2004 BMW 330i Headlight Problems

Which parts fail

• Headlights
  5
• Headlights › Concealment devices
  1
• Turn signal
  1
• Tail lights
  1

Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  00%
• 25k–50k
  35%
• 50k–75k
  1424%
• 75k–100k
  1424%
• 100k–150k
  2136%
• 150k+
  712%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 BMW 330i owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

This car has factory HID Xenon projector headlights. Over time the reflector bowls burned and melted from the heat of the light bulbs, causing some wire insulation to melt, and a brown film to cover all surfaces inside the headlight assembly. The brown coating makes the headlights dangerously dim. From various online searches, it appears this is a common failing of these headlights. BMW has not recalled these headlights, and replacements nearly exceed the value of the car.

Zkw brand xenon headlamps have defective reflector bowls. The lights burn off all of the reflective surface causing the low/high beams to be so dim that driving at night is impossible. The part (reflector bowl) is not available as a replacement part, it can only be purchased as a whole headlight assembly for $1300 each light. This is a major safety issue, that I have just found out about. As we have been getting into winter and the daylight saving change cause earlier sunset times, I noticed my headlights were not very bright on the road. It hasn't been an issue that I noticed in past years due to my <1 mile commute, but this year I purchased a house 25mi from work and the amount of night driving has increased dramatically. I first adjusted the alignment of the lights to try to correct what I thought the issue was, and also have replaced one of the head light bulbs with no change. …

Over the last couple of years I have noticed that the headlights ability to provide good visibility at night has reduced dramatically, especially when raining or wet roads. I made sure the lenses were clear and new bulbs did not help. After doing some research on the internet I found thru several forums that this is a common issue with bmws' equipped with the zkw brand of bi-xenon headlights. The reason is the projector bowels are made of plastic and over time burn due to the excessive heat generated by the xenon bulb.so much so that the reflector bowls turn black instead of silver and therefore cannot reflect the light produced by the bulb. The fog lights provide more light or if there is someone following me the car behind me provides far more light than my own car. This is a serious safety issue and should be subject to recall. …

Light output from my car is extremely poor causing a safety concern. Upon investigating why the light output is so poor, I have determined that like many others the lights fitted into this 2004 BMW 330i are manufactured for BMW by a company called zkw who used plastic for the reflector lenses for the HID assemblies. This plastic degrades and becomes burnt which significantly diminishes the light output, even from new OEM bulbs that were installed in the car. A light meter indicates that these lights now have less than 50% of the light output of the same car using lights manufactured by al that BMW also used on these vehicles. Longevity of light output availability through lighting design and manufacture should not be considered a wear item by the vehicle maker. …

I recently purchased the vehicle and immediately noticed the poor light output from the factory xenons. I went online and found out that many people with the e46 sedan with xenon headlights manufactured by zkw have an issue of the projector bowls burning slowly over time due to poor material choice that cannot withstand the heat generated by the factory bulbs. Upon inspection of my headlights, I noticed that the bowls in my headlights were indeed both burnt and cracked and as a result of this, it is extremely difficult to see at night due to poor light output. I have resulted to using my fog lights as a supplementary light source just to see in the evenings and I find this unacceptable and negligent of BMW considering complaints have been made for years.

The headlight reflectors on this car (and other of this year model) are manufactured by zkw and they have failed causing very low, unsafe levels of light output. The reflectors are burnt and cracked. The only way to get any reasonable or safe light output for night driving is to use the fog lights and this is an unsafe condition and I am surprised there hasn't been a recall. This is a well known problem. Unsafe lighting and proceed while unknowingly endangering themselves and others. Do not pass state inspection light out put in some states, this problem should be address, if you look on the inter net people are modifying them to give more light witch makes it more unsafe.

The low beams on my 2004 BMW 330i are very dim. They barely light up the road at night, if at all. My only option is to turn on my high beams, but then I risk blinding incoming traffic. I consider this a significant safety risk. Through online research I have discovered that the problem is that the bowls BMW used to reflect the light from the bulbs are made of plastic and get burnt from the heat of the bulb. Due to this fact, I believe BMW should have a recall for the headlights of e46 cars. I do not think I should have to pay to fix something that is a factory defect.

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.

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.

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.

Related recalls

NHTSA investigations

Headlight complaints in other 330i years