2007 x5 inside of headlights scratched? why?
 

I just.bought this well kept 2007 x5 with 107k miles. A significant cosmetic issue is the headlights the clear plastic on the inside not the outside appears to have fine cracks all over.that looks bad when the lights are on. So is this a common design problem? Did bmw fix with newer part materials? Why has this occurred to the inside.of.the headlights? At some point I may seek to replace the headlight housing but at about 1100 each from bmw I would like to know the problem will not.return. I have the bmw.service records .on the car and noticed the prior owner complained.to bmw.service years ago when it was.under warranty but they didn't replace.them. what gives?

post some pictures

Post is some months old and it would be interesting to know how the OP got on!
Meanwhile ,I have client with a similar issue and here are pics!Maybe other owners can chime in:thumbup:

i do not believe that the images show scratching, but plastic stress cracking caused by inappropriate cleaner/solvents. The stress is due to thermal expansion from heating by the HID. As the flaws reduce the transparency of the plastic cover, the heating will increase and the cracking worsen.

Hi Doug
Dont think anyone mentioned scratched headlights!
I doubt it could also be due to inappropriate cleaner,as the damage is purely inside!
Never seen in any E53 and I opened and closed ,a hefty number!Damage is always on the outside where the plastic lens is exposed to direct sunlight and very high temperatures.
I tend to agree with the OP that it is a design fault on a batch of E70 headlights,especially as the previous owner already complained under warranty,but would be interesting to hear from others who may have the same problem.:thumbup:

+1 with Doug Huffman to some degree...those spots/'scratches' on inside of lens cover is referred to as crazing. Common in many kinds of 'plastics', and due to combo of heat on the chemical makeup of the lens cover, some moisture getting in/dried by the headlamp bulb heat, etc.

Very diff to get 'out', even after taking cover off. Some gentle buffing may help, but I wouldn't go to the effort/experimentation. For DIY efforts, GOOG crazing, 'plastic' crazing...
GL, mD

This looks like a case of "crazing." I've attached a little info about crazing, I'll work on finding more. really there is nothing that can be done about the current condition; I don't know if BMW has changed suppliers or mfr procedures to help mitigate this in future vehicles. Unfortunately almost any way you go this can happen, it may happen to one vehicle and not another, it could happen to a batch of vehicles and not the next, this sort of problem is unpredictable and is induced by MANY different things; from the previously mentioned cleaning agents (although that would be more on the outside) to heat and moisture and even the materials that make up the lens.

as mentioned by Motordavid..sorry I didn't read all the posts

I had a similar issue with my 08 but ended up polishing and refinishing them and that minimized the aesthetic issue almost completely. I wax the car regularly and the headlights included to maintain. Yours look a whole heck of a lot worse than mine did and mine were mostly confined to the lower outside edge.