Xenon Flickering Problem (HELP)

[swanlake]

Hi everybody,
I've done multiple searches but I haven't found anything directly related to my issue at hand so now I'm reaching out for your help. For some reason, both of my main xenons keep flickering at random. After some initial research I found some info about HID systems in general and thought maybe it would be the bulb dying out, but that's usually accompanied by a purple hue in the light output (which I don't have). I was then thinking it could possibly be a short somewhere in the car, but that wouldn't explain why they were flickering at different times (Theoretically they should flicker at the exact same time if a short was the issue). The thing that is confusing me the most is that they will flicker both when the car is at rest and while it's moving, but the flickering seems to be worse when driving on bumpy roads. If it were simply the ballasts failing, shouldn't the flickering be independent of the bumps in the road? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated before I just start buying new components and hoping it fixes the issue. Thanks

[C-ARchitect]

Originally Posted by BrettfordE92

Hi everybody,
I've done multiple searches but I haven't found anything directly related to my issue at hand so now I'm reaching out for your help. For some reason, both of my main xenons keep flickering at random. After some initial research I found some info about HID systems in general and thought maybe it would be the bulb dying out, but that's usually accompanied by a purple hue in the light output (which I don't have). I was then thinking it could possibly be a short somewhere in the car, but that wouldn't explain why they were flickering at different times (Theoretically they should flicker at the exact same time if a short was the issue). The thing that is confusing me the most is that they will flicker both when the car is at rest and while it's moving, but the flickering seems to be worse when driving on bumpy roads. If it were simply the ballasts failing, shouldn't the flickering be independent of the bumps in the road? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated before I just start buying new components and hoping it fixes the issue. Thanks

Perhaps check your wiring and see if there's any water/corrosion? BMW's tend to freak out when the wiring starts going bad.

[swanlake]

Originally Posted by C-ARchitect

Perhaps check your wiring and see if there's any water/corrosion? BMW's tend to freak out when the wiring starts going bad.

Where would the wiring issue be though? I've checked the cables running the length of the hood and everything appears fine.

[D@AP]

Best case scenario, it seems the connector plugs are loose or not making a proper connection which sounds possible since they flicker more on bumpy roads. I know this is more common with cheap aftermarket HID, but not so much with OEM HID's.

[C-ARchitect]

Originally Posted by BrettfordE92

Where would the wiring issue be though? I've checked the cables running the length of the hood and everything appears fine.

Near the harnesses. Wires can corrode/loosen over time which cause fluctuations which might explain the flickering.

[Quicksilv3r]

Open the top headlamp covers and check for worn/frayed wires. My pass. side looked a bit touchy when I replaced my AE bulbs so I had to be extra careful not to accelerate the problem. Mercifully I don't have problems with my lights, but I imagine that could certainly cause this problem. Also, as noted above, cheap HID kits will cause this as well but I'm guessing yours are OEM like all the rest of us. Are you using OE bulbs?

[swanlake]

Originally Posted by Dayne@AcutePerformance

Best case scenario, it seems the connector plugs are loose or not making a proper connection which sounds possible since they flicker more on bumpy roads. I know this is more common with cheap aftermarket HID, but not so much with OEM HID's.

Originally Posted by Quicksilv3r

Open the top headlamp covers and check for worn/frayed wires. My pass. side looked a bit touchy when I replaced my AE bulbs so I had to be extra careful not to accelerate the problem. Mercifully I don't have problems with my lights, but I imagine that could certainly cause this problem. Also, as noted above, cheap HID kits will cause this as well but I'm guessing yours are OEM like all the rest of us. Are you using OE bulbs?

Okay thanks for the responses guys. Everything is OEM but I will definitely check inside the actual housing. What would be the procedure if it turns out it is a frayed wire? Just cut it out and splice in a new connector?

[swanlake]

bump

[thatg]

I believe i’m having this issue as well. Noticing it especially on bumpy roads