BMW 6 Series HOW TO FIX DROWNED HEADLIGHT
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- čas přidán 29. 12. 2022
- Sealing Tape: amzn.to/3Z0Ai0V
I despaired when I saw my headlight - it had never been that bad before, sure it used to get condensation in it, but this time it was full of water - and probably seconds away from complete failure. The problem is the seal between the main light enclosure and the turn signal eyebrow lights - it is there to stop rainwater getting between the two and running down the back of the light - eventually getting into the enclosure.
I looked at getting a new one - £1500 ($1800) - too expensive, what about 2nd hand? There was only one on eBay and that was £450 and looked awful. OK, well both too expensive, time for some DIY. I need to replace the seal, clean the INSIDE of the headlight glass and dry it all out. This video shows how I achieved this without removing either enclosure and how I made it waterproof again
#BMW6-Series, #Condensation, #Headlight, - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Your relevant information is always so much appreciated,i get the same when driving in heavy rain or when using a high pressure hosepipe. Thank you once again.
Always my pleasure!
I actually thought of the same thing - and it worked brilliantly. Awesome stuff as always Tim. Thanks for the videos
My pleasure Alex!
Another great video, Timm. Unfortunately, same happened to mine under the ‘sadly a case of when not if’ section of annoying problems with my E63. For me, however, water had been left standing too long and it damaged the adaptive headlight motors resulting in the beam seizing in the incorrect position and a subsequent MOT failure. Cue having to remove headlight, prise apart and have the motors set in the correct position. Only a temporary fix and means I no longer have adaptive headlights, so your video is yet another reminder that these small, cheap fixes now can save a whole world of pain further down the line.
Thanks!
Very cool! Tim does it again!
Thanks again!
Very helpful to know, thank you for this Tim.
Very welcome and always my pleasure!
Hi Timm this is Alvin your number one fan. Happy holidays to you and your family. I have the same problem on my 645ci. Thanks so much for your tips. This is probably your last video of 2022. I wanted to be the first one to leave a comment.
ALVIN!!! Great to hear from you, I hope you have a great 2023 my friend!
Could not be better timing Timm. This just happened to me a couple of days ago! Getting lots of rain over here in Northern California. I rebuilt my headlights on my E39 540i a few months ago and it looks like I'm going to need some additional butyl tape to seal the lenses. I used the top hole and a hairdryer to get rid of the temporary moisture that built up after one drive out. I'll likely have to remove the headlight from the car to add more sealant. Thanks for another great video Timm, Happy New Year!
My pleasure as always!
Excellent video! Nice idea using the flexible brush, I wonder if I might be able to do something similar to clean out all the green algae and moss living inside my E63's rear brake light clusters!
Thanks, and YES - I have just done this today, you need a much smaller brush set: amzn.to/3Q8WkKT the small one gets up under the skirt of the light and gets the green stuff out with the help of a stream of water from a garden hose. I recorded the process so I'll put that at some time in the future
@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation Fantastic! just ordered a set of brushes for myself and look forward to the video. The moss has been a bugbear of mine since I bought the car.
Good video Tim, thanks. My lamp was steaming for some time and now I have a problem with xenon leveling, one lamp shines in the bushes. I'm in the process of replacing the headlamp leveling motor.
Glad it helped!
Interesting Tim and it's made me wonder if I could do something with my e91 Zenon headlight which is suffering from the same issue...
Yes, that much dampness always causes problems!
This happened on my F10. Had to completely rebuild it with a new control board and re seal the lens with adhesive. Better than paying 1800 on a replacement.
My head light is good but my.indicator is steamed up. Its a small crack so I will simply replace it.. but when I do.i will be putting the 3 m tape between the two as you did. Great video 👏
Thanks, and good plan!
