inboard headlights
 

My inboard headlights never come on. The high and low beams are on the outboard headlights. When I looked behind the headlight fixture it appears there is a module there. Are the inboard headlights purely cosmetic or am I missing something?

remnants
on halogen, which is still standard in many markets, those are high beams and on LEDs they function exactly the same as the outers. on LCI xenons they're, as pointed out on another site, like male nipples.

On the e53 X5s that have the adaptive bi-xenon headlights...the outboard lights (as the OP mentions) are the low beam & high beam bulbs...a flap opens when high beams are initiated.

The inboard bulbs are the F-to-P (flash-to-pass) bulbs that come on when the turn indicator stalk is pulled backward towards the driver...and those bulbs can also be programmed to be DRLs.

I'm not sure how it works on the E70 especially since the LCI (facelift) models have the LED AEs that operate as the DRLs. Do the e70 X5s have th F-to-P feature if you pull backwards on the turn indicator stalk?

EDIT: just checked the e70 owners manual...looks like you should have the F-t-P feature, too. Have someone pull backward on the turn indicator stalk & you should see the inboard headlights illuminate...or pull-in or park where you can see a reflection of the front end of the vehicle...then initiate the F-t-P feature. (see page from e70 owners manual below): :D

headlight flash on pre-LCI E70 with OE xenon activates the high beam in the outers, the inners illuminate the halos and nothing else.

Not sure what LCI means but I'm pretty sure I've got Xenon's on my 2013 E70. No matter the inboard headlights never come on whether I'm flashing with the turn signal or have the high beams on.

LCI means "life cycle impulse"...its the new way of saying "facelift"...which is what BMW owners in the past used to call the "refreshing" of the model during it's production run. :)

So pre LCI would be before the "refreshing"...and LCI would be after the "refreshing".

The part database lists item #10 for the headlight assembly if you do NOT have xenon headlights...and lists #12 if you do...which appears to be the bulb used to illuminated the AEs (angel eye rings):

This diagram is incorrect. They took the old style pre-LCI light and just added the LED modules(17) to it. LCI headlight has a cap behind the inboard lens and absolutely nothing else.

Thanks for the additional info...so to tie all this info together...are we saying that on the LCI ...not to worry about what's behind the inboard lights?

The 2011 still uses a different method for illuminating their AEs...but the 2012-up uses the LED module (#17), right?

Some 2011 are LCI also. There is nothing behind the inboard lens to light anything on these models. There is an opaque lens behind the front inboard lenses. The flash-to-pass feature is practically worthless (some would argue completely worthless and/or illegal to use on any vehicle) on these models as it turns on the HID low-beam bulb and lifts the shutter. The HID bulb never comes on fully or up to temperature unless they were already on. Harsh on the equipment and not a lot of light is produced.

Actually to "ignite" the bulb a highest possible voltage is applied and in the first half second after start the bulb is very bright, dims after that and starts to get brighter slowly. But nevertheless not very useful and harsh on the equipment.