[Vitola]

Hi all,


This is my first time posting here.

I have a question. I recently bought a 2021 530i with adaptive headlights. I've owned 14 other BMWs before, and all the models that I've had with adaptive headlights, well you could clearly see the headlights swivel from left to right during their respective turns. But this does not seem to be the case with my new 530i. I took it to the dealer and I started that they are malfunctioning because of this. They ran tests and said the headlights are functioning fine and that BMW adaptive headlights no longer swivel from side to side. Only adjust up and down and use cornering lights.

Is this accurate? Did BMW really do away with side to side swivel? Or is there something wrong with these headlights on a brand new car?

Thanks everyone!

[LogicalApex]

Nope, dealer is right as I saw the same on a loaner I had and it has come up many times on the forums.

The LCI headlights are a step backward compared to the headlights on the pre-LCI.

[Vitola]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

Nope, dealer is right as I saw the same on a loaner I had and it has come up many times on the forums.

The LCI headlights are a step backward compared to the headlights on the pre-LCI.

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

Nope, dealer is right as I saw the same on a loaner I had and it has come up many times on the forums.

The LCI headlights are a step backward compared to the headlights on the pre-LCI.

Wow... How weird. I wonder why BMW would get rid of this feature. I always thought it was great. Well, at least there's no malfunction with my headlights...


By the way - apologies if this topic has been discussed already. But I swear I searched through the net with a fine toothed comb trying to figure this out and couldn't find any answers.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by Vitola

Wow... How weird. I wonder why BMW would get rid of this feature. I always thought it was great. Well, at least there's no malfunction with my headlights...


By the way - apologies if this topic has been discussed already. But I swear I searched through the net with a fine toothed comb trying to figure this out and couldn't find any answers.

No apology needed.

They didn't announce this in any capacity so it is left up to everyone to guess if it was a deliberate choice or if it is driven by the component shortages that have plagued the industry as of late.

To me it is a major step backward though. The steering adaptation is really helpful when driving at night especially since the cornering lights are only useful at the more extreme angles of a turn.

[Vitola]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

No apology needed.

They didn't announce this in any capacity so it is left up to everyone to guess if it was a deliberate choice or if it is driven by the component shortages that have plagued the industry as of late.

To me it is a major step backward though. The steering adaptation is really helpful when driving at night especially since the cornering lights are only useful at the more extreme angles of a turn.

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

No apology needed.

They didn't announce this in any capacity so it is left up to everyone to guess if it was a deliberate choice or if it is driven by the component shortages that have plagued the industry as of late.

To me it is a major step backward though. The steering adaptation is really helpful when driving at night especially since the cornering lights are only useful at the more extreme angles of a turn.

Thank you!!

Yes, 100% agreed. Major step backward. Very disappointing, and also confusing for longtime BMW customers. My dealer wasn't even sure. It took them over a week to give me an answer, and when they told me, even they sounded unsure... Oh well...

[jlin101]

Adaptive LED's used to be the top headlights; now there's Laser lights. Maybe BMW is trying to sway people into paying for the Laser lights.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by jlin101

Adaptive LED's used to be the top headlights; now there's Laser lights. Maybe BMW is trying to sway people into paying for the Laser lights.

Except they don’t offer laser lights in the US on the G30.

The sad part too is that even the base headlights on the pre-LCI were steering adaptive. At least in the US.

[crypto]

Yea whatever it is on my car now for turning is not great. My old E60 had the swivel feature feature and so does my wife's XC90. With my G30 it seems like a yellow bulb comes on when you turn that provides some illumination but nothing like the swiveling/turning headlights did. The swivel was really good for potentially spotting animals at night as you go into a turn through the neighborhood.

[Mach550]

Just another reason for me to avoid the LCI and continue loving my 2019.

[COBodom]

Topic has been touched upon previously...

https://g30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1821998

Appears to be LCI matrix tech VS mechanical moving parts in the pre-LCI. While matrix tech might be cool the implementation we see in the LCI 5 series is lacking big time compared to pre-LCI.

