Headlight washer cover fell off :(

R

Richard!

Member
On the way into work I lost a headlight washer cover. Luckily it only came off a junction before the office so I was able to find it.

Unfortunately in the time it took for me to realise that it was missing and walking to the junction some one has driven over it. So not only is the bracket on the back broken but the paint is also damaged.

Phoned BMW for a replacement, for a painted one I have to wait 6 to 8 weeks!!! The did offer a plain one and a rattle can for next week, don't think so.

Anyway, I plan to order a painted one. In the mean time I want to fix my broken one and reinstall it.

Does anyone have instructions or a guide on installing the covers?

Thanks
Rich
 
No surprise they seem to pop off easily

Yes - reach inside the bumper cover and pull up the washer wiht fingers and thumb (it's hydraulic) locate one side of the corer on the the peg and clip the other on. Should take 30 seconds if you stop to put the kettle on to later relax and admire the result.

Ordering a pre sprayed - that's expensive. spray one up.
 
I got a bodyshop to paint mine - was told the 6-8 weeks wait as well...

turns out on mine the fixing it attaches too on the headlight washer was also broke so had to replace the headlight washer too :thumbsdown: That was a bumper off job too (howto on here somewhere)....

fitting the cover is quite straightforward if a little fiddly... you have to pull the pump head up and hold it out while fitting the cover. Takes quite a 'snap' to get it to stay in place...

If you arent sure if it's broken (the pump) I can take a picture of my broken one...
 
Thanks for the replies :)

The cover does seem expensive, they want £35. Unfortunately the nearest paint shop to me is useless. I imagine the cost would be similar if I buy the plain one and have it painted. Just need to be patient & see if I can fab up a new bracket for my damaged one.
 
Richard! said:
Thanks for the replies :)

The cover does seem expensive, they want £35. Unfortunately the nearest paint shop to me is useless. I imagine the cost would be similar if I buy the plain one and have it painted. Just need to be patient & see if I can fab up a new bracket for my damaged one.
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This really is something to spray up yourself with a rattle can of coulour and one of lacquer. Warm garage or room and 10 minutes work. Being so small it will spray easily. Just clip it from underneath in something like a clothes peg to keep it level and off the newspaper, bench, etc.
 
Not that this helps you in getting another one, but it might help it stopping happening again...

I've deactivated my headlamp washers by removing the appropriate fuse as I was worried about the cover coming loose - it was a known issue with a previous car I owned (Renault Clio with xenons). I found them a waste of time, soaking the entire front end of the car with minimal effect of actually cleaning the headlamp lens, plus I rarely let the car get that dirty anyway. I realise they're required legally for MOT on xenon-equipped cars (I'm running halogens :() but it's easy to reinstall the fuse for the likes of MOTs. As I say, might be an option once you've fitted a replacement.
 
I know what you mean about soaking the front of the car.

I found that if the headlights are off it won't use the headlight washers. While the weather was warmer ( >0 ) I would spray the window once before setting off with the head lights off. Not really an option now with the salty spray on the roads since I need to keep cleaning the window and the headlights clean every now and then.

I get the feeling that the cover had been broken in the past since it was never quite straight compared to the other side. It even looks like it may have been repainted. A new one would hopefully last a number of years.
 
Sorry to hear about this, what a PITA!

a11y said:
Not that this helps you in getting another one, but it might help it stopping happening again...

I've deactivated my headlamp washers by removing the appropriate fuse as I was worried about the cover coming loose - it was a known issue with a previous car I owned (Renault Clio with xenons). I found them a waste of time, soaking the entire front end of the car with minimal effect of actually cleaning the headlamp lens, plus I rarely let the car get that dirty anyway. I realise they're required legally for MOT on xenon-equipped cars (I'm running halogens :() but it's easy to reinstall the fuse for the likes of MOTs. As I say, might be an option once you've fitted a replacement.
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Great idea! Where can I find this fuse? :)
 
I've just searched and couldn't find the info on it, but it's definately there...

