BMW F10/F11 TMS headlight module removal 

Hi! I am about to attempt this to fix my 'vertical aim failure' error message and also cause my passenger side headlight is constantly flashing/blinking. There has been condensation in the headlight since i bought it a year ago and I'm guessing the water is the reason these issues are happening. Do you think your suggestion might fix my issues? Simply removing the TMS module and drying it out, aswell as the headlight itself?

I have a 2011 528i and it does the same thing on the driver side. I also took the cap off and every once in a while I will take a air hose to just blow out any dust or anything that may get in there. It’s worked for me for about 9 months . However this is just a temporary fix for the condensation. Definitely inspect your headlight and try to see if there are any fine cracks where moisture is getting in or even the seal around the headlight just get old and needs replaced..

What was the reason you changed yours?

@@Albokid97 My drivers side angel eyes light failed. At 1st I thought it was a bulb, but I swapped the module from passenger side into drivers side & drivers side then worked. So I just bought a replacement module from Amazon.

Hi, once replaced them, did you had to recode the new ones?

No, I don't think so. My xenons worked fine without the TMS module. It just controls the turning of the headlights, but not their basic light function itself.

Same scenario is with me got quoted 440 pounds for tms and 260£ for light repair i said i'll keep driving it like this

If you don’t have the opening all you have to do is remove the wheel and wheel well splash guard. There’s absolutely no need to remove the entire bumper for this

@@mikeeli2286 You are correct! Missed that one and it's an easier way than a whole bumper removal!

Not true. My 2012 535i needed the TMS. The garage removed the wheel as it saves time and removed the cover and module in 15 minutes. You need the Autel tool to reinitialize it. This worked: MOTOKU TMS Control Module Driver Unit Adaptive Headlight for BMW 5 Series F18 F10 F11 F07

As far as I know, the TMS modules are the same on both sides. Note that if you buy a brand-new one or you get one from a car with a different configuration, you may need to have some coding done (or rather it's a weird PIN-type code that needs to be set) and/or the module may need to be electronically initialized. I don't have specific info on how to do that, but I'm sure the info is out there.

In my case I didn't have to do anything but I've heard that if you buy a brand-new module from BMW, you need to have it initialized. In addition, there's a code that may need to be set on the module to work with your car's specific configuration. I guess I lucked out and the used module that I put in came from a car with the same configuration as mine. Everything is working fine for me.

yes - you have to use an Autel/other to reinitilize the headlight aiming. The turn and angel likes dont need it though. It takes 5 minutes with the tool. Become friends with a garage mechanic. they will do it for free.

I managed to do it today. First tried it with an allen key. It didn't quite fit in but I could get some torque when trying on the screw I got out. The smaller allen key would not grip at all. It didn't work. Perhaps with imperial sizes you will have better luck with allen keys. Anyway, I did have a fitting T20 Torx bit. I tried it with pliers but this also failed. I went to the hardware store and bought a set of angled Torx wrenches for 20 Euros. They also came in single pieces but I did not know the size when I was there so I overspent a bit. It's a nice set though 😊. If you know you need T20 you won't need a whole 9-piece set. With this I did get a good grip. Then I dropped the key in the bumper 😩. This turned out to be not so bad, after taking 3 screws out I could pull back some plastic and get my key back. Once you have it loose you will do better with a small straight flat-headed screw driver. It was still fitted pretty tight but with a bit of force I could get the card loose and I could take it out like demonstrated in the video. Getting it back in is harder, I ended up filing off a corner of the plastic hood and a bit of circuit board which made it a lot easier. The contacts on the board looked pretty bad, lots of green copper residue. I carefully cleaned them with fine sand paper and it started to look promising. One contact in the middle somewhere was a bit damaged but it did not look like it was interrupted. I pushed it back in and unfortunately got no change in behavior (still no left turning signal from the headlight). I made a picture of the serial number: BMW 7269494 LEAR 532385808. Looked online, found it on a site called xeonplanet for $149.95 and ordered it. I am now waiting for it to arrive. About half a year ago the BMW dealer wanted to fix my problem for 1536 Euro by replacing the entire headlight. I declined. This is a bit of a gamble but considering the alternative a bet I am willing to take.

