[shark715]

We have noticed that the inner (closest to the radiator grille) headlights on our 235 are never lit (although the corona rings around them are).

Are we missing something? Perhaps they are not used in the U.S.?

[RoundelM3]

No, they're empty, same as on the 3 & 4-series cars.

[shark715]

Originally Posted by roundel335

No, they're empty, same as on the 3 & 4-series cars.

Thanks.

Why do they have the cooling fins on top of them (that you see when you open the hood) if they are empty? Not saying you are wrong...I'm just curious.

Perhaps the inner headlights are used in other countries, and the cooling fins are there on all cars, whether the lights are used or not?

[elus1ve]

Got a 235i as well and haven't paid attention to it but on my previous 3 series, they are usually used for the adaptive headlight. The appropriate headlight turns on whether you are turning left or right to provide better visibility onto where you are turning into.

They are empty housings if you do not have adaptive headlights.

[shark715]

Originally Posted by shark715

Why do they have the cooling fins on top of them (that you see when you open the hood) if they are empty?

I'm able to answer my own question after looking at the parts diagrams. The cooling fins are for the LED corona rings.

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by shark715

I'm able to answer my own question after looking at the parts diagrams. The cooling fins are for the LED corona rings.

Incorrect...LEDs don't need cooling fins, as they put out very little heat. The "adaptive" headlights on the E9x series had lights in both inner and outer housings, but the F3x doesn't. The cooling fins are for the Xenon bulb in the outer lights.

[Luddy]

Originally Posted by roundel335

Incorrect...LEDs don't need cooling fins, as they put out very little heat. The "adaptive" headlights on the E9x series had lights in both inner and outer housings, but the F3x doesn't. The cooling fins are for the Xenon bulb in the outer lights.

I am not saying the fins are for the LED rings but lots of LED lights need heat sinks.

http://www.ledsupply.com/blog/why-yo...led-heat-sink/

[Maynard]

I have the adaptive Xenons, and still a 'mock' headlight there, not a real bulb. The main lights swivel some, which is the difference from the non-adaptive. And the fog light on the side you are turning towards lights up, but they all do that (main effect seems to be that it gives over-helpful people an excuse to tell you one of your fogs has burned out).

And thanks for the tech link on LED's.

[msej449]

I believe that in the US you don't get the full Adaptive array - in mine, I just leave the Adaptive full-beam on and on unlit roads, it drops the offside full-beam when it sees headlights approaching. But leaves the driver's nearside full-beam on, to illuminate the nearside kerb. This is in addition to raising or dropping the full beam directly ahead, and 'boxing' the car in front with a non-illuminated rectangle that moves up/down and left/right as the car ahead follows the road. And in lit areas, the manual says it alters the headlight spread to be flatter (separate to the usual left/right follow-the-turn). So I wonder if to do all this, it may actually use lights in this space, that are not fitted in US builds?

[TheCaptain]

In many BMWs, the lights that the OP is asking about turn on when you are in reverse. They also turn on individually for cornering, when you have the headlights on and turn the steering wheel sharp left or right.

[shark715]

Originally Posted by msej449

I believe that in the US you don't get the full Adaptive array - in mine, I just leave the Adaptive full-beam on and on unlit roads, it drops the offside full-beam when it sees headlights approaching. But leaves the driver's nearside full-beam on, to illuminate the nearside kerb. This is in addition to raising or dropping the full beam directly ahead, and 'boxing' the car in front with a non-illuminated rectangle that moves up/down and left/right as the car ahead follows the road. And in lit areas, the manual says it alters the headlight spread to be flatter (separate to the usual left/right follow-the-turn). So I wonder if to do all this, it may actually use lights in this space, that are not fitted in US builds?

Pretty sure you are referring to what BMW calls "anti-dazzle" lights, which are "decoded" for U.S. spec cars.

