Xenon Light vibrates while driving
 

It has been raining last couple of days in Southern California so I had the light on all the time. I noticed that my xenon light was shaking/vibrating a lot. I took my car to the Shelly BMW and told SA that my xenon light is vibration too much. I left the car there and went to work. SA called me hours later and told me that they replaced head lamp unit. When I went there to pick up the car, I found out that they only replaced left one and now my lights are unbalanced. I don't think they replaced any bulbs but why is there a difference in brightness?
What do you guys recommend me to do? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.:confused:

My xenons shake when I go over bumps. Service dept. said it is normal.

The driver's side light should be aimed lower than the passenger's side. It's a safety thing. That might be what you describe as the difference in brightness.

If you can stand in front of the car and notice that one light is more intense than the other, well then maybe there is a problem. But as for how far each lamp illuminates, the left will always be shorter than the right.

I have the Xenon's... headlight shake is NOT normal. I don't care what the SA tells you. I had mine repaired using SIB 63 10 07. Now mine are ROCK SOLID like the Xenons in my Audi are and my halogens in my Suburban!

Keep in mind there are variations of this SIB based on the model of your car....


Headlight Vibrates when Vehicle is in Motion


MODEL
E92, E93 (3 Series)

Vehicles produced from May 31, 2005 to February 11, 2007


SITUATION
The headlight shakes or vibrates when the vehicle is in motion.

CAUSE
The front-end carrier arm of the headlight is very sensitive to vibration.

CORRECTION
Do not replace any parts. Perform the following procedure to both headlights.

Check all connections that are used to secure the headlight. If screws are missing or not sufficiently secured, then they must be replaced or tightened to correct BMW specifications.



If the headlight still vibrates:
2. Secure the headlight arm with additional screws P/N 63 12 8 372 243 (1).



If the headlight still vibrates:
3. Install an additional headlight arm support (1) to both headlights, P/N 51 64 7 019 777 (Left) and P/N 51 64 7 019 778 (Right).
4. Remove the front bumper cover per repair instructions RA 51 11 156.
5. Remove the left and right brake air ducts.



6. Remove the round-head Torx bolt (1) to install the additional headlight arm support.



7. Install the additional headlight arm support (1). Make sure that the support surface of the headlight arm support (1) engages onto the headlight carrier (2).



8. Secure the other end of the headlight arm support (1) with a new self-locking M6 X18 round-head Torx bolt (2) P/N 07 14 6 978 618.
9. Reinstall the left and right brake air ducts.
10. Reinstall the front bumper cover per repair instructions RA 51 11 156.

PARTS INFORMATION
Part Number
Description
Quantity

51 64 7 019 777
Headlight Arm Support (Left)
1

51 64 7 019 778
Headlight Arm Support (Right)
1

63 12 8 372 243
Additional Screw
4

07 14 6 978 618
M6X18 round–head Torx Bolt
2

WARRANTY INFORMATION
Covered under the terms of the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Defect Code
63 12 02 37 00


Labor Operation:
63 99 000
Work time for installing the 4 screws in step #2.

Labor Allowance:
3 FRUs


Labor Operation:
63 99 000
Work time for installing the 4 screws in step #2 and

both headlight arm supports.

Labor Allowance:
15 FRUs

Are you sure about that? Mine vibrate a little bit and so have others, that I have seen, including brand new cars. I think it is more that the lights have such a defined cut off point people can notice the vibration of the light when the car is moving... So basically not a flaw, just being able to notice the flaws...like in HD pr0n.

LOL on the HD P0rn! All i can say is that mine don't shake AT ALL since they installed the support arms. I'm VERY happy that I had that service done. :thumbup: But i think it's STUPID it doesn't come from the factory with those installed. Obviously, they feel it's an issue too or the SIB wouldn't exist I suspect.

No problems with excessive vibration on our 325i. Never needed any service on those.

The dipped (low) beam headlights should be aimed slightly lower on the driver's side. This prevents glare to oncoming vehicles.

mine vibrate but i figure its more due to the stiffer ride than anything. i did not notice it in the 5 or 6. the 3 is definitely stiffer and i attribute the headlight vibration to that. personally i dont really care since i usually drive with night vision goggles instead of the headlights.

So is this a free service fix? If it applies to the 2006 I would get it. I don't enjoy the vibration but if it's normal then so be it, but if a fix is available then I'll take it.

Roger that - no shake here.

might be your tires that are shaking! check them just in case!

.

I know xenon bulbs will lose brightness over time, but I don’t think that 3 years would make that much difference. If they did not replace the bulb, then that could not be the answer anyway. More likely, the unbalance you are referring to is because you are comparing the light output through one brand new headlight lens and one that is 3+ years old.

Try polishing the old lens and then compare. There are a number of polish manufacturers such as 3M, Mother’s, etc. Try a search on the DIY sub-forum.

The Xenon lights "float" so a little shaking is normal.

Wen I look up the part number on getbmwparts.com, it says that the brackets are for a 2011 328i. Will it still work?
http://www.trademotion.com/parts/ind...&siteid=214672

its definitely not normal, mine are stationary over bumps.

I have a question related to this discussion, Recently I noticed that when I start the car , the xenons ( the middle ones and mostly the driver lamp) are a little yellowish but after I start driving it becomes normal . Why is it yellowish sometimes ? Is color change normal ? My car is E93 2011 under warranty .