Looking to resolve my driver side low beam Xenon not working, thus far I have:
1)checked and swapped fuses (8 & 12 under the bonnet/hood)
2)swapped bulbs and bought a new bulb-still didn't work
3)swapped ballasts-still didn't work.
Now I am contemplating buying a new assembly though am leaning towards a wiring issue, if it is indeed a wiring issue, then how would I go about resolving this issue? Which wire(s) in the pigtail that goes to the headlight assembly goes to the low beam? Then where would a new wire need to run to to get power for xenon bulb? I found a service bulletin: http://www.automd.com/tsb/bulletin_b264974/ NHTSA: Action Number: 10030667 Service Bulletin Number: 264974 Which indicated a possible bad ground due to chaffing. Figured maybe a ground could be bad, just not sure where to look. Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time and expertise!

 

Said you swapped bulbs & ballasts, 2 things:
1. I guess when you did so, the supposed bad side worked when you hooked it up to the "good" side?
2. Did you swap ignighters too? (don't forget, there's ballast, then ignighter, then bulb.)

If they worked on the other side, then yes, start checking wiring, easiest way to check that ground is to find it in the plug (MAKE SURE IT'S THE GROUND) and run a test light between that position in the plug & a wire to the battery junction box next to the CAI. (basiclly just reversing the test light procedure, but be sure the plug you're testing is DEF. the ground, 12v to the other components is NOT GOOD)

 

Depending upon the year of your R53 the ignitor is not acessible unless you take the chance to disassemble the light unit which apparently isn't easy. On later R53's you can remove the ignitor and test it on the other side.

 

Answer to question 1)Upon swapping bulbs and balasts, yes everything worked on the passenger side.
Answer to question 2)I do not see any other piece or part that can easily be taken out or off of the headlight assembly.

My R53 is a 2003 Cooper S Build date of Nov 2002. I took a picture of my Driver Side Headlight Assembly, and would like to know where the ignitor is(in reference to the picture, I believe I marked it but could be wrong)... Please advise, and thank you for the help both of you have provided thus far.

Also, an update. I swapped the passenger side assembly to the driver side to see if the low beam works, and it does, so that leads me to believe it would be the ignitor. Where I can find an ignitor for my R53. I may know someone who could disassemble the headlight assembly, as they do custom work where I live, and has performed several installs of the AAC Halo LED Headlights.

Also a side question, may need to start a new post elsewhere. As this Mini is my first Mini and it was recently acquired, I am not use to, or know what to expect of the ride quality. My inquiry is this: on a scale from 1 to 10(one being smooth and subtle movements and ten being train wreck/ feel like im crossing rail road tracks when going over a small bump) how rough should it ride (60,000 Miles on it), Bottom line what suggestions could be made for different parts to be replaced to make for a smoother ride (knowing that it will not be near as smooth as my prior vehicle a 2010 Camaro, but I would like the ride to be somewhat smoother/enjoyable) Thanks for everyone's assistance.

 

Yeah...another thread for a better ride...lots of varibles, including which suspension you now have, rims, etc.
Sounds like the ignitor is bad....might be able to swap the whole unit from person parting out a car...pairs are common, but singles from wrecked cars can be found...

 

What about a part number for the ignitor? Does anyone have that information they could pass along? Just curious about the price as i may know someone who can install it for me locally. Thanks for any and all assistance!

 

MINI part number 63126919886 , 2005 + this is the newer version.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/63126919886/ES172783/



Pull the old one out see if its the attached version and match it up.


This is what owners were talking about with the older units.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...problem-2.html


You could match it up to some of the older BMW style ignitor.


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Ignitor/


Pull out the ignitor and post a picture. I can help you from there.

Thanks

 

I had a similar issue with my 2003 S model. The passenger side headlight stopped illuminating one day, but would eventually come on if I cycled the lights on and off 10-30 times. After calling several parts dealers an inquiring what they thought the issue could be and getting nowhere I decided to troubleshoot myself.

I began by swapping the control unit (silver box) located on the underside of the headlight assembly. They were very easy to switch between driver(working) and passenger(not working) side. This was not the issue for my car; the driver side illuminated and the passenger side did not.

The next step I took was to switch the bulb. On my year model, the bulb is held in with a spring clip on both sides. To access the bulb, you have to twist the ignitor and pull off. Very little pressure is used to remove the ignitor. Switching the bulbs did not resolve the issue; the driver side still illuminated - the passenger side did not.

Next I removed the entire headlamp assembly. I wanted to get a closer look on how to remove the ignitor assembly. I fiddled with it for about an hour and discovered (on a separate forum) that apparently the 2003 Cooper S Xenon ignitor is inaccessible and nearly impossible to change.

Using a small screwdriver, I bent the three contacts in the ignitor closer together so that they would make better contact with the round contact on the back of the bulb. I buttoned everything back up and voila! the driver side AND the passenger side headlights illuminated.

I know this is a long thread to get to 'I bent the contacts on the ignitor and it worked' but I think that the troubleshooting process is important and because you can't replace the ignitor easily it is important to try everything else first (It could have broken when I tried to bend it).

Happy Motoring.