[Damaskus325]

As stated, my inner passenger halo light is not the same as the other 3. It is a yellowish color compared to white. From what I know, the LCI cars don't have a bulb to change but there may be an issue with a module of some sort. There seem to be a few different ones but I am unsure of which one controls the halos. Its just driving me nuts. Any help would be appreciated.

[Damaskus325]

It's a 2011 328i xdrive if that helps any.

[e91Owner]

Originally Posted by Damaskus325

It's a 2011 328i xdrive if that helps any.

The body style matters here. What is yours? Looks like an e92, but it's a dark photo.

[Damaskus325]

It is an e92 coupe.

[e91Owner]

They aren't a typical bulb, per se, instead called an LED light module. So it basically is a bulb, just a different style. LEDs typically don't yellow, so it may be the ring itself. The part number is 63117263051.

They are accessible from under the housing, IIRC.

[Damaskus325]

So I would have to remove the headlight assembly to access the module? It would be pricey but would it make more sense to buy an entire assembly since it will be out anyway?

[Damaskus325]

I just looked and I can actually just remove the fender liner and get under the headlight and replace the module that way. I really dont want to shell out the money for a new assembly when this one works well otherwise.

[Fritzer]

I believe the halo housing is just yellowed over time, but it's odd that non of the others show it - it's definitely not the bulb unless someone literally put a yellow LED in there or something. Are the lenses yellowed, the exterior of the headlights?

[Damaskus325]

Originally Posted by Fritzer

I believe the halo housing is just yellowed over time, but it's odd that non of the others show it - it's definitely not the bulb unless someone literally put a yellow LED in there or something. Are the lenses yellowed, the exterior of the headlights?

Its def not the housing. It is very slightly hazy but not yellow at all. If it were the housing both rings would be affected. I have a 3M sanding restore kit if that were the problem. I plan on doing that in the near future anyway but it is definitely one of the modules. There is no bulb to change in the LCI models. My old 2007 had bulbs. Here is a high res picture so you can compare both sides. Almost identical in clarity.

[e91Owner]

The aftermarket LEDs are so much cheaper, so I would give those a shot. Worst case, you buy one on Amazon Prime for $20 and if it doesn't turn the halo white, you just return it for free, and you know it's a problem with the housing. Best case, your problem is fixed for $20.

[Damaskus325]

Originally Posted by e91Owner

The aftermarket LEDs are so much cheaper, so I would give those a shot. Worst case, you buy one on Amazon Prime for $20 and if it doesn't turn the halo white, you just return it for free, and you know it's a problem with the housing. Best case, your problem is fixed for $20.

That is a possibility. I just dont want to go through taking the fender liner apart and have to do it again because of cheap parts. If anyone has replaced said part for cheap and it works, please let me know which one you purchased. I also don't want to melt my headlight because of a cheap product made with poor circuitry. A $270 pair of modules is cheaper than a $1200 headlight assembly because I wanted to cut corners.

[Serf27]

Used oem ones are 30-40 on eBay.

[Damaskus325]

Originally Posted by Serf27

Used oem ones are 30-40 on eBay.

That is an option I might be willing to try.

[Serf27]

Originally Posted by Damaskus325

That is an option I might be willing to try.

I did buy the Amazon xenon module for my e93 a few months ago.
Pre lci but still an Amazon module for $28. It’s been working fine.
I would assume the module would just quit working before damaging the headlight.

[e91Owner]

Originally Posted by Damaskus325

That is a possibility. I just dont want to go through taking the fender liner apart and have to do it again because of cheap parts. If anyone has replaced said part for cheap and it works, please let me know which one you purchased. I also don't want to melt my headlight because of a cheap product made with poor circuitry. A $270 pair of modules is cheaper than a $1200 headlight assembly because I wanted to cut corners.

Originally Posted by Damaskus325

That is a possibility. I just dont want to go through taking the fender liner apart and have to do it again because of cheap parts. If anyone has replaced said part for cheap and it works, please let me know which one you purchased. I also don't want to melt my headlight because of a cheap product made with poor circuitry. A $270 pair of modules is cheaper than a $1200 headlight assembly because I wanted to cut corners.

Yeah, it wouldn't damage anything. It's just a diode with ballast. Like I said though, it's basically a free way to see if that's your problem. Never heard of an LED yellowing over time, so I'm assuming it's the ring itself.

The fender liner takes only a minute to remove, so if you can get to it from there, that's definitely the way to go.

[Serf27]

Originally Posted by e91Owner

Yeah, it wouldn't damage anything. It's just a diode with ballast. Like I said though, it's basically a free way to see if that's your problem. Never heard of an LED yellowing over time, so I'm assuming it's the ring itself.

The fender liner takes only a minute to remove, so if you can get to it from there, that's definitely the way to go.

I wish.
It’s at least 5 minutes IF you have the tools ready.
Messing with headlights or pulling the front bumper off on this car is my least favorite thing about it.

[fravel]

FWIW, I had a similar issue when my LED bulbs in my e90 got damaged. The light still worked just fine, but the color on that side of the car was different. Ended up just changing the bulbs.

[Damaskus325]

I haven't seen a tutorial or DIY anywhere about removing an LCI coupe headlight. I know the bumper has to be partially removed to get access to the bolts near the grill. I would really like to do it that way so I can polish the lense while its out. I also looked a bit closer and there are 2 modules for each halo individually. The inner one may not be fully accessible because I see the headlight washer piston/shock thing right below it.

[Serf27]

It’s the same removal process for all the e9x body.
You can do it with the car on the ground, but it’s much easier with the wheels removed.

Headlight has 5 t30 bolts that hold it in.

2 on top that are visible.
2 near the grills for the headlight bracket.
1 on the rear outer corner for the headlight bracket that is annoying to get to. You need a t30 bit with a bit ratchet or remove the front half of the fender liner.

[Damaskus325]

I did get this fixed. After removing the light from the car and the housing, I changed the LED module out. The module I replaced was actually good. It turns out the halo ring itself had somehow gotten burned. It was brown and black right at the edge. What I had to do was using some 120 grit sandpaper, sand the burned bit of glass away. Once I did that, I used a metal pick tool to pick out any small remaining bits of brown specks to clear the glass tube end completely. I used compressed air and a vacuum to get all the glass dust and keep it from entering the housing. I then put the module back in place and now both sides are bright white. I just wonder how the halo got burned in the first place...

[e30leb]

Originally Posted by Damaskus325

I did get this fixed. After removing the light from the car and the housing, I changed the LED module out. The module I replaced was actually good. It turns out the halo ring itself had somehow gotten burned. It was brown and black right at the edge. What I had to do was using some 120 grit sandpaper, sand the burned bit of glass away. Once I did that, I used a metal pick tool to pick out any small remaining bits of brown specks to clear the glass tube end completely. I used compressed air and a vacuum to get all the glass dust and keep it from entering the housing. I then put the module back in place and now both sides are bright white. I just wonder how the halo got burned in the first place...

My apologies for digging an old post.

I'm in the same situation. The end of the halos at the bottom are not burned but hazy. I'm assuming you used 1200 grit not 120 correct? My experience with these things are close to zero. Thank god I didn't have a 120 but did have 260 and 400. It's way hazier now. Is it possible to correct this using higher grits?