[Jeff123]

Hi

I noticed a couple of days ago that my off-side headlight is steamed-up. Some mist and globules of water. I dried it out with a hairdryer on the outside of the lens and it dissappeared after about 5 minutes. However, it's come back!

I cleaned the car a day before this happened - just wiped certain areas under the bonnet with a sponge.

When I look inside unit, I notice that it does not appear as shiny as the other unit, suggesting (to me) that this has happened before.

Is the headlight unit covered under warranty?

What would anyone do about this?

Thanks.

Jeff

[Bustwell]

If the car is still under manufacturers warranty then take it to the dealers. I had this problem on a Golf I had previously and got the units replaced under warranty no problem.

[craig2859]

I've got the same issue with my offside Spotlight ... no warranty, any ideas?


.

[SiKkBaSs]

Keep headlights on dippped beam even when daylight.

[Jeff123]

Originally Posted by SiKkBaSs

Keep headlights on dippped beam even when daylight.

Hi

Yes, I could do this and it would dry out the unit. However, are these supposed to be sealed (airtight) units? Is it a similar problem to the double-glazing in your house when the seal has gone and the unit is constantly steamed-up?

If that is the case, then it's just disguising the problem??

Jeff

[Jon D]

Originally Posted by Jeff123

Hi

Yes, I could do this and it would dry out the unit. However, are these supposed to be sealed (airtight) units? Is it a similar problem to the double-glazing in your house when the seal has gone and the unit is constantly steamed-up?

If that is the case, then it's just disguising the problem??

Jeff

Quite so and problems like that don't disappear. If the car's still within the warranty period and there's no visible evidence of impact damage, take the car back to the dealer.

[Jeff123]

Originally Posted by Jon D

Quite so and problems like that don't disappear. If the car's still within the warranty period and there's no visible evidence of impact damage, take the car back to the dealer.

Hi

Thanks, I will do just that.

Jeff

[Jeff123]

Hi

Just been to the dealer. They reckon that BMW don't cover this under warranty. They described my light as "minor condensation" and told me to drive around for a few days with the headlights on.

They said that if the unit would have been "half filled with water" it might have been a different matter!

I am not too upset at this point, so I am going to leave it for now.

Jeff

[Jon D]

Stories such as yours and those concerning cracked wheels makes you wonder what the BMW warranty is actually worth.

[SteveF1]

Wierdly enough the headlight clusters including the spotlights and rear lenses are NOT sealed units and actually have tiny air holes inside them to all for condensation to evaporate as humidity gets in there even if its airtight and should it be airtight then there is no way of it drying out which is why they allow air holes.

Normally this helps prevent water ingress but depending on circumstance it can lead to the problem of water ingress and misted up lenses. I had this problem with both my front lenses and took it to BMW. They jet wash the car and allow the car to stand for around 30 minutes with the lights on and if it doesn't clear after a certain period of time then they replace the unit. If it clears then its done its job.

Essentially they have a tolerance test to allow the cluster to clear itself and if it fails to, as is the case if seals fail etc then they replace. Most of the time it clears.

[m@rk]

As pointed out, whilst these units are sealed, they are not airtight.

The enclosed picture shows my car on delivery (this photo was taken with just 6 miles on the clock).

Of course the problem becomes even worse with Xenon lights as the heat levels are that much lower than normal halogen lights which can help evaporate the water.

Having said that, my unit was changed under warranty however there are a set of tests the dealer needs to carry out to see if the condensation is "bad enough" to warrant a change.

[Dr Dave]

Fill headlamp with 25mm of rainwater.

Journey to dealer.

Problem sorted.