I have owned this car for approximately 4 years now and have noticed a gradual decrease of the brightness of my headlights during that time period. I took the car to bmw and they said I have a model of car that the reflectors break down due to the heat of the xenon bulbs. It apparently occurs in my model car with zkw reflectors from years 2003 - 2004. I asked the mechanic if this was something that was going to be recalled and he literally laughed. This defect costs well over $2000 in parts alone and is a definite safety hazard. When I am on roads that are not well lit, it seems as though my fog lights actually provide better illumination of the road that my headlights do. In my opinion this is a serious safety hazard and warrants a recall. Please investigate this matter further.
2004 BMW 330I lights complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 83, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The headlight design of bmw's e46 bodies are just horrible. Light output is close to none creating a significant problem regarding visibility. The reason is due to bmw's reflector bowl that deteriorates through out time due to its plastic material and finally ends up burning. It is so bad that the fog lights produce much more light then its low beams. We definitely need your help the federal safety agency because bmw sure does not want to help, their solution is that you have to replace the whole headlight which is 1200 a piece. Millions of e46 owners have to deal with this problem and is a major safety concern. The federal safety agency investigators must go and investigate the problem so they know how bad it really is. Yes that means bmw will loose millions of dollars but it is safety that matters, we don't want any person or child to be killed just because of a poor headlight design. Only solution to this problem is up to your guys, the federal safety agency. Thank you for taking time to read my message, I really appreciate it. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Both bixenon headlamps assemblies have failed on the vehicle they emit little to no light due to the known bowl burn issues with the plastic reflectors (should have been fabricated from metal), inside these headlamp assemblies. In looking at the light assemblies, they seemed to have failed a long time ago. This is a very unsafe and hazardous situation that renders the vehicle basically inoperative at night to the owner, because fellow drivers, pedestrians, and/or bicyclist may be not able to see your headlights. This could cause or may have already lead to fatal vehicular accident(s) or the death of a pedestrian(s) and/or bicyclist(s) because of the low to no light emitted by these faulty headlamps. While performing in depth research on the internet discovered that this is a very common and known problem on this make and model at all mileages. The bmw forums are full of complaints about this problem and an open complaint seems to be open and in process with the federal safety agency since 2009 some three years ago. Neither bmw or its supplier of this faulty part make a reasonably priced service part that can be purchased to correct this known product and safety problem. Not even the aftermarket industry makes a service part to correct this product problem. To correct this issue, you must purchase two new complete head lamp assemblies at a cost of approximately $ 1,200.00 each from bmw which is outrageous especially for such a know product and safety problem. I can't understand why a recall has not been initiated for such a known problem on so many vehicles that has been on going for so long.. I contacted bmw north america for relief with this know safety and product problem and they could not help me with this issue because there is no open recall for this known product and safety problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 bmw 330i. The contact stated that both front headlights illuminated very dimly. The contact examined the headlights and noticed that the front driver side headlight bulb burned a hole through its housing. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. The contact replaced the bulbs himself, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. The contact was informed that the entire headlight housing needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 65,000. Updated 07/25/12 *bf the consumer stated the brand of headlights on his vehicle were factory installed. Xenon bulbs. The projector bowls were the pieces that burned and not sold separately, but instead were sold with complete headlamp assemblies. There was very little visibility when driving in the dark, and he has to use the fog lamps in order to see the road. Updated 07/30/12
Headlights of 2004 bmw 330i with xenons are made by manufacturing company "zkw" and bound to fail. Visibility and light output becomes extremely poor, that you must drive around with extra lights, or high beams on. When you open up the reflective case, you will see that both front headlights driver and passenger side have burnt bowls, which do not allow any light output at all. This is extremely dangerous, I have gotten into an accident due to not being able to see far distance at night. Please address and investigate this matter immediately.
Purchased a used 2004 bmw 330i. The headlight output is very dim, and upon research into the matter, have learned that the supplied zkw headlight assemblies contain plastic reflector bowls that are prone to melting and/or burning. I inspected my headlight assemblies and found this to be the case. The reflector bowls in my headlights are burnt, and consequently my headlights are not nearly as bright and effective as they should be. This is a safety hazard - nighttime visibility is something that should be taken seriously by a manufacturer.
Bi-xenon headlamp projector back-bowls are made out of plastic and have had their reflective coating burnt off of them from normal headlight usage. Due to the lack of reflectivity on the projector bowls my headlights have become significantly more dim over time as more of the reflective coating is burning off. It has become harder and more dangerous to drive at night due to the severe lack of light my headlights now produce.
Headlight light output has strongly diminished. In 2003-2004 bmw used zkw headlights in which the reflector bowl behind the light-bulb were prone to the melting due to heat causing poor light output. Bmw must have recognized this as they changed headlight suppliers in later models.
