Headlight Cracked...ARHHH
 

Ok guys please tell I don't need a complete new headlight assembly? I noticed this a couple of nights ago. I've done some searching around and haven't come across just the plastic housing.

The crack at this time doesn't seem to go completely through but give it some time it will sooner or later.

What do you think?

surprised it doesn't happen more often to be honest. Is it plexiglass? Flying rocks can't be too friendly otherwise.

The headlight will need to be replaced as an entire assembly (as its glued with a special epoxy for being weather-tight and moisture resistant). Sorry.

Do look around ebay for replacement, as you just need the shell and as such, can transfer the costly HID, ballast into the shell.

I use to work in a auto plant and this subject came up on how much abuse it can take. I swear, the guy to a baseball bat to it and whacked it with no breakage just to prove it can take a rock. I think it also comes down to its shape and size and if there are any parting lines (which maybe a weak spot).

OEM E70 Xenon Headlight assemblies are on ebay for around $550 USD.... They are the older part # though up to 08 E70 model...although I do not believe the headlights have changed that much if at all past 08...

Is there any sign of a rock impact? And looks like you have the newer headlights that aren't on eBay yet.... Maybe make mention of it next time you are in for service and see if they replace it under warranty or shoot you an estimate. (kind of a gray area)

I think they are made of Lexan/polycarbonate. The baseball bat is a favorite example, as it's typically sharp objects, such as large crushed rock, that cause cracks -- rounded blunt objects like a baseball bat are about the easiest shape for Lexan to handle.

I wonder how much difference those clear plastic headlight shields really make? You know, the ones that go on sorta like the paint protection film, only mush thicker using self-stick adhesive. I've used it on one of my motorcycles and it hasn't yellowed or anything over the past five years.

But how much time do the bikes spend in direct sunlight? Just about every set of clear film I've seen on headlights was faded and looked like poo... but I have no idea how long they were on the vehicles. But if you park in a garage at home and work the stuff would last much longer.

> But how much time do the bikes spend in direct sunlight?


Not a lot as they are stored in the garage, except on cross country trips. And the bike I put it on has an older style, traditional "vertical" straight up-and-down orientation, so sunlight doesn't hit it as directly as the angled style on most new vehicles.

It's not just the cost of the headlight assembly, it's the cost of labor to replace. It's a big job and very time consuming. I had a replacement (both sides) done under warranty for cracking around the edges and it took 2 days!! Dealer said it was around $3,500 CDN!!!

Yeah, you gotta remove the bumpers/fenders to get the lights out on the E70... but since it has been replaced before they might parts warranty it?

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

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.

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

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

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

Pauly,

I just sent the following email to my BMW service advisor:

"Hi AJ,

An acquaintance with an E70 X5 in NY has the same cracked headlight problem I had a while ago and his dealer is not aware of the manufacturing defect that caused my headlights to be replaced under warranty. I know that BMW N Scottsdale was also not ware of this manufacturing defect until the factory rep came by. Do you have any information on my old cracked headlights problem (details, warranty code, internal BMW reference #) I can give my acquaintance to help him out?

Thanks!

Christiaan"

Thanks I really appreciate the help!

FWIW.

If your out of warranty the collision part of your auto insurance
may cover this. I recently had both of mine replaced this way.

Response from my service rep:

The best is to ask the dealer there to contact their area BMW Factory Representative as our Representative had some information available to him that we did not have access to.

Our representative told me that it was a temperature issue that was specific to the Southwest.

By the way, this is still the only vehicle that we have seen this condition on so far.

Ok, looks like I am going to have to do a lot of back and forth calling and arguing with my local dealer before anything happens with this. Thanks for the quick follow up! I'll let you know if I found out anything else helpful for others having this problem.

What bothers me the most is that I just bought the car last week. Its a CPO so I dont get how it got certified. Arent the headlights on the CPO checklist? If so, who do you file a complaint with/contact when your certified pre-owned vehicle turns out to have headlights that are not even covered under your original factory warranty...

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.

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.

Clear Bras over the headlight can sometimes prevent this. They do absorb quite a bit of impact, and some companies even offer guarantees saying as such.

For the $100.00 it would cost to have your lights "coated" with the material, it's worth a shot. Go with a good company that uses 3M clear bra material. It's strong quality stuff. It was invented to be used on the leading edges of airplane props to protect them against stone, bird, and debris chips.

In my experience it's worked great. I did have a rock hit my bra once, in AZ, and tear a small hole into the surface (which was replace free under the bra installer's warranty) but the surface beneath was 100% protected! It's worth every penny..

It "probably," "maybe" could have prevented this. $550.00 is not worth an insurance claim, in most cases, so it sucks. Check e-bay! There's got to be one floating around.

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,