Headlight and fog light blinks

[MrPorter]

police Saw my headlight and fog lights blinking after I locked my car and came to my window ( I was parked up ) and said the car has been modified that’s why it’s doing this, I refused it cause it could be an wiring error or a loose connection but they didn’t believe that and wanted to charge me “ alter blinking head lights and fog lights under regulations 13 of road traffic act”
I refused to accept the charges because I did not know why it’s doing that! But it’s 100% not modified. They said I’ll get a letter through post with updates.

[Parbold milkperson]

What is make models and year please?

[csd19]

MrPorter said:

police Saw my headlight and fog lights blinking after I locked my car and came to my window ( I was parked up ) and said the car has been modified that’s why it’s doing this, I refused it cause it could be an wiring error or a loose connection but they didn’t believe that and wanted to charge me “ alter blinking head lights and fog lights under regulations 13 of road traffic act”
I refused to accept the charges because I did not know why it’s doing that! But it’s 100% not modified. They said I’ll get a letter through post with updates.

Battery on the blink or have you replaced your fog and headlights/sidelights with LEDs?? Non-CANBUS compatible LEDs in a CANBUS car can give the same strobing effect...

[MrPorter]

1 series 2012, I did change them to led when I bought the car 2 years ago.

[drdino]

MrPorter said:

But it’s 100% not modified.

contradicts

MrPorter said:

1 series 2012, I did change them to led when I bought the car 2 years ago.

What do you mean by blinking though? Got a video of it?

[MrPorter]

drdino said:

What do you mean by blinking though? Got a video of it?

Basically when you turn the ignition on the bulbs blinks for 2 seconds and that’s it they work fine after until I turn car ignition off.

[AB]

MrPorter said:

1 series 2012, I did change them to led when I bought the car 2 years ago.

Not modified?

There's your problem.

[Every day a journey]

MrPorter said:

1 series 2012, I did change them to led when I bought the car 2 years ago.

So you've ballsed it up basically?

Should have just waited two years, would have gone wrong themselves by now.

[drdino]

MrPorter said:

Basically when you turn the ignition on the bulbs blinks for 2 seconds and that’s it they work fine after until I turn car ignition off.

Have you coded the FEM to account for the change of incandescent to LED bulbs?

[rigga]

MrPorter said:

drdino said:

What do you mean by blinking though? Got a video of it?

Basically when you turn the ignition on the bulbs blinks for 2 seconds and that’s it they work fine after until I turn car ignition off.

That's the bulb check carried out by canbus, as you fitted led bulbs they do blink as they go through the check

[MrPorter]

drdino said:

Have you coded the FEM to account for the change of incandescent to LED bulbs?

No I don’t think mechanic coded them or anything, bought the bulbs from Amazon H7 and h8

[MrPorter]

rigga said:

That's the bulb check carried out by canbus, as you fitted led bulbs they do blink as they go through the check

What’s the solution now? Is there any led bulbs that works for my car without blinking?
However I don’t know what are the charges that officer put it on me. Fine?

[InitialDave]

I think you can use a diagnostic computer to stop it doing the bulb testing, which should prevent the flashing.

[drdino]

MrPorter said:

No I don’t think mechanic coded them or anything, bought the bulbs from Amazon H7 and h8

There you go then.

Bimmercode + OBD adaptor will let you code the FEM to code out the bulb check. Tutorials can be found online.

[csd19]

You've got a few options:

1. Remove the bulbs and put standard ones back
2. Get your ECM recoded to disable the bulb check (via Carly or similar)
3. Get some appropriately ballasted LED bulbs that will work with CANBUS.

[sgtbash]

This has to be another Troll.

Claims no mods at all

Turns out he changed them to LED

They have been flashing for 2 years.

[oakdale]

Do the bulbs have a blue tint? Do you sometimes turn them off and on again to make them flash?

[parabolica]

sgtbash said:

This has to be another Troll.

Claims no mods at all

Turns out he changed them to LED

They have been flashing for 2 years.

In fairness most people wouldn’t consider a change of bulbs as a modification. I did this with my old 93 and had the same issue so I binned the bulbs; but the LEDs in my 03 3 series didn’t flicker but they did fall apart after 1 year. I just go with OEM bulbs now.

[graham22]

If you have Auto Lights, leave the light switch in the auto position; the side lights will come on when you unlock the car and won't flash when you turn in the ignition.

Worked on both my 330d when I changed the halo bulbs to LEDS.

Edited by graham22 on Thursday 29th April 20:02

[Chubbyross]

Oh yes, and I had it remapped too. But it’s not modified though.