[JonEQuest]

I bought some used headlights and they don't seem to come on at all. The high beam bulb is good in both of them and one is still lacking the low beam ballast bulb and adaptive module which are coming in a few days. I don't see why the angel eyes light up, but no high beam or low beam bulbs light up. Is it because they are from another car?

[Doesha]

Originally Posted by JonEQuest

I bought some used headlights and they don't seem to come on at all. The high beam bulb is good in both of them and one is still lacking the low beam ballast bulb and adaptive module which are coming in a few days. I don't see why the angel eyes light up, but no high beam or low beam bulbs light up. Is it because they are from another car?

what year is your 3er? I've seen some pre lci e90 assemblies where the wiring was rotted out and wires exposed. as far as coding it technically should be plug and play if you are getting virgin adaptive modules. I've never seen anyone have to register vin to ballast.

[JonEQuest]

These are a mix. One is a used headlight with everything included, the other one is going to have a used ballast and a new adaptive control board. I only have the used complete one right now but it doesn't work. I understand it could have a bad ballast or whatever but the high beam is a good old halogen and I tested it on a battery as good. The car flashes a green light at the light switch so it thinks something is wrong.

P.S. I only have one headlight connected but the other one should work right?

[Doesha]

Originally Posted by JonEQuest

These are a mix. One is a used headlight with everything included, the other one is going to have a used ballast and a new adaptive control board. I only have the used complete one right now but it doesn't work. I understand it could have a bad ballast or whatever but the high beam is a good old halogen and I tested it on a battery as good. The car flashes a green light at the light switch so it thinks something is wrong.

P.S. I only have one headlight connected but the other one should work right?

What year?

[JonEQuest]

2007 335i

[JonEQuest]

Bump. Still can't figure out why my low beam and high beam on both sides will not come on. The fog lights and angel eyes work, and they slightly dim when you put the switch to "headlight" mode from "parking light" mode, but the headlights (low or high) themselves never come on.

I think the "overload protection" in the computer has tripped maybe? I have just gotten a cable and have INPA working. I am learning how to look at stuff and as a test enabled the digital speedo in my display, but I am not sure how to mess with headlight coding or look at error status codes, etc.

FYI, My car is a 2007 335i with adaptive Xenon. I have two used lights from e-bay. My car came wrecked with the wrong aftermarket lights so I have never seen the lights come on before. Also the green light on the headlight switch blinks green. I think that means error correct?

[Doesha]

Originally Posted by JonEQuest

Bump. Still can't figure out why my low beam and high beam on both sides will not come on. The fog lights and angel eyes work, and they slightly dim when you put the switch to "headlight" mode from "parking light" mode, but the headlights (low or high) themselves never come on.

I think the "overload protection" in the computer has tripped maybe? I have just gotten a cable and have INPA working. I am learning how to look at stuff and as a test enabled the digital speedo in my display, but I am not sure how to mess with headlight coding or look at error status codes, etc.

FYI, My car is a 2007 335i with adaptive Xenon. I have two used lights from e-bay. My car came wrecked with the wrong aftermarket lights so I have never seen the lights come on before. Also the green light on the headlight switch blinks green. I think that means error correct?

you would have to use tool32 to reprogram them then at this point it looks like, I cant remember what option you need, let me look when i get home and on my laptop to verify for you.

[JonEQuest]

I made some serious progress. I finally got my second adaptive control board in (I was missing one) and installed that with a new set of Xenon light bulbs in both lights. The lights now both work with the Xenon coming on. When I trigger high beam I can hear a loud shutter click and they both get much brighter. The funny thing is that the actual high beam lights never actually come on. The Xenons just get brighter. Maybe there is something coded wrong on my car? The car came with a pair of aftermarket 4 door halogen only headlights that I removed. Maybe the last owner coded out the high beams or something. I am not sure but glad to see the Xenons kicking on.

[JonEQuest]

Just an update to help the next newbie like me and relay what I figured out. The "High Beams" as I called them (inner lights) are not really high beams but turning lights only. I am sure 99% of people already knew that but I didn't, so hopefully this post helps someone. I also realize now that if one bulb is not working correctly then you may not get any response from either light. That threw me for a loop. Once I had good bulbs, ballasts and adaptive boards in BOTH headlights they both came on and seem to work fine. I now realize that the "High Beam" function in my car just means that mechanical shutters open to let more of my Xenon's light shine through.

[Doesha]

When the low beams are on the high beams is a shutter like an eyelid on the lowbeam the inners would be a flash to pass.

