No parking lights when headlights are on
 

I noticed the other day that my parking lights weren't on when the headlights were.

Turn signals work
Parking lights come on when the switch is set to parking position.
Parking lights off with auto headlights or with switch set to headlight position.

04 E53 4.4i USA Model.

FWIW - The angel eye bulbs are out. Haven't bothered replacing those yet, I wouldn't expect that it's related since the parking lights do work, but with BMW electrics, thought it was worth mentioning.

Parking lights as in the side indicators? Is it possible the car had the lights coded off?

Parking lights in the headlight cluster, not the side markers on the fenders.

I took a look at the coding today and they don't appear to be coded off.

Auto headlights and wipers aren't working correctly either, but I think that's down the the sh*tty windshield that Safelite used when I cracked mine... there's a couple large bubbles where the sensor is. I'll probably remove and re-glue, but unless the weather gets a lot nicer, that's going have to wait for spring. I suppose it's possible that it's related, but that doesn't make much sense.

Are there parking lights in the headlight cluster? Aren't the halo lights the parking lights....?

There's no other lamps on my headlights - just low beam, high beam, halos (AEs) and signals.

I am confused as well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Best is to post a few photos with HL on and off so others can understand what your problem is.

Check your manufacture date. '04 was a transition year to the facelift model, but some of the electronics weren't updated until later in that year. It could be that pre-facelift models parking lights didn't come on with the headlights on.

Looks like I'm just an idiot.

I went back again and it looks like they were just coded off.

I probably did it when the angel eyes were working and completely forgot about it. Probably ought to find some cheap angel eye replacements at some point too.

Thanks all.

What exactly was coded out?

On many vehicles, the front parking lamp is a low wattage lamp fitted off-centre in the main headlight reflector.

As I mentioned above, I don't think the LCI E53 X5 actually has "parking lamps" in the headlight units - just low beam, high beam, signal and halo (AEs)...

Also, on later Euro-spec cars at least, if a halo (AE) lamp fails the LKM will power up the same-side signal lamp as a temporary replacement until the halo (AE) lamp is replaced.

Perhaps this is a case of "lost in translation"? In this part of the world, parking lights are the first position on the light switch, between off and normal headlights. Parking lighting is normal tail lights and a low wattage front light on each front corner, in the case of a LCI E53 X5, that's the AEs.

Perhaps your definition of "parking lights" is different? :dunno:

Here's how it looks now.

(Which is typical for the US)

When the turn signals are on, the amber lamp blinks.
Otherwise it's on solid whenever the headlights are on.