Before I ordered my 235 I was told if I ordered automatic high beams, I could have the car coded to turn on the anti dazzle feature, and over the weekend it appears (at least to me) I was able to do so using the Expert Menu in Bimmercode. My lights seem to be doing everything you described above, although another forum member (Almaretto) told me I may be blinding other drivers because the U.S. spec headlights don't have the microshutters that the Euro spec does. But based on the light pattern I see and the lack of opposing drivers flashing their lights at me, that does not appear to be the case, although I don't want to imply Almaretto is incorrect as he knows far more about these lights and coding than I do.

My own guess is that my lights are doing "something like" yours, but not as well as with the Euro spec headlights.

[shark715]

Originally Posted by roundel335

Incorrect...LEDs don't need cooling fins, as they put out very little heat. The "adaptive" headlights on the E9x series had lights in both inner and outer housings, but the F3x doesn't. The cooling fins are for the Xenon bulb in the outer lights.

I may certainly be wrong on this as I'm no expert on the subject, but how I deduced that the cooling fins are for the LED's is that the OEM parts diagram shows the cooling fins to be part of the LED modules (which also explains why the "inner" headlights would have cooling fins even though the headlights are apparently "empty".

If I'm wrong, let me know. Again I'm just more curious than anything else.

[elus1ve]

As mentioned, in the 3 series I had with adaptive headlight, the inner housing for the headlight were used for adaptive headlight.

The main headlight - outer housing would swivel with the steering but the inner ones would light up on low speed turns. It was obvious as everytime I was behind a car and turning I would see the inner headlight turn on in the direction I was turning. Putting on the turn signal would sometimes turn it on too.

Someone mentioned backing up and it's true now that I think of it. Both sides would turn on when backing up.

I haven't noticed any of that in the m235i so far so maybe that wasn't implemented in this model (or I simply haven't paid attention to it).

The inner housing light was kinda useless anyway imho.

[SteveAustin]

Great article on Adaptive Lighting on the M2 and other 2 series with High Beam Assistance and Lighting Package. I seriously doubt they would make a separate light mechanically if they are disabling the features in coding. Probably just trying to deter people from doing this...we will never know. But this article answers a lot of questions people have had on enabling these features.

http://www.automobilemag.com/news/se...635B74E01594E4

[shark715]

Originally Posted by SteveAustin

Great article on Adaptive Lighting on the M2 and other 2 series with High Beam Assistance and Lighting Package. I seriously doubt they would make a separate light mechanically if they are disabling the features in coding. Probably just trying to deter people from doing this...we will never know. But this article answers a lot of questions people have had on enabling these features.

http://www.automobilemag.com/news/se...635B74E01594E4

Thanks for posting!

All I can say is that I've had the feature(s) as I mentioned above enabled for nearly 3 months, and not once has another driver flashed me.

I have even had someone else drive the 235 following me in another car as well as opposing me, and while you can see the lights moving as well as the beam pattern not being typical, never did I feel like I was being blinded.

If I receive a summons for having an illegal headlight beam pattern, I'll post here immediately :-)

I've also has passengers who have no knowledge of this make unsolicited positive comments on the way the headlights were operating.

[SteveAustin]

Originally Posted by shark715

Thanks for posting!

All I can say is that I've had the feature(s) as I mentioned above enabled for nearly 3 months, and not once has another driver flashed me.

I have even had someone else drive the 235 following me in another car as well as opposing me, and while you can see the lights moving as well as the beam pattern not being typical, never did I feel like I was being blinded.

If I receive a summons for having an illegal headlight beam pattern, I'll post here immediately :-)

I've also has passengers who have no knowledge of this make unsolicited positive comments on the way the headlights were operating.

Good to know man I'm going to have this done. Is coding this difficult? I've seen articles on other models but do you have some simple instructions for me?

[shark715]

Originally Posted by SteveAustin

Good to know man I'm going to have this done. Is coding this difficult? I've seen articles on other models but do you have some simple instructions for me?

I used Bimmercode's expert mode in conjunction with the cheat sheet posted here on the forum.