I purchased my 2004 bmw 330i in sept 2010, at least in part because it was advertised as having factory installed xenon lights and I have always wanted brighter headlights than other cars I have owned. Within 3 months I was so disgusted with the dimness of those xenon's that I purchased 2 new d2s bulbs and had them installed at the cost of about $400. (I was told that even xenon's "wear out" over time so I figured I would bite the bullet this one time) I found right away that these new bulbs were no better than I had before. As a matter of fact, the right side lights shined against a wall were actually dimmer than a d cell flashlight. I suffered though trying to drive with my passing lights on at night (you actually have to hold the high beam stick in to get these lights to stay on ) for a year before I decided to replace the whole headlight assembly but no-one sells a replacement for the xenon equipped cars. I then removed the assemblies myself and was shocked to see clear signs of burning or corrosion on the inside of the reflector bowls. No wonder the lights would not shine on the highway. It is so bad that every time I am passed on the highway at night I actually see my car's shadow directly in front of me from the headlights of the car 50-100 feet behind me. I now understand from further investigation this is an ongoing problem with zkw headlights on e46 bmw's. I do not have the technical expertise or extra cash to fix these defects. Can you help?? No accidents or injuries have occurred yet but I have seen many pedestrians or bikers as I pass them at night on the side of the road that I never saw until I was next to them.
Reflective coating melted inside the headlights, rendering them useless. Extremely expensive to replace.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 bmw 330i. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and he noticed that the low beam headlights were illuminated with an inadequate amount of brightness. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis and the technician stated that the plastic reflector bowls were poorly designed. The technician also stated that these bowls melted over an extended period of time due to heat exposure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000. The VIN was unavailable.
My headlights are not very bright and it looks like the reflective coating inside the light has been cooked off. I had a 2001 and the lights were much better they were the same hid xenon type . Thank you
The xenon projector assembly is made out of plastic and is burning/melting. The light output is roughly 20% of the original.
2003 and 2004 3 series models with xenon headlamps manufactured by zkw have a defect in which the heat from the xenon headlight bulbs are melting the plastic projectors or reflector bowls. This causes a drastic reduction in projected light. The first sign of the problem is discoloration of the chrome coated plastic reflector bowl. Eventually the reflector bowls show signs of melting. It seems the cause is likely a combination of the xenon bulbs being too close to the plastic reflectors and or the plastic's heat resistance is not high enough. In 2005 bmw had picked a new manufacturer for xenon headlamps that have an aluminum reflector bowl. However bmw will not admit that the zkw brand headlamps have a defect. The only solution bmw has offered is to have the headlamps replaced for $2400 with the same zkw seemingly defective lamps. This is not a solution as it doesn't solve the problem and is only a temporary and expensive fix in my opinion. Even the high beam mode is not bright enough to safely drive at night. There are also halogen lamps that act as running lights during the day and are intermittent flashers. In order to see while driving at night, I have had to hold down the flasher stick on the left side of the steering wheel in order to keep the halogen flashers on. It is tempting to re-wire the halogen lamps to the high beam switch so I do not have to hold the stick the entire time I am driving. Even though the halogens are not intended to be driving lights, it is much safer in my opinion to use them as a substitute even though it is dangerous to on-coming traffic due to the brightness and projection angle of the halogen lights. It is ridiculous to me that I would have to go to these lengths just to have safe driving lights. I think bmw should offer a re-call for these xenon headlights and supply a new part that is not defective as the zkw lights seem to be.
