2005 BMW M6 V10
Discussion
Evening all!
Well my first issue reared it’s head this evening.
Believe it or not but since collecting the car I haven’t needed to drive it in the dark out of town and therefore had not noticed that the headlights on low beam seem to project only a few metres beyond the nose of the car.
A friend took me out in it tonight to keep it in regular use while I’m recuperating and as soon as we got out of town the issue was evident. It’s downright dangerous really.
So I’ve done all the googling and it appears that this is not an uncommon issue across the range of dynamic lights fitted to BMW’s. Infuriatingly it appears either that it’s a replacement headlight unit (so two for me) or a bit of a botch by dismantling the headlight assembly and effecting a repair.
Given that the car was acquired so recently and that it’s a dangerous issue I may take it up with the supplying dealer as the car has only covered 400 Miles since I first collected it and the issue will likely have been present since collecting and probably for some considerable time prior.
I’ll see how I get on!!
In the meantime does anyone have any experience of this issue and have any advice for me in fixing? I understand that there is a rule of thumb that if the headlights point upward then it’s the adjuster rod for the mechanism that is snapped but if it points down then it’s the upper mounting of the mechanism that is broken.
Well my first issue reared it’s head this evening.
Believe it or not but since collecting the car I haven’t needed to drive it in the dark out of town and therefore had not noticed that the headlights on low beam seem to project only a few metres beyond the nose of the car.
A friend took me out in it tonight to keep it in regular use while I’m recuperating and as soon as we got out of town the issue was evident. It’s downright dangerous really.
So I’ve done all the googling and it appears that this is not an uncommon issue across the range of dynamic lights fitted to BMW’s. Infuriatingly it appears either that it’s a replacement headlight unit (so two for me) or a bit of a botch by dismantling the headlight assembly and effecting a repair.
Given that the car was acquired so recently and that it’s a dangerous issue I may take it up with the supplying dealer as the car has only covered 400 Miles since I first collected it and the issue will likely have been present since collecting and probably for some considerable time prior.
I’ll see how I get on!!
In the meantime does anyone have any experience of this issue and have any advice for me in fixing? I understand that there is a rule of thumb that if the headlights point upward then it’s the adjuster rod for the mechanism that is snapped but if it points down then it’s the upper mounting of the mechanism that is broken.
Check the headlight level sensor. My E46 M3 did this to me and it was just that the arm on the level sensor that connects to one of the lower arms had snapped. About £50 for the part and it didn't take me long to swap over. My headlights then shone down the road rather than at the floor!
Gallons Per Mile said:
Check the headlight level sensor. My E46 M3 did this to me and it was just that the arm on the level sensor that connects to one of the lower arms had snapped. About £50 for the part and it didn't take me long to swap over. My headlights then shone down the road rather than at the floor!
Thanks for that. Very interesting. I’ll have a look at it soon; once the snow has cleared and I have more use of my arm! How likely is it that both arms would have snapped? Also is this a headlight out job or are they accessible from underneath?I'm wondering whether this would have been picked up in the MOT, James. I seem to recall that headlights that are set too high (i.e. would dazzle oncoming drivers on dip) is a fail/needs attention. Were there any warning or comments on the most recent MOT?
Also, is it just dipped headlights - do main beam work as expected?
Also, is it just dipped headlights - do main beam work as expected?
James B said:
Gallons Per Mile said:
Check the headlight level sensor. My E46 M3 did this to me and it was just that the arm on the level sensor that connects to one of the lower arms had snapped. About £50 for the part and it didn't take me long to swap over. My headlights then shone down the road rather than at the floor!
Thanks for that. Very interesting. I’ll have a look at it soon; once the snow has cleared and I have more use of my arm! How likely is it that both arms would have snapped? Also is this a headlight out job or are they accessible from underneath?James B said:
I did wonder the same but there are no comments or advisories on any of the recent MOT’s.
The full beam functions perfectly and the side to side motion of the headlights is perfect. I’m fairly sure it’s this level sensor as it would explain why both have failed at the same time.