Hi Timm another brilliant video, thank you again for posting, I have the same bloody issue, have you got a link to where I can buy that rubber sticky strip? By the way I met Lee Shannon last month to change the entire brake lines, thank you so much for that recommendation, he speaks very highly of you, hope you had a great Christmas
Thanks! Here you go:
brush: amzn.to/3jJYi8A
tape: amzn.to/3WX8wRb
@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation once again my deepest thanks Tim
Hi Tim, I was interested to see you using the sealer on the headlight something I had not thought to do, I assume it gives UV protection and has no ill effect on the plastic? Always liked the look of a 6 series though practicality puts me in an E61 but I do enjoy your videos.
I was using Zaino 2 to help with the haze that build up, but yes, it does have UV protection as well. Nothing wrong with the E61!
I have the same problem my friend,you are a genius 😮❤
That's great news!
Hi Tim. Thanks for the video.
I wonder if someone could use clear silicone sealant instead of the sticky tape?
My pleasure! Silicone sealant would seal the headlight to the turn indicator - and it would never come out again - hence why BMW used a one-sided adhesive seal
@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation How about using some "flex seal"?🤓
Flex seal.
Timm another saviour video, where do you get the flexible bottle cleaner from?
Sure, brush: amzn.to/3jJYi8A
tape: amzn.to/3WX8wRb
Hi Timm. Great work. I hace the same problem. What about extracting the headlight and seal completely?
Thanks! The headlight does not come apart on the pre-LCI, so the only access is through the main-beam aperture
@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation It does on my 05 pre facelift E64. Easily opened as it is sealed with butyl, just some heat needed. OE butyl is very thinly applied, especially at the top section where it matters most and this is where it leaks.
Hi Tim thanks for your videos they alway prove helpful. Im struggling with a weird issue on my e63 where i cant get the driver side gap between the bottom of the headlight and the top of the bumper to align. it seems like the bumper has sagged creating a gap. i have played around with the headlight alignment but nothing seems to resolve it. there is no issues on the other side. If you have any experience with this i'd be keen to know your thoughts. Cheers
The pancake bolts around the top of the bumper (seen when the bonnet is open) are adjustable (the bumper holes are quite large). Try loosening all the bolts and moving the bumper - worth a shot!
Excellent video Timm.. I tried to change my cree led lights on my mercedes c207 to brighter ones but I can't get the connector off its like it's glued on. I watched a few you tube videos and they make it look so simple but mine definitely isn't. I would really appreciate any help on this matter. Thank you
They can be a real pain! Use WD40 to get into the connector pair and then lightly nip the pair with a pair of pliers, that usually loosens them up!
@Timm's BMW Repairs and Information Hi Timm, I can't get a plier in there as it's a very tight space. I tried to use electrical contact spray and they still didn't budge. I don't know if there's a special tool that I can use to release them. One of the connectors is slightly bend as i asked a garage to remove them but they must have squashed the connector with a plier by using to much force. Thank you for all your help.
great work tim , odd effect added via youtube though , headlight at the end has been turned black and white ?
Thanks! It was getting dark at the end of filming so the video is pushed a few stops - probably that has caused the problem!
The weather strip is a good fix Timm. Is there an actual BMW part for the seal between the top of the headlight and the bottom of the indicator?
Just checked, and no, nothing on the diagrams - here's the stuff I used:
brush: amzn.to/3jJYi8A
tape: amzn.to/3WX8wRb
Good thinking with soapy water, helps with sticky stuff. Why was the brush needed though? I just dried my 5 series headlight without touching the inside at all. I warmed the outside with blower heater and ventilated the inside with hear dryer.
Mine was dirty inside due to it getting water in it!
Hi Tim after the recent bad weather my 645Ci has this problem can you confirm the weatherstrip size assuming 200mm x 5mm??
Here you go: Sealing Tape: amzn.to/3Z0Ai0V
Hi Tim, what did you use as a replacement seal?
Now if you could work out a way to remove a dead moth from the side of the light......
Another great video buddy!
Thanks! Try a Dyson in the main beam!
