Factory low beam HID issue

[sasquatch]

I wanted some feedback on a small problem I'm having with my factory low beam HID headlights. 2002 4.4i model with 120K miles. Pretty sure it still has the original battery, so that might be the root cause.

I recently replaced the low beam xenon lamps (bulbs) because the driver's side color shifted badly and burned out. The new lamps, I thought, were legit Philips D2S 85122 but I suspect they are the cheaper aftermarket clones. There is a noticeable color difference between the two lamps. I suspect the gas tube salts are of poor quality.

But here's the strange thing.....the ballasts seems to have a hard time igniting the lamp only on the driver's side. I have not tried swapping lamps to see if it is only the lamp but I'm pretty sure it isn't. Maybe a faulty ballast?

How sensitive is the HID system to battery issues like a dying battery? I've noticed my radio has been buggy as of late with the radio unit amp shutting down randomly. I also noticed the interior lights will pulsate from time to time. Measured battery voltage while running and it appears to be rock solid at about 14.3VDC.

[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

[sasquatch]

Where is the headlight ground? I reviewed the diagram at RealOEM and found nothing. I suspect the ballast case is the grounding point but maybe I'm wrong.

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[sasquatch]

Picture isn't showing up. Let's try it again...

[Zulu95]

Parts diagram so may not show a ground. Apart from the ground in the wiring plug to the ballast there should be a ground viewable if you look down at the back of the headlamp. Again, I suspect bulb or ballast and not the ground.

[jbfrancis3]

You ought to swap bulbs and attempt to isolate the issue.

If you do determine its the bulbs, take a few high-res close-ups of the bulbs, post here and we can tell you if they're real or imitations.

[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

[danielsan]

[double post]

[danielsan]

A factory bmw xenon setup has the ballast mounted underneath the headlight and the igniter [is small silver squarish shape] is attached to the back of the globe, the igniter and ballast are attached by a thin cable.

An after market setup has the ballast and igniter in the one package and a thick cable from it to the back of the bulb.

Swapping the ballast/igniters around is no more dangerous than a globe.