Hey guys,

F56 newbie here... but maybe you can help me out. I've got the LED headlamps on my F56, and I'm setting the lights to automatic mode. But no matter how bright it is outside, my headlamps always seem to be on.

I could be wrong, but in my experience with BMWs, shouldn't there be a light sensor of some sorry in the black area of the windshield where the rearview mirror is mounted? Mine doesn't seem to have one.

 

Are you sure those are not the day time running lights that are always on? Mine are set on auto and when I pull into the garage, the headlights come on. Don't remember where the manual said the sensor is. It may be the little bulb on the bottom of the rear view mirror.

 

I'm sure it's my actual headlamp. Not just the DRL ring, but the center low beam bulb.

 

If you turn on the fog lights, the headlights come on as well. Could that be it?

 

I had heard that this could be the case, but I don't have fog lights. I messed around with the buttons but they don't seem to turn anything on or off.

I'm thinking I might have a defective sensor - I'll let you guys know what the dealer tells me on Wednesday.

 

This happened to me when one of the 5A fuses blew (after I was working on my Mini). Are there any other issues with your map lights, visor lights, etc?

 

Now that Mini have produced a car with factory-fit DRLs, do they still have the DRL option in the set-up menu? On all Minis up to the F56, the DRL option meant "use the low beam headlamps as DRLs", so if you have that option and it's set to 'on', that may explain why the headlamps are always on. Maybe Mini forgot to remove that set-up option on the F56?

 

I think I saw somewhere that you only have DRLs if they were optioned, which is how they come in Canada, DRLs are mandatory.

I guess on the LEDs they are there eithef way, they are the eyebrows.

Oddly, according to the manual the DRLs for the halogen lights are in a different spot than for LED. For LED they are part of the main headlights assembly, but for halogen they are part of the bug lights.

See P.190 of the manual [attached].

If the DRLs are not mandatory there is a setting in the menu.

P.87 of the manual

 

If I set the DRL setting to 'off' from the menu, the LED ring becomes disabled, but my headlights stay on when set to auto.

 

After trying to decode the fuse box I believe the BMW Pictograms are equally unintelligible in all languages.

From p.86

 

I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's not the DRLs!

 

I think the sensor is on the rear-view mirror. Let me look through RealOEM...

 

Did you notice if the headlamp indicator (shown in first thumbnail of your initial post) turned off when you did that? In the Automatic switch position, the low beams are "switched on and off automatically, e.g., in tunnels, in twilight or if there is precipitation" (from the Owner's manual). It also states that "The indicator lamp in the instrument cluster lights up." When the 5A fuse blew in mine, the indicator was staying on, even when conditions didn't call for it.

Aside from that, it seems unlikely but you could have a faulty sensor or something else wrong with the wiring.

 

The indicator stays on regardless. Would I get an error message if the fuse was blown?

 

So you think it's probably the sensor and/or associated wiring?

 

I didn't. I noticed that the indicator was coming on during the day, at times it normally wouldn't. It wasn't until I noticed that the visor & map lights also weren't lighting up that I checked on the fuses. I had done some work on my interior the previous day which blew the fuse, but I was clueless until I noticed the headlight indicator lighting constantly.

 

I ran into this issue the other day. I have my headlights set to automatic. In the middle of a bright afternoon, I came up behind another car and saw my headlights reflected in the bumper of the car in front of me. I noted the headlight "on" light on the speedo and then double checked the light switch (set to auto). Turned the lights off manually via the switch and then immediately put it back to auto. Cured the problem and it hasn't occurred since. Could be that the sensor needed to be "reset" ala a computer.

 

Did you try a good sharp smack on the side of the ECU? That always used to be the way to fix faults.....

PS I had an early British PC clone that had a power supply that overheated (it was in the monitor housing, believe it or not) and so after one to two hours work, it would cut out. A smart smack on the side of the monitor would bring it back on, and it was so satisfying to do that I almost didn't get the warranty recall fix done on it.

 

I'm an IT guy. I always tell people that computers get confused every so often and need a quick power nap to reset themselves.

 

It's funny that you mention that - I took the car to the dealer today.

They said that I'm in need of a software update, and that it could potentially fix both the automatic headlamp issue and an engine stall issue I'm having after the engine restarts during stop-start.

Yay for computers, huh? I'll let you guys know what happens when I get the car back - apparently this update takes 6-8 hours to install.

 

You are correct. Vehicles equipped with automatic headlamps have a sensor attached to the wind screen visible from the outside of the vehicle. It looks like a round black disc, approximately 3-4 inches in diameter with a glass electronic "eye" in the center. The picture you posted is a standard wind screen for vehicles without auto headlamps.


I am sure that the dealer will sort this out for you, but I don't agree that the answer is a program update based on your pictures and description of what is happening with the headlamps. The software update will, however, fix the other issue you mentioned.

There have been several F56 models built with the wrong or European headlamp control switch in error. You mentioned that your vehicle does not have fog lamps as well, however the picture of the switch you posted is for models equipped with BOTH front AND rear fog lamps.

Have you checked your build sheet or Monroney sticker to see if the auto headlamps is listed as an option? The "fix" here looks to be the replacement of the headlamp switch with the correct one for your vehicle.

If you want, you can PM me the last 7 of your VIN (Txxxxxx) and I can decode the options.

 

So it looks like MINIwuff was on the money - dealer told me that my MINI had the wrong switch installed in Oxford and they changed it for the non-automatic switch. Kinda a bummer, shoulda kept my mouth shut 😏

 

Would have made it unique, I guess. Sorry. Glad it's sorted out, though.

 

@MINIwuff.....kindly check your NAM INBOX....please .......thanks !!!!!!

 

My MCS headlight sensor. I went with the standard lighting.