@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation Cheers Tim, Tried that.......beastly thing won't budge.I have no idea how it got in there in the first place. I might try the flexible brush.
which weather strip did you use? and where did you buy it? would help people I think. can be generally difficult to find :)
I used some from work - Norton Tapes 5mm x 10mm double-sided foam tape
Are those stock angels eyes from factory? If yes then what kind of lamps you using? Mines its looks like its powereting the only small circle
No, they are 3W LED's from Amazon - I have been using them since 2015, nice and white and illuminates both rings
Hi Tim did you leave the paper on the one dide of the sealing strip or did you remove it great video Dude
What happened to your old seal between indicator and headlight? Mine was brittle as hell, too much sun. The E63 isn't too keen on lots of sunlight and heat, but you're in no immediate danger of that, judging by this video 😆☔⛈
I couldn't even tell which part the original seal was attached to, indicator would be my guess. So you might be able to get away with just replacing the indicator if that's the case -much cheaper an easier to replace-, but your drying method was inspiring, for sure! Thanks for that!
Thanks! Even with our feeble amount of sun the seal just fell apart and dropped out - the right-hand side needs to be done soon, it's still there but not doing much!
I have this issue on my E90 M3, although it is only really bad when washing the car, it is not too bad even when driving through torrential rain. I wonder if this trick can be done to that.....!?
Yes, it will work fine
I have a 2008 bmw 650i and it has been raining here in California, I noticed my left headlight when off and it was full of water juts like yours ! The halo rings work but the main Beam didn’t so I change the xenon bulb and the ballast but still no light ! 😭 do you think I need a new headlight?? Or should I try drying it like you did ? Pls help 😁😁
That is probably the module under the headlight - check my video's and I show how to replace it for 25 quid and without removing the bumper
@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation ok thank u
Where do you get the sticky tape? At last I can stop the pesky things fogging up!
Here you go:
brush: amzn.to/3jJYi8A
tape: amzn.to/3WX8wRb
My angel eyes are a bit yellowish. Can I just change the bulb Tim??
Yes, I use LED's as described here: czcams.com/video/-wNR-ss8r_w/video.html
I've had this on my 1 series, left the lights on full wack for an hour or so and used a hair dryer and it's cleared it.
Hopefully it doesn't come back
Good tip!
@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation update, it didn't solve the issue! However, I removed bungs/caps at the top and it's doing the trick!! Need to re-dry them and maybe drill some small hopes in the cap to allow air to circulate. I think it's from having the lights on, warming the unit then the air temp drops causing condensation. Apparently there are vents/breather tube that maybe blocked, I can't see where they are
You split them and reseal them, problem solved. Had the same problem wasted hours with the hairdryer. Had new front indicators and still did it. Split them, lens off new weather seal problem solved
I saw that they appeared easy to split, are they glued together or just clipped like the early ones?
@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation ours were bonded as 04.
Why does your hand go grey when touching the light after you’ve cleaned it all hope you haven’t used filter to
Make Look better
I could not get the exposure right as I lost the light so needed two exposure levels - but you are right, it does look weird! No cheating though......
So many BMW cars with this problem, fix the leaks, put silica better protection
I did it to all our cars with good long lasting….😂
I think I will give that a go as the air temperature drop again
A band aid at best. Address the problem: how and why is condensation getting inside the headlight. Eventually it will ruin the ballast from water damage and throw a malfunction code.
I’ve melted the plastic on my bmw headlights trying to use the hair dryer on it before
This was in 2020, I’ve since sealed the spot that was melted and it’s fine.
I attached a spare rad hose to my hair dryer and pointed it inside the headlights let it run for like 15 mins. Anyone who tries this out don’t use too hot of a setting because the plastic melts very fast
Good info!
Be warned, this is a temporary fix. The only way to properly fix this is the headlight off of the car, open and reseal the unit with butyl and reattach. Personally done this to one of my headlights on my BMW about 1 month ago and its now as brand new. More modern BMWs will have adaptive lights and a TMS module that sits at the bottom of the unit that will corrode over time from the condensation.
Thanks, I thought the light wouldn't come apart, but I will have a go next!
Maybe spray CRC on the modules before corrosion.
I use air gun and clean cloth.the air swipes the cloth around in the headlight
Thanks for the info!