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      04-05-2011, 01:58 AM   #1
lyonracing
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Drives: E39 BMW 525i
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: USA

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Angry dealer wants 1.6k to replace headlight!?!?!

Hey, first things first I'm Alex. I'm kinda new here but Ive been around bimmers since I was a baby. Favorite car, only car I'll ever want to drive. Soon attending UTI in orlando FL for the BMW program.

Anyways alright, heres my story. 'bout a month back, the bulb [described in picture] in my 2003 e39 525i went out. I was just assuming it needed to be replaced. So I did the normal and went to auto zone to grab the bulb and such. Guy told me it was an H7 bulb and i agreed with him because last time a bulb went out my dad sent me there for an H7 and i was pretty sure this was the same exact bulb again. The next day I drove my car to our high school autoshop and during lunch period i decided to just go swap out the bulbs, no biggie right? well after removing everything necessary something just didn't seem right. I couldn't figure out how to remove the bulb from the housing. I jerked and pulled just a tiny bit to see if it wanted to come out on its own but it didn't. I even printed out the instructions for replacing the bulb on a computer program called AllData (some of you might be familiar with) Anyways, still no luck. I'm pretty good with our local dealer here in the suburbs of chicago and I decided id just bring it in on a non-busy night and since i know the service advisor and a few other people we'd just take a look at it and diagnose the problem for no charge, no appointment and all that bs.

Well, the next day i get in the mail a letter that says that the whole headlight housing is actually busted, and needs to be replaced..For $1,600.. And that the bulb was a Xenon, not a halogen which i had thought it was..

Sorry, but im only 17. I dont have $1,600 to replace a damn headlight! I have to pay for college and crap like that!!! I have to drive around with fog lights and angel eyes at night just so i dont get a ticket for not having "Sufficient headlights"!!!!

TL;DR:
Short version:
Headlight went out and BMW is telling me they need to replace the whole Xenon headlight housing, and their asking $1,600... What can i do about this?!?


If anyone needs more pics or any pics of the actual car or headlight assembly I can put some up later today.
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Alex, 17 Year old BMW owner in Chicago IL