Do you have adaptive bixenon? In my 2010, the light you mentioned coming on is the cornering bulb and is accessed from the top of the housing. The DRL is the angel eye and it's accessed from behind via the circular cap. Now, I understand bmw offered a few different lighting options on the E61, so maybe your setup is different.

ok yeah that would make sense. I looked up a replacement and these are the headlights i have... Headlight Assembly Sdn, xenon (HID), adaptive headlamps,... The DRL is completely dead on the passenger side then I'm assuming. I found that the wires to the connector for the actual light all were falling off and the wires were bare so I put liquid electrical tape on there but the problem is still continuing

maxcbrdriver said:

Do you have adaptive bixenon? In my 2010, the light you mentioned coming on is the cornering bulb and is accessed from the top of the housing. The DRL is the angel eye and it's accessed from behind via the circular cap. Now, I understand bmw offered a few different lighting options on the E61, so maybe your setup is different.

Click to expand...

Common BMW problem to have flaking off insulation on the headlight wires. From the posts I've seen with geography included, it seems more prevalent in the hotter climates.

The car also has some fancy electronics that detect short circuits in lighting circuits. After a certain number of short circuits, that light circuit is completely shut off until you fix it and reset an internal short circuit counter in the light module. I'm not certain if the DRL have this logic or not, but many of the bulbs do. You can surf this site to find how to figure it out and reset the counter. You'll need some BMW specific OBD tools.

Our '08 sedan used an H8 bulb. Unscrew the round cover for access. I fixed bad insulation with liquid electrical tape. You just paint it on.

Ok.. Pulled my headlight and there were broken wires from being just old. Put a heat gun to it and replaced lots of wires and now it works like brand new . Also found out that they use a soy-based wire insulation so they are not good at all lol. Thanks for the help y'all

How difficult was it to open the unit? I assume you used the heat gun to remove the lens on the front? I've never had to do this on a headlight but I know I will need to at some point. Did you need to use a new adhesive to put it back on, or just heat up again? Did you heat one part at a time or keep circling around the whole circumference at once?

blake.srail said:

Ok.. Pulled my headlight and there were broken wires from being just old. Put a heat gun to it and replaced lots of wires and now it works like brand new . Also found out that they use a soy-based wire insulation so they are not good at all lol. Thanks for the help y'all

Click to expand...

Great news!

sorry just seeing this now. I just focused on one part at a time with a paint scraper and peeled off the lens from the plastic unit. And to put it back together my dad and I just used clear caulk and taped it shut and let it sit overnight. (did not come out like new, def fkd it up but still looks good) or you can use the stuff they use to apply the windshield to the car. like the epoxy or whatever it is.

kd7iwp said:

How difficult was it to open the unit? I assume you used the heat gun to remove the lens on the front? I've never had to do this on a headlight but I know I will need to at some point. Did you need to use a new adhesive to put it back on, or just heat up again? Did you heat one part at a time or keep circling around the whole circumference at once?

Click to expand...

Windshield sealant is a moisture cure urethane. It's probably better to use a non hardening sealant like butyl so that you can remove it in the future. The lense doesn't have to be fused in place, only adhered.