NO BETTER WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ON OR OFF. I HAVE TO RELY ON MY FOG LIGHTS JUST TO SEE ANYTHING. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS SAFETY ISSUE AS IT IS WIDE-SPREAD. REPLACEMENT OF HEADLIGHTS IS EXPENSIVE AT $1300 EA, THIS HAS TO BE RESOLVED BY BMW IMMEDIATELY. *TR
THE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL IN THE XENON HEADLAMPS HAS MELTED AWAY DUE TO THE HEAT OF THE BULBS RESULTING IN DRASTICALLY REDUCED HEADLIGHT EFFECTIVENESS AT NIGHT. THIS CAUSES AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE CONDITION WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT. I HAVE DISCOVERED THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE IN 2003-2005 E46 BMW 3 SERIES AND I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED BY THE MANUFACTURER. BMW KNOWS THIS IS A DEFICIENCY AS THEY CORRECTED IT IN THEIR LATER MODELS. *TR
MY 2004 BMW 325CI RECENTLY DEVELOPED A PROBLEM WITH THE LEFT REAR TAIL LIGHT (TURN SIGNAL AND BRAKE LIGHT) INTERMITENTLY DOES NOT WORK. A LEFT TAIL LIGHT FAILURE ALSO SHOWS ON THE ON BOARD DIAGNOSTIC DISPLAY. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITENT AND WITH NO WARNING. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THERE WAS A BMW RECALL FOR MODEL YEARS 2001 THRU 2005 FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM. THE RECALL SPECIFIES 325 SEDAN MODELS, MY MODEL IS A 325CI (COUPE). I CALLED BMW NORTH AMERICA AND THEY SAY MY PARTICULAR MODEL IS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. I ARGUED THAT I AM HAVING THE EXACT SAME ISSUE AS THE RECALL SUGGESTS, AND MY VEHICLE FALLS INTO THE MODEL YEARS SPECIFIED. THEY REFUSED TO ACKNOLEDGE THE PROBLEM AS PART OF THE RECALL. BMW ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (SI B63 06 11 LIGHTS) FOR THIS ISSUE IN JANUARY OF 2012. A RECALL (ID # 71087) WAS ISSUED AUG. 26, 2011. I WAS NOT NOTIFIED BY BMW OF EITHER THE SERVICE BULLETIN OR RECALL. I AM THE ORIGINAL PURCHASER OF THE VEHICLE. MY WIFE AND I DRIVE THIS CAR WITH OUR 11 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER IN THE CAR, AND THIS IS A DEFINITE SAFETY HAZARD. PLEASE HELP ME GET THIS RESOLVED. *TR
THOUGHT I HAD A LIGHT PROBLEM FIXED IT FIRST TIME. SIGNAL ON THE DASH DID NOT GO AWAY BUT THE LIGHT WAS ON. WENT TO A DIFFERENT PLACE AND FIXED IT AGAIN. AND THE SIGNAL STILL WOULD NOT GO AWAY. THE LIGHT WORKS BUT STILL SHOW ON THE DASH AS IF IT'S BROKEN. I'M AFRAID BY TIME IT'S TIME TO GET A NEW REGISTRATION STICKER THAT IT WILL NOT PASS. *TR
HEADLIGHTS VERY DIM WHEN COMPARED TO ORIGINAL BRIGHTNESS. *TR
RECENTLY PURCHASED SAID VEHICLE AND IT CAME WITH ZKW HID BI-XENON LIGHTING SYSTEM WHICH APPEARS THE INNER PLASTIC BOWLS ARE BURNT TO A CRISP WITH DETRIMENT LIGHT OUTPUT MAKING IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO CLEARLY SEE UNLIT ROADS AT NIGHT, THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN AND NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED AND SOLVED IN A TIMELY MANNER AS IT AFFECTS THOUSANDS OF SIMILAR VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. I'M AFRAID THE REDUCED LIGHT OUTPUT MIGHT APPEAR TO OTHER DRIVERS AT NIGHT THAT MY VEHICLE IS FURTHER AWAY THAT IT IS IN REALITY GIVING THE POSSIBILITY OF THEM CROSSING INTO MY TRAVEL PATH INCURRING AN ACCIDENT. I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN REVIEWING THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME BUT WE NEED A RESOLUTION SOON... THANK YOU. *JS
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. *TR
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. *TR
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. *TR
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. *TR
FOR A LITTLE OVER A YEAR NOW I'VE BEEN NOTICING THAT AT NIGHT I'VE BEEN HAVING A REAL HARD TIME SEEING AT NIGHT WHILE I AM DRIVING. FOR A WHILE I THOUGHT IT WAS MY EYES GOING BAD UNTIL MULTIPLE PEOPLE STARTED ASKING IF MY LIGHTS WHERE ON, ( I WAS LIKE GOOD IT'S NOT MY EYES) IT GETS REAL BAD ESPECIALLY WHEN IT RAIN OR THE ROADS OR WET WHICH IS ALMOST EVERY NIGHT CAUSE LIVE IN HAWAII AND IT RAINS ALL THE TIME. BUT OF COURSE THE PROBLEM IS NOT GETTING BETTER IT'S GOTTEN SO BAD THAT I HAVE TO DRIVE WITH MY FOG LIGHTS AT NIGHT. I WENT TO THE DEALER THINKING IT WAS THE BULBS AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS NOT AND I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY RIGHT AND LEFT. I HAVE NEVER HEARD THIS BEFORE SO I STARTED TO SEARCH THE NET AND COME TO FIND OUT THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP! *TR
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. *TR
XENON HEADLIGHTS ARE TERRIBLE. VERY LOW VISIBILITY AND IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE AT NIGHT. *TR
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. *TR
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. *TR
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. *TR
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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