I got my part and installed it... The main problem is fixed (failing front turn light), which should be enough to get the car approved again for another year. But the angle eyes still don't work and I still get messages about this and the turning feature not working. Possibly the corrosion also affected the contacts in the slot and I just got lucky with the turning lights. I may give it a wiggle later and make a close-up photo with my phone. But better first have it approved before it starts acting up again.

@@MartinMaat Hi Martin, I have pretty much same experience as you, just dropped the T20 in the bumper......do you recall which are the 3 screws that you remove the get the key back?thanks

@@romualdkieffer9176 I don't remember but they would have to be the screws you need to get out to take off the bumber. Then you can pull it away locally just enough to make an opening. To complete the story, it turned out the socket was rotten as well and this is integrated in the housing so I needed a housing replacement after all. Fortunately the dealer had one lying around and fixed it for me for 600 Euros which was bad enough but still a whole lot cheaper than new. It turned out I didn't need any "coding", once the parts were replaced (using the new card I ordered online) everything just worked properly again. I haven't had any problems since and the lens stays dry. I believe the dealer did have to calibrate the turning mechanism, I'm not sure. I used my phone to make a picture of the socket and found the outer contacts were just gone. If yours are still there you may be able to fix it with a bit of sandpaper.

A garage will do it in 15 in minutes. Go for a coffee and it will be done when you come back. Some repair headaches with the T20 allen key are not worth it. My garage charged me $30 and reset it with the Autel tool for free - necessary for the adaptive headlight stuff.

Driver's side (LHD car).

If you buy a used one from a car with the same type of headlights as yours (AHL, xenon, etc.) then you don't need to code it. If you buy a new one or one from a car with a different configuration then you do need to code it (but I haven't gone through that so I can't give you advice there). There are lots of Chinese replica versions for sale on ebay and other such places, but I decided to go for a used OEM one because you can't really be sure about the quality of those replicas. You can always buy a new original one from your local BMW dealer, of course... but it's unnecessarily expensive.

I bought mine on Amazon for $60. MOTOKU TMS Control Module Driver Unit Adaptive Headlight for BMW 5 Series F18 F10 F11 F07

@@ClassicAutoLtd Thx for The answer.. i Bought one on eBay from china and it cost me 60-70 dollars and it Works fine now 🫡

Did you figure out the problem, have having a similar issue??

Not sure, but I'd definitely start with the TMS module because it's easy to change and relatively cheap. I'd say with almost 100% certainty that the turn signal and angel eyes on your driver's side not working are caused by a bad TMS module that corroded due to the moisture. The problem with the LED lights could also be related, but it kind of sounds like an issue with power supply or something in your light module (FRM) which is NOT inside the headlights.

I had the same turn and angel problem. This solved it.. MOTOKU TMS Control Module Driver Unit Adaptive Headlight for BMW 5 Series F18 F10 F11 F07 You dont need to remove the headlight. My garage charged me $30 to remove it. You'll need the autel tool to initialize the headlight aiming but that takes 5 minutes.

Same here. I ordered module. Did you resolve your problem?

@@kiddcloud i havent had the time to do it, tell me how it goes

Not for the angel eyes or turn signal, but yes for adaptive headlight aiming. It's not programming. The Autel tool just registers the unit to the car for you and it works in 5 minutes.

My garage took out the module in 15 minutes and only charged $30. Well worth it..... They also reset it with the Autel tool

The usual symptoms are a non-working turn signal and automatic lights; also, the angel eyes tend to have a weird behavior such as being dimmed during the day and/or staying on after locking the car for some time. If you had moisture in the headlight, a bad TMS module is likely.

@@ClassicAutoLtd …That’s exactly what my granddaughter’s Bimmer is doing. Since it most likely water intrusion she going to have the headlight assembly replaced. Thanks for your response.

@@judsonstevens5504 In my case I just had the headlight re-sealed (to fix the moisture problem) by a local company that deals with headlights. No need to replace it, they're expensive!

@@ClassicAutoLtd …I would do the same if my Granddaughter lived near me.

@@ClassicAutoLtd how much was it to get it sealed?