BTW there would have been no advisories on MOT because it's one of those things that is either completely working or broken - ie the plastic arm will be intact and doing its job or it's become brittle and snapped. Therefore your lights were probably fine at MOT time but the sensor arm has since broken. Main beams by their nature are fixed in position so don't change their aim (that I'm aware of!).The full beam functions perfectly and the side to side motion of the headlights is perfect. I’m fairly sure it’s this level sensor as it would explain why both have failed at the same time.
Morning everyone!
I'm back behind the wheel! Well, at least for the very short commute to work. My shoulder is recovering superbly well and i'm getting great movement. I'm still significantly down on strength but feel sufficiently strong to drive.
Anyway, the car has been run a few times since I had my operation so it hasn't been just sitting. This morning though I got a fault which my code reader tells me was a P102D. Some googling leads me to a description along the lines of "increased emissions". There are one or two threads referring to the code and some reference to exhaust cam position sensors and maybe a pressure line to an air pump. The car seems to be running fine and resetting the code and driving some more didn't have it immediately reappear.
I'm going to take the car on a longer run tomorrow morning and see if it will reappear. It may just be from sitting. I'll also try reseating all of the cam pos sensors and connections just incase it's a loose connection there.
Otherwise the car is running well. After my run tomorrow I'll pop it on the ramps and see if I can resolve the headlight level issue. I'm sure it's just one of the level sensors on the wishbones.
I'm back behind the wheel! Well, at least for the very short commute to work. My shoulder is recovering superbly well and i'm getting great movement. I'm still significantly down on strength but feel sufficiently strong to drive.
Anyway, the car has been run a few times since I had my operation so it hasn't been just sitting. This morning though I got a fault which my code reader tells me was a P102D. Some googling leads me to a description along the lines of "increased emissions". There are one or two threads referring to the code and some reference to exhaust cam position sensors and maybe a pressure line to an air pump. The car seems to be running fine and resetting the code and driving some more didn't have it immediately reappear.
I'm going to take the car on a longer run tomorrow morning and see if it will reappear. It may just be from sitting. I'll also try reseating all of the cam pos sensors and connections just incase it's a loose connection there.
Otherwise the car is running well. After my run tomorrow I'll pop it on the ramps and see if I can resolve the headlight level issue. I'm sure it's just one of the level sensors on the wishbones.
Thanks Mark.
Yes I'm hoping a good old Italian tune-up will see it right.
Actually, now that my shoulder appears up to it I'm going to join some friends on a NC500 trip in it in a few weeks time. I've taken my C63 and Vanquish previously and both had their merits and were extremely enjoyable but I would say that the trip is very hard on cars and both times I needed a new windscreen. The pace this year will be a lot slower so i'll hang at the back and they can have my starter waiting for me at lunch and dinner stops! I'm sure my insurers will appreciate me not requiring a screen again this year!
In the summer i'm also going to make a trip to watch one of my best pals racing in British GTs, likely Donington. I haven't decided if i'll fly or drive though but if it's the latter then the M6 will be the choice.
Yes I'm hoping a good old Italian tune-up will see it right.
Actually, now that my shoulder appears up to it I'm going to join some friends on a NC500 trip in it in a few weeks time. I've taken my C63 and Vanquish previously and both had their merits and were extremely enjoyable but I would say that the trip is very hard on cars and both times I needed a new windscreen. The pace this year will be a lot slower so i'll hang at the back and they can have my starter waiting for me at lunch and dinner stops! I'm sure my insurers will appreciate me not requiring a screen again this year!
In the summer i'm also going to make a trip to watch one of my best pals racing in British GTs, likely Donington. I haven't decided if i'll fly or drive though but if it's the latter then the M6 will be the choice.
It’s a stunning day here in Aberdeen and my wife had popped out to a play date lunch with our 2yr old son so I had a few hours to myself.
I started by getting the car out for a 50 mile blast to blow the cobwebs out. My shoulder held up nicely but did get a little achey towards the end. I’ll need to keep up my physio exercises otherwise I’ll struggle doing 700 North Coast miles in a weekend 3 weeks from now!!