[jlin101]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

Except they don’t offer laser lights in the US on the G30.

The sad part too is that even the base headlights on the pre-LCI were steering adaptive. At least in the US.

Didn't realize that. BMW really skimped on the middle child--no Laser light and no light carpet, while the 3er has both.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by COBodom

Topic has been touched upon previously...

https://g30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1821998

Appears to be LCI matrix tech VS mechanical moving parts in the pre-LCI. While matrix tech might be cool the implementation we see in the LCI 5 series is lacking big time compared to pre-LCI.

I honestly don't get what BMW is doing headlight wise. They are being left far behind by Audi and Mercedes on this front and then to add insult to injury they won't even allow laser on the 5 series in the US while it is on the 5 series in Canada and the 3 and X5 in the US.

My interpretation is BMW sells a lot of 5 series cars, but they aren't competing with it for whatever reason. They are competing with the 3-Series so you're seeing the 3-Series get the "best" of their new tech goodies while the 5 lags.

[Vitola]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

I honestly don't get what BMW is doing headlight wise. They are being left far behind by Audi and Mercedes on this front and then to add insult to injury they won't even allow laser on the 5 series in the US while it is on the 5 series in Canada and the 3 and X5 in the US.

My interpretation is BMW sells a lot of 5 series cars, but they aren't competing with it for whatever reason. They are competing with the 3-Series so you're seeing the 3-Series get the "best" of their new tech goodies while the 5 lags.

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

I honestly don't get what BMW is doing headlight wise. They are being left far behind by Audi and Mercedes on this front and then to add insult to injury they won't even allow laser on the 5 series in the US while it is on the 5 series in Canada and the 3 and X5 in the US.

My interpretation is BMW sells a lot of 5 series cars, but they aren't competing with it for whatever reason. They are competing with the 3-Series so you're seeing the 3-Series get the "best" of their new tech goodies while the 5 lags.

Interesting theory. You might be right. Mid-sized sedans have not been the hot ticket for car manufacturers for a long time now. Either entry level models or SUV's seem to be where all the meat on the bone is for them.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by Poochie

From what I understand, the reason the 5 Series doesn't get offered laser lights in the US is because of the way they are originally designed for this specific model, where both the high and low beam are laser light output, which is not yet approved in the US.

Laser lights are approved in the US but only for the high beam and not the low beam. The low beam in the current form US laser lights are LEDs.

So, instead of having to design two drastically different versions of the same light to meet US regulations (as they did with the X5), they just decided just not to offer this tech it in the US-spec models.

Blame the US regulatory bodies and their archaic lighting rules, not BMW.

I don’t believe you are right here. Laser lights from my understanding only impact the high beams in all markets due to the intense light output. It basically needs a certain speed threshold to activate as otherwise the lasers could pose a risk to pedestrians looking at the headlights among other things.

Hanafi demonstrates during a test drive in the BMW X7 how this works in the real world. He takes the luxury SAV out on the backroads outside of Munich. The LED headlights shine far into the darkness, since there is no oncoming traffic. He then eases the BMW X7 up to 50 mph and suddenly night becomes day. The BMW laser lights illuminate the entire road for almost half a mile, making driving at night a whole new experience. And the smile on Dr. Hanafi’s face shines with the same intensity as he is justifiably proud of this revolutionary invention.

https://www.bmw.com/en/innovation/dr...aserlight.html

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by Poochie

I have nothing to back this up but I honestly did read about it on some forum, a little while back. So, I withdrew my previous statement, pending bonafide evidence..

Can you make an educated guess on why Laser lights are not offered in the US-spec 5 Series then?

Just spitballing here but maybe have something to do with the blue illuminated "Scenic Light" not being approved for the US market and maybe they didn't want to have to design a faux plastic version, to meet US regulations?

