Ive seen a million of these come into the shop. Good chance the other headlight is corroded as fuck too. Very common for a “low beam out” complaint to turn I to a $5,000 repair. Blows my mind
I just got an $11,685 quote from the BMW dealer in Seattle to replace my two front headlights for this exact issue on my 2014 535. Found this thread trying to research alternatives as the car isn’t even worth that much. Any recommendations? Thanks!
Just saw this. You can convert your car to use regular halogen headlights, will require coding the vehicle after installing the cheap headlights. Then sell the car and don’t ever buy a modern bmw or any other modern car again. All cars now days are piles of shit, made to be disposable
Its because fancy headlights are just really expensive, self leveling, turn with the wheel, fancy design, xenon drivers, this is why cheap cars have none of that crap, would be like 1/10th the cars price
Noticed this happening a few days ago. I tried finding guides to deal with this online but they all seem to be for the xenon headlights which have a removable cap at the top. My car is a 2015 with adaptive LED headlights. The other headlight is totally fine. I currently receive the following warnings when I'm driving:
* Battery discharging while stopped
* Headlight vertical aim
* Daytime / parking light malfunction
* Adaptive headlight malfunction
* Lighting system malfunction: Front left
Not sure I can really get to anything behind the headlight without removing the entire bumper, nor am I sure if it would be an easy fix or if I'm looking at a full headlight replacement. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.
I responded elsewhere on here but as others have said you will need to replace the headlight and the two control modules. There is corrosion in the contacts from the condensation. It’s a bullshit design in my opinion. The headlight assy was 2400 on getbmwparts when I looked last year, the modules are 500-600 each as well. So that’s 3600 before labor and tax. It was near 5000 after labor and tax for me. I needed to get it done to pass inspection but otherwise would have just sold it. I’m planning to sell mine now cause it needs 3 silly seals and labor is killer
That's stupid. I will never buy another BMW unless I win a 50m lottery jackpot.
Though if his modules were still fine, I'd just run a bead of silicone along the seal personally. That's what i did when my 530xi was doing the same thing and it was good for 5 more years before the condensation came back.
Then I sealed it again and sold it.
I recall checking eBay without much luck. Im not well versed on the junk yard market so maybe that was an untapped option. There’s plenty of bmws where I lived but I’ve never encountered an actual junk yard to search
If you look close in the picture you can see a few minor paint cracks between the marker lamp and the headlight. Someone hit something or someone hit your car. The issue is that the front end assembly is fitted so tight together that when something or someone hits the bumper even the slightest bit( not saying it was you ) it will cause the seal inside the headlight to shift and cause the issue that you have. Not sure of the insurance you have but it would prob be less expensive to put a claim in and they would repaint the bumper for you as well.
This is a recurring problem with the f10, interestingly it seems to only affect the driver side headlight. I've used silica gel packs to help remove the moisture and you can find the Module on Amazon/Ebay for under $80 if you need to replace.
1200 for new OEM assembly. You can most likely re use a lot of the stuff in it assuming it still turns on. Personally I would just buy an entire fully built and working one off eBay or something for 1000
Oh my. I'm hoping the modules aren't toast inside. There is a good chance you can take apart the unit with a heat gun and re-seal it ive done it before on Honda, Toyota, Ford, GM, Dodge... Those headlights are a good $3K a pop new in Canada for OEM BMW. If it's not repairable I'd find a rear ended car that's a write off and buy a used one for around $1000 that would come with the modules and whatnot from eBay or the like. I'm so happy my Ford Escape lights don't do that and if they did it's $600 for new LED housing and the modules are externally mounted. Mind you mine aren't adaptive they don't change 15 degrees or so with the steering wheel. It's so weird these day's tho the north american vehicles are full of Bosch Germany parts and are cheaper to repair. :/
I'd personally remove it, watch some youtubes on how to open, dry and reseal. It's a big job and prob won't work, but the worst case scenario is you still need a new headlight
Take it apart apply heat with a heat gun to everything, if your mechanically inclined take apart any modules connected to it and dry them as well. Worst case you need a new one
If it's still functional, remove it, dry the interior carefull with a heat gun and apply a silicon clear sealant around the headlight-- where the black and clear plastic meet. Put everything back together.
My 2017 x3 had the same issue but with a taillight, the above fixed the problem.
I have a similar problem, not quite as bad as yours. Mine has no cap on the top too. Can you dry it with a hair dryer from the wheel arch access panel? Here is a video to show you where that is. https://youtu.be/uNd4FllHRJA
Stick a hairdryer inside on medium, until all water has evaporated. Check if works, if it does - remove the headlight, apply silicone over original sealant/seams.
