2004 X5 Headlight question - flash to pass work, Hi Beams do not
 

Hello all, I've searched but to no avail.

Here is the story on the headlights in my wife's 2004 X5 w/Halogen Headlights:

Daytime running lights work

Low beams work

Fog lights work

Flash to pass works (high beam indicator comes on when the stalk is pulled momentarily towards the driver, high beams come on while pulled, fog lights go out)

When the high beam stalk is pushed forward to the high beam position the fog lights go out, the high beam indicator on the dash comes but the high beams do not come on?

Question - with the halogen headlamps are the outside headlights both high and low beams or, are the outside headlights low beam and the inside (closest to the kidney grill) high beams?

As complex as this car is I'm amazed the lighting control module doesn't recognize a problem and signal a warning light/message on the dash. Nothing at all though.

I believe the stalk is working as the high beam indicator on the dash does comes on.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

do yo have HID/xenon low beams? are they bi-xenon? if they are bi-xenon, the high beams in the middle of the car will NOT come on as programmed from the factory.

from your description it seems that you have bi-xenons.. if you do not have them, then we have a problem...

there is a way to program them to work as you desire... give us a bit more info first, then we'll see if it is a programming remedy or a real problem...

He says it is a halogen in the first line. If so, then it sounds like somebody sold his xenon headlight set and installed a cheapo halogen before selling the car.

After thought: Could it be it had a front end collision and in order to save money/ rip off the customer halos were fitted for xenon? It sure sounds like the later '04 with bi-xenons and flash to pass.

Or if full disclosure as to which 04 X5 they have (3.0?, 4.4? 4.8is?)...we'd know if they had halogen, or bi-xenon automatically if they have the V8 (unless as previously suggested, they were removed and sold).

Sorry guys I always try to provide all relevant information when I post a question.

It's a 2004 X5 3.0L. It's kind of rare as it's a 6 speed manual but well optioned with pano roof, heated seats, etc.

well the plot thickens - the headlights are definitely halogen bulbs but I found this when I went out to confirm:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y19...ps0e719518.jpg

Both headlight bulb covers are cut like this.

Here is a the best pic I could get of the inside of the bulb access are of the headlight cover:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y19...ps40e1357c.jpg

I'll throw one more factor into the mix: a few years ago the headlight control module went bad. A friend of mine's father runs a high end salvage yard and had a 2004 X5. We swapped in the light module and IIRC all was well - can't recall if the high beams worked after the swap or not. I do know the high beams have not worked in some time.

The existing Lighting Control Module was never serialized to the car.

Thanks again for any input or advice,

this brings up another question - your odometer reading, does it have a little red/orange dot illuminated next to miles/kms?

it could have been that you may have fitted an LCM from a xenon vehicle and the original programming stayed with the module...

I will suggest that yo program your module into the car's VIN and update the mileage information... It may require a trip to a dealer and some paperwork with the State's vehicle department.

i think your problem is not with the headlight but rather is with the LCM

what is your last 7 digits of the VIN?

Hi Terminator, I just checked and there is a small red dot illuminated below the MILES indicator in the middle window of the display panel (there are three display windows - The far left is vehicle miles, the middle looks like a trip odo and the right side shows outside temperature. The red dot is in the middle display window).

Last 7 digits are LB09473

Could switching the LCM have effected the displayed mileage?

Thanks so far for all your help!

you have set off so called "tamper dot" by switching to an LCM that does not have the same VIN. VIN mismatch and different miles in the IKE (cluster) and the LCM set off the tamper dot... one of the events is enough to set it off, you have both events, as in retroftting a used module... If i remember it right, the modules can be reprogrammed only so many times (i think 3 times), and the can only programmed to a higher miles level - so, if your cluster says 70000 miles but you got an LCM from a car that had 30000 miles, than you are lucky, you can change the LCM to 70000... if, on the other hand, the LCM came from a car with 100000 miles, than you will need to either leave things as they are, programm the high beam to work to your liking, forget about the tamper dot and carry on, or, get a new LCM and program everything correctly... or, add unwarranted miles to your car, which i dont see happening...

Well I just ran last 7 of his VIN, no xenon lights as far as I can tell so that is good.


I think you definitely have an LCM or programming problem as Terminator said, evidenced by the tamper dot.

As TX5 has already answered...yes, swapping in a used LCM from another vehicle can create the situation you have. There are six data points listed in the info below...and ALL six data points must be addressed to install an instrument cluster or LCM.

For the most part, BMW dealerships can only install new modules or officially re-manufactured models whose mileage has been "zeroed" (BMW dealerships BMW DIS/GT-1 equipment can't do this)....see the 1st paragraph after the 6th data point below. There is aftermarket software/hardware that can...but it's not simple due to...if it was "easy" it would then be real simple to roll back BMW odometers...thus installing used clusters and/or LCMs is complicated...not impossible...but not easy without understanding what must be done (the six data points) and the equipment and software to change/re-write to the modules: