gizmo_the_great Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 Hi I'm having headlight trouble with my BMW 330i Sports E46, X reg (year 2000). The drivers side headlight comes on, and stays on for about 2 minutes, then goes out. I read somewhere that seeing as the light comes on, its more likely to be the ballast control unit. So I bought a replacement and fitted it, but the problem persists. So I am now wondering if I should get a new bulb and fit it anyway, but I am confused about the bulbs. I believe the bulbs are Xenon bulbs, which are over £100 to replace. Is it possible to fit a non Xenon bulb, or do they have to be Xenons? I ask because I don't really want to potentially waste another £100+ on top of the £70 I just spent on a second hand ballast to replace the bulb if the problem is not that. If there are more affordable replacements I could use, I'd appreciate a pointer. Or is there no point replacing it at all, seeing as it does come on for a few minutes? Any guidance appreciated. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 General consensus for troubleshooting this sort of thing is to swap the bulbs from side to side, and see if the problem moves or not. If it does, then the bulb is at fault, otherwise it's the ballast (or, on mine, there's another igniter inside the headlight, but I've seen much talk of them failing). Unless you change the entire headlight unit, it'll have to be another xenon bulb (D2S, I think, for the bi-xenons, but not sure about the earlier cars). These can be obtained cheaply on eBay - if they'll last or be very bright is another matter... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-D2S-Xenon-Hid-4300K-Lamps-Burner-Bulbs-Tuv-E-Authorized-E11-Mini-Seat/362518063915?hash=item5467c2ab2b:g:ndkAAOSwDNdV4IlJ:rk:6:pf:0 Or a much nicer Xenarc bulb for only £33: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ORIGINAL-headlight-66240-folding-Packaging/dp/B003VNP4WM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546104345&sr=8-1&keywords=osram+xenarc+original+d2s (This is from a good make, and should be fine quality wise. I'd have no problems in buying these for myself. I've got a set of their Nightbraker D2S bulbs, and they've been faultless.) gizmo_the_great 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo_the_great Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 Thanks TriggerFish. I'll try the swap and probably buy a pair of those lights. Seems reasonable and way more affordable :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo_the_great Posted January 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2019 Bought one of those bulbs, replaced the old one with it and problem solved! Thanks for the recommendation and guidance. TriggerFish 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 Good stuff! Glad it's working for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
