Questions from a novice

[cochran]

New to the forum, first post, hope you guys can help.

I don't have much free time because of my job, so I sent my E30 (1988 325i Cabrio) to a local shop that an acquaintance recommended. The guy there is allegedly a former BMW technician, but now I really wonder.

Long story short, I dropped a bunch of money there to have several things fixed, and I am totally disappointed now. When the car went into the shop, the high beam headlights worked. Now they don't. Details: low beam lights work, both sides; the relay in the fuse box clicks when the stalk on the steering column is pushed forward or pulled all the way back; all wires running to the back of the headlights are plugged in; there are no obvious loose connectors in the area behind the headlights.
Can the relay click and still be defective? What else should I check?

On another topic, the cruise control has been inoperable since I bought the car a year ago. Can someone advise how to troubleshoot the system and repair?

Thanks for the help. From recent lurking here, I know there's a ton of knowledge on this forum.

Cochran

[Digitalwave]

Dumb question but did you check the fuses? You didn't mention it.

The headlights are wired in a series so if one goes out the others can go out. If they are just sealed beams you might want to try replacing all the headlights, or replacing the bulbs if they are ellipsoids.

[cochran]

Yeah, I checked all the fuses. Thought it a little odd that each high beam has its own fuse, but this is my first BMW.

I considered replacing both headlights, but what are the odds of both going out at once? Of course, if they're wired in series, one blown headlamp could cause the other not to work, right?

[AdamF 88iS]

Yeah, I checked all the fuses. Thought it a little odd that each high beam has its own fuse, but this is my first BMW.

I considered replacing both headlights, but what are the odds of both going out at once? Of course, if they're wired in series, one blown headlamp could cause the other not to work, right?

Since your car is an '88 with ellipsoid lights, they are not wired in series. Only sealed beam cars are like that.

As far as cruise control, check that the safety swtich on teh clutch pedal is working, and that the brake light swtich is working. Both of them have the power to cancel the cruise control.

[Brew]

I'd suspect the relay. You can just swap it out with another known working relay of the same type.

[StereoInstaller1]

My '87 had a broken wire, somewhere under the core support, causing my right low beam to fail.

Do you own a testlight?

Luke

[bimmer8604]

yea, get a volt meter and check the ends of the plugs to make sure you are getting power to the light. If you dont have power, then get an ohmmeter and make sure there isnt an open between the pin on the relay and the end of the plug.

Kyle