IIRC it's one of the fuses in the fuse panel located above the glovebox (I think). I honestly can't remember :oops:
 
Get the part in then take it to your local BMW body shop. Ask them to paint it whenever they are doing a respray. Mine was done in a couple of days as black is common, I imagine grey is the same.
 
I had both headlight washer covers fall off my 2008 BMW during a cold and snowy period a couple of weeks ago. After some research, this appears to be a worldwide problem. The BMWLand website has numerous posts about owners losing headlight washer covers during a recent cold spell across Europe. One BMWLand comment states:

"BMW (Europe) have obviously conceded that it is a design fault by virtue of the fact that they are now treating it as a warranty claim"

My BMW dealer in Ohio (USA) estimated a replacement cost of around $550.00 USD to replace these covers! Why is BMW paying for the European repairs and not for the American repairs? BMW North America needs to take some responsibility for this defective design and cover the costs in the USA as well.

This is a serious safety issue for both the driver and other motorists dodging the defective parts flying off of BMWs on the highway.

BMW's factory warranty sucks :x
 
This may sound random but i tried pulling one of my washers off today and its really stuck down - there is no way i could just pull it off without breaking the stalk under it.
 
aquazi said:
This may sound random but i tried pulling one of my washers off today and its really stuck down - there is no way i could just pull it off without breaking the stalk under it.
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If you have to do it on your own just lift it slightly wit your nails then once your fingers can reach under you can pull the jet up a couple of inches. The cover clips on backward/forward on one side and on a pin at the other on the svivel head. Real easy to take off and if clipped on correctly seem very secure.

Of course I'll lose one now :thumbsdown:
 
Leon. said:
Sorry to hear about this, what a PITA!

a11y said:
Not that this helps you in getting another one, but it might help it stopping happening again...

I've deactivated my headlamp washers by removing the appropriate fuse as I was worried about the cover coming loose - it was a known issue with a previous car I owned (Renault Clio with xenons). I found them a waste of time, soaking the entire front end of the car with minimal effect of actually cleaning the headlamp lens, plus I rarely let the car get that dirty anyway. I realise they're required legally for MOT on xenon-equipped cars (I'm running halogens :() but it's easy to reinstall the fuse for the likes of MOTs. As I say, might be an option once you've fitted a replacement.
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Great idea! Where can I find this fuse? :)
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I also want to deactivate my headlight washers as they serve no purpose whatsoever in our climate and I do not wish to lose the little covers that seem to fly off at the first opportunity. Looked in the manual but found no information. Then looked at the fuses behind the glovebox and found a little cardboard diagram, showing that fuses 13 (5A), 38 (30A) and 40 (30A) have something to do with wipers, windscreen washer and headlight washer - in no particular order. First removed fuse 13, but the headlight washer still worked (funny, the volume control on the steering seemed to be deactivated though). Then pulled fuse 40, but have not had the time to test if the headlight washer is now deactivated - the windscreen washer and wipers still work, so maybe this time lucky. Getting those fuses out is a real PITA, even with the little plastic tool.
 
Siener2 said:
Then pulled fuse 40, but have not had the time to test if the headlight washer is now deactivated - the windscreen washer and wipers still work, so maybe this time lucky. Getting those fuses out is a real PITA, even with the little plastic tool.
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So I can confirm that it is definitely fuse 40 (30A) that you need to remove to deactivate the headlight washer. I have tested that the wipers, windscreen washers and the rain sensor all still work. 8)
The fuses (behind the glovebox / cubby hole) are laid out in four rows, numbered from the left bottom. The bottom row has from 1 to 17, the second row from 18 to 34, the third row from 35 to 51. The top row has the big buggers from 52 to 60. In mine positions 1, 2, 3, 17, 18, 19, 34, 35, 51, 52 and 53 are empty.
 
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