Same PROBLEM

Dude, I am having the same exact problem, right down to the left blinker and rear brake light sensor. I even notice that they flicker even worse when i make hard left turns. I noticed that when the key is in the A/C position that if you press the brake pedal the lights will freak out. So that leads me to believe that it has something to do with a fuse or relay; but not sure.

 

The ballast for the HID lights could be going bad which causes the flickering, this is an expensive fix... But, it could also be as simple as a poor connection at the ballast or even the HID bulb itself. Mine would flicker occasionally and then go out completely, it was a poor connection at the bulb connector (previous owner installed aftermarket HID lights, did a poor job with the connections). Check the connections first. Be careful at the ballast to bulb connections, that's high voltage there.

 

I have a 2000 232ci with exactly the same issues, well it is my right blinker not left. Have you had any luck fixing it???

 

no. not yet. with the strange weather down here where i am located been feeling a little lazy to get outside to fix the issue. sssoooo... i have an appointment to see a guy who i hope is good for what he does for being well known around town to be the bmw expert. word has it he used to work for bavarian motors in europe and open his own shop down here when he moved to the statesl. sooo well see how that goes but i will be surely to post what the issue was. to help others/./.

 

Ok, Checked all the connections today. All seam tight, no corrosion. The only thing that seam odd to me is that both lights go out at the same time. Since they have seperate ballasts and seperate bulbs how could it be a ballast and bulb issue???

I know that the 3 of us can't be the only people with this issue... I really can't afford to take the car to the dealler right now. I have a new born right now and money is really tight!!!

Worst case, does anyone know if you can rig the halogen high beams to operate with standard bulbs.... This may seam like a stupid request, but I do a lot of driving at night and the flicker is getting real bad.

Thank you for your advise.

 

Ok, Checked all the connections today. All seam tight, no corrosion. The only thing that seam odd to me is that both lights go out at the same time. Since they have seperate ballasts and seperate bulbs how could it be a ballast and bulb issue???

Then it's more likely a headlight switch, grounding (if the components go to a single ground), or headlight relay issue.

 

yeah, check your grounds... (where it connects to the chassis. also, test the relay. if both sides are flickering at the same time, it's probably not your ballast.

 

ok. soo its been a while since i checked the forum for tips on my headlights.. but i gave up on checking whats wrong with the headlights. more less to say. i am going to take myc ar in to get it checked!! *white flag* i will let you know wat the results are

 

there's also a slim possibility that your alternator and/or battery may be bad (going bad). if it's not a grounding problem, good ballasts will flicker due to lack of constant amps.

but if you're lights are already on and then flicker, that's strange because the ballast pull the most amps upon startup.

another idea: buy/make a wiring harness to relay power directly from your battery to your ballasts.

 

Same issue with Headlight

Please let me know what you find out. I have a 2005 and my headlight does the same. No way to track it down. I only have the headlight doing it. Goes for a few days no issue then right back to flicker city. Driving me nuts.

 

I think this is a grounding issue, check all ground points for secure connections

 

I have a 99 328i that had the exact same problems Bimmer Chic described. Right down to the blinker problem. I tried replacing the lamps but that had no effect. 3 Days ago I changed the LCM " Light Control Module" & the problems have not appeared since. The LCM is the switch assembly for the lights, including the fog lamps. It turns out it does more than just switch the lights on & off, it also acts like an ECM "Engine Control Module" They are not cheap & there are atleast two different ones. One with automatic on/off & one without.
I hope that this helps.

 

if it's the LCM, you can try getting it reflashed first

 

That did make a big difference in mine. I have a 27 mile drive into work. I counted how many times my headlights flickered, it was 258 times. That afternoon the garage hooked up the LCM & "monitered it" I am sure that they flashed it as well. I had to wait for a couple of day before the correct LCM unit came in. During that time I only caught it flickering once or twice.
Since the LCM was replaced, 3 days ago, I have not noticed it once.
Something that I don't think Bimmer Chic mentioned, when the OBC display gave the drivers tail lamp out warning it was always when the lights were off. I could turn on the parking lights & the warning would go away. It has since stopped give the tail lamp out warning also.

 

My car did this also. I replaced the battery once it died, and my headlights work perfect now. 2003 325i with full-housing aftermarket HID lights with angel eyes. This is my first post! I had to register once I read this thread, and solved the problem inadvertently.

 

The LCM looks like pretty expesnsive! Not really an ammount I want to spend to "see" if it solves the problem. A couple of you recomended checking the grounds. Can you help me out and give me a general Idea of where those are located????

Also if I do end up having to replace the LCM, any leads on where to get the best price. My car is a 2000 323ci

Thank you all for your help!

 

The dealer or a competant garage should be able to check the LCM for you. I would have that done before buying a new one. They are very expensive.

 

All my local independent service centers are telling me to just go to the dealer to get this looked at. At minimum they will charge $150 just to re-flash the LCM, that's if that will even fix it.

Aside from my frustration every time I have to drive at night, what other issues can arise if I just leave it alone for a while and let it flicker? (I have the same issue that the original poster has)

Thanks for your help.

 

I got the same problem here, although it happens not often. But when it does, the right HID flickers, I would think it is burned out but the light would flicker right back up...

 

The only thing I can say for certain is that after replacing the LCM my problem has not resurfaced.

 

If you don't mind me asking... What did it cost to replace the LCM???

 

I had it done with some other work, the total cost for everything was a little over $500.

 

Where is the LCM located? and what does it look like?

 

Please disregard my LCM location question. Figured it out, it's actually the light switch it self, dah!

 

I had the same issue on my 99 328i and what was causing the problem was a bad tail light bulb carrier,
check out the link bellow and scroll down to post # 7 and 8, hope this helps.

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=275612&highlight=flickering

 

How did you figure out which bulb it was that was causing the issue? Also, where did you get the light bulb carrier?

The warning light for the right rear tail light comes on periodically. Is it possible that this is the light that is causing the issue?

Sorry for the 20 questions. I have been dealing with this light issue too long...

Thanks

 

I had this exact same issue in my '01 325i a while back. It was being caused by the right tail light assy. Once replaced all flickering stopped.

 

i had this problem and fixed it for only 35 bucks. this issue is not with your headlights, it is with your tail lights. i no no, sounds stupid but trust me it is. if you unplug your tail lights i no it will stop the flicker. the problem is with the bulb holder. if u unplug one at a time and look at the prongs u will see the ground prong completely black. U can get the bulb holder on ebay for 35 buck. worked for me and so far no flicker for about a half year. good luck

 

I know this sounds retarted but try unplugging the two taillight bulb carriers. I had the same problem with my 2000 328Ci. I unplugged my taillight bulb carriers just out of a whim after looking at everything else including a new battery. The flickering stopped. I plugged them back in and within seconds the flickering returned. I tracked it down to a faulty left bulb carrier. I purchased a new one off of bimmerspecialist.com and now I haven't had a flickering problem since.

 

i have the same issue right down to the rear left tail light out did replacing the LCM also fix the rear tail light out warning I have a 2001 325ci i want to go euro style tail lights but i also read that their was a recall for the tail light assembly which can cause the H.I.D. flicker i want to be sure before i start spending money the LCM looks expensive and i don't want to spend a lot of money