My xenon light is also going on and off as I am driving and making hard turns and going over potholes and road imperfections. I have been having this problem since I’ve got the car 3 years go. It got a bit better as I dug into the car and repaired rear trunk door cables that were causing it to flicker frequently but it still didn’t solve the problem for good. Turns out my xenon bulbs are factory original and the bulb started to slowly “die”. You can try swapping the left bulb to the right and vice versa to see if the problem switches to the other side or not. It could be number of problems causing you trouble but you should start with this amd move on further if it doesn’t help.
Right Xenon Headlight shutting off while making hard right turns
As the title states, yeah... I have a 2005 325Ci where the right headlight shuts off while making sharp right turns. Most of the time it comes back on once I straighten out the steering wheel, but other times it doesn't. Only clues I have: Immediately prior to the issue, I replaced the entire front suspension(Control arms, sway bar links, shocks & springs, tie rods) along with a few other things (oil pan gasket, engine mounts, amd CCV). While removing the control arms, you have to remove the headlight level sensor from the control arm. In the process I unplugged the sensor along with having to repair the crimped parts of the sensor arm that tells the sensor the height of the right control arm. That is the only thing to do with the headlights that I worked on prior to the issue. Any potential ideas as to the problem?
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US cars with xenon all have adaptive headlights, I've been told. ie lights that swivel left and right with the steering wheel. The insulation in their internal wiring degrades over time and heat cycles, and that left-right movement just accelerates that. My bet is that's your issue. You might be able to see it if you take off the top access panel with the lights off and look at the condition of the wires.
Not all xenon are adaptive, but the wiring issue on adaptive is realUS cars with xenon all have adaptive headlights, I've been told. ie lights that swivel left and right with the steering wheel. The insulation in their internal wiring degrades over time and heat cycles, and that left-right movement just accelerates that. My bet is that's your issue. You might be able to see it if you take off the top access panel with the lights off and look at the condition of the wires.
Apative is very rare my side of the pond but i was told it was the same price as regular xenon stateside, and it was special order for you to get xenon without adaptive. (That's on the facelift Cis relevant to this thread)Not all xenon are adaptive, but the wiring issue on adaptive is real
My passenger headlight went through most of that last year already, replaced both bulbs(with the lights off) and then took some time to repair the insulation on the wiring harness to the igniter. I haven't dug into the main part of the wiring, but in reality that didn't end up being the problem at all. The ballast ended up being bad, replaced it and haven't had a problem since. Again, I'm just confused since the only thing regarding headlights that I've worked on recently is the headlight level sensor. The issue started immediately after I finished, and I haven't gotten it to shake itself out. I've check the electrical connections, but maybe I need to test the voltage to each pin.US cars with xenon all have adaptive headlights, I've been told. ie lights that swivel left and right with the steering wheel. The insulation in their internal wiring degrades over time and heat cycles, and that left-right movement just accelerates that. My bet is that's your issue. You might be able to see it if you take off the top access panel with the lights off and look at the condition of the wires.
Got you. Levelling sensor shouldn't have any impact, though. When it's working it tilts the projector up and down but if you've somehow damaged the sensor then the worst it's going to do is stop that up/down happening. I can't see how that's making the bulb go out when you turn full right.My passenger headlight went through most of that last year already, replaced both bulbs(with the lights off) and then took some time to repair the insulation on the wiring harness to the igniter. I haven't dug into the main part of the wiring, but in reality that didn't end up being the problem at all. The ballast ended up being bad, replaced it and haven't had a problem since. Again, I'm just confused since the only thing regarding headlights that I've worked on recently is the headlight level sensor. The issue started immediately after I finished, and I haven't gotten it to shake itself out. I've check the electrical connections, but maybe I need to test the voltage to each pin.
As most things are on an e46, you never know what is causing the problem. I feel the need to point out that I'm not getting any meaningful codes from my scanner. There are some weird codes that pop up under the Xenon Headlights tab, however the codes seem meaningless and I haven't found much info online for them. Will post the codes when I have a chance.Got you. Levelling sensor shouldn't have any impact, though. When it's working it tilts the projector up and down but if you've somehow damaged the sensor then the worst it's going to do is stop that up/down happening. I can't see how that's making the bulb go out when you turn full right.
I believe the wire coating gets brittle and cracks.
You may need to inspect inside the headlights and wrap with electrical tape?
You may need to inspect inside the headlights and wrap with electrical tape?
Yeah earlier on in this thread I addressed that. I took some time to repair the full length of the wires to the bulb igniter with shrink tubing, so I don't believe that's the issue. The ballast and bulbs are only a year old.I believe the wire coating gets brittle and cracks.
You may need to inspect inside the headlights and wrap with electrical tape?
Have you tried unplugging the leveling sensor and see if the problem persists? If not, then it's just a coincident.Yeah earlier on in this thread I addressed that. I took some time to repair the full length of the wires to the bulb igniter with shrink tubing, so I don't believe that's the issue. The ballast and bulbs are only a year old.
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