Possible Xenon Ignitor Issue

I have this issue with my Xenon Headlight, on the drivers side, where it won't turn on right away, it sometimes takes a while longer to turn on. It'll turn on by itself after a little bit, sometimes a few seconds, sometimes a few minutes. Sometimes if I turn the switch on and off a couple of times, the light will then turn on.

I posted this question on Maxbimmer, and someone suggested that it was the ignitor that needed replacing.

http://www.maxbimmer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107403

Any thoughts?... Does anyone know a place where I can get an OEM ignitor for my xenon headlight?

anybody out there?

You can check the cheap/free to fix causes first such as the connectors from the car to the ballast for arcing signs, corrosion, not seated properly etc.

How do Xenon bulbs work anyway... how do u know when they are failing?

I'm having the same issue, on colder nights it won't start up immediately.. On warm nights, no problem.... Did you find a fix for this?

I have one xenon (passenger side) that actually turned a little purple in color after it warms up. Dealer said since it was changed not too long ago that the color will not adjust until 11,000 hours. Has anyone heard of this?

Originally Posted by hkbruin

I'm having the same issue, on colder nights it won't start up immediately.. On warm nights, no problem.... Did you find a fix for this?

No I haven't fixed it yet, haven't even swapped the bulbs yet...

get this... yesterday, my passenger side would not turn on at all. Same deal today.

The drivers side is still intermittent too, it'll turn on after a bit. I'm thinking, change both bulbs at once, and then change the ballast on the drivers side... what do you guys think?

having the same problem.... definitely dont want to throw 300 down at the stealership if i dont have to

I know... tell me about it

lol, i'm w/ u guys. It's my passenger side that has the problem. Anyone tried to take apart the light see wut happened?

Update: So the passenger side xenon died on me the other day. Luckily I know a guy in Toronto that has GREAT deals on Xenon bulbs. Dropped in a replacement bulb, ordered a new set, and i'm probably going to grab a ballast from him too.

www.absolutehid.ca if anyone else is interested

hey,
just wanted to revive this thread to see if anyone has had resolution on the issue.
i have the same issue. i took it to my local shop (non-dealer), and they replaced more than the bulb (i will double check, but pretty sure they did the whole unit).
i still have the problem of it not turning on right away (if at all).
doing the repetitive on-off once i start the car often solves the issue. and i do think it was less of a problem during the summer.
any updates?

I've had this problem for years and the longer I hold off on fixing it the more it happens. In my case the driver side xenon is more likely not to turn on when it is cold/raining out. As far as everyone has stated above I have the same issues sometimes if it takes a few seconds to turn on sometimes it doesn't at all. I pray that for the times it doesnt turn on if I turn the switch on and off multiple times it may turn on.

Worse case senario and I'm sure you guys have been in the same situation before. Driving just as its getting dark but hessitate to turn on your lights cus you don't wana feel cheap if one of your xenons don't turn on lol...

What have you guys done to resolve the issue I ain't gona lie I've been told to switch the bulbs or due other little tests to pin point the problem but honestly haven't tried any yet.

Seems like everyone here has the same issue just wondering what people did to fix the problem what did you replace?

I have been having this same issue with my drivers side for about a year now, although it has been very intermittent. My headlight will usually fire when it is warm out (or when it is at the stealership!!!), but not always when it is cold.

I just started moving parts around, until I could follow the problem with a part move.

First, swap the bulbs. (This had no effect on mine, problem stayed on driver's side, proving bulbs are fine.)

Second, swap the ballasts. (This required removal of the headlight assemblies from the car, but it was pretty easy. This also had no effect, so ballasts are not it.)

Lastly, swap the igniters. (This is a PITA, as you need to completely disassemble the headlight assembly and put everything back together, then re-aim the headlights.) The problem followed this swap, as no my passenger headlight doesn't fire right away. I guess I will be replacing the igniter on that side, and hopefully I'll be good to go!

this is the EXACT issue I'm having with my 03' 330CI. I recently posted a thread about this because the passenger side xenon went completely dead for a few days. The funny thing is that it went dead during the storm here in Southern CA. But when the storm passed, that xexon is working again.

went to a shop to resolve the problem. He said that an "element socket" was needed. The part itself costs 220.00. With labor, it'll be about $300.00.

Although the xenon is working fine at the moment, this issue has been going on for the past year. It's a ***** to fix a xenon that's currently working, but I know it's bound to fail again.

The ignitor was $220?

I'm having the same issue. I got a used ignitor from ebay. $40 with shipping. I'll keep you posted once I finally get time to install. till then...

just to give you an update, i never even got the job that the shop recommended done. Personally, i felt they were shady, because I searched and searched for resources online about "element socket" resolving the xenon issue but nothing came up anywhere.

this xenon has a mind of it's own by the way. it's been working fine since i've posted about this some time ago. based on my experiences and what others have said, it seems possible that weather conditions play a factor in this off/on xenon issue.

Well update on my issue. Well I got the ignitor and installed it to find out that it wasn't it. So next thing would be the ignitor. But since I meesed with it and put the stock one back on it hasn't failed. I noticed though that my automatic headlight adjuster isn't moving its full range like my other side. Sucks!