Question 1 and context
Last month I purchased an '06 Z4 and noticed that the right headlight will sometimes not light up. This happens after I first turn on the headlights, turn them off, and then immediately try to turn them back on. Sometimes, both the left and right headlights do not turn on, even after having been on before. On the dash, I get the "bulb-out" warning light.
I usually have to turn all the lights on and off six or seven times before both decide to turn on again. I know that there is a certain re-strike time for HID lights, however this problem should have been eradicated in modern Xenon headlights (i.e. you should be able to turn them on and off and back on again on demand without waiting). I thought that it could be due to the cold weather (low 30's), however there are many cars around me that also have Xenon headlights, and they seem to work fine.
Obviously, this is a safety issue, since there is a chance that they may not work at night when I need them the most. What do you think the problem could be? Ballast? The car's still under the factory warranty, so hopefully any repairs should be covered, no? Does anyone else have (or had) this problem?
Question 2: My Z4 has two sets of projector-ish headlights. The outer-most headlights are for the main Xenons. However, there's the inner ones that just have a light ring around them, but don't project any light. Is this just my car, or are these supposed to actually project light?
Thanks!
Last month I purchased an '06 Z4 and noticed that the right headlight will sometimes not light up. This happens after I first turn on the headlights, turn them off, and then immediately try to turn them back on. Sometimes, both the left and right headlights do not turn on, even after having been on before. On the dash, I get the "bulb-out" warning light.
I usually have to turn all the lights on and off six or seven times before both decide to turn on again. I know that there is a certain re-strike time for HID lights, however this problem should have been eradicated in modern Xenon headlights (i.e. you should be able to turn them on and off and back on again on demand without waiting). I thought that it could be due to the cold weather (low 30's), however there are many cars around me that also have Xenon headlights, and they seem to work fine.
Obviously, this is a safety issue, since there is a chance that they may not work at night when I need them the most. What do you think the problem could be? Ballast? The car's still under the factory warranty, so hopefully any repairs should be covered, no? Does anyone else have (or had) this problem?
Question 2: My Z4 has two sets of projector-ish headlights. The outer-most headlights are for the main Xenons. However, there's the inner ones that just have a light ring around them, but don't project any light. Is this just my car, or are these supposed to actually project light?
Thanks!