HID Light Failed

[roadbiker_2]

My son lost a headlight, hopefully just the bulb and not the ballast assembly. I went to look at RealOem and it shows two different bulbs depending on whether you have a ZKW brand light assembly or a Bosch AL brand assembly. The part number for the ZKW appears to be 07119904790 and the part that is for the Bosch appears to be 63217160806.

How do you tell what light assembly you have and where do you look? Also, this is for the 330ci, if that makes a difference on where you look. I am seeing that the ZKW is the one that also exhibits the burnt bowls so is this also something that is quite noticeable ?


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[holyc0w]

I don't think the 330ci has the burnt bowls issue. It's only the sedans with ZKW headlights.

[PdZHP]

Coupes should have AL Installed. Switch the bulbs and the igniters to tell what need replacing. Ballasts should also be checked if the first two don't determine the problem.

[roadbiker_2]

Thanks guys, he is 4.5 hours away, this will save me some serious troubleshooting time.


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[az3579]

First, make sure that the car has Xenons, as some Ci models had halogen lights which indeed do use a different bulb. If it does, then it doesn't matter which Xenon bulb you put in as long as it's D2S.

I assume you plugged in the VIN to find the correct bulb? If so, then it's the "Bosch" part number. Keep in mind that the dealer chargers an arm and a leg for a SINGLE bulb while some of the top-of-the-line bulbs come as a pair for the same price, so it's a total waste of money buying from there.

[roadbiker_2]

I had noticed that they are very proud of those bulbs. I see that NAPA has the bulbs and will probably get the bulb there. If the igniter happens to be out, can these also be sourced at an auto parts store or are they strictly a dealer part?


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[az3579]

I had noticed that they are very proud of those bulbs. I see that NAPA has the bulbs and will probably get the bulb there. If the igniter happens to be out, can these also be sourced at an auto parts store or are they strictly a dealer part?


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I'm not sure of the brand that the parts store carries. A lot of the stuff they sell don't seem to be quality parts for foreign cars like BMW. I can't speak for the ignitors as I haven't bought one from them.

You're in Illinois - if you need parts, buying them from ECS Tuning should yield you fast ship times as I believe they're in Ohio. If ship times don't matter, then you can shop around to see who has the best prices. You definitely don't have to buy anything from a dealer if you don't want to as pretty much any part is available from online BMW parts retailers.

[roadbiker_2]

Could the bulb be tested with a meter to see if it has failed? That seems like it would be a lot easier than pulling both lights.


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[BCS_ZHP]

On a coupe, should be able to gain access to the back of each headlight without removing them. Then swap bulbs/igniters side to side to see if the problem follows.

[danewilson77]

On a coupe, should be able to gain access to the back of each headlight without removing them. Then swap bulbs/igniters side to side to see if the problem follows.

https://goo.gl/photos/S6vZ13KHAQ6srvuv9

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