E90 Headlight Unit

Hey guys I'm kind of new to this so let me know if I'm keeping any info out.

I bought a used 2006 330i (during the day) and found out later at night when the lights were supposed to turn on that there is a right low beam and left low beam malfunction. After 4 days at the local BMW dealership the finally figured out that the headlight units needed to be replaced (part # 63-11-7-161-670). which was quoted to be around $3200.

They also said that my control units were working just fine.

My question to you all is would after market headlights such as SPYDER projector headlight units take care of the problem?

where did you purchase the car, If you purchased at a dealer seems to me that should have been disclosed during the buying process and I would go back to them, if you purchased it from a private person, I believe I would go back to the person and see if you can get the money back for the cost of the repair, seems to be some dishonest stuff going on there.

when you purchase a used car you need to turn on every gadget the car has to make sure it works or take it to the BMW place and pay them to check everything out, or if a private person gets it in writing to point out every thing that is wrong, AS is no warranty is BS if they knew the lights were out, I bet that was the reason they sold the car, I can see if 4 weeks later they go out but that night, I call BS

Hondo

Hmm, it's quite a pricey quote you got there. My car is currently at a shop getting repaired for an accident I had earlier this month, the headlights quoted in the estimate are $1300+ a piece and these are xenons adaptive headlights for an LCI E90. Get a second opinion from another shop. Not sure how much leverage you might have with an original seller. The car is out of warranty/non-CPO I presume based on the model year.

Hondo, the place I bought it from was not a BMW dealership. I took a chance without getting it checked out because it was about 2 hours away from the nearest dealership.

and Iqaddict, they quoted me 3200 for both right and left headlight units and the Labor. So that's probably around what you'd be paying for both...

Do either of you know if an aftermarket headlight assembly would actually fix the problem? Because they're significantly cheaper...

that part number you have in your post is listed at $1192.36 in BMW parts of south atlanta. if you have to replace the whole unit, you should be able to do it yourself. Only thing is, are you sure thats what is bad, buying a left and right assembly is expensive, and to find out thats not the problem. I just purchased a left rear tail lamp assembly, because my LED lamps quit working so I know the prices posted are correct

good luck

Hondo

Online price at Tischer (getbmwparts.com) is $953.89.

how is it all these places that sell OEM BMW parts have such a big difference in price? you would think that BMW would want them to sell at the same price.

Originally Posted by STawf

Hondo, the place I bought it from was not a BMW dealership. I took a chance without getting it checked out because it was about 2 hours away from the nearest dealership.

and Iqaddict, they quoted me 3200 for both right and left headlight units and the Labor. So that's probably around what you'd be paying for both...

Do either of you know if an aftermarket headlight assembly would actually fix the problem? Because they're significantly cheaper...

what exactly is failed? the lights dont light up? or are you getting an adaptive malfunction message?

what strikes me as odd is that they are saying the control units are good (which is the ballasts) which means the lights should work unless the bulbs (which have an integrated ignitor) are bad.

the only thing that would require a replacement of the whole headlight unit would be a failed adaptive cornering/leveling mech. more often than not, that issue is repairable.

the headlights are multiple components.

you have:
the housing (which cost quite a bit)
the control units (aka ballasts)
bulbs
if your lights are out, i highly doubt its the housing. its either a bad ballast or bad bulbs. unless you have a bad wiring harness, but replacing the headlights wont fix that

Hondo, according to BMW that's the problem. But I don't think your understanding my question. I DON'T want to buy BMW OEM headlight units. I'd rather buy an aftermarket headlight unit. BUT, I don't know if that will fix the problem since I'm not sure that aftermarket units would fix the problem...

Does that make sense?

aftermarket headlights will cause a different error, you'll have adaptive/leveling errors as no aftermarket units have the leveling or turning servos.

i really dont understand why the entire headlight needs to be replaced... theres only two components that will cause the lights (the illumination) to not work, the control unit and the bulb. both are available seperately.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...18&hg=63&fg=05

i have a feeling the dealership is taking you for a ride.

I know for sure that it's not the bulb. I had them check the control units first (because that's what I thought was a problem and because they were replaced less than a year ago so I still have warranty) they said that those were working fine. They said the only way they got the lights to turn on was to replace the whole headlight units.

Ok so they swaped it out and they worked, then you should be safe intalling new units

Hondo, I know that. But I don't want OEM BMW ones. I want aftermarket ones I just don't know if aftermarket ones will fix the problem like OEM ones. That was the whole point of the question and this post....

Originally Posted by STawf

I know for sure that it's not the bulb. I had them check the control units first (because that's what I thought was a problem and because they were replaced less than a year ago so I still have warranty) they said that those were working fine. They said the only way they got the lights to turn on was to replace the whole headlight units.

if you look at the link i sent, every electronic part in the headlight is individually replacable. the whole headlight unit is just the plastic shell (the most expensive part) bulbs, a few servos, a ballast, and an adaptive control unit.

both sides being out tells me there's something else going on here-- can you confirm with a multimeter that you are getting power to the control units?

Originally Posted by STawf

Hondo, I know that. But I don't want OEM BMW ones. I want aftermarket ones I just don't know if aftermarket ones will fix the problem like OEM ones. That was the whole point of the question and this post....

no, they will cause other issues. your car has adaptive headlights, so the control unit will be expecting the leveling and turning mech. no aftermarket retrofits have this, so you'll have an error constantly on the dash.

you can get a pair of OEM headlights on ebay for far less than what the dealer wants.

again, i have a very strong feeling that you do not need new headlights, the dealer is just taking advantage of you by giving you a big bill.

I can't confirm, but they said they did take a multimeter to it. I just don't want to go back there and complain and have them charge me another 200 just to tell me the same thing...

Originally Posted by STawf

Hondo, I know that. But I don't want OEM BMW ones. I want aftermarket ones I just don't know if aftermarket ones will fix the problem like OEM ones. That was the whole point of the question and this post....

Don't think the after market would solve your problem, one thing with OEM lights you don't have to worry the fitment & function.

Originally Posted by STawf

I can't confirm, but they said they did take a multimeter to it. I just don't want to go back there and complain and have them charge me another 200 just to tell me the same thing...

try an indy or another dealer. www.bimrs.org

Originally Posted by Orient330iNYC

try an indy or another dealer. www.bimrs.org

Already tried my indy. Said definitely wasn't the lights, he thinks it may be the control unit but didn't have the ability to look further into it.

In my car, the non-high powered plug on the right headlight was loose where it connected to the wiring. My Indy tightened the connection and my headlight started working again. Just another option to try. Having them both malfunction does seem a tad bit suspicious.

Not to dig up an old thread, but: The '06 330xi I'm buying gives the headlight malfunction messages when started. Turns out the lot I'm buying from says it came in with a messed up headlight and they replaced with aftermarket... Blinker doesn't work, high beams do not work and the driver side light doesn't work, other than the little halo... They are supposed to be fixing the issue before I complete the transaction... I asked if they were going to replace and make sure the adaptive headlights work and they said no that it's too pricey... He then told me the reason the blinker (driver's side) doesn't work is that the aftermarkets they bought didn't have the proper connection to hook the blinker up... I'm assuming this is the issue with the hi-beams... With this being my first bmw and high mileage, lower price, I do not want to put that much $ into fixing the issue myself, but are there other options to obtain these headlights other than ordering from the factory?