The car was impeccable all journey. It started off with the orange EML on so i decided to bring it up to temp and then check again if it self cancelled or not. It didn’t so I removed the error (same as previous; P102D) and the EML was extinguished. I then gave the car a thorough run over the next 40 miles using all of the rev range and a mix of MDM and DSC off to get a better feel for the car. This is literally the first time I’ve driven it since buying it when it hasn’t been sub-zero, wet/snowy and not in some form of traffic. About 20 miles were entirely alone without another car on the road. They were bliss.
The engine never flagged up the EML again nor has it done since and I’ve stopped and started another 4 or 5 times.
There are some things I am going to look at further; tyre pressures and braking.
The tyres are just about dead but will do the next trip before they’re heaped on the tyre wall somewhere but they still grip fine. What I am feeling is a slight lack of compliance. It may be the weight of the car but I’m going to play with some tyre pressures first just to be sure.
On the brakes it’s well known the M6, and M5 for that matter, of this era was underbraked from the factory. That said I’m sure there are improvements to be made. The initial bite isn’t blowing me away and the pedal has more travel to that bite than I’m used to which makes it feel a little slow to react. I’m going to get my local mechanics, who are BMW specialists, to do a brake fluid change and put in some Castrol SRF fluid so I know I won’t boil it. Also at the same time they’ll make sure it’s properly bled and I have a solid pedal. If the pedal travel still remains then I’ll see if something else in the system can be adjusted. I have a feeling this trip may kill the brakes anyway so I’ll be replacing pads and discs after it. Will just have to see how we get on and what options I have for changing to without going away from the factory disc size and caliper position.
Following my run I put the car on the ramps to get my head around the headlight issue. I was somewhat surprised to see that the headlight level sensors were both present and correct. The headlights appear to be fine too. I’m going to have the specialists check it out too. I can’t really go digging about behind the headlights with my shoulder the way it is so I’ll let them have a look.
Finally, while investigating the headlight issue I noticed that the OS headlight was fogged up. A common issue in BMW’s so I dried it out using my garage hairdryer (wife’s old one relegated when she got a fancy quiet one for the house) and made a funnel to direct the air using The Pig which is a mouldable funnel I have in my tool kit. The drier was on full blow, medium heat for 10 mins and the headlight cleared. I’ll keep an eye on the issue. It will likely return soon and will probably be due to the drain hole being blocked. I won’t be able to clear it without removing the headlight so I may place a silica gel pack in the back of the headlight to assist with drawing the moisture out.
Here’s a pic of the setup!
I also began testing my fitting of my tyre weld tubes and spare/topup oil bottle in the boot. The space around the battery in the wheel well appears ideal for these items and they all fit nicely. At the moment they’re just wrapped in microfiber cloths and wedged in using some fresh mechanics gloves. All handy items in the event that I need to use any of the kit there. I may see if there’s a more permanent solution using expanding packs that you see in the packing industry but that may be a little too anal....even for me!
I started by getting the car out for a 50 mile blast to blow the cobwebs out. My shoulder held up nicely but did get a little achey towards the end. I’ll need to keep up my physio exercises otherwise I’ll struggle doing 700 North Coast miles in a weekend 3 weeks from now!!
The car was impeccable all journey. It started off with the orange EML on so i decided to bring it up to temp and then check again if it self cancelled or not. It didn’t so I removed the error (same as previous; P102D) and the EML was extinguished. I then gave the car a thorough run over the next 40 miles using all of the rev range and a mix of MDM and DSC off to get a better feel for the car. This is literally the first time I’ve driven it since buying it when it hasn’t been sub-zero, wet/snowy and not in some form of traffic. About 20 miles were entirely alone without another car on the road. They were bliss.
The engine never flagged up the EML again nor has it done since and I’ve stopped and started another 4 or 5 times.
There are some things I am going to look at further; tyre pressures and braking.
The tyres are just about dead but will do the next trip before they’re heaped on the tyre wall somewhere but they still grip fine. What I am feeling is a slight lack of compliance. It may be the weight of the car but I’m going to play with some tyre pressures first just to be sure.
