Is my headlight defective?

[Zaks]

I noticed that my passenger headlight doesn't put out as much light as the driver. Haven't really looked into it too much, but snapped this photo and figured I'd ask here.


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[az3579]

Burnt ZKW bowl most likely.

[WOLFN8TR]

That or a bad bulb. I had one that was really dim compared to the other.

[BMWCurves]

Do our bulbs just go dim when they're going bad? I figured their hue would change as well as output.

[anandoc]

I would suspect a bad bulb. A burnt out ZKW bowl on just one side is unlikely.

[az3579]

I would suspect a bad bulb. A burnt out ZKW bowl on just one side is unlikely.

Not if the previous owner could only afford to replace one headlight.

I've never seen a bad bulb do that, but then again... I never let it get that bad so I don't know.

[Zaks]

What bulbs do we have? Also, is the bowl replaceable or am I looking at replacing the whole headlight?

[WOLFN8TR]

What bulbs do we have? Also, is the bowl replaceable or am I looking at replacing the whole headlight?

D2S

http://ddmtuning.com/Products/UltraBulb-D2S

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._dp_o_pC_S_ttl

[az3579]

What bulbs do we have? Also, is the bowl replaceable or am I looking at replacing the whole headlight?

You can verify the bowl is burnt by removing the cap that covers the bulb and looking for brown/black burns on the projector.

Five options are:
1) Replace with a new ZKW headlight assembly. This is the most expensive and least effective method. One headlight is over a grand and the issue will happen again.
2) Replace with an AL headlight assembly, which has metal bowls and will not burn out. Both headlights should be done if you do this. This is the easiest method.
3) Do a projector retrofit with one of the aftermarket solutions such as a kit from The Retrofit Source. This requires modifying your headlights to make these projectors work.
4) Buy aftermarket headlight assemblies, which may or may not have quality issues. This is usually the cheapest option.
5) Install rebuilt ZKW bowls. the issue will happen again with this option.

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[Zaks]

Thanks guys. I'll swap the bulbs tomorrow and see if it's the bulb or the headlight. What temperature is stock? 4500 K?


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