Requesting Info Help with E46 Headlights

[Robert Hode]

All:

I was checking my headlights yesterday and noticed that the inside set of headlights was not working (not the outside Xenon headlight set). No matter what I did, low beam/high beam/fog lights on-off etc., the inner set of headlights would not light up.

The obvious answer could be burned out bulbs, but if this is the case, how do you remove & replace these bulbs? I tried twisting the bulb housing under the hood, but that did not work (could be stuck). There is nowhere in the owner's manual referring to changing these bulbs and I did not want to accidently break anything (since it would probably cost a few hundred $$$ to fix!).

Any help as to what is wrong and how to fix would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Allen Schiano]

I'm always impressed how the E46 lights and parts are easy to maintain and remove. But in this case, the light is straightforward to find and replace BUT hard to reach AND hard two twist out.

You have to turn the bulb housing about 45 degrees - forgto which direction! - and then the bulb and housing come out. Sometimes it's worth pulling out the plastic housing around the light to get to the bulb.

It tends to be tight and sticky. Once you get the housing out the bulb is simply pulled out. The bulb is a standard H7 - if I remember - but it says it on the bulb.

The reason it's not in the manual is that it's tough enough for the average BMW owner that they prefer to pay $100 to a BMW dealer to remove! You might try an independent garage that won't gauge you for a 10 minute job that just needs a little experience.

Don't give up yet.

[trungduong]

They're day time running lights and my guess is that they were programed to be off. You need to take the car to the dealer to have them reset the program

You can not DIY!

[Burgundy]

use them as "flashers" , unless they are programmed as daytime running lights, so to check them you have to pull back on the light stalk as if you were flashing someone

the high beams are part of the xenon lamp so just putting on high beams wouldnt light the inner lamps up

[Robert Hode]

Thanks all for the responses. Learn something new everyday. Nowhere in the manual or elsewhere where it indicates what these lights are for.

[gmillion1]

i spotted this thread because i have a similar situation.
my inner lights will not work either, i just bought the car and noticed it has angel eyes
installed, but they do not work. i cannot get the inner lights to come on at all.
when i pull the stalk switch back for "flash" the xenons come on.
this car was purchased less than a year ago CPO. could the drl's be disabled and that is what the angel eyes were set up to run on?