I own a 2004 bmw 330i m-performance edition. My headlights are manufactured by a company called zkw. I am canadian and my car is a canadian car but the faulty part in question is common to both us-spec and cdn-spec bmw 3-series. My headlight output is extremely poor. In inclement weather, this issue is compounded. I now must always run with my foglights on to aid the headlights. This is not a safe solution to the problem. Foglights are designed to help the driver see your more immediate surroundings. The distance that the light is shone is much shorter than it should be. I am not able to see more that 3-5 meters in front of my vehicle. The 'incident' date noted above is when I had struck a raccoon with my vehicle that I should have seen much much sooner, giving me more time to react or make an evasive maneuver. This is significant because I was not traveling faster than 60-70 kph. The result was a $1,200 repair to my front bumper and bumper trim which sustained damage from the animal. From what I understand, all 3-series purchased in 2003 and 2004 which feature xenon-headlights made by zkw suffer from a design flaw with the reflector bowl. Over time this reflector bowl, which is made of plastic, tends to get fried and discoloured as a result of the heat emanating from the xenon bulb. This causes the reflector bowl to lose it's reflective properties and as result, light output is extremely poor. For model year 2005, bmw went with a different headlight manufacturer which offered headlights which featured and aluminum reflector bowl which is more resilient to the temperatures caused by the xenon bulb. To me, this shows bmw acknowledging the design flaw, especially since model year 2005 was the last year bmw made a 3-series sedan in this chassis.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 bmw 330i. While parked, the contact noticed that the tail light warning light was illuminated. The contact inspected the tail lights and noticed that the pin in the tail light assembly was corroded on the passenger and driver sides. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technician advised that the tail light assembly would have to be rewired. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign id number: 11v438000 (exterior lighting:tail lights) but was advised by the manufacturer that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. Updated 11/28/11 *bf the consumer stated the right side is still an issue, but intermittent. The left side in not working and unsafe to drive, when the left side turn signal is not working. The consumer stated it had to be re-wired. The consumer stated he believed the problem he experienced, is related to recall # 11v438000. Updated 03/05/12
The xenon headlights burn and discolor the reflective housing and the lens cover discolors. This makes the headlight virtually useless when driving at night. You would be better off mounting two fisher-price toy flashlights up front. This is a major safety hazard. In order to see I must turn on my fog lights or drive with my highbeams on.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 bmw 330i. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the contact noticed that the visibility of the headlight reflectors was very poor. After inspecting the headlights the contact noticed that the area around the headlight reflectors was burned. The contact replaced the bulb. The failure continued after the replacement of the bulbs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the headlight assembly would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 bmw 330i. The contact stated that the exterior lights would only work intermittently with the illumination of an unknown warning light. The dealer was notified of the failure who advised that her VIN was not included in the recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number: 11v438000 (exterior lighting: tail lights). The manufacturer was also contacted who confirmed that her VIN was not included in the recall and offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 115,000.
I have noted that the zkw brand hid headlights on my bmw are less than adequate at providing significant lighting for night driving conditions. I found upon disassembly of my headlight assembly the reflective base or "bowl" is a coated plastic part that has been significantly discolored from normal use. I am filing a report to have the federal safety agency look further into the problem and recommend the party responsible offer a reasonable fix. Currently the factory (bmw) recommends replacement of a $1200 (each, two total) headlight assembly. I request a mandate by the federal safety agency for replacement of the affected headlight assembly's by bmw, at bmw own cost. I feel the sub standard manufacturing process of this vital part may cause significant safety risks for people who require the proper function of the headlight.
Bi-xenon headlights gradually grew dimmer after about 100,000 (6 years) the lights were unsafe to use after dark. The lights were repaired by an automotive lighting specialty shop by installing aftermarket headlight projectors. The original reflector bowls on the zkw manufactured projectors were burned and partially melted by the xenon bulbs and was no longer projecting the light ahead of the vehicle.
The zkw-brand xenon headlights that came equipped on the vehicle (a 2004 bmw 330i) have lost their brightness intensity, resulting in nighttime light output that is dangerously low. The problem specifically is that the heat from the projector bulbs melt or discolor the reflective bowls, which decreases the high- and low-beam light output. The heat also discolors the plastic headlight lenses. The bulbs still throw a very low level of light, but without the reflectivity they do little to illuminate the road at night. Service records indicate that bmw noted the problem on my vehicle in the first three months of 2009, but if the parts were replaced they have failed again since then. This is a non-wear item. Many other vehicle owners have also reported this problem.
Xenon (zkw) headlamps in the car are burnt, thus diminishing 80% of light that is supposed to be coming from the lamp. Very dangerous for night travel.
Xenon reflectors in zkw headlights are burnt, and are cracking. This is significantly reducing light output of the vehicle.
The head light reflecting bowls on hid headlights are burning out thereby resulting in poor lighting under all conditions.
The xenon headlamps on my 2004 bmw 330i completely failed. The headlamp rear projector bowl on this model is prone to overheating which leads to the delamination of the projector reflective materials resulting in complete headlamp assembly failure. Replacement assemblies from the dealer list at ~ $600 for each side of the car. This a commonly known issue in the bmw enthusiast community - I have also witnessed the problem firsthand on two other bmw 330is of the same model year. When the issue happened to me, I was unable to drive the car safely at night as the only illumination available was from the parking lights. This is clearly a safety issue and a product defect.
Low-beam hid headlight reflector bowls on both sides of car have burned and melted causing very low light output and dangerous night driving conditions. The reflector bowls are zkw brand and appear to be made of plastic of some kind.
Dramatically reduced headlight output due to defective factory components.
Bmw zkw headlight defect. Burnt bowls causing unsafe nightly illumination.
2004 bmw 330i sedan: xenon headlight reflector bowls (zkw brand) are scorched practically eliminating any light output from the headlight.
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