2003 BMW 330I Exterior lighting Problems

“The low beam reflectors on 2003-2004 zkw hid headlights were made of some material that degraded when subjected to the heat produced by oem xenon bulbs. This results in a significant decrease in light output as the reflector became scorched. I don't know the exact ins and outs, but I would imagine that Bmw and zkw were and are aware of the defect as the newer, redesigned headlights do not suffer from this problem.”

“Recently I bought a 2003 Bmw 330I with xenon projector headlights. The low- and high-beam output of these lights is very poor, with very little usable light when driving on lit or unlit roads at night. Compared to standard halogen lamps on my other cars (1990 Bmw 525i, 2004 saturn ion) I would rate them at 40% and 30% output respectively, and both of the other cars use standard halogen lamps. …”

“The zkw brand high intensity discharge (hid) / xenon headlights installed from the factory in to my 2003 Bmw 330I degraded to a point where visibility at night was almost zero unless I drove with the high beams and/or fog lights on. Replacing the bulbs did not remedy the problem. The cause was burnt reflector bowls which are not replaceable. The whole headlight assembly must be replaced at $1000-1300 per side. …”

“I have encountered a failure of the factory xenon headlamp assembly. I have had reduced visibility as a result of a burnt bulb housing that did not make itself readily apparent. Because there is no remedy outside of replacing the poorly designed housing, I have a concern of the safety of myself, my occupants, and others on the road. A failed bulb is understandable maintenance. A failed headlamp assembly due to burning and cracking the plastic lens from so much heat is not. This is a poor design, and should warrant a recall.”

“Around november 2009 I started to notice the unmodified factory xenon headlamps in our car seemed dim. Over the next year they seemed to dim considerably and after the recent end of daylight savings time resulted in a significant increase in my night-time driving, I have found the headlamps to provide nearly no projected light. Upon inspection of the light assembly I have discovered that Bmw built these headlamps using a chrome-coated plastic reflector to direct the light forward to the road. …”