Factory low beam HID issue

[sasquatch]

So I've been reading about BMW HID problems and one of the things that keeps popping up is to check grounds. Apparently the rear tailights have a poorly designed grounding system which can cause voltage issues throughout the lighting system. I'm going to look at this tonight for any signs of burning/arcing.

[Zulu95]

Xenons should have their own ground up front. I doubt if the rears are your problem. I would swap bulbs across sides and see if problem travels with the bulb. If it persists on the original side then you have a ballast going out and you need to find a replacement. There is always a gamble buying parts online but at the cost savings we all do it. Sometimes we luck out and other times we are out of luck! There is just so much cheap far east junk out there it is hard to avoid.
GL
Z

[CrazyOneToo]

Originally Posted by Zulu95

Xenons should have their own ground up front. I doubt if the rears are your problem. I would swap bulbs across sides and see if problem travels with the bulb. If it persists on the original side then you have a ballast going out and you need to find a replacement. There is always a gamble buying parts online but at the cost savings we all do it. Sometimes we luck out and other times we are out of luck! There is just so much cheap far east junk out there it is hard to avoid.
GL
Z

Is the ballast and igniter the same thing? How dangerous is it to unhook them and switch them around? I am a newby to Xenon lights. My left side low beam is not coming on so I switched the bulbs to opposite sides and the issue stayed on the left side. Figured the best next thing to do is switch the ballasts around but are unsure about the safety issue.
Alan