[JonEQuest]

I realize the high beams are shutter but the inner lights don't come on at all. I have read some posts from people who say theirs only come on when they are turning. Not even when flash to pass is used. My flash to pass is the shutters open for the amount of time I have the stalk pulled back, with no inside lights. Apparently that is how the car is designed to work. I need to drive the car and see if the inner lights come on for turns. My car is on jack stands at the moment because I am working on it.

[Doesha]

Originally Posted by JonEQuest

I realize the high beams are shutter but the inner lights don't come on at all. I have read some posts from people who say theirs only come on when they are turning. Not even when flash to pass is used. My flash to pass is the shutters open for the amount of time I have the stalk pulled back, with no inside lights. Apparently that is how the car is designed to work. I need to drive the car and see if the inner lights come on for turns. My car is on jack stands at the moment because I am working on it.

They are only used for flash to pass when low beam is not on. So depending on your DRL setup. Some have just angel eyes, some have angel eyes and inner halogens, some have angel eyes and low beams. And some have angel eyes and sidemarker or amber for DRL all modes except angel eyes and lowbeam or angel eyes and inner halogem would use flash to pass for inner halogen. For example by DRL is coded for just angel eyes but if I flash it would halogen for flash to pass. Now if I and low beams on flash to pass would be low beam xenon's. This is the case for pre-lci. With LCI I believe they used the xenon's for flash to pass because it was a different ballast or something like that where it wouldn't hurt the hid's to ignite momentarily for a flash to pass. The inners on most I do believe for lci are for looks. I have read that some with adaptive lights when they turn the inners would also momentarily come on but I do not think that is for US models. I may be mistaken though.


This is just what I remember from doing some reading and homework. I may be wrong on some of the info. It also depends on the FRM module you have as there would be some different options.

I wanted for awhile to say fudge the inners cus I'll never flash and if I do I can use the fogs and do a dual low/high beam setup on the outer and inner. This would most likely need a projector upgrade with anything above 35w for the inners as the lens is plastic and would probably melt with 2 hid's on. Unless I went led and bypassed the xenon

[JonEQuest]

Good info. I am planning to code my car to use inners as flash to pass. I won't use it often but really don't want to abuse my shutters every time I flash to pass. As for my car I think the inners are only supposed to come on when turning. My car is on jacks and I turned the wheel last night with lights on but they didn't come on. You may need to be moving for adaptive to come into play though so I will see what happens when I drive the car.

P.S. I just put a 2011 trunk lid on my car so I have LED 3rd brake light and license plate lights but all the tails are still pre LCI. Can you just code each bulb as LED or standard or is it an all or nothing type thing.

[Doesha]

I think you have nrfm module which would be frm2 so you should have more options but not all. Look in the lights around the outer and see if it states Dynamic Adaptive Bi- Xenon or just Adaptive Bi-Xenon. If you have Dynamic your lights should turn left or right while driving as you turn and at a stand still only turn to the right not left(to prevent blinding on coming traffic). If you have adaptive your outers should move up and down as a leveling feature while going up and down hills etc. This should also have the inners as cornering lights as-well I believe. More than likely if some of these features are not working they just need to be coded in. Also you should be able to have your lights always on auto and have angel eyes as DRL and angel eyes plus xenon at night along with your turn signals always on throughout Auto on the knob unless you code those out. When you out your switch to Auto in the cabin does the light show solid green, flashing green, or no green what so ever.


Your best bet is to get a cable and use NCS to get your FSW_PSW.TRC or .MAN and attach it so I can take a look. Someone else may chime in also with a lot of knowledge

On mine as far as tail lights I was only able to see rear turn signals rear brake and rear third brake forgot what they are labeled as but I also only have a FRM which is really a FRMPL2 for my car

[JonEQuest]

Thanks for the advice. I did get them working. I was missing the adaptive and ballast module in one headlight so maybe that kept both from working. I put both back in complete with all parts and new bulbs then used INPA to clear error codes. Not sure if I cleared the codes right but they both work now. I need to actually drive the car to see the adaptive in action. I am not sure how to tell what FRM type I have. I have been reading about different types that have different features, etc.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by JonEQuest

I realize the high beams are shutter but the inner lights don't come on at all. I have read some posts from people who say theirs only come on when they are turning. Not even when flash to pass is used. My flash to pass is the shutters open for the amount of time I have the stalk pulled back, with no inside lights. Apparently that is how the car is designed to work. I need to drive the car and see if the inner lights come on for turns. My car is on jack stands at the moment because I am working on it.

Yeah lol, the inner lights of the adaptive headlights are just turning light. The come on with flasher, tight turns and on reverse. You outter light acts as both low beam and high beam, just gets much brighter on the high beam.

[JonEQuest]

Yeah, I noticed how they open a shutter on high beam. It's like looking at the sun. :-)