Coding Anti-Dazzle and Variable Light Distribution

[Jenss4/i3s]

On realoem.com the part numbers for the electrical components are the same on the North American and European models. However, the headlight assembly is different (which I think makes sense as the projector lens itself should be different for driving on the other side of the road) but I also see that there is option 552 whereas North Americans have option 5A4. I wonder if I add 552 to my VO if that will do anything. Today I noticed my cruise control can't be activated and I have a suspicion it's because one of the coding options I did, so might VO code the KAFAS2 module again.

I haven't dug too far into part numbers but there should be a LHD and RHD headlight for our car. I would assume the USDM headlights are a lower output from what I've been seeing looking at getting this system working on other US BMWs

 

[kd7iwp]

No luck. I added 552 and received errors about the headlights. Then tried removing 5A4 and left 552 in but then received errors about the individual left and right headlights. So I reverted back. Didn't try driving with the lights. While in the garage nothing was noticeable though, they still moved up and down a little bit when turning the high beams on and the bulbs all appeared normal. BimmerUtility wanted to recode the BDC and both FLE's each time I changed the VO, it never mentioned that it thought the KAFAS2 should be recoded.

 

[kd7iwp]

I don't believe this can be done. I hired BimmerTech to code this as their website says that it can do it for my car after entering the VIN. Had a smart guy connect remotely to my laptop for over an hour and he couldn't get it going. He reported that my headlight modules were listed as "FLE-02 MID" and on the european models with 552 they have "FLE-02 MAX". I haven't been able to find out if there is a different part number on these modules or anything. He coded the BCD the way it should be if these modules were correct but I got headlight errors so we reverted.

TIS does show slightly different wiring diagrams for the headlights on what I believe are the north american vs european lights but I think some of it is incorrect because while the European one shows the wires going to the turn signals and the north american one does not, if you look up the turn signal diagram for the north american it shows the same wires going back up to the headlight module.

North American (wrong, I believe this is pre-facelift)



European (wrong, I believe this is post-facelift)




Edit: I believe I'm wrong here after I look back at this. The one I labeled North American could actually be pre-facelift and the one I called European is just the LCI LED headlight. So then I still don't see what's different hardware-wise between my lights and the "ICON" lights.

 

[kd7iwp]

I've learned that there are indeed different versions of the FLE modules, all with the same part number (63118494844). There's regular FLE2 (which is what I believe I have) as well as an FLE2MAX. I don't know if the MAX version is available in north america or not. I'm quite surprised that they all have the same part number.

Here's the MAX (see labeling just to the left of the QR code)

And the non-MAX:

I also find it interesting that the part numbers for my headlight assemblies do not show up in realoem at all. Realoem suggests I should have 63118494347 and 63118494348. Could it be that they're aftermarket or something? They are 63117467759 and 63117467760.

 

[kd7iwp]

Upon looking at parts diagrams on realoem again it finally dawned on me that the LEDs themselves are integral to the inside of the headlight assembly. Earlier when I was pointing out that the electrical components (including the FLE) have the same part numbers on both sides of the ocean, the FLE does not contain the LEDs, just controls them. So the 552 headlights have either different LEDs, individually addressable LEDs, or something else. The LEDs are not replaceable, they are part of the headlight assembly itself.

 

[tongsli]

thanks for all the good work on tracking this down. And just think at one point we thought coding with BimmerCode was enough. Those BMW coding services need to put a big asterisk on coding I3's in the USA.

So the bottom line, if anyone in the USA really wants this you have to source different lights from Europe. When I had my Jetta TDI, I installed ESP but had to get the ABS module controller and Hydro unit from Germany. So I won't be doing that again.

 

[kd7iwp]

thanks for all the good work on tracking this down. And just think at one point we thought coding with BimmerCode was enough. Those BMW coding services need to put a big asterisk on coding I3's in the USA.

So the bottom line, if anyone in the USA really wants this you have to source different lights from Europe. When I had my Jetta TDI, I installed ESP but had to get the ABS module controller and Hydro unit from Germany. So I won't be doing that again.

You retrofitted it on yours too? I retrofitted ESP on my 2002 Golf TDI. I was able to source all the parts on Ebay here, just had to use an '03 ECU.

 

[alohart]

And just think at one point we thought coding with BimmerCode was enough. Those BMW coding services need to put a big asterisk on coding I3's in the USA.

So the bottom line, if anyone in the USA really wants this you have to source different lights from Europe.

I can detect that the U.S. high-beams in our former 2019 and current 2021 i3's have individually controllable LED segments. Without VO coding changes, I can see individual segments turn on and off while the high beams remain on unlike before I made coding changes with BimmerCode. I know that past European headlights had a sharper top cut-offs than U.S. headlights, at least for the low beams. I don't know how the high-beam patterns might have differed, but they certainly might have.

I don't drive much at night on dark roads at near highway speeds, so other drivers aren't impacted often by my headlights. I've still never had an approaching driver flash his headlights at me, so my headlights must not be significantly more irritating than headlights on the many lifted pickup trucks on U.S. roads. Or maybe my headlights aren't irritating at all.

 

[Jenss4/i3s]

I've learned that there are indeed different versions of the FLE modules, all with the same part number (63118494844). There's regular FLE2 (which is what I believe I have) as well as an FLE2MAX. I don't know if the MAX version is available in north america or not. I'm quite surprised that they all have the same part number.

Here's the MAX (see labeling just to the left of the QR code)

And the non-MAX:

I also find it interesting that the part numbers for my headlight assemblies do not show up in realoem at all. Realoem suggests I should have 63118494347 and 63118494348. Could it be that they're aftermarket or something? They are 63117467759 and 63117467760.View attachment 1920

The prices of the FLE2 MAX aren't bad 120 euro but it gets expensive when looking at used good condition headlights from Germany. They are roughly 2k each. Reading in a 3 series thread it sounds like it is possible the MAX might not play well with the US lights when programmed for ECE due to the side markers. I'm tempted to try it though. Would a new FLE module have to be programmed to the car for install?