Headlight condensation

H

hughmungus

Member
 North of Bolton
Sorry mods if I am asking an old question but there are so many old threads on this I am hoping for an answer and things may have changed.

Having got the z and spent 5 days driving in the worst rain for months my n/s headlight is now full of condensation. So far I have tried,

T asking the back off and using a fan heater, turned the seal around and used some silicon seal and even a sponge on a stick ! But it won't go away.

Please someone tell me there is a magic answer :cry:
 
I dried it all out for ages with a hairdryer and then put a new back cover on it. Problem solved.
 
TomD said:
I dried it all out for ages with a hairdryer and then put a new back cover on it. Problem solved.
Click to expand...

I did this too. For me, bumper off, headlight out, dried with a hairdryer and a line of clear silicone around the seal before replacing the back cover. About 2 hours in total.
 
hughmungus said:
Taking the bumper off scares me to death, is it that hard ?
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It's not hard at all. There is a thread on it somewhere if you search for it.

As far as the headlight goes though, I hairdryered it without removing the bumper by accessing through the wheelarch and wedging the hairdryer in there to dry out the headlight through the back. I smeared a bit of vaseline on the seal of my new back cover before fitting. I don't think you can buy the seal separately but the back cover isn't too dear. This was a few months ago and mine's been fine since.
 
hughmungus said:
Taking the bumper off scares me to death, is it that hard ?
Click to expand...

I put it off for ages, but was surprised at just how easy it was. About 10 screws and a few rivets where you push the middle out. There's a couple of you tube videos.

I tried all sorts to dry the headlight in situ, just couldn't do it, so it had to come out.

If you do it, try and have a few spare rivet things in case one or two break.
 
List price on realoem.com is $14.67 (for the back covers), so it should be less than that in GBP. Main dealer will be able to get you one. I would buy a new one as it's pretty cheap, and a second hand one could also let condensation in.

Hope this link works:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BT52-EUR---E85-BMW-Z4%203.0i&diagId=63_0758

N.B. I don't 100% know that the part is the same for Xenon and halogen lights. I imagine it is but check with the dealer.
 
Now at my wits end, I've replaced the back cover - still same, tried all other quick solutions apart from inserting a goldfish in but still same.

So spent yesterday taking bumper off, lots of grazed knuckles there, and took out headlight which had a good bit of water in the bottom which also covered the inside with muck, sealed around the edge including where I thought the leak was and put it all back together.

Came down today - condensation in headlight !

Oh and why is this t always the last and most important bolt that just won't come out when you want it to.

So my only options are :-

Try and get a 2nd head light which are like finding hens teeth because most zeds don't reverse into accidents!

Buy a pair of those chrome ones from 2excite

Or sell a vital organ and buy a new one.

Any advice please would be welcome
 
You need to dry the headlight out for more than 24 hours,especially if you have had a pool of water in the base..

I did one a couple of weeks ago and it took 4 days for the headlight to dry out completely..

A new back with seal is £12 from dealer....Smear the edge of the seal with vaseline,and seal up...
 
I couldn't be without the car that long so I sat with the hair dryer on low for 3 hours till I thought I had got every drop out, and then put a new back on as suggested.

I couldn't see any damage to cause the leak other than an area in the corner which appeared to have separated the lens and the body so I cover the entire deal with silicone.

Driving me mad now !! Which is why I'm tempted to buy the 2xcite ones off eBay
 
Having a lot of heat in the headlight and then sealing will cause condensation in itself.

You would have to let the plastics cool off for quite a while before fitting the cover section.

Are the 2 vents on the rear of the light clear from blockage ?
 
Yes I cleaned them both, and left the back off for a good hour after.

I'll try some more silica packs and see how that goes.
 
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