Andrew Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 My ten year old F10 has decided to shed a tear from its offside headlight, well an internal tear. I remember this being discussed on the old forum but can’t recall the details of any fixes. BMW helpfully say to replace headlight in that condition. Plan is to see if I can remove the vents from the rear of the headlight without having to first remove the headlight which of course first requires the front bumper to be removed. See if it dries out. After that I’ll pluck up the courage to do a bumper off and remove headlight and pressure test it for leaks. Adaptive plus Xenon’s of course equals kerching! 🤦🏻♂️ Any other advice/comments? No @duncan-uk, burning it, is not an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan-uk Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 That would Sandip's advice, i suggest a low oven at gas mark 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted February 10, 2023 Author Share Posted February 10, 2023 5 minutes ago, duncan-uk said: i suggest a low oven at gas mark 2. Can I have “gas mark 2” converted to degrees C as we’ve only an electric oven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan-uk Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 Will it fit the whole car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Percha Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 (edited) It will be the seal thats gone around the headlight probably due to the latest cold snaps, that looks quite bad to what I have seen from others where the seal has gone. You could try removing bulb cover and get a hair dryer or heat gun on low in there for 15mins or so and then maybe some silica gel sachets, but in the end it will probably come back quite quickly and will need whats shown below. Edited February 10, 2023 by Percha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted February 10, 2023 Author Share Posted February 10, 2023 Thanks @Percha, I watched his video this afternoon. That’s where I got the idea of pressure testing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Percha Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 Mines coming up to 10yrs old as well, so I expect I will have the same issue at some point! Same with side view camera's also still going strong.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam2594 Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 Had this on mine last weekend, pulled the trim above the lights up, popped the cover off and the high beam bulb out left a hair dryer in there for about 20 minutes and touch wood it hasn't yet come back, it will at some point. Thankfully mine are halogens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cockney Chris Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 I have had it this winter and last and it tends to clear up in time for the mot late feb. It will be great all summer and then return around Christmas. I am leaving mine (dry at the moment) until the summer when I will have it out and pressure test it and reseal. It ruined my headlight module this time and BMW wanted £400 for a new one but I managed to get one for £70, not the cheapest at around £34 but I didn't want to push my luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_530d Posted February 27, 2023 Share Posted February 27, 2023 (edited) My NSF adaptive xenon was like this and it eventually started throwing loads of fault codes on the dash. After checking I discovered I was looking at nearly £1k to replace the unit and that's without the bulbs and ballast etc.!!! Before I spent that kind of cash I took the trouble to slacken the front bumper off and remove the unit. There was literally a puddle in the bottom of the headlight where the pcb sits - so that was why the fault codes were being triggered. I tipped the water out and dried inside put back and hey presto it all worked OK. I didn't do anything else before putting it back together. I know its not a permanent fix but figured I am happy to periodically remove the unit and drain it to save having to spend a thousand notes on a new headlight. I did this about 3 years ago and whilst the condensation has periodically returned, its nowhere near bad enough (yet) to warrant removing the unit again as it only happens over winter when the temp drops, only shows in the bottom 10mm and side of the light when it does happen, and hasn't triggered any fault codes as yet. I did find the following which suggests the adaptive xenons are known for it and offers a 'permanent' fix for £375 if you want https://www.keepyourcarsafe.co.uk/products/f10-f11-headlight-refurbishment-repair-from-water-damage Hope this helps Edited February 27, 2023 by Phil_530d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH27 Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 (edited) I followed that video above 3-4 months ago and fixed it DIY exactly how he showed. The alternative was paying in excess of £1,000 for a new unit including the ballast and bulbs. Instead, it took a long days work with a relative and less than £15, plus I learned loads along the way! I'd recommend using the heat box method and not a heat gun as it's far too hot and leaves more room for error such as melting the plastics. A heat box is a carboard box lined with foil with two cut outs. One side is a circle cut out where you insert a hairdryer and the another circle is for heat exhaust. Simply place the headlight unit inside, tape it shut and let the hairdryer go for 20-30minutes and then use prying tools and work your way around. You'd be surprised just how well this works and how hot the unit becomes, but you have to work quick and may need to repeat the process two or three times. Remove the old butyl, mine was very dry and tough to get out, which took me many hours to scrape it all out using a Stanley knife and a fat head screwdriver. Replace with fresh butyl (Less than £10 on Amazon for a reel), place it back in the heat box for 20-30minutes to soften the butyl up, remove and use small clamps in different places to hold it firmly shut. With the TMS module, mine