Headlight Cracked...ARHHH

[rh71]

can someone identify what's new about this assembly for 09+?

[Weasel]

RealOEM.com BMW E70 X5 4.8i Headlight

[Herr Bauhaus]

Although my headlights cracked differently, I got them replaced under warranty from BMW on my 08 X5 (built February 08) as there seemed to be a manufacturing error with them. A BMW factory rep came by my dealer and confirmed this although it was the first time the dealer heard of it. Given the outrageous cost for parts + labour ($2-3k easily) I say it is worth trying to get this replaced under warranty. It should be noted that mine cracked from the inside (you could see but feel no cracking from the outside) which meant it could not have been caused by road debris. Pics attached. Good luck.

[jamesboags]

There are two models of the headlights .. those with a larger VL emblazoned on the cover than newer version which has a smaller VL.. hard to show on a photo.. I had a headlight replaced as part of an accident claim and my other 2007 original headlight has a larger manufacturer VL logo than the new one.

regards

[HHR]

Originally Posted by Herr Bauhaus

Although my headlights cracked differently, I got them replaced under warranty from BMW on my 08 X5 (built February 08) as there seemed to be a manufacturing error with them. A BMW factory rep came by my dealer and confirmed this although it was the first time the dealer heard of it. Given the outrageous cost for parts + labour ($2-3k easily) I say it is worth trying to get this replaced under warranty. It should be noted that mine cracked from the inside (you could see but feel no cracking from the outside) which meant it could not have been caused by road debris. Pics attached. Good luck.

I have similar cracks (little smaller) on my 08 X5 too. And water inside taillight. Serious fun. We have now -25C and maybe the temperature difference have something to do with cracks.
Let see what dealer says about it.

[paulyz]

I just bought a 2007 4.8 out of state. I didnt notice until after I took delivery that the headlights appeared to be scratched/cracked from the inside. Its not that bad when the lights are off other than the visible cracks, but the lights seem fogged from the inside when they are turned on.

I brought it to a local dealership who said that this was not covered under warranty. I have the clear protective coat on my front end, and they claim that its possible that some sort of heat was applied to the hood when the clear coat was installed and it was the heat that cracked the headlight.

IS this even possible? I thought the clear coat was installed with an adhesive, and dont the headlights produce a ton of heat themselves.

Any info you have would be greatly appreciated.

Herr Bauhaus, did they tell you why yours were covered?

[Herr Bauhaus]

Originally Posted by paulyz

I just bought a 2007 4.8 out of state. I didnt notice until after I took delivery that the headlights appeared to be scratched/cracked from the inside. Its not that bad when the lights are off other than the visible cracks, but the lights seem fogged from the inside when they are turned on.

I brought it to a local dealership who said that this was not covered under warranty. I have the clear protective coat on my front end, and they claim that its possible that some sort of heat was applied to the hood when the clear coat was installed and it was the heat that cracked the headlight.

IS this even possible? I thought the clear coat was installed with an adhesive, and dont the headlights produce a ton of heat themselves.

Any info you have would be greatly appreciated.

Herr Bauhaus, did they tell you why yours were covered?

The headlights do produce a ton of heat, that's why they should not be covered themselves with clearcoat/film. I find it hard to believe a clearcoat applied to the hood would cause the damage.

Regarding my headlights:
- they cracked from the INSIDE
- they were replaced under warranty because it was a manufacturing defect. My dealer was not aware of this but a BMW factory rep that happened to visit looked at them and okay-ed replacement under warranty for this reason. It could be very true that your dealer is simply not aware either if the existence of this manufacturing defect

[The Big Easy]

I have had a clearbra (3M) installed on the headlights in both cars, and although the lights do produce heat, no problem with the product's longevity has been seen. In this country, the clearbra is now standard on all BMW's demo cars that are on loan to dealerships in order to try to prevent the costly headlight replacements.

Cheers,

Originally Posted by Herr Bauhaus

The headlights do produce a ton of heat, that's why they should not be covered themselves with clearcoat/film. I find it hard to believe a clearcoat applied to the hood would cause the damage.

Regarding my headlights:
- they cracked from the INSIDE
- they were replaced under warranty because it was a manufacturing defect. My dealer was not aware of this but a BMW factory rep that happened to visit looked at them and okay-ed replacement under warranty for this reason. It could be very true that your dealer is simply not aware either if the existence of this manufacturing defect

[jamesboags]

Originally Posted by paulyz

I just bought a 2007 4.8 out of state. I didnt notice until after I took delivery that the headlights appeared to be scratched/cracked from the inside. Its not that bad when the lights are off other than the visible cracks, but the lights seem fogged from the inside when they are turned on.

I brought it to a local dealership who said that this was not covered under warranty. I have the clear protective coat on my front end, and they claim that its possible that some sort of heat was applied to the hood when the clear coat was installed and it was the heat that cracked the headlight.

IS this even possible? I thought the clear coat was installed with an adhesive, and dont the headlights produce a ton of heat themselves.

Any info you have would be greatly appreciated.

Herr Bauhaus, did they tell you why yours were covered?

I had fogging on the inside of mine and got one replaced (It affected the beam and caused a dark edge around the beam .... the other was replaced due to an accident and now both are the newer part #... My claim was that a contaminant had entered a supposedly sealed headlight enclosure .. although there is a type of small pipe on the back of the light which seems to provide some sort of venting... dealer declined so I wrote a letter to BMW asking under what terms of the warranty such a fault is not a manufacturing defect...they agreed to replace.

[paulyz]

Do you have any other details on the manufacturing defect that caused your lights to crack?