Headlights Flickering

[hunds02]

Hello all,

I got the "check low-beam message" on my cluster and noticed the right light flickering then shutting off. These are the stock lights that came on my 2005 x5 3.0i. They are the bi-xenon adaptive headlights. I have never touched anything besides changing the angel eyes to ibright v3 years ago.

Any advice on what to check? I do not have any diagnostic software. Could it be something as simple as a dying bulb, or perhaps a dying ballast? I really hope i do not have to dish out hundreds of dollars to fix this..

Any advice is greatly appreciated

[absentmathis]

Could be bulb or ballast. More likely ballast than bulb if flickering. But my first check would be voltage to the units. Alternator ok? HIDs are very susceptible to low voltage. That said, if you need new components DDM sells kits for like $40. Don't sweat it.

[hunds02]

Originally Posted by absentmathis

Could be bulb or ballast. More likely ballast than bulb if flickering. But my first check would be voltage to the units. Alternator ok? HIDs are very susceptible to low voltage. That said, if you need new components DDM sells kits for like $40. Don't sweat it.

I will first swap the bulbs to confirm that the bulbs are okay. Alternator was replaced at around 60k, currently at 140k. Can I get a DDM ballast and connect it to my oem hid system? I rather not change the whole kit to DDM, since the oem bi xenon system is great and I rather not downgrade.

[absentmathis]

Yeah swapping sides for both bulb and ballast is a good measure. Yes - the kit I referenced is just bulbs and ballasts. Just make sure you get the right bulb type and it should be plug and play. I did just that on my '03 e39 and light output improved. The projectors and housings are really the bright spot that you don't want to change, although they also degrade with time.

[hunds02]

Originally Posted by absentmathis

Yeah swapping sides for both bulb and ballast is a good measure. Yes - the kit I referenced is just bulbs and ballasts. Just make sure you get the right bulb type and it should be plug and play. I did just that on my '03 e39 and light output improved. The projectors and housings are really the bright spot that you don't want to change, although they also degrade with time.

Would you recommend these? Also, do you know if I would have to do splicing since the oem has a separate igniter and ballast?

DDM Tuning 35W and 55W HID Kits

thanks

[hunds02]

So I assumed it was my ballast that was bad. Turns out it wasn't. I swapped the bulbs and that solved the problem. So ordered a pair of Philips D2S 4300k on amazon for around $75 shipped. Like brand new now.

[Isambard]

I've had this problem for years!! It comes and goes and the lights have never not worked so I've never been bothered about it.

Funny thing is I found that if I flicked the light switch on really quickly (like 'snapping-your-fingers-quick') there was no flickering and no 'check low beam' message

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by hunds02

So I assumed it was my ballast that was bad. Turns out it wasn't. I swapped the bulbs and that solved the problem. So ordered a pair of Philips D2S 4300k on amazon for around $75 shipped. Like brand new now.

Good to hear it was the bulbs, and I hope your bulbs are genuine, lots of fakes out there. You'd probably notice if they were fakes as the output isn't as good. Our Hella stock ballasts are quite sturdy, mine have not let me down yet and they are 10 years old.

[hunds02]

Yeah I hope they are. The light output looks the same if not brighter. The only difference I notice is that there is less of a purple look to it more white/tiny hint of blue. I like the look. But the fact that I got a pair from amazon for $75 may be because they are not genuine? I guess i'll find out sooner or later.

[ArmyX5]

I am having this problem with my driver side headlight. As soon as I turn the headlights on, it will start flickering. I am not getting any error codes and I already switched the bulbs. I need to swap the ballast. I know this is an old thread, but I am hoping that these guys found the cause of the problem.