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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum Water seeps into headlight
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      02-14-2011, 05:37 AM   #1
DuneMan
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Water seeps into headlight

Hi

This happened to me a while ago.. but I still would like to know if it happened to anyone else.

First week after buying my car I noticed some dry spots on the inside of my right headlight. Couldn't clean it, but still didn't worry too much about it.

After one rainy day i noticed some water on the inside of my right headlight. The next day I noticed the headlight cover was foggy from the inside. Then, a few days later the right headlight stopped working (probably burned out).

The dealer will fix it.

But the question is: has anyone else faced a similar issue?



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      02-14-2011, 12:00 PM   #2
GGPlena
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Yes it has happened on a couple of BMWs...
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      02-14-2011, 03:38 PM   #3
kel3
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take it to dealer if your under warranty they should replace it...
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      02-14-2011, 04:49 PM   #4
Losco
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BMW started putting this in the manual now, some condensation is apparently normal. It should go away but if it doesn't and lights not working, then dealer should replace it for free.
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      02-14-2011, 11:23 PM   #5
DuneMan
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Thanks all...

A few years ago, one of my friends bought a new car (not BMW) from a local dealer. He noticed after a while that the paint was coming off at the tip of his right fender where it meets the headlight.

He took it to a random workshop to get quick feedback. The workshop said that the car was involved in an accident and that the fender was repaired. They took off the headlight and saw how the fender looked from the inside. The repair job was clearly a very poor one.

He took the car back to the dealer and made a very big deal about it. The dealer tried to deny it at first, but then said that some cars get some minor bumps during devilery by sea, and when they arrive they're inspected and given the necessary touch-ups if needed. After that the story got ugly and dragged everyone from the manufacturer to the shipping co. to the Insurance co.

Anyway, when i saw the water in my headlight the first thing that came to mind was this story. But now that i see it's more common, i'm less worried.
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      02-15-2011, 01:19 PM   #6
GGPlena
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Losco View Post
BMW started putting this in the manual now, some condensation is apparently normal. It should go away but if it doesn't and lights not working, then dealer should replace it for free.
I don't think that it will just go away...
There should be a really tight seal no water should be able to get inside...replace under warranty before it breaks. Xenon lights is quite expensive.
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      02-15-2011, 11:55 PM   #7
northernmonkey
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GGPlena View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Losco View Post
BMW started putting this in the manual now, some condensation is apparently normal. It should go away but if it doesn't and lights not working, then dealer should replace it for free.
I don't think that it will just go away...
There should be a really tight seal no water should be able to get inside...replace under warranty before it breaks. Xenon lights is quite expensive.
Not sure this is correct.

I have had xenon lights in my last 4 bmws (inc f11) and all units have contained a vent port on the back to allow for condensation/air expansion I think BMW also mention in all owners manuals some condensation is normal.

I would say if the condensation is excessive and very frequently reforms with being "burnt" away almost instantly when lights are on then I would get it checked. One unit on my e60 was like this and dealer did replace it as it wasn't in what they called normal tolerances.
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      02-16-2011, 12:58 AM   #8
Losco
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Quote:
Originally Posted by northernmonkey View Post
Not sure this is correct.

I have had xenon lights in my last 4 bmws (inc f11) and all units have contained a vent port on the back to allow for condensation/air expansion I think BMW also mention in all owners manuals some condensation is normal.

I would say if the condensation is excessive and very frequently reforms with being "burnt" away almost instantly when lights are on then I would get it checked. One unit on my e60 was like this and dealer did replace it as it wasn't in what they called normal tolerances.
I had condensation in my fogs and xenon with my previous 120i during rain season here, but they do go away and there's vent in the headlight unit. if it doesn't go away then it should be a problem. If you do a search at E90 forum, you'll come up with tons of info. some folks get unit changed no questions asked, some don't. It really depends on the dealer I think.
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      02-16-2011, 05:29 AM   #9
GGPlena
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Well it was a couple of years ago (cars ago) that I had problems with this. BMW could have updated their design...
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      02-17-2011, 05:09 PM   #10
DuneMan
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Well, Dealer said that some foggyness and condensation is normal and will go away because of the built-in vents.

But he also said there should be no stains on the inside of the cover. He saw my car and decided right away that the headlight was faulty (probably bad seal).

He will change the whole right headlight unit under warrenty.... no questions asked.

it's now on order...



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      02-11-2014, 06:57 PM   #11
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I just had mine changed by BMW under warranty (expires in two weeks) as there was a small condensation issue. Whilst the condensation came and went, and the technician said he did not see anything wrong with them, there was an ever so slight moss like substance making an appearance so they went ahead and changed them anyway. I cannot fault them, they were very helpful.
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      02-11-2014, 08:04 PM   #12
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If the lamps were airtight, when you turned them on, wouldn't the heat make them explode?
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      02-13-2014, 12:07 AM   #13
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My 2 cents:
Had the same issue, water got in to the headlight, went to dealer and now I'm out $825 cause just ran out of the warranty and extended does not cover headlights. FML
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      02-13-2014, 10:04 AM   #14
psyxologos
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goldguilexx View Post
My 2 cents:
Had the same issue, water got in to the headlight, went to dealer and now I'm out $825 cause just ran out of the warranty and extended does not cover headlights. FML
Indeed. this is why I changed them before the original warranty expires at the end of the month...
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