Oh, the (headlight) degradation!

R

rednekz-ms

Member
I guess this is a common problem, so if you have an older model you may want to inspect the wiring of your headlights before you get stuck somewhere in the dark.
 

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Not sure what I'm looking at. Is it the wiring on the right hand side?

What symptoms did you have?

Personally I've not heard of any OEM wiring issues for the headlights, only when someone replaces them with aftermarket one. Good spot though and will check the next time I have the front wheels off. :thumbsup:
 
There was a thread recently where someone's internal headlight wiring had also degraded really badly.
 
dhobbs said:
Not sure what I'm looking at. Is it the wiring on the right hand side?

What symptoms did you have?

Personally I've not heard of any OEM wiring issues for the headlights, only when someone replaces them with aftermarket one. Good spot though and will check the next time I have the front wheels off. :thumbsup:
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Yes, this is the passenger headlight. The insulation has degraded to the point where it's all fallen off the wires. And yes, OEM! The low-beam (the plug is pictured) wasn't working at all, and the p/o had put electrical tape around the high-beam wires to keep those working. (You can see where he started on the low-beams.) As a band-aid I've soldered in new wires for the low-beams until my Spyders come in. Fun stuff.
 
Never seen this before and I’ve had a fair few headlights. Be interested in the old light after you’ve got the Spyders? (2xcite I assume)?
 
They look like the OEM ones.
OP, was it missing a rear cover? If so, I think it would make a nice home for a small mammal!
 
kis said:
They look like the OEM ones.
OP, was it missing a rear cover? If so, I think it would make a nice home for a small mammal!
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They’re OEM and the cover was on, tight as ever. Some guys on other forums have said this has been an issue with stock headlights, no rodents involved. ;) Apparently the insulation degrades from the heat emitted from the halogen bulbs. As everyone doesn’t have this problem, my guess is there was a certain batch made with this type insulation.
 
I must have had a dozen lights (pre facelift so same era as your 2003) and never had insulation falling away. Is yours high mileage? High useage somehow degraded the cable?

Or did it have water ingress? Maybe water caused the issue? I’ve heard of water travelling inside insulation when it wasn’t capped off properly (for work). So maybe this issue, on a smaller scale.
 
kis said:
I must have had a dozen lights (pre facelift so same era as your 2003) and never had insulation falling away. Is yours high mileage? High useage somehow degraded the cable?

Or did it have water ingress? Maybe water caused the issue? I’ve heard of water travelling inside insulation when it wasn’t capped off properly (for work). So maybe this issue, on a smaller scale.
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I don't know if it's mileage or age (vehicle has 88K miles). As I said, I suspect it's due to a batch of lights manufactured with defective wiring. Having said that, I do live in an area known for heat and humidity (South Mississippi). The lights did have a light coat of mist in the inside of the lens when I bought the car, since dried. (Had it about a month.)
 
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