BMW Mini Cooper S R56 - Headlight issue, Xenon Headlight

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Wed 12 Feb 2020 17:30
BMW Mini Cooper S R56 - Headlight issue, Xenon Headlight - Englishbullterrier

Hi all, long time since I've posted. Hope " elekie&a/c doctor" is still around giving excellent advice !

I've recently become the owner of a 2007 R56 Cooper S. My third mini and I love it :-)

The N/S headlight has a funny quirk.

When I switch the headlights on, they both come on and rise to the correct height, as they should do.

After a few seconds, the N/S headlight switches off and on a maximum of 3 times a second or so in between and I get a "light alert" come up on the tach and then the flashing headlight stays on and operates perfectly.

The "light alert" is simply reset by depressing the indicator centre button, the one that is used to cycle through/reset all trip info.

It does this whether in dipped or main beam.

Any ideas please ?

I have absolutely no idea how these Xenon headlights work or are controlled or what the components are, other than the ballast.

Edited by Englishbullterrier on 12/02/2020 at 17:33

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Wed 12 Feb 2020 18:32
BMW Mini Cooper S R56 - Headlight issue, Xenon Headlight - elekie&a/c doctor
These have a bi-xenon light system , whereby one xenon bulb does both dip and main beams . It does this by moving an electric “shutter” in front of the bulb to mask the pattern on dip. Testing these can be very tricky , due to the high voltages involved . The easiest solution is to swap out the bulb first , and then the ballast unit from the other working headlight. Bulbs are reasonably priced , but the ballast amp is expensive. Perhaps go for a s/ hand unit or if buying new , I would buy a complete headlight . The difference in price between a ballast and a complete unit is marginal.
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Thu 13 Feb 2020 19:46
BMW Mini Cooper S R56 - Headlight issue, Xenon Headlight - Englishbullterrier

The thing is, after the initial 3 off and on cycles, it works 100% correctly.

Do you know how the system senses that something is wrong, and hence sets the bulb alarm on, on the dash ?

Buying anything new for this bi-xenon system is an absolute no-no due to prohibitive cost, except for the bulb.

Good to see you're still around :-)

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Thu 13 Feb 2020 20:13
BMW Mini Cooper S R56 - Headlight issue, Xenon Headlight - elekie&a/c doctor
With most modern cars , the electrical functions are not directly connected to the switches you operate to turn things on. There is no direct connection between your lighting switch and the headlights. When the switch is operated, a signal is sent to the footwell module , this in turn switches on the lights . The circuit involved is load sensing , so the module “knows “ if there is a problem .
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Sun 16 Feb 2020 13:15
BMW Mini Cooper S R56 - Headlight issue, Xenon Headlight - Englishbullterrier

I guess it's possible that the footwell module is faulty ?

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Fri 14 Feb 2020 19:55
BMW Mini Cooper S R56 - Headlight issue, Xenon Headlight - Dorset123

You need to be aware of the dangers of these lights do not touch anything inside the headlamp until it has been discharged as they can you you a shock that can kill. The normal cause of most faults on these lights is the control unit which are not always sold as a part.

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Sun 16 Feb 2020 13:10
BMW Mini Cooper S R56 - Headlight issue, Xenon Headlight - Englishbullterrier

Thanks both.....

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Sun 16 Feb 2020 14:12
BMW Mini Cooper S R56 - Headlight issue, Xenon Headlight - elekie&a/c doctor
Hope it’s not the footwell module, cos that’s going to be at least a £500 + repair.
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Fri 21 Feb 2020 17:41
BMW Mini Cooper S R56 - Headlight issue, Xenon Headlight - Englishbullterrier

There is a company online that repairs them, should it be that.

I'm of a mind to just live with it now.

My local MOT and Service garage is run by a family from a school I worked at. They've said it's not an MOT failure.

C'est la vie !

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