On the brakes it’s well known the M6, and M5 for that matter, of this era was underbraked from the factory. That said I’m sure there are improvements to be made. The initial bite isn’t blowing me away and the pedal has more travel to that bite than I’m used to which makes it feel a little slow to react. I’m going to get my local mechanics, who are BMW specialists, to do a brake fluid change and put in some Castrol SRF fluid so I know I won’t boil it. Also at the same time they’ll make sure it’s properly bled and I have a solid pedal. If the pedal travel still remains then I’ll see if something else in the system can be adjusted. I have a feeling this trip may kill the brakes anyway so I’ll be replacing pads and discs after it. Will just have to see how we get on and what options I have for changing to without going away from the factory disc size and caliper position.
Following my run I put the car on the ramps to get my head around the headlight issue. I was somewhat surprised to see that the headlight level sensors were both present and correct. The headlights appear to be fine too. I’m going to have the specialists check it out too. I can’t really go digging about behind the headlights with my shoulder the way it is so I’ll let them have a look.
Finally, while investigating the headlight issue I noticed that the OS headlight was fogged up. A common issue in BMW’s so I dried it out using my garage hairdryer (wife’s old one relegated when she got a fancy quiet one for the house) and made a funnel to direct the air using The Pig which is a mouldable funnel I have in my tool kit. The drier was on full blow, medium heat for 10 mins and the headlight cleared. I’ll keep an eye on the issue. It will likely return soon and will probably be due to the drain hole being blocked. I won’t be able to clear it without removing the headlight so I may place a silica gel pack in the back of the headlight to assist with drawing the moisture out.
Here’s a pic of the setup!
I also began testing my fitting of my tyre weld tubes and spare/topup oil bottle in the boot. The space around the battery in the wheel well appears ideal for these items and they all fit nicely. At the moment they’re just wrapped in microfiber cloths and wedged in using some fresh mechanics gloves. All handy items in the event that I need to use any of the kit there. I may see if there’s a more permanent solution using expanding packs that you see in the packing industry but that may be a little too anal....even for me!
I found that when I put braided hoses on my M3 I suddenly had a lot more pedal travel! Pedal was absolutely fine before I swapped out the standard hoses. I don't know how that worked but it was very noticeable. The brakes still worked just as well, but there was a lot more travel, and possibly a slight improvement in feel. I'd be interested to know what happens with your brake pedal if you do swap over to braided hoses.
That’s really odd. I’ve never found that in any car I’ve changed previously. There must surely have been some sort of issue.
I’ll see if I can get some pedal travel measurements for before and after.
Overnight I have decided it may be entertaining to do the braided hoses myself and the fluid flush. I’ve just ordered all that i need so it should arrive during the next week. Hoses will be the last to arrive.
I’ll see if I can get some pedal travel measurements for before and after.
Overnight I have decided it may be entertaining to do the braided hoses myself and the fluid flush. I’ve just ordered all that i need so it should arrive during the next week. Hoses will be the last to arrive.
James B said:
Tyres will be Michelin Pilot 4S if I can get them in an acceptable size. If not then I know the MPSS does the factory size.
I’ll look into the pads. I’ve got experience of Performance Friction, Racing Brake and Porterfield but I’m not aware of Hawk.
As for tyres I have Goodyear eagle F1 asymmetric 2 all round on my e60 M5 and I can't fault them. Just away to order 2 new rears. I’ll look into the pads. I’ve got experience of Performance Friction, Racing Brake and Porterfield but I’m not aware of Hawk.
[quote=Rod200SX]Just noticed youre in aberdeen! Hadnt noticed the username 
will keep an eye out!
There's a couple v10 BMW M cars kicking about town at the moment, love seeing people going for the slightly left field options
[/quote.
Normally on the road for M5 Friday and the weekends.
Don't tend to see that many v10s out and about around aberdeenshire.
will keep an eye out! There's a couple v10 BMW M cars kicking about town at the moment, love seeing people going for the slightly left field options
[/quote.Normally on the road for M5 Friday and the weekends.
Don't tend to see that many v10s out and about around aberdeenshire.
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