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/202...0V528-6913.pdf

I can't see a reason why the 5-Series is missing laser lights in the US other than my earlier hypothesis on competitive positioning. They were offered on the Pre-LCI and LCI in other markets. The 3-Series, X-Series, and others offer laser in the US market. All vehicles BMW are using to compete against the competition with so want to offer their "best" tech on those cars. I'd wager the parts are harder to come by so the are being picky (the US is a high volume market).

It sucks, but that's the only explanation that makes sense to me in a world where many cars in the lineup and the Canadian cars have this.

[scsfll]

I received my pleasant surprise on this on my first night drive a couple of days ago with my '22 M550. There is a fixed flashlight type light that illuminates if the wheel is turned for an amount of time (exit ramp). It seems to come from the bumper but there isn't any light there.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by scsfll

I received my pleasant surprise on this on my first night drive a couple of days ago with my '22 M550. There is a fixed flashlight type light that illuminates if the wheel is turned for an amount of time (exit ramp). It seems to come from the bumper but there isn't any light there.

That would be the cornering light. It will activate on the extremes of a turn or when the turn signal is on at low speeds or when reversing.

Prior to the LCI you had this corner light functionality plus the headlights would move with the steering wheel to keep the light where you were aiming at all times.

Sadly MY2021+ is a regression in this area.

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by Poochie

I have nothing to back this up but I honestly did read about it on some forum, a little while back. So, I withdrew my previous statement, pending bonafide evidence..

Can you make an educated guess on why Laser lights are not offered in the US-spec 5 Series then?

Just spitballing here but maybe have something to do with the blue illuminated "Scenic Light" not being approved for the US market and maybe they didn't want to have to design a faux plastic version, to meet US regulations?

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/202...0V528-6913.pdf

BMW makes all kinds of decisions regarding which cars and features to sell in the USA and I disagree with most of them. Laser lights on the 5 series is one example; mine is the refusal to sell the 545e in the USA that they sell in Europe. In my case, it has cost them a sale, at least for now, as I would have upgraded from my 530e if I had that option.

[kennyzm]

I have the laser lights on my 530e LCI and in the bends it turn the light in the direction of the turn. But not mechanically, but with the matrix functionality. So the car knows the turn is coming up (via navi) and lights up the bend as you drive trough it.

I find it to be a good solution.

[MikeElmendorf]

This was probably my biggest (only?) disappointment coming from a 2018 540 to my 2021 M550. Hard to know what their thought process was with the LED lights. My guess is that laser lights (which I would have gotten if I could have) are not offered on the G30 in the US because they aren’t fully functional here anyway. So, with component shortages, why offer them from their perspective?

[E3_550]

Purchased a 2022 550 and have owned it now for about a month and a half. Definitely miss my adaptive LED's on my 2017 540 that had Antidazzle and VLD coded.

Had the car coded two weeks ago and last night was able to drive long distance at night to actually determine if the antidazzle features were working properly.

During the trip, various LED segments were turning off and on when cars cars approach and when you would get behind another vehicle. It is not as obvious as the pre LCI headlights but it does work.

I'll also mention that I did not have a single flash from oncoming traffic due to blinding light. My HBA was on and high beam indicator was on pretty much the entire time.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by MikeElmendorf

This was probably my biggest (only?) disappointment coming from a 2018 540 to my 2021 M550. Hard to know what their thought process was with the LED lights. My guess is that laser lights (which I would have gotten if I could have) are not offered on the G30 in the US because they aren’t fully functional here anyway. So, with component shortages, why offer them from their perspective?

No one knows why BMW isn't offering laser lights as an option on the G30 like you can in Canada and elsewhere. It is just another head scratcher on the decisions made by BMWNA.

Laser lights are offered on the 3-Series, X5, and other cars in the US. So it isn't like they aren't offering laser lights in the US at all. Unusual I'd imagine that you can get a "better" option on the 3-Series than you can on the 5-Series...