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View Full Version : Headlight stops working and then works again.



Go Horns!
12-10-2011, 06:47 PM
I have a ZKW bi-xenon that stopped working and is now working again. The DRL and blinker still work.

On Sunday I drove 5 hours in the rain. On Tuesday afternoon I noticed water on the inside of the cover of my passenger headlight. On Tuesday night (about 40 F), my passenger headlight did not work. Did not work the next day either. Friday afternoon I took the cover off and dried out the headlight, but because of the lack of a long enough extender for my socket, I could not pull out the light to trouble shoot-it. Today I went and got the extender and when I turned on my headlights when leaving the store, both headlights worked (temp was 50F).

Do y'all think it was the moisture? Or was the ten degrees in temp enough? I guess I'll find out when it gets colder again. Other than the igniter and the ballast, is there anything else I should check if the headlight goes out again? I doubt the bulb has burned out, my car only has 30K on it, and I put the last 14K on and almost all of it was during the day.

Johnmadd
12-10-2011, 08:40 PM
You need new seals or lenses.

Go Horns!
12-10-2011, 11:06 PM
I should have added that when I took the cover off I realized I did not get a good seal after installed the angle-eyes. But because of the drought down here in Texas, this was the first time I drove in rain. I cleaned and inspected the seal and it is good. I'm just wondering if moisture in the headlight can cause a headlight outage.

Hermes
12-10-2011, 11:12 PM
I believe there are certain tabs for the sedan/M3 style lenses that must engaged or else that sealing issue/moisture in lens will occur. I remember reading that same issue of the moisture (but not the headlight stopping): click here for thread on e46f (http://www.e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=888026)

llll1l1ll
12-12-2011, 04:35 AM
I think it sounds like some moisture is getting in there. Sorry to beat a dead horse.

mikeyb74
12-12-2011, 06:16 AM
I see this all the time here at work. You need new headlight seals.