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      01-22-2012, 10:16 PM   #1
Rboosted717
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Headlight (purpose?)

This might sound like an odd question, however its puzzled me ever since I got my X5M. What's the purpose of the inner projector on the X6 & X6M/X5M headlight assembly?
The M models don't have fog lights, the high beams use the outer primarily HID projector (bi-xenon), and the daytime running lights use the halo's. So what's the purpose the inner projector? On M3's its utilized while turning by assisting with corner illumination, yet our headlights do not have this function.
If the projector is utilized as the cornering light by regular X6 models, why did BMW disable it on the X5M and X6M models? Very strange...
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Last edited by Rboosted717; 01-22-2012 at 10:30 PM..
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      01-22-2012, 11:55 PM   #2
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I'm pretty sure the X5M has adaptive headlights..
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      01-23-2012, 07:20 AM   #3
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I asked the same question couple days ago. Was told they turn on when you turn the steering wheel at night to light up street corners.
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      01-23-2012, 01:28 PM   #4
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The inner light is used to power the halo/angeleyes. If you upgrade from the yellow to the white of the lux, you replace the bulb in the inner light which is the light source for the halo/angeleyes.
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      01-23-2012, 01:29 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GmoneyLI View Post
I'm pretty sure the X5M has adaptive headlights..
Yes we have adaptive headlights, however it's different then cornering lights.

Adaptive adjusts the headlight projector (up/down, left/right) based on vehicle dynamics.

Cornering lights activates a secondary light to aid with 180deg viewing.

Cornering lights:
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/t...ng_lights.html
Adaptive headlights:
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/t...ive_headlights
Daytime running lights:
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/t...driving_lights
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      01-23-2012, 01:31 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrpcar View Post
I asked the same question couple days ago. Was told they turn on when you turn the steering wheel at night to light up street corners.
Yeah our X5M's don't do this. Same with putting it into reverse, they don't light up like standard cornering lights. Strange they disabled that feature when normal X6 models do it. Even more strange the X6M must not do it either...
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      01-23-2012, 01:32 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rajindergill View Post
The inner light is used to power the halo/angeleyes. If you upgrade from the yellow to the white of the lux, you replace the bulb in the inner light which is the light source for the halo/angeleyes.
Interesting, so I would assume if you had cornering light ability, the halos would dim as the light gets directed out of the projector when turning or while in reverse. Its strange they would have a glass projector that doesn't do anything given its been disabled by BMW.
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      01-23-2012, 03:01 PM   #8
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Soon BMW will use laser technology in their lights-i read this somewhere
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      01-23-2012, 03:42 PM   #9
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So the inner lights don't work as cornering lights on the X5M??? So when do they light up?
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      01-23-2012, 04:01 PM   #10
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They light up, when you want the rings to light up. The projector is designed as such to reflect light back to the halo rings.
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      01-23-2012, 05:11 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rajindergill View Post
They light up, when you want the rings to light up. The projector is designed as such to reflect light back to the halo rings.
That doesn't make sense, because the halo ring lights up white with the LED upgrade now.
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      01-23-2012, 06:04 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrpcar View Post
That doesn't make sense, because the halo ring lights up white with the LED upgrade now.
Great point, so basically the inner projector serves no purpose.

Here's what I gather:
E70 X5 (non-M and pre-LED halo) - no idea what the inner projector does as the lower fog lights function as cornering lights. The halos also use a halogen bulb but don't need the glass projector.
E70 X5 (non-M and LED halo) - no idea what the inner projector does as the lower fog lights function as cornering lights. The halos also use LED's and don't need the glass projector.
E70 X5 (M edition) - no idea what the inner projector does. No cornering light functionality as the M models don't have lower fog lights. The halos use a halogen bulb, however they don't need a glass projector.
E71 X6 (non-M and pre-LED halo) - no idea what the inner projector does as the lower fog lights function as cornering lights. The halos also use a halogen bulb but don't need the glass projector.
E71 X6 (M edition) - no idea what the inner projector does. No cornering light functionality as the M models don't have lower fog lights. The halos use a halogen bulb, however they don't need a glass projector.

This is very odd...
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      01-24-2012, 08:08 AM   #13
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WOW! This is an interesting finding.
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      01-24-2012, 01:52 PM   #14
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The "projector" location you are talking about is where the bulb/LED bulb go for the halo corona ring lights - Angel eyes...

As rajindergill mentioned, that projector will reflect light back into the rings to light them up, but will also be lit dimly as part of your daytime running lights and any other time the angel eyes are on. Other than that it serves no purpose except for aesthetics.

Cornering lights are the fog lights, and will light up individually when turning or signaling when the fog lights are not turned on.

Adaptive headlights are the actual outer headlight that houses the bixenon fixture and will aim in the direction you are steering up to a certain angle.
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      01-25-2012, 10:47 AM   #15
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2016 BMW X4  [9.33]
inner headlight has no function only for the halo ring
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      01-26-2012, 07:39 AM   #16
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I am not seeing any evidence of it light up dimly at all.

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      01-26-2012, 12:01 PM   #17
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Maybe I was wrong. I was using personal pictures to verify and that's how it appeared. Will attach photo later as I cannot from the app currently.

In the end though, the answer is that it is for aesthetic and angel eye purposes only. And the angel eyes run as DRL's.

Photo attached:
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Last edited by JKM320; 01-26-2012 at 12:47 PM..
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      01-27-2012, 07:18 AM   #18
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Got it, just realized that the LED angeleye bulb that I installed goes into the inner light socket. Stupid me!
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      01-27-2012, 08:05 AM   #19
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I went to check this out on my X6 out of curiosity. The inner projector light does not light up at all no matter what I did with the steering wheel, worked the Auto headlight switch in all of its positions, flipped on the high beams in all settings... i couldn't get the inner projectors to light up at all.

Like many of you have said, it does in fact, reflect the inner halo ring though.
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      01-27-2012, 08:08 AM   #20
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It's strictly cosmetic...
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      02-05-2012, 03:27 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rboosted717 View Post
Great point, so basically the inner projector serves no purpose.

Here's what I gather:
E70 X5 (non-M and pre-LED halo) - no idea what the inner projector does as the lower fog lights function as cornering lights. The halos also use a halogen bulb but don't need the glass projector.
E70 X5 (non-M and LED halo) - no idea what the inner projector does as the lower fog lights function as cornering lights. The halos also use LED's and don't need the glass projector.
E70 X5 (M edition) - no idea what the inner projector does. No cornering light functionality as the M models don't have lower fog lights. The halos use a halogen bulb, however they don't need a glass projector.
E71 X6 (non-M and pre-LED halo) - no idea what the inner projector does as the lower fog lights function as cornering lights. The halos also use a halogen bulb but don't need the glass projector.
E71 X6 (M edition) - no idea what the inner projector does. No cornering light functionality as the M models don't have lower fog lights. The halos use a halogen bulb, however they don't need a glass projector.

This is very odd...
The inner lights are just cosmetic for your 2010/2011, as others stated. Those have H8 bulbs, which power the 4 angel eye rings. 2012+ X5s get the LED powered halo rings, then the inner projectors serve a purpose of additional lighting for reverse/turns.
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      06-20-2012, 06:18 PM   #22
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Hi All,

Further to this post, on RealOEM.com for the 2012 X5 M50d (which has no fog lights the same as the X5M) the light diagram shows a H8 bulb installed in the inner light when Xenon lights are installed. It also shows the separate led light for the Halos.

So what does the inner H8 bulb do and how is it activated?

Anyone?
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