had signs of corrosion so I used an old tooth brush with isopropyl alcohol and simply cleaned the board and also the connectors. Worked perfectly fine and all error codes went, indicators, angel light and adaptive functions all restored. If you're thorough enough, you won't need to pressure test after. Just to be extra safe, I went over the joint with silicone headlight sealer from Halfords (£5) afterwards as well which was overkill but the fix has withstood a cold winter. If it's your first time, it's a full days work DIY. Edited March 13, 2023 by RH27 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted March 19, 2023 Author Share Posted March 19, 2023 On Friday it looked like this and I was getting all the failure warnings. Indicator, side lights, main headlight and adaptive headlight. only managed to snap the side light failure warning. Let’s say the dash with its warnings was brighter than the light output from the headlight. A sure sign water is in the module. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0011718 Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Andrew, are those headlights right hand and left hand drive specific? This one states it is? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115369639426?fits=Car+Make%3ABMW|Plat_Gen%3AF10&_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D247416%26meid%3D1b9058d4c5ea4b858b376df14b2291b5%26pid%3D101195%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D255030541419%26itm%3D115369639426%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv11WebTrimmedV3MskuWithLambda85KnnRecallV1V4V6ItemNrtInQueryAndCassiniVisualRankerAndBertRecall%26brand%3DHella&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851&amdata=cksum%3A1153696394261b9058d4c5ea4b858b376df14b2291b5|enc%3AAQAHAAABYBEC%2B8HimpTF6XPanG8lCeF3G6jifrewDlLoKJMPz0RnJH8s%2BUBlIo2cSQSdgSGvSVvCKC6zF4X6tOnQIr392G0gldH8QjhGQ2fmdEokLVFt29UKj%2FEph29NUO0KxqhEb84gZhbKWlWfbravBJF8o5L8dm6SbH%2FP4EA8cq%2BwuR49HptFxOPC%2BR%2BfeTuRXDT9suaNNc%2BtL%2B%2FQHTKSOanYyzHmmwR7nL%2F2sQTVeXfKEWx63V3mgZcwIRoSYejChCBjn4J6Q%2FXA%2F9tSTd7toTYRX00%2BOGzyFA%2FiuRu%2BTDE7IWMj2WpcmquAWn0x4Nbu29VAhy3bC62lPXyac7oZcdHKro3hqG8nr3UJR3UCrmuC%2Fm3qCUzOiORbEgQa4zvxRx3nTZic5gmEDevYUKcXaUcwMwoO74HQY8LMWHJxEHiec36BKM0gouQ6ra6WjR2tRqjTOUDWXzXnDOVRld3AFf0CP0g%3D|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2047675&epid=1082900179 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134426833119?fits=Car+Make%3ABMW|Plat_Gen%3AF10&_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D247416%26meid%3D65ccd65fc1374cefa77642dc03798f50%26pid%3D101195%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D115369639426%26itm%3D134426833119%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv11WebTrimmedV3MskuWithLambda85KnnRecallV1V4V6ItemNrtInQueryAndCassiniVisualRankerAndBertRecall%26brand%3DHella&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851&amdata=cksum%3A13442683311965ccd65fc1374cefa77642dc03798f50|enc%3AAQAHAAABQBEC%2B8HimpTF6XPanG8lCeF3G6jifrewDlLoKJMPz0RnJH8s%2BUBlIo2cSQSdgSGvSVvCKC6zF4X6tOnQIr392G0gldH8QjhGQ2fmdEokLVFt29UKj%2FEph29NUO0KxqhEb84gZhbKWlWfbravBJF8o5J6SuT%2FPQwJANSpOfL7KXj8Tcp99PHObP58x%2B8X%2B1T8DubW5UnprtZNX0f3PDncuX6V6eC%2FvfhPLrxWsKFRWkVtBgBy0ceJrEMNzSn5%2FLiFHxYyVQpkHqBSqkIh2kd6M56QOZvKQrJbvGLyaFrhrDt3Ut33A1%2FTjW44cWGlFjGd7E7%2F1zHHL5nZ6VSoGsFIYRt6euzvN0pCofo67BMmpy99QOeu%2B1ipKFXU9NIdF430OVFYrPlqqlXoNni7vWzuKIiFgOcHKcE1zStBtv40djq0|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2047675&epid=1082900179 These are massive savings against dealer prices if suitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, 0011718 said: Andrew, are those headlights right hand and left hand drive specific? This one states it is? Yes, the lights are RH Traffic or LH Traffic specific. We need LH Traffic specific lights in the UK. Edited March 19, 2023 by Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olliecampbell Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 Quite a nice Youtube video, although I found it hard watching him working with that knife towards his hand! I had this recently on my E61, from the same area. I took the quick and dirty method of using clear silicon to seal around the headlight 'glass' to body areas after hairdryer'ing and airing cupboard'ing the headlight overnight. Seems to have worked well for now until I do a proper job in the summer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chowser Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 Afternoon Folks. Have the same issue of my Sept 2014 520D, went to try the quick method of taking the cap off the top and using a hairdryer until I have time to look at it properly but my lights don't have caps on the top. Any simple solutions to get hot air in there without dismantling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted December 21, 2023 Author Share Posted December 21, 2023 51 minutes ago, Chowser said: . Any simple solutions to get hot air in there without dismantling? That will only ever be a temporary fix. Do you have halogens? There will be a hatch or twist off cover to change the bulb. It may be under the trim panels that hinge up. You can point a hairdryer in there for a bit. But it will come back, especially at this time of year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chowser Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 (edited) Hi. No it's Xenon's and there is no cover to remove - not sure if this was changed at LCI but definitely no cover. Found a picture from another post, the circle is where the cap is on other examples I have seen Edited December 21, 2023 by Chowser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HandyAndy Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 You could always try gently heating the lens area with the hairdryer. That should heat up the air within the light unit and cause a slight overpressure allowing it to ventilate through it's vents. Best tried on a dry day though as cooling would potentially then suck in external air... self-defeating on a damp day. It's another option... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.