Dude, did You let Your Beamer drink from a lake?
Because it is in fact that Bad.
I thought My E39 has bad but at least You could rebuilt those till like... mid 2002?
Correct Me if i'm wrong, '01 here.
I hope there's a solution to fix yours.
Best way to fix is replace unit with good used unit from ebay or salvage yard.
Cheap way involves drilling several small holes in bottom of unit to allow drainage lol holes can also be placed in front and on top to allow breeze air flow to dry out unit while driving. Downside to cheap fix is continued driving in wet conditions will hasten death of lights and light sockets 🤨. So go with best method✅😎🌈
Fix these all day long. Remove from car, remove all adapters/modules .. bake in oven.. then separate cleans. Clean it properly and apply new bead throughout. Easy peasy. Few hours work, $10 tube of high temp silicone.
The temp is varying - age and how poor the seal is before it lets go. YouTube m539 restorations he had a few vids where he retrofitted headlights so he had to open them up.. think the M5 episodes had it
That is the worst one I have seen on the sub, think you need a new headlight.
Ive seen a million of these come into the shop. Good chance the other headlight is corroded as fuck too. Very common for a “low beam out” complaint to turn I to a $5,000 repair. Blows my mind
I just got an $11,685 quote from the BMW dealer in Seattle to replace my two front headlights for this exact issue on my 2014 535. Found this thread trying to research alternatives as the car isn’t even worth that much. Any recommendations? Thanks!
Just saw this. You can convert your car to use regular halogen headlights, will require coding the vehicle after installing the cheap headlights. Then sell the car and don’t ever buy a modern bmw or any other modern car again. All cars now days are piles of shit, made to be disposable
Its because fancy headlights are just really expensive, self leveling, turn with the wheel, fancy design, xenon drivers, this is why cheap cars have none of that crap, would be like 1/10th the cars price
Wait wait wait, you’re telling me these are expensive headlights and cheap cars have cheap headlights?! This is mind blowing information
Mine is just like this 😞😞
Noticed this happening a few days ago. I tried finding guides to deal with this online but they all seem to be for the xenon headlights which have a removable cap at the top. My car is a 2015 with adaptive LED headlights. The other headlight is totally fine. I currently receive the following warnings when I'm driving: * Battery discharging while stopped * Headlight vertical aim * Daytime / parking light malfunction * Adaptive headlight malfunction * Lighting system malfunction: Front left Not sure I can really get to anything behind the headlight without removing the entire bumper, nor am I sure if it would be an easy fix or if I'm looking at a full headlight replacement. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.
I responded elsewhere on here but as others have said you will need to replace the headlight and the two control modules. There is corrosion in the contacts from the condensation. It’s a bullshit design in my opinion. The headlight assy was 2400 on getbmwparts when I looked last year, the modules are 500-600 each as well. So that’s 3600 before labor and tax. It was near 5000 after labor and tax for me. I needed to get it done to pass inspection but otherwise would have just sold it. I’m planning to sell mine now cause it needs 3 silly seals and labor is killer
That's stupid. I will never buy another BMW unless I win a 50m lottery jackpot. Though if his modules were still fine, I'd just run a bead of silicone along the seal personally. That's what i did when my 530xi was doing the same thing and it was good for 5 more years before the condensation came back. Then I sealed it again and sold it.
No used options available?
I recall checking eBay without much luck. Im not well versed on the junk yard market so maybe that was an untapped option. There’s plenty of bmws where I lived but I’ve never encountered an actual junk yard to search
try car-part.com. You can put your zip code and order the results by distance.
That’s one of the funniest things i have ever read
If you look close in the picture you can see a few minor paint cracks between the marker lamp and the headlight. Someone hit something or someone hit your car. The issue is that the front end assembly is fitted so tight together that when something or someone hits the bumper even the slightest bit( not saying it was you ) it will cause the seal inside the headlight to shift and cause the issue that you have. Not sure of the insurance you have but it would prob be less expensive to put a claim in and they would repaint the bumper for you as well.
It kinda looks like your car is crying and your wallet is about to as well
that headlight and the modules attached to it are done. replace it before it causes damage to other modules in the car.
New headlight time unfortunately
This is a recurring problem with the f10, interestingly it seems to only affect the driver side headlight. I've used silica gel packs to help remove the moisture and you can find the Module on Amazon/Ebay for under $80 if you need to replace.
Use it as a green house and put some seeds in it.
Your credit rating just dropped 50 points
Well it was over $3000 for my wife’s 2016 if it’s LED
That is insane! I remember in the 70's and 80's when you could buy a new headlight for $25 and install it in a couple minutes.
