E38 dodgy Xenon Low beam bulbs flickers not lighting...
Discussion
One of the Xenons in my 1995 E38 isn't lighting up. It flickers a bit and then doesn't light.
Any suggestions about how I find out whether it is the Ballast or the Bulb?
The user manual states that the bulb is "not user replaceable".
Later BMW xenons are D2S fitting - any ideas what they are in mine?
All pointers and advice gratefully received.
Any suggestions about how I find out whether it is the Ballast or the Bulb?
The user manual states that the bulb is "not user replaceable".
Later BMW xenons are D2S fitting - any ideas what they are in mine?
All pointers and advice gratefully received.
I doubt very much that you have factory fit xenons in a 95 E38. As far as I remember, they came a OE somewhere near 2000.
Chances are you have an aftermarket kit and the ballast is a little weak. Best bet is to swap the bulbs/ballast over to the working side to identify which is at fault.
Chances are you have an aftermarket kit and the ballast is a little weak. Best bet is to swap the bulbs/ballast over to the working side to identify which is at fault.
danielw said:
One of the Xenons in my 1995 E38 isn't lighting up. It flickers a bit and then doesn't light.
Any suggestions about how I find out whether it is the Ballast or the Bulb?
The user manual states that the bulb is "not user replaceable".
Later BMW xenons are D2S fitting - any ideas what they are in mine?
All pointers and advice gratefully received.
According to this DS-2 35W.Any suggestions about how I find out whether it is the Ballast or the Bulb?
The user manual states that the bulb is "not user replaceable".
Later BMW xenons are D2S fitting - any ideas what they are in mine?
All pointers and advice gratefully received.
I guess that's just one of the reasons why the E38 750 was ahead of its time.
Yep it is OEM, option 522 - my mistake though, its a '97 not '95.
There doesn't seem to be an easy way of getting to the bulbs or ballast though. Anyone attempted this?
Yep it is OEM, option 522 - my mistake though, its a '97 not '95.
There doesn't seem to be an easy way of getting to the bulbs or ballast though. Anyone attempted this?
Frances The Mute said:
I doubt very much that you have factory fit xenons in a 95 E38. As far as I remember, they came a OE somewhere near 2000.
Chances are you have an aftermarket kit and the ballast is a little weak. Best bet is to swap the bulbs/ballast over to the working side to identify which is at fault.
Chances are you have an aftermarket kit and the ballast is a little weak. Best bet is to swap the bulbs/ballast over to the working side to identify which is at fault.
So... I took a gamble on it being a D2S bulb, bought a pair on ebay for £15.00 (perhaps the definition of a false economy), took one look at the light unit (again) and gave up.
Drove over my friendly BMW indi who removed the airbox and removed the MAF in order to get to the lamp cover. Removed the ballast and swore a lot at the bulb holder. Yep, the original Phillips D2S bulb was blown and my Chinese SuperVision 6000K was installed. Slightly bluer than the original.
Total time - 10mins... I'll try the other side soon.
Drove over my friendly BMW indi who removed the airbox and removed the MAF in order to get to the lamp cover. Removed the ballast and swore a lot at the bulb holder. Yep, the original Phillips D2S bulb was blown and my Chinese SuperVision 6000K was installed. Slightly bluer than the original.
Total time - 10mins... I'll try the other side soon.
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