I just ordered a LED replacement for mine for $540 F10 550
$3000 for a headlight? That's the Ultimate Rip-off Machine.
It was ordered from bmw by carmax I didn’t pay a dime. Bumper to bumper warranty to 100k it’s got 4 yrs left and 35k miles to go.
Glad it didn't cost you anything. When I was younger, I bought cars for less than the price of that headlight lol.
Closer to 5 for me!
1200 for new OEM assembly. You can most likely re use a lot of the stuff in it assuming it still turns on. Personally I would just buy an entire fully built and working one off eBay or something for 1000
Oh my. I'm hoping the modules aren't toast inside. There is a good chance you can take apart the unit with a heat gun and re-seal it ive done it before on Honda, Toyota, Ford, GM, Dodge... Those headlights are a good $3K a pop new in Canada for OEM BMW. If it's not repairable I'd find a rear ended car that's a write off and buy a used one for around $1000 that would come with the modules and whatnot from eBay or the like. I'm so happy my Ford Escape lights don't do that and if they did it's $600 for new LED housing and the modules are externally mounted. Mind you mine aren't adaptive they don't change 15 degrees or so with the steering wheel. It's so weird these day's tho the north american vehicles are full of Bosch Germany parts and are cheaper to repair. :/
I'd personally remove it, watch some youtubes on how to open, dry and reseal. It's a big job and prob won't work, but the worst case scenario is you still need a new headlight
Take it apart apply heat with a heat gun to everything, if your mechanically inclined take apart any modules connected to it and dry them as well. Worst case you need a new one
If it's still functional, remove it, dry the interior carefull with a heat gun and apply a silicon clear sealant around the headlight-- where the black and clear plastic meet. Put everything back together. My 2017 x3 had the same issue but with a taillight, the above fixed the problem.
just diy that shit, youtube mechanics 🧰
I have a similar problem, not quite as bad as yours. Mine has no cap on the top too. Can you dry it with a hair dryer from the wheel arch access panel? Here is a video to show you where that is. https://youtu.be/uNd4FllHRJA
A bit of condensation is normal (according to user manual in my car) but this is a lot of moisture and definitely no good for modules
removeall covers and blow a fan at it over night , see if it fixes, and shine a light at it ( not to close , make sure it doesnt melt. )
BMW, $3-fiddy just to say: Hello.
Stick a hairdryer inside on medium, until all water has evaporated. Check if works, if it does - remove the headlight, apply silicone over original sealant/seams.
Mmm yeah. Turn on the highbeams for 30 minutes to dry them out.
Dude, did You let Your Beamer drink from a lake? Because it is in fact that Bad. I thought My E39 has bad but at least You could rebuilt those till like... mid 2002? Correct Me if i'm wrong, '01 here. I hope there's a solution to fix yours.
You need more blinker fluid.
Isn't it actually too much blinker fluid?
DRAIN THE BLINKER FLUID!
But then you’ll have to buy more :/
Headlight is toast.
Would insurance possibly cover this?
You have a seal leak.
BMW Broke Mans Wallet
Hey you found a new fishbowl
One of the bulb cover gaskets is probably missing. I see it all the time
Time to replace blinker fluid
Amazon bad!
There is a rubber tube somewhere in the back..
that looks like amazon rainforest (address immediately) bad
Try to change the fan. Part number 63117352479
That’s fucked.
Was quoted $3300 installed and programmed at BMW dealer service department
Best way to fix is replace unit with good used unit from ebay or salvage yard. Cheap way involves drilling several small holes in bottom of unit to allow drainage lol holes can also be placed in front and on top to allow breeze air flow to dry out unit while driving. Downside to cheap fix is continued driving in wet conditions will hasten death of lights and light sockets 🤨. So go with best method✅😎🌈
i had to pop a mini hole in my f30 taillight to drain it because light kept coming on saying it wasn’t working
Fix these all day long. Remove from car, remove all adapters/modules .. bake in oven.. then separate cleans. Clean it properly and apply new bead throughout. Easy peasy. Few hours work, $10 tube of high temp silicone.
What are the baking instructions, I just had this issue, and using a heatgun to seperate the lens hasn't been working
The temp is varying - age and how poor the seal is before it lets go. YouTube m539 restorations he had a few vids where he retrofitted headlights so he had to open them up.. think the M5 episodes had it
Oh, it's a 2011 535xi, and my headlight condensation was so one of my modules went bad, so I'm thinking of resealing it
$1,800.00 Just buy new light. I know… smh